The First Fast Draw: A Novel

Very good story of course all Louis L'Amour books are great. The only problem with this is that it was supposed to be in very good condition and the last page is missing!

Actually, years ago, this was the first L'Amour I read. I have been hooked ever since. The post Civil War years are rather fastinating and L'Amour is able to capture, in fiction, the general feeling and plight of those who lived those times. As an added bonus, like all L'Amour books, the setting of this story is quite well handled. East Texas is still East Texas and the author's discription and feel for the country is wonderful. This is a very easy book to read and I certainly would recommend it to the younger reader interested in this particular genre. All in all, great fun!

The book "The First Fast Draw" takes place after the Civil War. The genre is a western setting, in the south west part of the United States. The reading has a lot of action and it is really easy going, and not hard to read or comprehend at all. It is a great high school reading book, because it is short, easy to read, and has a good genre. I would give this book five stars and a pat on the back for its excellence.

The plot of the book is when Collin Baker decides he needs to go back to east Texas, to regain and farm his fathers' land. The problem with him doing this is that when his family first moved to east Texas he became known as a troublemaker. He ended up beating up a bunch of boys that were older than he was, but he was doing it in self-defense, therefore he has many enemies in East Texas. Also the carpetbaggers and the Reconstructionists have other plans for his land. Collin Baker returns to his home, but the first night he is home he already runs into trouble. At first, Baker thinks he beat his enemies by himself but learns very fast that he needs friends and to learn to shoot very fast and quick. He quickly found Bob Lee, Bill Longley, and Matt Kirby, who were also having the same problems. Bob Lee is a character who is always ready to fight and looking for action. Bill Longley grew up with Collin, so they knew each other and were also one of Collins few friends. Matt Kirby is woods men that stayed in the swamps trapping. The four of them hide in the woods were nobody knows of. They train and Collin keeps on getting better and better with his gun. Finally its time for them to regain what is rightfully theirs. They kill of bunch of their enemies, but Collin gets caught in the process. He gets thrown in jail and is scheduled for a hanging the next day. While he is in jail he doesn't worry about his problems but worries about his friends trying to get him out and getting caught in the process. He friends come anyways and they all escape. They know now that they need to flee the area so they all head out west together and start over. I believe the main theme of the story is to know how good your friends are to you. Never let anything happen to your friend that you wouldn't want to happen to you. Know that your friends will be there for you when you need him the most. I really liked this book and the tone of it too. The author did a great job of giving great detail and describing everything. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone who likes the woods and guns.

An excellent book for those people interested in the historical "Old West". What makes this book enjoyable is the fact that there are so many historical references. It makes the reader interested in what really happened after the civil war. The storyline keeps the reader's attention. You are able to learn about the Reconstruction Period while being entertained.

The first fast draw is another excellent book by Louis L'amour. It tells history like it really was. A great book!