The Man from Skibbereen: A Novel

Louis L'Amour's heroes are nearly always Irish in tribute to his heritage. Crispin Mayo is no different. This is one book which has no dialogue until the end of the first chapter--something quite unique for him, as all of his books usually take off like a bullet from page one. That does not detract from this one, as this chapter lays some ground about the character and why he has left Ireland. This is a easily readable book, and in the L'Amour tradition. If you like him at all you will like this one.

My only problem with this book is that the main character goes from just-arrived-from-Ireland to skilled westerner in just a few days. But, I didn't live in Ireland in the 1800's, so maybe they did have the skills to survive in the American West with little training. Anyway, it's an enjoyable read, just like all of L'Amour's books.

The thing that I love about L'Amour is that he is more of a storyteller than an author. His economic style of writing keeps the story going and the action fast. One can easily imagine him telling this story by a campfire. This is a fish out of water tale that takes place in Wyoming shortly after the Civil War. If you need a visual reference, check out the movie Dances with Wolves and your set. The characters are likable, Crispin Mayo particularly. Bar none, no one can write a fight scene better than L'Amour and he surpasses himself (at least from what I've read of him)in this story. I also recommend The Empty Land, The Walking Drum and A Man Called Noon.

The Man From Skibbereen The Man From Skibbereen is a book about a helping Irishman who came from Ireland to work on a railroad, but was let to help a colonel's daughter rescue her father from renegades. Overall Ithink this was a good book. It mostly tells about the confederates and the rebels. L would recommend this book to readers who are interested in the Civil War. I would not suggest this book to readers who do not like reading about the west. This book is 184 pages long. The author is Louis L'amour. He is the most highly rated western bookwriter in the country today. He has written other books including, shalako, River West, Sacket, and more.