War Party (Paperback)

For the record, I prefer L'Amour's original to HONDO, both book and movie. Louis' original story is more accurate historically and works better on nearly every level. One significant change in Grant's treatment involves the character of Ed Lowe, the female protagonist's murdered husband. In the original, the Ches (Hondo) Lane character is motivated entirely by a sense of duty toward Ed, and the events of the story revolve entirely around this motivation. I believe Grant deliberately made this change in order to deconstuct Lane's typical L'Amour-hero integrity and create a moral ambiguity in the love story. (He seems to have been fond of moral ambiguities in all his John Wayne scripts.)

Read the story and see what you think. It is one of L'amour's best moments as a writer.

L'Amour was a better writer in his pulp days than he will ever be given credit for. In fact, as a late purveyor of the pulp western's twilight era, I prefer him to Elmore Leonard, H.A. DeRosso, et al. These men were just self-conscious crime writers (with some hipper-than-thou neo-naturalist brightness and talent) who condescended, for a time, to sell westerns. L'Amour, on the other hand, was a believer! -- and BOY, could he knock off a tale!

Also worth noting is the story "The Gift of Cochise," expanded by James Edward Grant into the screenplay for John Wayne's movie HONDO. (L'Amour is now believed to have actually novelized this photoplay-- See Weinberg's LOUIS L'AMOUR COMPANION.) I believe the original story is far better than HONDO-- book or movie! L'Amour's original is more logical and realistic, and the love story works better with the dead husband as a good guy toward whom Ches (later Hondo) Lane feels a driving responsiblity. This was one of L'Amour's greatest perfomances.

Also, check out the other 'slicks' Louis wrote for COLLIER'S and the SATURDAY EVENING POST-- pure, smart story-telling! (Especially the forgotten 1960 Sackett story "Booty For A Badman.") The ladies will love his excursions into "Ranch Romance" territory-- "One For The Pot" and the title story. There's not a single dud here and the collection would be perfect if it included "Bluff Creek Station" (later collected in THE STRONG SHALL LIVE), my personal choice as L'Amour's greatest short story.

So buy it when you can, especially if you have never read Louis L'Amour! This anthology is a perfect introduction to an American legend.

Al