Book Review: Louis L’Amour’s Fallon
This
is a western story of a drifter, con-man and gambler who is surviving,
but just barely. In spite of himself, he helps create a new town, Red
Horse. The new town will rise from the fraud infested desert ghost town
of Buell’s Bluff, which was designed to swindle miners and eastern
businessmen. Macon Fallon was way down on his luck, having barely
escaped from Seven Pines. He spotted two wagons and travelers. The
beginning of a plan to produce a stake flashes in his mind. One wagon
had a busted wheel and the travelers looked warn and deflated. They had
some water but not enough to just sit around and mope about the trouble
they were in.
Looking at the wagons, Fallon put on his selling face. With a
positive spirit and enthusiasm on the outside, he approached the
“sheep” he was going to fleece. On the inside he had to bury his
feelings of sympathy towards the travelers. He needed his formulated
plan of deception to work. Talking with confidence and optimism, Fallon
extolled the advantages of revitalizing this old town he owned and how
they could survive and prosper in it.
There is one person in the small group who visibly doubts him and his
story, Gina Blane. This attractive, independent thinking woman was
causing Fallon some doubt as to the potential success of his plan.
Driving straight ahead, Fallon tried to keep his mind on the goal of a
life of leisure in San Francisco.
Red Horse is threatened by the Bellows gang, Indians, anyone who knew
of Buell’s Bluff and someone from Seven Pines. Pushing these problems
to the back, Fallon continues to extol the town and the potential it
has. Picking and culling new arrivals he builds a new town of strong
and enterprising people pushing to make his plan work.
All of the problems and inner workings of this story weave an
interesting tale. Written around a man, Fallon, who is good but has
lost his way. He is probably going to find his new path, without him
even knowing it. I enjoyed this book again after rereading it. It is a
wholesome story that draws the reader into the position of wondering
how you would react faced with the same circumstances.
Louis L’Amour was a great storyteller and I am among many who read and reread his stories with enthusiasm.
