Saturday, August 09, 2014

Review: The Haunted Mesa


The Haunted Mesa
The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This was not what I expected at all, but I really enjoyed it. I picked this up because I enjoy western films and wanted to read some westerns. I've read Robert Parker's Virgil Cole mysteries, but I wanted to read some of the classic western authors. I've read a Zane Grey and so I figured L'Amour would be a good next try. Yes, it takes place in Utah and involves Native Americans and a few cowboys, but it is more fantasy/sci-fi and takes place in the 1980s. It's also a mystery as you (along with the protagonist) try to figure out just what is going on. I really liked the narrative voice and the characters. The main character, Mike Raglan, has some interesting musings about the Anasazi, native Americans, and the growth and death of civilizations.

There were times were it felt a bit repetitive (Raglan goes over the same set of circumstances in his mind). Also, there were times where the plot seemed to jump: I sometimes checked to make sure I didn't miss a page. Not much is every explained about the workings of the passages (And so it's more fantasy than sci-fi in my view).




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