The Empty Land : A Novel (Paperback)

This is the best western novel by L'Amour that I have ever read. Matt Coburn is the main character and while he is the best with a gun, he is most reluctant to use it. Yet, circumstances continue to force him to intervene and try to establish law in order in the gold boom town of Confusion. His first job is riding shotgun for the stage carrying the first shipment of gold ore and ends with his engaging in a series of gunfights with people that kill others for fun and profit. This book also has one of the most interesting beginnings of all western novels. The first three paragraphs describe events in Europe and Asia during the seventh century, where monarchs ruled and fought for dominion. Only after that does the flow move to a coyote trying to capture a meal on the move. The story is about a man with a destiny that he tries to avoid and cannot. Even though he could have rode away and left the town to likely destruction, he rides back because he fundamentally knows that he is the only one that can hold the barbarians at bay. He succeeds at great cost and at the end, he may have found peace and a real station in life. The story is great and engaging, the hero that uses his guns to tame the social forces of darkness should engage in thoughts of regret and doubt when it is necessary to kill those that want to destroy the sparks of civilization.