GALLOWAY

GALLOWAY
(Sacketts #14)

- Louis L'Amour -

This one started out good, but, then kind of fell apart at the end.

It starts with Flagan Sackett escaping from a tribe of natives who were torturing him and about to kill him. He has the challenge of evading capture from the pursuing natives and surviving the desert...with only the loin cloth he is wearing. He manages to make fire, scratch up some food, and cloth himself all the while staying clear of the Apaches. 

At this point I was into the book. It was a good mix of informative (about the desert plants and such) and suspenseful (would he manage to hide out). I was only hoping nobody would ask what I was reading - a book about this naked guy running through the desert with some natives tracking him and this strange wolf following him too.

After a run in with a guy named Curly, Flagan finds himself back in civilization, being nursed back to health by a nice looking young lady named Meg.

Then the story loses its composure. A lot of things happen in the blink of an eye; Flagan decides he wants to start a ranch in town, Flagan makes some enemies with the local land grabbers, Flagan sends letters to his Sackett kinfolk asking for help, there is a brawl, there is some shootin'...it only took about 100 pages and we have a dozen characters and a few different story lines. The depth of the book was lost at that point. It was still entertaining, especially the brawl. It was classic; the white hat cowboy, being the gentleman, throws the instigating black hat out of the store to save the store owner from having this store messed up...then he beat him to a pulp. How nice of him. 
By the end of the book the bad guys have been shot up and are leaving town except for one who has one last bullet for Flagan. Instead of the fastest draw type shoot out they have a cat and mouse sniper fest up in the mountains. The last few pages were very riveting...who was going to live and who was going to die?

RATING : READ

MEN AT ARMS

MEN AT ARMS

(Discworld #15)

- Terry Pratchett -

The Night Watch is changing. Their leader is leaving. They are recruiting on an equal opportunity basis - Dwarves, Trolls, even Women can apply! They are even seriously attempting to solve a crime! What has the Discworld come to?!

What I like about series books is that you get to be re-introduced to beloved characters you met in previous stories. You get another chance to learn and connect with these characters, to gain a better understanding of them, to spend some quality time with them. This could sound like a literary nightmare if you despise these characters, and you are now forced to endure another tale about them. Luckily, I love the City Watch. They are quirky, and funny, and good hearted (well, except for Nobby). In Men at Arms they continue their streak of being quirky, funny, and good hearted (again, except for Nobby), and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them.

What really stood out for me in this novel was how Cpl Carrot seemed to really come into his own. He was confident, he took charge when needed, and even lied! Well, he didn't actually lie, but, he did manipulate his words to imply something else...that's lying, right? It seemed to me that Carrot is beginning to realize just how much power and influence he really has and starting to use it a bit. He has a heart of gold now, but, will this power tarnish it and send him over to the dark side in the future?

There were also a few new recruits which added to the story. A troll and a dwarf, sworn enemies, have to work together...we know where this is going. They'll argue and bicker, but, when the fighting starts they will have each others back. And, just as a spoiler - one of them dies! Yes, a death! It was a bit surprising. The other new recruit is a woman. Not only a woman, but, a woman with a secret. 

So, to sum it up; a Carrot, a dwarf, a troll, and a woman with a secret. With that description you should be out of your seat running to the bookstore to snatch this one up! I will not stop you.

RATING : READ