Action all the way...as usual!. Review on Shalako - Louis L'Amour

A group of ''tenderfeet''--in the Wild West, fellows who were outsiders and did not understand the laws of the West, and did not fit into the life as well as the landscape--decide to go on a ''hunting trip'' in the West. While the hunting is for animals, the unspoken leader of the group--a German army General, Frederick von Hallstatt secretly hopes for a bit of Apache-hunting.

The Apaches are a group of Red Indians, a ferocious, warrior lot! On the side of the ''hunting party'', there are women too--of which, Irina Carneveron's von Hallstatt's fiancee. She is the strong one among the women, with a skill in rifle shooting as well. While one more is almost as strong as her, the other 2 women feel lost in the land, and are quite on tenterhooks throughout the story. There are also the usual bad guys in the group, who have joined in the group, with the intention of looting them, given a chance. On the side of the Apaches, there is Chato--one of the famous Indian fighters of all time--who is leading a force of Indians to a fight. Two more groups of Indians, headed by their own leaders, are on their way to meet Chato's force. The three groups are supposed to get together and fight together. Then there is the army, led by a Colonel Forsythe. He, and his army are familiar with the Indian tactics, and are well-equipped to handle the Apache. There are several Indians in the army as well. All the same, the army feels fear of the Apache--a fear which the Western man feels is strengthening as it makes you wary and more careful. While you think that this is a handful enough of guys to have a story going with, let me introduce the lead character. Carlin Shalako. The typical Western hero--broad of shoulder and lean of hip. One of his main strengths lie in his ability to ''read sign''...this implies following the tracks people leave behind, across any kind of terrain. Shalako also has a great knowledge of the land in which the entire plot takes place.

The whole story spirals inward, with the Apaches aiming to loot and kill the white men, the bad men in the hunting party trying to loot the other guys and carry of their women, the Army coming to rescue the hunting party as well as to send the Apaches back to their lands, and Shalako happening to bump into Irina when riding past the country and saving her from the Indians. This leads to Shalako joining the group. But, as is expected, von Hallstatt does not see eye to eye with Shalako, and the feeling is shared by Shalako too. So, Shalako leaves the band and goes away early on in the novel itself. Later, when he hears the shooting break out, his conscience (or perhaps, Irina!) lead him back to the hunting party, whom he helps through the crisis. Von Hallstatt gets his share of the Indian fighting, the Apaches collect a few scalps, the Army catches up with the hunting party and chases away the Apaches, and Shalako....he gets Irina. Sounds much like any other novel...except that Louis L'Amour has a way in which he describes the country, a flair with which he makes you respect the Indian while at the same time fear him. He weaves the story superbly, and moves the spotlight from one set of characters to another, showing what is happening on each front, and builds up to a fantastic climax, with all of them landing up together. A Louis L'Amour has to be read to be believed!! Happy Reading!