To the Far Blue Mountains - The Warrior's Path

Excellent stories I have read many times. Only reason I wouldn't 5 star it, is that it contains quite a few editing mistakes, some misspellings and wrong words in a couple of places. We'll worth the money though!

I have always enjoyed reading the Sacketts. The only reason I gave them 4 stars was because I found a lot of words misspelled that I didn't remember from the paperbacks of which I own most of. L'Amour is my favorite author.

The writing style is very descriptive and presented such that I felt like I was in the story and I really got to know the Sackett clan. I'd recommend these books to anyone fascinated by the frontier lifestyle and those who want to step back from the fast-paced world we live in today.

This is a great collection! It is historical fiction, but with a "Western feel." It includes the five books below.

Sackett's Land. I last read this book over three decades ago; I feared it wouldn't hold up to my memories. I needn't have feared as there is a reason this is a classic. While this has the feel of a Western (intrepid young hero, beautiful girl, vile villains, fights, wild frontier), the primary characters are English, the frontier is the unexplored North Carolina coast, the fights use Elizabethan weapons, and the "steeds" are ships.

Never fear, the language used is modern English, not Elizabethan, and the tale is a rollicking good one. You know that our hero will prevail (in what L'Amour book does he not?) so the question is how. When this was originally published, books in the series that happened chronologically later had been written, so this is filling in the background to the Sackett family.

I still love the book, not just because of the notion that the coastline of the Carolinas is wild frontier, but because of the independence of the main character. Barnabas is a clue to the Sacketts in the later books.

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To the Far Blue Mountains. This book continues the story of Barnabas Sackett and introduces his sons Kin, Yance, and Jubal Sackett who show up in later books in the series. People familiar with North Carolina will recognize Native American tribe names and landmarks.

The story is a good one. I thought the second sight incidents were interesting as foreshadowing. I will issue a tissue warning.

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The Warrior's Path. This book follows the story of Kin-Ring Sackett. With him the reader travels north to New England and later to Port Royal, Jamaica. All along there is an interesting cast of characters. While this is historical fiction, it feels like a Western, so you have a strong feeling that the hero will triumph. It is the path that matters.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

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Jubal Sackett. This falls in the category of "historical fiction," but in all honesty, I did have trouble suspending disbelief in some parts. I wanted to believe, I tried to believe, and yet ... Still for the most part it is romping good fun. The fun far outweighed the "nooooo" moments.

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Ride the River. This was a different turn for L'Amour as the lead is Echo Sackett, a young woman. She's competent, feminine enough, and knowledgeable. Yes, she ends up getting help from some of the descendants of Yance Sackett, but it was reasonable given the situation.

I also like how it ties into the Chantry series (which I need to pick up, too.)

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The verdict? I think if you like Westerns, even though these books takes place primarily in North Carolina and Tennessee, you'll enjoy them thoroughly. The collection is a convenient way to pick up the five books. And in another decade I may find myself reading them again. It is truly an enjoyable collection