Big Country, Vol. 1

Louis L’Amour said the West was no place for the frightened or the mean. It was a “big country needing big men and women to live in it.” The two stories in this collection provide a good sample of the kinds of people he had in mind. “Ride, You Tonto Raiders” Matt Sabre is a young and experienced gunfighter—but not a trouble seeker. However, when Billy Curtin calls him a liar and goes for his gun, Matt has no choice but to draw and fire. To his surprise, the dying man gives him $5,000 and begs him to take the money to his wife, who is alone in defending the family ranch in the Mogollons. A combination of guilt, regret, and wanting to do the right thing leads Matt Sabre to make that ride. “War Party” A boy on the brink of manhood, a resourceful frontier woman who has beauty as well as fortitude, and a strong male character who is single and therefore marriageable come together in this powerful, romantic, and strangely compelling vision of the American West. This is a tale of gunfighters, travelers, homesteaders, and adventurers, of men and women making tough decisions and fighting battles that could kill—or open up a bold new future on the American frontier.