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Last Of The Breed (2005)

Last of the Breed (2005)

Book Info

Author
Genre
Rating
4.52 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
0553280422 (ISBN13: 9780553280425)
Language
English
Publisher
bantam books

About book Last Of The Breed (2005)

Warning: spoilers ahead! Exciting read. The story of a Red Indian escaping from a Siberian prison has much potential and the author seemed to have made the most of it. There is enough suspense, intrigue and entertainment to ensure one won't put the book down. The descriptions of the forest, landscape and weather conditions are vivid and seem well researched and makes for an engaging and absorbing experience, like you could be there witnessing the ordeal first hand.However, Louis L'Amour's writing skills are otherwise rather basic and clumsy and his literary style is juvenile and just downright irritating. "A thought came to him suddenly, a wild random thought. Yet why not?" His descriptions of his characters' thoughts are ridiculous. He uses so much repetition to amplify an emotion and his story telling is so long winded that the book could have been significantly shorter. Ostap tells Kraslov five times that Zamatev will pay. Five different ways, but five times?! All that is evident of the inner turmoil of some characters are countless repetitive questions they ask themselves. Why didn't I do this? Why did I do that? Now I have this over my head. I must speak to him at once. He will understand. Yes, that is what I'll do. But what if this happens? To cap it all, we don't get to know what happens to Joe Mack and whether he meets up again with the heroine in the end. I hate cliff-hangers. And then the main protagonist, Alekhin, who turns out to be a nobody. "Alekhin! Alekhin had never failed to track down an escaped prisoner.""But it was Alekhin of whom he must beware.""Alekhin was a Yakut.""Alekhin was a master tracker.""Alekhin always got his man."But then in the end Joe Mack is found by a random Russian who, by great coincidence happens to be in the right place at the right time. And that brings me to another point. In this vast Siberian wilderness everyone seems to know everyone else as if they regularly travel thousands of miles. By foot. The ultimate standoff between Joe Mack and Alekhin, Red Indian and Yakut, that the reader is being prepared for throughout the entire book and looks forward to, is never shared. We only get to learn the result, as if it was never and would never have been any contest. I only read this book because my grandfather read all of L'Amour's books and this one received good reviews, but I just don't share everyone else's view on this less than impressive author.

Louis L'Amour's Last of the Breed is a story of struggle, sacrifice, prevalence. Major Joe Makatozi finds himself imprisoned in the interior of Siberia after his plane was forced down. He quickly discovers that his captor, Colonel Zamatev is holding him for the information he has, and after it is discovered, Joe Mack will be terminated. The story follows Joe throughout his captivating escape from Russia, as he retraces the path his Native American ancestors took on their path to America. Joe quickly discovers he has no friends in this far off land, and must tap into his all of his wilderness skills if he wants to get out alive. After months of alluding his pursuers and living just as his ancestors did, Joe discovers what he really is, a savage. The story also follows those who cross paths with Joe, such as Natalya and Stephan Baronas and also follows their struggles is Siberia. The book also offers another perspective through the eyes of Joes pursuers, Colonel Zamatev, and the legendary Yakut tracker Alekhin.I found this to be a very interesting, and captivating story. As I myself am an outdoorsman, I found this to be a very entertaining book to read for most of it pertains to survival in the deep woods of Siberia. Not only did this offer a very captivating story about Joe Mack alluding his pursuers, but it also followed the stories of several more characters as well. This greatly enjoyed this aspect of the book, because it not only allowed for another perspective on the chase through the eyes of the pursuers, but it also followed the stories of those who crossed paths with Joes Mack. This aspect allowed for a very diverse story, and helped to keep it from becoming bland by often switching from story to story. Last of the Breed is a very interesting and captivating story, and I highly recommend it for anybody looking for a good book.

Do You like book Last Of The Breed (2005)?

I thought was an exciting book. I have never read a western type novel before and although this was not based in the wild west, it is based on an American Indian (Major Joseph Makatozi, USAF) who begins to rediscover his Indian heritage. Joe Mack is a strong willed individual who being captured by the Soviet Union for his knowledge of experimental air craft, as well as how to fly these. Joe Mack takes on the GRU Soviet army Col. Arkady Zamatev. Who is a very dangerous and Skilled Interrogator, A Yakut Tribesman Alekhin Who is infamous for never allowing prisoners to escape, and who does not mind killing them in the process. He also Takes on the KGB and the entire Soviet Union, and not to mention crossing the Siberian Tundras, Swamps, Forests, and Rivers in the middle of winter.It was intense and inspiring to me and I would recommend it to anyone.
—Stephen McMullin

I read this book some years ago Fred and thought it outstanding. Problem was, I could not remember the title or the author. It was an incredible tale of survival against all odds and I too rate it a strong 5 Stars. Thank you for the 411. Semper Fi...............Ed
—Fredrick Danysh

The best thing that can be said for this book is that it is mercifully short. It is nothing more than a several hundred page explanation of why the American indians were so awesome, filled with prejudide and unfair accusations and assumptions about lighter skinned people. It starts out with a description of the life of a native american, comparing them, as a peacefull and utopian society, to the 'white men', a barbarric, godless, wasteful, and power hungry pack of animals. Okay. It then switches gears, bringing us to the 1980's, where we meet our main character, Joe Mack, A native american who is apparantly the steryotypical ultimate human being. He is an ivy league grad, olympic caliber athelete, American air force major, Souix indian warrior, trapper, and a test pilot for ridiculously advanced fictional experimental aircraft. It then takes us to his only mistake of the book: He gets shot down over Siberia, and, as luck would heve it, right by a Soviet prison camp. Interestingly enough, the never actually explain what he was doing over Siberia. Anyway, he is promptly captured, shoved into a cell, and questioned for an inordinate amount of time, during which he, as the ultimate human specimen, naturally reveals nothing. As soon as the next night comes, he procedes to pole vault over a 20 foot high electric fence,evade about 50 angry Russian guards(the book takes this oppertunity to point out that the white men are lazy and stupid, easy to evade and defeat) and make his escape. Bravo. He is now stranded, with no food, clothing, or shelter, in one of the most brutal climates on earth, with winter and a horde of angry Soviets fast approaching. The book goes rapidly downhill from here, as he procedes to kill a 400 pound bear with a sharpened stick, sprint away from machine gun armed russians with 300 pounds or meat on his back, and kill an unfeasible amount of armed pursuers. The rest of the book tells us how awesome indians are, even when they have been shot down over siberia. This book is perfect for people with a serious grudge against russians or white people in general, or anyone looking for a book in which everything goes right. Personally, I found this book boring, the tone insulting, and the premise utterly unrealistic, the total opposite of what was promised by the cover and summary on the back.
—Michael Beam

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