Review of Comstock Lode by Louis L’Amour
I picked up Comstock Lode at an airport bookstore while headed back from Nevada—a fitting destination, considering the novel is steeped in the legends of the Wild West. As a long-time admirer of Louis L’Amour, I felt a mix of nostalgia and excitement while clutching this hefty tome. Initially, I was drawn to its nearly 600 pages, knowing that it was significantly larger than the L’Amour Westerns I’d previously devoured back in my college days. But as I dove into the narrative, I soon found myself grappling with an unexpected blend of disappointment and frustration.
The heart of Comstock Lode centers around a multitude of characters drawn together by the silver boom in Washoe Valley, Nevada. Our protagonist, Val Trevallion, arrives with the promise of being the "world’s greatest miner" and a gunslinger. L’Amour paints a picture of rugged masculinity through Trevallion, who is described as tall and broad-shouldered, a notion that he reiterates so persistently that it became quite jarring. I suppose at eighteen, I may have appreciated these archetypal heroes, but as I’ve matured, I’ve come to expect deeper, more nuanced storytelling.
What struck me most about the book were the numerous coincidences that felt contrived. Characters from different walks of life—and various locations, even Paris—reunite in a hodgepodge of melodrama, leading to an eye-roll or two. While I understand that Westerns often lean into sensationalism, the execution here felt lazy, as if L’Amour expected readers to overlook the implausibilities in favor of action. A touching love interest should add depth, but in this case, it seemed more like an afterthought with little explanation behind her motivations.
Stylistically, I felt that the pacing dragged at times, particularly due to repetitive descriptions. L’Amour is usually a master of creating compelling visuals, but in Comstock Lode, he seemed to forget that less is often more. While I appreciate the qualities of rugged masculinity in his protagonists, redundancy drained the excitement and made me yearn for the tighter narratives of his earlier works.
Despite my criticisms, there are moments within Comstock Lode that shine. The excitement of the silver rush, the tensions between characters, and the grit of survival jump off the pages in some scenes, even if they are overshadowed by the repetitive nature of the writing.
In conclusion, I can’t help but feel that Louis L’Amour is capable of far better storytelling than what’s offered in this novel. Comstock Lode might still find an audience in die-hard fans looking for another adventure in the vein of his classic Westerns. However, for readers seeking well-rounded characters and coherent plots, this book could fall flat. For me, it was a nostalgic return to a beloved author that ultimately left me craving the more nuanced works that shaped my earlier appreciation of his writing.
If you’re drawn to tales of the Wild West, it might be worth picking up Comstock Lode for a taste of L’Amour’s quintessential themes of heroism and the rugged frontier. Just be aware that you might find yourself longing for the finesse that characterizes his earlier successes.
