Enjoyable short western about a man with amnesia. Would make a good movie. ( )

The fighter with no memory. ( )

Grading this on a L'Amour Curve, I can't give it more than three stars. This one is noticeably less polished than other titles I've read from the master storyteller. The prose feels like a first draft that never got a copyedit; the ending is abrupt even for L'Amour; nothing seems as fleshed out as it ought to be, including the amnesia element of the plot (which I was looking forward to; a Western Jason Bourne? what could be more entertaining?). And while I've learned to expect atrocious character names from this writer, Lyman Manly seems like a new low. I was left wondering if this was a long-lost draft discovered later in the author's career and never revised or edited.

I enjoyed the story because I have a hard time not enjoying a Western. But this is not one I'd start with if you're new to the genre or to the author. ( )

This remains one of my favorite L'Amour stories, about a man with amnesia, trying to find out who he is before those who do know his identity find him, and kill him. Not formula, good story. ( )

A bit of a departure from many of Louis L'Amour's stories with the title character lying on the ground in some town after surviving a gunshot that skimmed his head causing amnesia. Soon in the story he figures he MAY be someone called Ruble Noon who is known as someone who should not be trifled with. Over time, the main character finds even though he can't consciously remember who he is, where he came from and other details of his life and mission, his muscle memory and instincts are with him. Through many incidents, the main character comes closer to discovering who he actually is and by his instincts, lightning quick reactions and cunning eludes many people who want to kill him. In fact he manages to turn the tables on them and even shows compassion when none was expected. My only trouble with the story is that close to the end there seems to be more written than necessary causing the story to slow down and drag out instead of the typical flow Louis L'Amour's stories normally have. It's a trouble but a very tiny trouble. Other than that, it's an engaging story with more twists and turns than the average L'Amour novel. ( )