Sono Quilibrium Quilibrium itibaren São Martinho, Portugal
This book was not quite what I expected. I can definitely see where Louis L'amour got all his inspiration, but for being the book that started the traditional Western genre, I was a little disappointed. The story was good, but the disappointing part was that the antagonists were Mormons. All of them. The ringleader of the bad guys was the Bishop, and Elder Tull, his counselor, was #2 in command. He portrayed them as rustlers, wife stealers, zealous preachers, killers, and brainwashers. I am not sure what Zane Grey had against Mormons, but this surely did not paint them in a good light. At the same time, I don't think Zane Grey knew too much about Mormons because he didn't mention the Book of Mormon once and I thought he portrayed the LDS settlement/community quite poorly. He forgot to mention that outlying Utah towns were only in existence because of the Mormon settlers. That said, the story was fun to read and I just pretended that the bad guys weren't of my faith, and it was a lot more enjoyable. A quick read, quite clean, and I'd consider it a "Classic", at least as far as Westerns go! I had to read it after we visited central Arizona where Zane had built a cabin and spent quite some time writing and living in the West.
REALLY enjoyed this book. Greg Mortenson is truly inspiring.