The Walking Drum vs To Tame a Land: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Western, Westerns, Children's fiction, Fiction
The Walking Drum
Louis L’Amour has been best known for his ability to capture the spirit and drama of the authentic American West. Now he guides his readers to an even more distant frontier—the enthralling lands of the twelfth…
vs
To Tame a Land
Rye Tyler was twelve when his father was killed in an Indian raid. Taken in by a mysterious stranger with a taste for books and an instinct for survival, Rye is schooled in the hard lessons of life in the West. But…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- To Tame a Land is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 8 for The Walking Drum.
- The Walking Drum has the widest readership — 10342 ratings behind its score.
- The Walking Drum runs the darker storyline; To Tame a Land stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
To Tame a Land
≈ 2h vs 8h for The Walking Drum
New to the genre?
The Walking Drum
Light vs Moderate for To Tame a Land
In the mood for something dark?
The Walking Drum
a darker storyline than To Tame a Land
Want something lighter?
To Tame a Land
an easier tone than The Walking Drum
Scores by source
| The Walking Drum | To Tame a Land | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (10342) | 4.3 (3796) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (14) | 4.5 (4) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (200) |
Reception
| The Walking Drum | To Tame a Land | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 10342 | 3796 |
| Editions | 16 | 24 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 6456 | 1129 |
| Reading it now | 979 | 436 |
| Written reviews | 935 | 263 |
| Wikipedia attention | 993 | 15368 |
| Pages | 468 | 143 |