18 books like Riders of the Plains

What to read after Riders of the Plains — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

Where the Long Grass Blows Louis L'Amour · 1976 · ★ 4.5 · 185p · ≈ 6h · Moderate A drifter sets down roots and must fight for his land and his woman. Shares: Ranchers, Westerns

The Mysterious Rider Zane Grey · 1921 · ★ 4.2 · 268p · ≈ 8h · Challenging The story of a foundling Columbine torn between her love for a good man and the duty of following her adopted father's plea to marry his morally twisted son and reform him. The arrival then on the scene of a man who is a good man but brings his own sorrow with him. he becomes her friend and guides her steps in making her decision between her love and duty. Shares: Ranchers, Westerns

Appaloosa Robert B. Parker · 2005 · ★ 4.4 · 296p · ≈ 9h · Moderate When Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch arrive in Appaloosa, they find a town suffering at the hands of a renegade rancher who’s already left the city marshal and one of his deputies dead. Cole and Hitch are used to cleaning up after scavengers, but this one raises the stakes by playing not with the rules—but with emotion. Shares: Ranchers, Westerns

Valley of Wild Horses Zane Grey · 1927 · 250p · ≈ 8h · Challenging The tall young cowpuncher known as Panhandle Smith had roped, gambled and fought his way from Montana to New Mexico, but Marco was the most lawless place he had ever seen. And when Panhandle faced down Dick Hardman, he knew he had to destroy Hardman to save his woman and his life. Shares: Westerns

Lost Pueblo Zane Grey · 1927 · 253p · ≈ 8h · Challenging A tale of romance in the Old West. The heroine is Jane Endicott -- a spirited young woman who travels to Arizona with her father. She falls in love with this rough and rugged frontier -- not to mention the eligible young cowboys. Her father, rushing in where angels fear to tread, tries to match her with the son of an old friend. Complications arise. Shares: Westerns

The Lost Wagon Train Zane Grey · 1936 · 384p · ≈ 12h · Challenging The story of a Civil War soldier finding his humanity in the face of horrible savagery.Emerging from the Civil War a shamed and broken man, Stephen Latch turns to a life of thievery and murder. Still hoping to uphold the values of the Confederacy, Latch sets his sights on the wealth of resources pouring westward from the northern United States, putting together a band of ruthless misfits to help… Shares: Westerns

Sally Dows Bret Harte · 1887 · 164p · ≈ 5h · Challenging What had been in the cool gray of that summer morning a dewy country lane, marked only by a few wagon tracks that never encroached upon its grassy border, and indented only by the faint footprints of a crossing fox or coon, was now, before high noon, already crushed, beaten down, and trampled out of all semblance of its former graciousness. The heavy springless jolt of gun-carriage and caisson… Shares: Westerns

The Bell-Ringer of Angel's Bret Harte · 1894 · 334p · ≈ 11h · Challenging Where the North Fork of the Stanislaus River begins to lose its youthful grace, vigor, and agility, and broadens more maturely into the plain, there is a little promontory which at certain high stages of water lies like a small island in the stream. To the strongly- marked heroics of Sierran landscape it contrasts a singular, pastoral calm. White and gray mosses from the overhanging rocks and… Shares: Westerns

Ronicky Doone's Reward Frederick Faust · 1995 · 218p · ≈ 7h · Moderate Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 - May 12, 1944) was an American author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns under the pen name Max Brand. This is one of his novels. Shares: Westerns

The Mountain Valley War Louis L'Amour · 1978 · ★ 4.5 · 197p · ≈ 6h · Moderate Trent came to Idaho seeking solitude. He built a cabin, broke a few wild horses, and quietly put his pas behind him. Then King Bill Hale began laying claim to all the land around Cedar Bluff. When Hale's son kills one of Trent's neighbors, Trent quickly steps forward to lead the fight. Their property had been legally filed on, but Bill Hale has the men, money, and political power to steal it from… Shares: Westerns

In a hollow of the hills Bret Harte · 1895 · 210p · ≈ 7h · Challenging It was very dark, and the wind was increasing. The last gust had been preceded by an ominous roaring down the whole mountain-side, which continued for some time after the trees in the little valley had lapsed into silence. The air was filled with a faint, cool, sodden odor, as of stirred forest depths. In those intervals of silence the darkness seemed to increase in proportion and grow almost… Shares: Westerns

Tales of Trail and Town Bret Harte · 1896 · 184p · ≈ 6h · Challenging It must be admitted that the civilising processes of Rough and Ready were not marked by any of the ameliorating conditions of other improved camps. After the discovery of the famous Eureka' lead, there was the usual influx of gamblers and saloon-keepers — but that was accepted as a matter of course. But it was thought hard that, after a church was built, and a new school erected, it should… Shares: Westerns

Hesper Hamlin Garland · 1903 · 444p · ≈ 14h · Challenging | caption = A section of several long bolts on the ceiling, presumably used to mount the engine. Shares: Westerns

Sundance Peter McCurtin · 1979 · 224p · ≈ 7h · Moderate Jim Sundance could be a deadly enemy, but he was also a lifelong friend. Simon Tolliver found this out when the halfbreed showed up to help him save his ranch from land-grabber Greeley Nash.Nash had an outlaw army at his disposal, led by an ex-cavalry officer whose hatred of Sundance knew no bounds.Sundance loved a good fight, and this looked like it would be one of the best! Shares: Westerns

Ramrod Luke Short · 1943 · 232p · ≈ 7h · Challenging A strong-willed woman enlists a hard-bitten gunslinger to fight a ranch war in this classic western drama from an award–winning author. Dave Nash smells trouble the moment he rides into Signal. He's only been working for Walt Shipley three weeks, but he feels he owes the man his life for giving him a job when no one else would. Now, Nash will do anything for Shipley—even if it means staring down… Shares: Westerns

Mr. Jack Hamlin's mediation Bret Harte · 1889 · 289p · ≈ 9h · Challenging At nightfall it began to rain. The wind arose too, and also began to buffet a small, struggling, nondescript figure, creeping along the trail over the rocky upland meadow towards Rylands's rancho. At times its head was hidden in what appeared to be wings thrown upward from its shoulders; at times its broad-brimmed hat was cocked jauntily on one side, and again the brim was fixed over the face… Shares: Westerns

Marbleface Frederick Faust · 1939 · 292p · ≈ 9h · Challenging Shares: Westerns

Silvertip Frederick Faust · 1971 · ★ 4.0 · 176p · ≈ 5h · Moderate One of a series of pulp Western novels by Max Brand featuring Silvertip, a heroic lone rider who metes out justice to various wrong-doers he runs across in his travels. “No pulp writer was more prolific than Frederick Faust, who wrote nearly 15 million words under the pen name of Max Brand and seventeen others. He sold all his stories and sometimes wrote complete issues of Western Story… Shares: Westerns

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