Dear Louis L’Amour Fans,
I had changed my chronology of the first three books to put Fair Blows the Wind back as the first book to read in the series after I had received an e-mail pointing out that Louis himself had stated that the hulk of the ship that Barnabas takes shelter in is, in fact, the same one that Tatton Chantry had found. Since Louis makes this distinction then I must, of course, follow it in the chronology titled Louis’ Chronolgy.
However, when I very first started reading these novels, not having access to any websites and before The Sackett Companion was written, I placed Fair Blows the Wind as the third book in the series. While it is true that if you follow the dates that stated in the texts you can figure out the timing, there was one incident that stood out to me. In Fair Blows the Wind, in chapter 5, Tatton mentions an old fisherman that gave him some money and clothes and advice to, “Leave the shore and go inland away from it. There be, many accents in England…try to learn a trade…” In chapter 21 of To the Far Blue Mountains a lad stows away on Barnabas’ ship in Ireland and is discovered when they land. The description of the boy is the same as Tatton, with the fine shoulders and the conversation that Barnabas has with him is almost exactly the same. At the end of the chapter the lad says, “My name?”He hesitated. “My first is Tatton. I’ll not be telling the other.”
When I got the idea to make a website with a chronology of the Sackett, Chantry and Talon families I remembered the scene. I had not read all of the first three books I list very closely together and did not think to look up dates, I just figured the scenes were meant to be the same, so I made Fair Blows the Wind number three. Therefore, with all respect to the fine folks that pointed out the error of it, I will be changing my personal chronology and leaving the LL chronology with Fair Blows the Wind first.
Comments
3 responses to “Why I Put Fair Blows the Wind at Number Three”
Can I make a suggestion, and I understand your reasoning for placing the Sackett brand where you did as it is kinda like the grand finale. Obviously both gallow and the skyliners come after the Sackett brand. But the skyliners should be read before Galloway as Galloway is the end of that series. They built their home and settled down. Plus in the Sackett brand they’re fresh outta the hills still in homespun. In skyliners they’re back to pay off their father’s debts. There is a gap in there between the skyliners and Galloway we don’t know why they left Colorado or whatever b3came of Judith. Again though awesome list, great time line except those two books should be swapped.
How could it be the same person in To The Far Blue Mountains if L’Amour said that the ship was in Fair Blows the Wind?
I was confused while reading it myself. They even talk about a Chantry getting rich and only bringing home part of a treasure in TtFBM.
I think, and this is only my opinion, that LL had a brain cramp and didn’t check the continuity of his timeline. TtFBM was published in 1976 and FBtW was in 1978. Maybe over 2 years some of his notes got crossed.