The Deerslayer, James Fenimore Cooper
The Deerslayer, James Fenimore Cooper
List: $31.95 | Sale: $22.36
Club: $15.97

The Deerslayer

Author: James Fenimore Cooper

Series: Leatherstocking Tales #1841

Narrator: Raymond Todd

Unabridged: 20 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2006


Synopsis

Set during the French and Indian Wars, The Deerslayer vividly captures the violence and rugged beauty of the American frontier. In the wilds of New York, where tensions rage between tribal Indians and white pioneers, a white hunter known as Deerslayer is initiated into the moral codes of wilderness society. When he and his loyal Mohican friend attempt the daring rescue of an Indian maiden, they are caught in the crossfire between a cunning enemy and two merciless white bounty hunters who kill for profit.A fine combination of romance, adventure, and morality, this classic novel is an eloquent beginning for Cooper's great wilderness saga, the Leatherstocking Tales—and an unforgettable introduction to the famous character who has been said to embody the conscience of America: the noble woodsman Deerslayer.

About James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851), the first major American novelist, was the son of a wealthy landowner who founded Cooperstown, New York. He attended Yale and served in the navy before turning to writing, winning international fame with The Spy (1821). After The Pioneers (1823), public fascination with the character of Natty Bumppo led him to write a series of sequels that gradually unfold the entire life of the frontier scout.

About Raymond Todd

Raymond Todd is an actor and director in the theater as well as a poet and documentary filmmaker. He plays jazz trombone for the Leatherstocking quartet, an ensemble that gets its name from one of his favorite Blackstone narrations, The Deerslayer. Todd lives in New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Matthew on August 05, 2020

I think Cooper was paid by the word and repetition. The story in this novel could have easily been shared in a satisfactory way in one-third to one-half as many words. Several times I though I had accidentally jumped back in the book and was rereading a section. If you read this one, prepare for muc......more

Goodreads review by Werner on August 22, 2021

Note, Aug. 22, 2021: I've just edited this review to correct a couple of minor typos. Though this book was the last of the Leatherstocking Tales series (which follows the life of backwoods hunter and scout Natty Bumpo --"Leatherstocking" and "Deerslayer" are two of the several nicknames he'll bear du......more

Goodreads review by Rob on July 29, 2025

I picked up The Deerslayer in a used bookstore not too far from Upstate New York where the book is set. I get a kick out of reading books that take place in locations I am visiting and always enjoy catching a missed classic, so, for dual reasons, it became my next “currently reading”. High melodrama......more

Goodreads review by Jean on August 11, 2023

The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper was written in 1841. I found the story interesting. The more formal writing typical of books written in the 1800s was fun to hear, but I discovered I kept wanting to push the story along as it seemed very slow. I thought it was a good idea to reread a classic......more

Goodreads review by Ashley on September 20, 2016

I chose to read this book because I had accepted to read the second in the series (The Last of the Mohicans) as part of a challenge, but I didn't want to jump in at the second book. This book also conveniently met the requirements for yet another challenge I'm completing; so, a win both ways! I real......more


Quotes

“James Fenimore Cooper was the first great American novelist.” A. B. Guthrie

“Cooper is the greatest artist in the domain of romantic fiction in America.” Wilkie Collins

“How did they sound—the people who, long ago, lived at or beyond the edge of the settled world? Raymond Todd answers this question as well as an audio performer can: by varying accents, pace, and inflection to convey both character types and individuals like Natty Bumpo and Chingachgook. The results are plausible and entertaining.” AudioFile

“Packed with vivid description of action and locale, romance and yearning. Todd’s voice is extraordinary, rich and deep. We hear the personality of the characters, with all of their earnestness, shaped by awareness of their stations in life.” Kliatt