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Quick answer: If you loved The Last of the Mohicans, try The Deerslayer, The Pathfinder, Lonesome Dove, Northwest Passage, Drums Along the Mohawk and Blood Meridian. Each one offers frontier adventure, wilderness journeys, war or a love story in a dangerous time.
James Fenimore Cooper's 1826 novel is set in 1757, during the French and Indian War. The frontiersman Hawkeye, the Mohican chief Chingachgook and his son Uncas guide Cora and Alice Munro through dangerous forests to their father's fort. The siege of Fort William Henry, ambushes and the villain Magua follow. Readers love its action and its wilderness. These books share its frontier and adventure.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Setting | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Deerslayer | James Fenimore Cooper | New York frontier | readers who want young Hawkeye |
| The Pathfinder | James Fenimore Cooper | Great Lakes | readers who want more Leatherstocking |
| Lonesome Dove | Larry McMurtry | American West | readers who want a frontier epic |
| Northwest Passage | Kenneth Roberts | Colonial America | readers who like Rogers' Rangers |
| Drums Along the Mohawk | Walter D. Edmonds | Revolutionary New York | readers who like frontier families |
| Blood Meridian | Cormac McCarthy | Mexican border | readers who want darkness |
| Into the Wilderness | Sara Donati | New York frontier | readers who want romance |
| Little Big Man | Thomas Berger | American West | readers who like humor |
| The Revenant | Michael Punke | American West | readers who like survival |
| Hatchet | Gary Paulsen | Canada | younger readers |
| Treasure Island | Robert Louis Stevenson | Caribbean | readers who want classic adventure |
| Ivanhoe | Walter Scott | Medieval England | readers who want Cooper's model |
| Rob Roy | Walter Scott | Scotland | readers who like outlaws |
| Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee | Dee Brown | American West | readers who want true history |
| Empire of the Summer Moon | S.C. Gwynne | Texas | readers who want true frontier history |
1. The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper
Natty Bumppo's first adventure on Lake Otsego.
Best for: readers who want young Hawkeye.
2. The Pathfinder by James Fenimore Cooper
Hawkeye's adventures near Lake Ontario.
Best for: readers who want more Leatherstocking.
3. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Two retired Rangers drive cattle to Montana.
Best for: readers who want a frontier epic.
4. Northwest Passage by Kenneth Roberts
A young artist joins a 1759 raid.
Best for: readers who like Rogers' Rangers.
5. Drums Along the Mohawk by Walter D. Edmonds
Settlers survive raids in the Revolutionary War.
Best for: readers who like frontier families.
6. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
A teen joins a brutal gang of scalp hunters.
Best for: readers who want darkness.
7. Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
An Englishwoman falls for a frontiersman.
Best for: readers who want romance.
8. Little Big Man by Thomas Berger
A 111-year-old man tells of his life.
Best for: readers who like humor.
9. The Revenant by Michael Punke
A frontiersman survives a bear attack and seeks revenge.
Best for: readers who like survival.
10. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
A boy survives alone in the wilderness.
Best for: younger readers.
11. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
A boy sails for buried treasure.
Best for: readers who want classic adventure.
12. Ivanhoe by Walter Scott
A knight returns from the Crusades.
Best for: readers who want Cooper's model.
13. Rob Roy by Walter Scott
A young Englishman meets the outlaw Rob Roy.
Best for: readers who like outlaws.
14. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
A Native American history of the West.
Best for: readers who want true history.
15. Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
The story of Quanah Parker and the Comanche.
Best for: readers who want true frontier history.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Last of the Mohicans: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to The Last of the Mohicans. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Continue the Leatherstocking Tales with The Deerslayer and The Pathfinder. For colonial frontier novels, Northwest Passage and Drums Along the Mohawk are excellent. If you want romance in the wilderness, Into the Wilderness is a popular choice. For true history, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee offers a Native perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Last of the Mohicans about?
A frontiersman and two Mohicans guide two sisters through wilderness during the French and Indian War.
When is it set?
In 1757.
Who is Hawkeye?
The frontiersman Natty Bumppo, hero of Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales.
Is there a movie?
Yes. The 1992 film starred Daniel Day-Lewis.
Is the book hard to read?
Cooper's style is old-fashioned and wordy, but the action is exciting.
Is it part of a series?
Yes. It is the second of five Leatherstocking Tales.