The Walking Drum

Set in the twelfth century, Louis L'Amour's 1984 novel trades the American West, his more familiar territory, for Europe and West Asia. Its hero, Kerbouchard, is a warrior, lover and scholar who seeks both knowledge and fortune. He leaves Brittany, where he was born, to get away from the Baron de Tournemine, his mother's killer, and to search for his lost father, on a quest that also turns toward revenge. L'Amour fills his path with treachery, passion, violence and the wonders of a remarkable age.

Marvin Liao, a partner at 500 Startups, recalled retreating into books as a teenager after his grandfather died and said this medieval adventure entranced him and helped restore his spirits.