If you have watched the film, then forget all you know! For me, the film came first, then I read the book and the two are as different as different could be. This is actually the second book in the Leatherstocking Tales written by Cooper. Just one piece of advice, remember that The Last of the Mohicans was written in 1826, and set some 75 years before that, so there are parts that will likely make you squirm. This is a trip into the past and all that goes with the mindset of those times. Having said that, I find this book endlessly fascinating and yes, I would recommend it.
The Last of the Mohicans is an epic novel by James Fenimore Cooper first published in January 1826. It was one of the most popular English-language novels of its time and helped establish Cooper as one of the first world-famous American writers. The story takes place in 1757 during the French and Indian War when France and Great Britain battled for control of the American and Canadian colonies. During this war the French often allied themselves with Native American tribes in order to gain an advantage over the British with unpredictable and often tragic results.