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Valdemar: Frontera #30
Dead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk is the first, extraordinary book in the epic Lonesome Dove tetralogy, in which Larry McMurtry breathed new life into the vanished American West and created two of the most memorable heroes in contemporary fiction: Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call.
As young Texas Rangers, Gus and Call have much to learn about survival in a land fraught with perils: not only the blazing heat and raging tornadoes, roiling rivers and merciless Indians but also the deadly whims of soldiers. On their first expeditions--led by incompetent officers and accompanied by the robust, dauntless whore known as the Great Western--they will face death at the hands of the cunning Comanche war chief Buffalo Hump and the silent Apache Gomez. They will be astonished by the Mexican army. And Gus will meet the love of his life.
As young Texas Rangers, Gus and Call have much to learn about survival in a land fraught with perils: not only the blazing heat and raging tornadoes, roiling rivers and merciless Indians but also the deadly whims of soldiers. On their first expeditions--led by incompetent officers and accompanied by the robust, dauntless whore known as the Great Western--they will face death at the hands of the cunning Comanche war chief Buffalo Hump and the silent Apache Gomez. They will be astonished by the Mexican army. And Gus will meet the love of his life.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Larry McMurtry
173 books3,275 followersLarry McMurtry was born in Wichita Falls, Texas on June 3, 1936. He is the author of twenty-nine novels, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove, three memoirs, two essay collections, and more than thirty screenplays.
His first published book, Horseman, Pass By, was adapted into the film "Hud." A number of his other novels also were adapted into movies as well as a television mini-series.
Among many other accolades, in 2006 he was the co-winner of both the Best Screenplay Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for "Brokeback Mountain."
His first published book, Horseman, Pass By, was adapted into the film "Hud." A number of his other novels also were adapted into movies as well as a television mini-series.
Among many other accolades, in 2006 he was the co-winner of both the Best Screenplay Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for "Brokeback Mountain."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,084 reviews
March 16, 2024
the raw rugged lethal and beautiful West
🏜️McMurtry never pulls punches. Most have seen Lonesome Dove, a few have read the book (it’s as thick as War and Peace). But whatever you may have found rough there is 100x rougher here and this book, though published after Lonesome Dove, chronologically takes place before the events described in Dove. So McMurtry is more advanced as a writer when he types it and has decided to put to bed Tinsel Town’s romantic take on the Old West forever. This is not chicken soup for the soul.
🌵The writing is lean and fast-paced, the characters raw, colorful and complete, the plot full of twists and wagon wrecks and horrors - whether from grizzly bears, twisters, Comanche, prairie fires, rivers that drown you quickly, leprosy, whippings, corrupt leadership …. the list is endless.
It’s the first in McMurtry’s Woodrow-Gus quartet. Here Gus McRae and Woodrow Call are in their late teens, say, 18 or 19 (according to Comanche Moon). Yet we still see glimmers of the personality traits that will define them decades later.
McMurtry writes Shakespearean tragedies of the West. Here is your Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and Lear set in the Texas plains. His writing is breathtaking and takes you along at a fast gallop. But the ride is never soft or the sights easy to take in.
🏜️The title refers to a stretch of desert that is long and murderous. I expect it’s still there.
High quality writing and an unstoppable storyline.
🏜️McMurtry never pulls punches. Most have seen Lonesome Dove, a few have read the book (it’s as thick as War and Peace). But whatever you may have found rough there is 100x rougher here and this book, though published after Lonesome Dove, chronologically takes place before the events described in Dove. So McMurtry is more advanced as a writer when he types it and has decided to put to bed Tinsel Town’s romantic take on the Old West forever. This is not chicken soup for the soul.
🌵The writing is lean and fast-paced, the characters raw, colorful and complete, the plot full of twists and wagon wrecks and horrors - whether from grizzly bears, twisters, Comanche, prairie fires, rivers that drown you quickly, leprosy, whippings, corrupt leadership …. the list is endless.
It’s the first in McMurtry’s Woodrow-Gus quartet. Here Gus McRae and Woodrow Call are in their late teens, say, 18 or 19 (according to Comanche Moon). Yet we still see glimmers of the personality traits that will define them decades later.
McMurtry writes Shakespearean tragedies of the West. Here is your Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and Lear set in the Texas plains. His writing is breathtaking and takes you along at a fast gallop. But the ride is never soft or the sights easy to take in.
🏜️The title refers to a stretch of desert that is long and murderous. I expect it’s still there.
High quality writing and an unstoppable storyline.
February 7, 2023
In order of publication:
Lonesome Dove (1985) *****
Streets of Laredo (1993) ****
Dead Man's Walk (1995) ****
Comanche Moon (1997) ****
In order of internal chronology:
Dead Man's Walk – set in the early 1840s
Comanche Moon – set in the 1850–60s
Lonesome Dove – set in mid-to-late 1870s
Streets of Laredo – set in the early 1890s
Lonesome Dove (1985) *****
Streets of Laredo (1993) ****
Dead Man's Walk (1995) ****
Comanche Moon (1997) ****
In order of internal chronology:
Dead Man's Walk – set in the early 1840s
Comanche Moon – set in the 1850–60s
Lonesome Dove – set in mid-to-late 1870s
Streets of Laredo – set in the early 1890s
December 22, 2021
Dead Man's Walk (Lonesome Dove #3), Larry McMurtry
Larry McMurtry in Dead Man's Walk third book on the Lonesome Dove series takes us back to the days when Woodrow Call and his friend Gus McCrae were young Rangers, first confronting the wild frontier that became their lives.
As young Texas Rangers, Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call ("Gus" and "Call" for short) have much to learn about survival in a land fraught with perils: not only the blazing heat and raging tornadoes, roiling rivers and merciless Indians, but also the deadly whims of soldiers. On their first expeditions —led by incompetent officers and accompanied by the robust, dauntless whore known as the Great Western— they will face death at the hands of the cunning Comanche war chief Buffalo Hump and the silent Apache Gomez. They will be astonished by the Mexican army. And Gus will meet the love of his life.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و یکم ماه دسامبر سال2019میلادی
عنوان: راه رفتن مرد مرده کتاب سوم از سری کبوتر تنها؛ نویسنده: لاری مک مرتری؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده20م
نویسنده ی کتاب «لری مکمرتری (زادروز سوم ماه ژوئن سال1936میلادی - درگذشت روز بیست و پنجم ماه مارس سال2021میلادی)»، رماننویس «ایالات متحده آمریکا»، دههها در بازآفرینی اسطوره ی «غرب وحشی» بسیار کوشیده اند؛ ایشان در «آرچر سیتی»، در ایالت «تگزاس»، به دنیا آمدند، و نوجوانی خود را در یک مزرعه دامداری بگذراندند؛ «مکمرتری» از آن زیست بوم، برای آفرینش بستر داستانهای خویش بهره های بسیار بردند؛ سری «کبوتر تنها» جایگاه ویژه ای در میان دیگر آثار این نویسنده دارد؛ داستان سفر «غرب» دو نظامی پیشین اهل «تگزاس» را بازگو میکند، که به دامداری روی آورده اند؛ نشر سری «کبوتر تنها» با پیشواز بسیاری از خوانشگران همراه شد، و جایزه ی نامدار «پولیتزر» را در سال1986میلادی، به نویسنده اش هدیه کرد؛ و سریالی تلویزیونی نیز بر اساس آن کتاب ساخته شد
به عنوان رنجرزهای جوان «تگزاس»، «آگوستوس مککری» و «وودرو کال» («گاس» و «کال») چیزهای بسیاری درباره ی پایداری در سرزمینی پر از دشواریها باید یاد بگیرند؛ خطرهایی همانند: گرمای شدید، گردبادهای خروشان، رودخانههای پرخروش، و سرخپوستان بیرحم، بلکه همچنین هوسهای مرگبار سربازان نیز پیش روی آنهاست؛ آنها با مرگ «بوفالو هامپ رئیس جنگ کومانچی» و «آپاچی گومز ساکت» روبرو میشوند؛ از ارتش مکزیک شگفت زده شده؛ و «گاس» نیز با عشق زندگی خود دیدار خواهد کرد
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 30/09/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Larry McMurtry in Dead Man's Walk third book on the Lonesome Dove series takes us back to the days when Woodrow Call and his friend Gus McCrae were young Rangers, first confronting the wild frontier that became their lives.
As young Texas Rangers, Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call ("Gus" and "Call" for short) have much to learn about survival in a land fraught with perils: not only the blazing heat and raging tornadoes, roiling rivers and merciless Indians, but also the deadly whims of soldiers. On their first expeditions —led by incompetent officers and accompanied by the robust, dauntless whore known as the Great Western— they will face death at the hands of the cunning Comanche war chief Buffalo Hump and the silent Apache Gomez. They will be astonished by the Mexican army. And Gus will meet the love of his life.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و یکم ماه دسامبر سال2019میلادی
عنوان: راه رفتن مرد مرده کتاب سوم از سری کبوتر تنها؛ نویسنده: لاری مک مرتری؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده20م
نویسنده ی کتاب «لری مکمرتری (زادروز سوم ماه ژوئن سال1936میلادی - درگذشت روز بیست و پنجم ماه مارس سال2021میلادی)»، رماننویس «ایالات متحده آمریکا»، دههها در بازآفرینی اسطوره ی «غرب وحشی» بسیار کوشیده اند؛ ایشان در «آرچر سیتی»، در ایالت «تگزاس»، به دنیا آمدند، و نوجوانی خود را در یک مزرعه دامداری بگذراندند؛ «مکمرتری» از آن زیست بوم، برای آفرینش بستر داستانهای خویش بهره های بسیار بردند؛ سری «کبوتر تنها» جایگاه ویژه ای در میان دیگر آثار این نویسنده دارد؛ داستان سفر «غرب» دو نظامی پیشین اهل «تگزاس» را بازگو میکند، که به دامداری روی آورده اند؛ نشر سری «کبوتر تنها» با پیشواز بسیاری از خوانشگران همراه شد، و جایزه ی نامدار «پولیتزر» را در سال1986میلادی، به نویسنده اش هدیه کرد؛ و سریالی تلویزیونی نیز بر اساس آن کتاب ساخته شد
به عنوان رنجرزهای جوان «تگزاس»، «آگوستوس مککری» و «وودرو کال» («گاس» و «کال») چیزهای بسیاری درباره ی پایداری در سرزمینی پر از دشواریها باید یاد بگیرند؛ خطرهایی همانند: گرمای شدید، گردبادهای خروشان، رودخانههای پرخروش، و سرخپوستان بیرحم، بلکه همچنین هوسهای مرگبار سربازان نیز پیش روی آنهاست؛ آنها با مرگ «بوفالو هامپ رئیس جنگ کومانچی» و «آپاچی گومز ساکت» روبرو میشوند؛ از ارتش مکزیک شگفت زده شده؛ و «گاس» نیز با عشق زندگی خود دیدار خواهد کرد
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 30/09/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
August 2, 2018
Dead Man's Walk: Where it all Began
When my Aunt gave my Grandfather Lonesome Dove for Christmas in 1985, I patiently waited for him to finish it before diving into the saga of Texas Rangers Woodrow McCall and Gus McRae. I thought it was a cracking good read. I figured I had seen the last of Call and Gus, though there was plenty more to tell if Larry McMurtry was of a mind to do it. Well, he was. Ended up with a tetralology, messing with my mind in the order in which he published them. Streets of Laredo took up after. Then the present title went back to Call's and Gus's young days in the 1840s when Texas was still a Republic. Finally, Comanche Moon filled in the 1850s-1860s.
I'm a stubborn cuss. As stubborn as a fence post. I figured McMurtry would get around to telling the whole story. So, more than thirty years after Lonesome Dove showed up Christmas Morning in 1985, I just closed the back cover on Dead Man's Walk. It's not Lonesome Dove. But it's a cracking good enough read I figure I'll mosey down to the Friends of my Library Store and thump down $3.00 for a copy of Comanche Moon
When my Aunt gave my Grandfather Lonesome Dove for Christmas in 1985, I patiently waited for him to finish it before diving into the saga of Texas Rangers Woodrow McCall and Gus McRae. I thought it was a cracking good read. I figured I had seen the last of Call and Gus, though there was plenty more to tell if Larry McMurtry was of a mind to do it. Well, he was. Ended up with a tetralology, messing with my mind in the order in which he published them. Streets of Laredo took up after. Then the present title went back to Call's and Gus's young days in the 1840s when Texas was still a Republic. Finally, Comanche Moon filled in the 1850s-1860s.
I'm a stubborn cuss. As stubborn as a fence post. I figured McMurtry would get around to telling the whole story. So, more than thirty years after Lonesome Dove showed up Christmas Morning in 1985, I just closed the back cover on Dead Man's Walk. It's not Lonesome Dove. But it's a cracking good enough read I figure I'll mosey down to the Friends of my Library Store and thump down $3.00 for a copy of Comanche Moon
March 26, 2023
*2nd read - McMurtry's prose is just peak writing, his dialogue, his head hopping, everything is top notch. So much fun to read.
Dead Man’s Walk is the ‘beginning’ of the Lonesome Dove series, though being the 3rd published. I thought it was apt to start chronologically, and boy did I love this fantastically gritty, hilarious and brutal opening. I could not agree more with those who say Larry McMurty is the American Western equivalent of Joe Abercrombie.
“Well, boys," Long Bill said. "I guess here's where I quit rangering. It's rare sport, but it ain't quite safe.”
Larry McMurty is one of the most famous Western writers, and for good reason. Dead Man’s Walk, in my eyes, is a complete success. We follow two young men, ‘Gus McRae and Woodrow McCall, the newest additions of a group of Texas Rangers, as they walk, run, ride, and fall into the dangers and perils of the American West.
It’s the mid 1840s, and Dead Man’s Walk thrusts Gus and Call into two missions. They face a savage band of Comanches and their terrifying (and excellent) leader, Buffalo Hump, the desolate and barren landscape of Mexico and Texas, a Mexican Army, hordes of buffalo and the looming threat of death.
“Love’s a terrible price to pay for company, ain’t it, Matty?” Caleb said. “I won’t pay it, myself. I’d rather do without the company.”
Now, I love this time period, and McMurty has undoubtedly captured the raw and at times poetic beauty of the land and its inhabitants. I was extremely impressed with the polished prose and McMurty’s ability to mould personality and charisma into the characters.
I loved the characters within this book, loved to hate some, felt terror over others. Each character has their own voice. McMurthy has the ability to make a secondary character (or animal) spring to life on the page, and with minimal page time still make a mark on the reader. The dialogue is witty and clever, the relationships are visceral and real, and it is very easy to form a bond with the opposites of Gus and Call - their naivety was fantastically written.
“-she remembered them kindly, for there was a sweetness in boys that didn't last long, once they became men.”
4/5 - One of my favourite reads of the year. The nemesis, Buffalo Hump is a brilliant ‘baddie’, Gus and Call are wonderfully written protagonists. The brutality and horrors of the American West are not glazed over here. I adored my introduction into the world of Lonesome Dove.
Dead Man’s Walk is the ‘beginning’ of the Lonesome Dove series, though being the 3rd published. I thought it was apt to start chronologically, and boy did I love this fantastically gritty, hilarious and brutal opening. I could not agree more with those who say Larry McMurty is the American Western equivalent of Joe Abercrombie.
“Well, boys," Long Bill said. "I guess here's where I quit rangering. It's rare sport, but it ain't quite safe.”
Larry McMurty is one of the most famous Western writers, and for good reason. Dead Man’s Walk, in my eyes, is a complete success. We follow two young men, ‘Gus McRae and Woodrow McCall, the newest additions of a group of Texas Rangers, as they walk, run, ride, and fall into the dangers and perils of the American West.
It’s the mid 1840s, and Dead Man’s Walk thrusts Gus and Call into two missions. They face a savage band of Comanches and their terrifying (and excellent) leader, Buffalo Hump, the desolate and barren landscape of Mexico and Texas, a Mexican Army, hordes of buffalo and the looming threat of death.
“Love’s a terrible price to pay for company, ain’t it, Matty?” Caleb said. “I won’t pay it, myself. I’d rather do without the company.”
Now, I love this time period, and McMurty has undoubtedly captured the raw and at times poetic beauty of the land and its inhabitants. I was extremely impressed with the polished prose and McMurty’s ability to mould personality and charisma into the characters.
I loved the characters within this book, loved to hate some, felt terror over others. Each character has their own voice. McMurthy has the ability to make a secondary character (or animal) spring to life on the page, and with minimal page time still make a mark on the reader. The dialogue is witty and clever, the relationships are visceral and real, and it is very easy to form a bond with the opposites of Gus and Call - their naivety was fantastically written.
“-she remembered them kindly, for there was a sweetness in boys that didn't last long, once they became men.”
4/5 - One of my favourite reads of the year. The nemesis, Buffalo Hump is a brilliant ‘baddie’, Gus and Call are wonderfully written protagonists. The brutality and horrors of the American West are not glazed over here. I adored my introduction into the world of Lonesome Dove.
September 9, 2020
Having thoroughly enjoyed Lonesome Dove, I decided to explore the rest of the books about Gus and Call by McMurtry. My local library's copy of Streets of Laredo had a binding issue, so while they are repairing it, I skipped forward to the 3rd book which is actually stepping back in time to when Gus and Call are young men not yet twenty joining up with the Texas Rangers for what would be a pair of long, storied careers.
The book is split into two missions: one which takes them on an abortive mission where they meet one of McMurtry's great bad guys, Buffalo Hump, who is nearly as mean as Blue Duck. After their first taste with death having lost two of their colleagues, the broken troop heads back, and Call looks across the plain: The land before him, which looked so empty, wasn't. A people were there who knew the emptiness better than he did; they knew it even better than [the scouts] Bigfoot and Shadrach. They knew it and they claimed it. They were the people of emptiness. (p. 82)
Once back in Austin, the two boys have fateful encounters - Gus meets and falls head over heels with Clara Forsythe and nearly quits the rangers to work in her father's store and Call has a quick, disturbing poke with Maggie. I believe that we see more of these two women in the next book, Comanche Moon. I did enjoy the scenes between Gus and Clara especially the first time they met: Gus happened to peek into the store itself - there was a girl standing there by a counter that was so lovely that Gus immediately forgot all about the cap-and-ball muskets, ammunition pouches, and everything else...she caught his glance and looked at him so directly that it unnerved him. (p. 114). One of the great mysteries in the Lonesome Dove series is this mysterious pull of Clara on Gus which is strong enough to tug at his heartstrings but not strong enough to change his fickle and rambunctious personality. "Are you really a Texas Ranger?" Clara asked..."My father says they're rascals, mostly. Are you a rascal, Mr. McCrae?"
"I may have done a rascally thing or two," Gus said. (p. 118) And thus, the unfulfilled love between Clara and Gus starts with honesty on both sides.
The ill-fated troop leaves Austin and approaches the first of many catastrophes while Gus continues to think about Clara. Gus tried to keep Clara in mind, but the thought that he had fallen in love with a girl, in a dusty little general store in Austin, had come to seem far away and insubstantial, like the dust motes that had floated down the sunbeams in the store. The girl and the store had been for the day - the great plain was forever. (p. 211)
Needless to say, few of the 200 Texans that set out with their inept and treacherous leader survive the trip to Santa Fe. There are good moments once in a while, but deus ex machina move at the end with the leprous noblewoman did not sit well with me. The writing was good, but not as good as Lonesome Dove and the plot was also more uneven. I hope that the other two books will be an improvement over this one which left me wanting despite some moments of beauty and drama.
The book is split into two missions: one which takes them on an abortive mission where they meet one of McMurtry's great bad guys, Buffalo Hump, who is nearly as mean as Blue Duck. After their first taste with death having lost two of their colleagues, the broken troop heads back, and Call looks across the plain: The land before him, which looked so empty, wasn't. A people were there who knew the emptiness better than he did; they knew it even better than [the scouts] Bigfoot and Shadrach. They knew it and they claimed it. They were the people of emptiness. (p. 82)
Once back in Austin, the two boys have fateful encounters - Gus meets and falls head over heels with Clara Forsythe and nearly quits the rangers to work in her father's store and Call has a quick, disturbing poke with Maggie. I believe that we see more of these two women in the next book, Comanche Moon. I did enjoy the scenes between Gus and Clara especially the first time they met: Gus happened to peek into the store itself - there was a girl standing there by a counter that was so lovely that Gus immediately forgot all about the cap-and-ball muskets, ammunition pouches, and everything else...she caught his glance and looked at him so directly that it unnerved him. (p. 114). One of the great mysteries in the Lonesome Dove series is this mysterious pull of Clara on Gus which is strong enough to tug at his heartstrings but not strong enough to change his fickle and rambunctious personality. "Are you really a Texas Ranger?" Clara asked..."My father says they're rascals, mostly. Are you a rascal, Mr. McCrae?"
"I may have done a rascally thing or two," Gus said. (p. 118) And thus, the unfulfilled love between Clara and Gus starts with honesty on both sides.
The ill-fated troop leaves Austin and approaches the first of many catastrophes while Gus continues to think about Clara. Gus tried to keep Clara in mind, but the thought that he had fallen in love with a girl, in a dusty little general store in Austin, had come to seem far away and insubstantial, like the dust motes that had floated down the sunbeams in the store. The girl and the store had been for the day - the great plain was forever. (p. 211)
Needless to say, few of the 200 Texans that set out with their inept and treacherous leader survive the trip to Santa Fe. There are good moments once in a while, but deus ex machina move at the end with the leprous noblewoman did not sit well with me. The writing was good, but not as good as Lonesome Dove and the plot was also more uneven. I hope that the other two books will be an improvement over this one which left me wanting despite some moments of beauty and drama.
April 18, 2015
Dead Man's Walk couldn't POSSIBLY be a more apt title, as this book mainly consists of two things: walking and dying. This, the chronological first of the Gus & Call stories, is a surprisingly harsh and brutal series of expeditions in the Southwest, usually involving hostile Mexicans, Apache and/or Comanche. The titular stretch of hostile ground in modern-day New Mexico is so fucking desolate and uninhabitable that it was even used for the Trinity atomic bomb test in 1945! The aforementioned expeditions range from a really dumb, abortive attempt to capture Santa Fe to simple "Indian fighting", usually involving lots of tracking and extended chases on horseback.
So based off of that knowledge I did expect some typically western rough times...but christ. It seemed like McMurtry was going for his own personal Blood Meridian at times. I've only seen the (insanely good) movie adaptation of Lonesome Dove, and I assume they cut out some violent content on that one--but there's no way that characters were getting scalped and unceremoniously emasculated right and left like in this novel. It was kind of a bummer, because I was trying to read something a little lighter and easier than the usual morbid fare I enjoy and then within like 3 pages Buffalo Hump is carving some guy's cock and balls off and then running around with his corpse flopping bloodlessly on the back of his horse. So yeah, I didn't get that nice vacation-book I was looking for.
Despite the lack of a focused, concise plot this was still an enjoyable book. It's really about the characters and how they interact in this kind of wasteland setting rather than momentous events and that kind of thing. And McMurtry does characters very well! There are several memorable and likable characters here other than Gus & Call. Some of the characters are obvious redshirts for the unending combination of hunger, thirst and hostile humans to dramatically kill off, but others are genuinely good inventions on the author's part. I especially liked Matilda (a prostitute colloquially called the Great Western) and had a genuine investment in her fate. Buffalo Hump was a great villain, which brings me to a minor quibble...and not even one with the book, though.
I really don't get some of the reviews calling this book racist when it comes to the native characters--why the FUCK would they not be hostile and savagely violent towards the protagonists? These are not normal, village-dwelling natives, these are brutal and ruthless warriors that live outside of normal native society and make their living off of slavery and looting. The white characters that live the same life are equally violent and remorseless--I don't remember their names, but the two white slavers in the book were a couple of the most vile characters in it. It's honestly more racist to say that native peoples like the Apache and Comanche weren't capable and often inclined to this kind of thing--humans in every group on earth have people that act like this.
So not a terribly well-rounded experience, and not one I loved--but one I definitely did like. As always, Gus & Call are a fictional duo for the ages and their banter and friendship is constantly rewarding. The details of western life are all there as well for those who like that kind of thing (I'm assuming most readers of westerns.) But ultimately this novel was almost exactly like its setting for me--brutal, sometimes monochromatic and often too dry. I'll continue on with Comanche Moon soon and look forward to it, but I'm also hoping for something I can sink my teeth into a little more comfortably next time.
So based off of that knowledge I did expect some typically western rough times...but christ. It seemed like McMurtry was going for his own personal Blood Meridian at times. I've only seen the (insanely good) movie adaptation of Lonesome Dove, and I assume they cut out some violent content on that one--but there's no way that characters were getting scalped and unceremoniously emasculated right and left like in this novel. It was kind of a bummer, because I was trying to read something a little lighter and easier than the usual morbid fare I enjoy and then within like 3 pages Buffalo Hump is carving some guy's cock and balls off and then running around with his corpse flopping bloodlessly on the back of his horse. So yeah, I didn't get that nice vacation-book I was looking for.
Despite the lack of a focused, concise plot this was still an enjoyable book. It's really about the characters and how they interact in this kind of wasteland setting rather than momentous events and that kind of thing. And McMurtry does characters very well! There are several memorable and likable characters here other than Gus & Call. Some of the characters are obvious redshirts for the unending combination of hunger, thirst and hostile humans to dramatically kill off, but others are genuinely good inventions on the author's part. I especially liked Matilda (a prostitute colloquially called the Great Western) and had a genuine investment in her fate. Buffalo Hump was a great villain, which brings me to a minor quibble...and not even one with the book, though.
I really don't get some of the reviews calling this book racist when it comes to the native characters--why the FUCK would they not be hostile and savagely violent towards the protagonists? These are not normal, village-dwelling natives, these are brutal and ruthless warriors that live outside of normal native society and make their living off of slavery and looting. The white characters that live the same life are equally violent and remorseless--I don't remember their names, but the two white slavers in the book were a couple of the most vile characters in it. It's honestly more racist to say that native peoples like the Apache and Comanche weren't capable and often inclined to this kind of thing--humans in every group on earth have people that act like this.
So not a terribly well-rounded experience, and not one I loved--but one I definitely did like. As always, Gus & Call are a fictional duo for the ages and their banter and friendship is constantly rewarding. The details of western life are all there as well for those who like that kind of thing (I'm assuming most readers of westerns.) But ultimately this novel was almost exactly like its setting for me--brutal, sometimes monochromatic and often too dry. I'll continue on with Comanche Moon soon and look forward to it, but I'm also hoping for something I can sink my teeth into a little more comfortably next time.
September 25, 2021
This is the first chronologically of the Lonesome Dove novels, but the third written. I think it is also the first Western novel I have read. It introduces McCrae and Call the central characters in Lonesome Dove just as they join the Texas Rangers, both are about twenty. This is set in the 1840s and involves two expeditions into the wilderness and several encounters with Native Americans (some of whom feature in future books), Comanche and Apache. Both expeditions are shambolic.
McMurtry is a creative writer and his powers of description are good. The characters did feel a bit flat at times and I suspect some of this is backfilling for the later novels in the timeline. There is no idealising or romanticizing the old west and there is plenty of brutality from all sides. McMurtry can carry a story and this is easy to read, containing all the things you would expect from a classic western.
Some of this was a bit surreal and by the end it felt like the author had painted the surviving characters into a bit of a corner. The device used to get them out of it is completely unbelievable. McMurtry does manage to treat both sides of the conflict with Native Americans fairly equitably without exploring the real tensions present. The focus is on the action. I think a lot of the point of the book was to get McCrae and Call from A to B. But I will read more.
McMurtry is a creative writer and his powers of description are good. The characters did feel a bit flat at times and I suspect some of this is backfilling for the later novels in the timeline. There is no idealising or romanticizing the old west and there is plenty of brutality from all sides. McMurtry can carry a story and this is easy to read, containing all the things you would expect from a classic western.
Some of this was a bit surreal and by the end it felt like the author had painted the surviving characters into a bit of a corner. The device used to get them out of it is completely unbelievable. McMurtry does manage to treat both sides of the conflict with Native Americans fairly equitably without exploring the real tensions present. The focus is on the action. I think a lot of the point of the book was to get McCrae and Call from A to B. But I will read more.
April 21, 2023
So great to revisit the characters of Lonesome Dove, Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call as young Texas Rangers signing on with the Texas-Sante Fe expedition. Battling Comanches, Apaches, Mexicans and the forces of nature, lots of fun to be had here! They made this into a TV mini-series also. Something I didn't realize. Now I must watch!
June 2, 2021
While it was great to read about Gus and Call again - two of literature's more vivid characters - there seemed to be little point to DEAD MAN'S WALK other than "here's some more Gus & Call." While LONESOME DOVE contains not only great characters and stirring developments, but also meditates on themes of change, age and regret, here McMurtry seems content to just revisit his two leads and kick them around the old west for a few hundred pages.
Most disappointingly, in this novel Gus and Call are passive characters - primarily bystanders in their own adventure. It seems the only reason they survive while others don't is that they need to be around for LONESOME DOVE in 30 years or so. They don't even really arc, and the novel ends with the two pretty much back where they started, presumably a little wiser but without having done anything of note (other than being lucky) or having grown in any discernible way. While it's understandable that the novel starts them out as naive, tentative protagonists, it barely advances them. They even remain quiet observers through the unusual climax, as far as such an inactive resolution can be referred to as "climactic." I suspect this whole endeavor is largely prelude to COMANCHE MOON, which hopefully contains a more satisfying resolution. At the very least, I hope it contains a resolution.
McMurtry's prose is easy on the eyes, and he does have a great facility for language and observation, particularly when filtered through Gus. But this book is a pale shadow of LONESOME DOVE.
Most disappointingly, in this novel Gus and Call are passive characters - primarily bystanders in their own adventure. It seems the only reason they survive while others don't is that they need to be around for LONESOME DOVE in 30 years or so. They don't even really arc, and the novel ends with the two pretty much back where they started, presumably a little wiser but without having done anything of note (other than being lucky) or having grown in any discernible way. While it's understandable that the novel starts them out as naive, tentative protagonists, it barely advances them. They even remain quiet observers through the unusual climax, as far as such an inactive resolution can be referred to as "climactic." I suspect this whole endeavor is largely prelude to COMANCHE MOON, which hopefully contains a more satisfying resolution. At the very least, I hope it contains a resolution.
McMurtry's prose is easy on the eyes, and he does have a great facility for language and observation, particularly when filtered through Gus. But this book is a pale shadow of LONESOME DOVE.
June 6, 2011
It's not Lonesome Dove. . . but for those of us who can't get enough of Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call. . . well, it's worth the visit.
December 4, 2022
It isn’t Lonesome Dove (how could it be?!), but boy I loved spending more time with Gus and Call again. Dying to read Comanche Moon now! 4.5 stars.
February 3, 2012
My review for those who do not want to read this book:
Hungry, thirsty, lost, hungry, thirsty, lost, hungry, thirsty, Comanches, hungry, thirsty, lost, hungry, thirsty, Mexicans, hungry, thirsty, walking, hungry, thirsty, walking.
My Review for those who may:
This book, while entertaining, is rather repetitive. I'm not sure how entertaining it would be without having read Lonesome Dove first (a clearly superior novel). Strangely, both Gus and Call are bystanders rather than protagonists in this novel. McMurtry does give us what we want though, the genesis of Gus and Call's friendship and adventures. He just doesn't involve them in any significant way, which is a bit of a let down.
Part IV is also a bit odd as there is a POV shift for half of the remaining 7 chapters. We are now seeing some events through the Comanche's eyes, and once from the perspective of a slave trader. I wonder why the change after 440 pages?
I am assuming that Comanche Moon is the volume where Gus and Call do a lot of the growing up and killing to get them to the point where we meet them in Lonesome Dove (which is set about 30 years later).
Hungry, thirsty, lost, hungry, thirsty, lost, hungry, thirsty, Comanches, hungry, thirsty, lost, hungry, thirsty, Mexicans, hungry, thirsty, walking, hungry, thirsty, walking.
My Review for those who may:
This book, while entertaining, is rather repetitive. I'm not sure how entertaining it would be without having read Lonesome Dove first (a clearly superior novel). Strangely, both Gus and Call are bystanders rather than protagonists in this novel. McMurtry does give us what we want though, the genesis of Gus and Call's friendship and adventures. He just doesn't involve them in any significant way, which is a bit of a let down.
Part IV is also a bit odd as there is a POV shift for half of the remaining 7 chapters. We are now seeing some events through the Comanche's eyes, and once from the perspective of a slave trader. I wonder why the change after 440 pages?
I am assuming that Comanche Moon is the volume where Gus and Call do a lot of the growing up and killing to get them to the point where we meet them in Lonesome Dove (which is set about 30 years later).
April 27, 2016
Some years ago, my friend Tressa finally convinced me to read a western and that book was Lonesome Dove. It is now one of my favorite books of all time.
Recently, I signed up for Audible, (to get a free audiobook, if I'm to be completely honest), and when I went to cancel the trial, they convinced me to stay on for a reduced price.
I agreed to it and immediately went book shopping. Thanks to my lovely GR and BL friends, (mostly I'm looking at you Bark and Spare Ammo), I stumbled upon and recognized the name Will Patton. The book was Dead Man's Walk and featured my two favorite characters from Lonesome Dove. I downloaded this bad boy and I was hooked!
Sometimes in a sequel, (which in this case is actually a prequel), the story isn't as good, or the characters aren't as compelling, but I didn't find any of that to be the case. Plus, this tale had the added enhancement of Will Patton's wonderful voicing and narration.
Gus and Call are young and just getting to know each other in this story and it was kind of neat to see how they got together. Gus and Call, among over 200 other men, are forced on a 200 mile march across Mexico, through an area called the Dead Man's Walk. Here, this book becomes much bloodier than Lonesome Dove was.The death toll is extremely high. Instead of Blue Duck, this time around we have Buffalo Hump and a ghostly Apache named Gomez. Not to mention the even worse white men, pirate turned "colonel" Caleb Cobb and the French Major LaRoche.
With Will Patton's voice adding both humor and horror throughout, I had a fine time listening to this book. I was disappointed to learn that he does not narrate the other books in this series. Which, despite how much I love the stories, discourages me from listening to them. I just can't see how anyone else could live up to this performance. I will probably read them instead.
Lastly, a warning to those that are easily offended. This book is populated with all kinds of stuff that is not politically correct. There are whores and lots of them, there are all kinds of names and terms that were used at the time that are not commonly used or accepted now. If that kind of thing bothers you, you should probably take a pass. In this context, it did not bother me.
I loved listening to Dead Man's Walk, and I am already looking forward to listening to it again in the future. The story isn't perfect, and perhaps it's a bit too bloody, even for me, but I loved it anyway and I learned some things. (Mostly that I love Will Patton's voice, but other things as well.) If you enjoyed Lonesome Dove, I believe that you'll enjoy this book too. And if you can get it with Will Patton's narration, you really can't go wrong.
Highly recommended!
Recently, I signed up for Audible, (to get a free audiobook, if I'm to be completely honest), and when I went to cancel the trial, they convinced me to stay on for a reduced price.
I agreed to it and immediately went book shopping. Thanks to my lovely GR and BL friends, (mostly I'm looking at you Bark and Spare Ammo), I stumbled upon and recognized the name Will Patton. The book was Dead Man's Walk and featured my two favorite characters from Lonesome Dove. I downloaded this bad boy and I was hooked!
Sometimes in a sequel, (which in this case is actually a prequel), the story isn't as good, or the characters aren't as compelling, but I didn't find any of that to be the case. Plus, this tale had the added enhancement of Will Patton's wonderful voicing and narration.
Gus and Call are young and just getting to know each other in this story and it was kind of neat to see how they got together. Gus and Call, among over 200 other men, are forced on a 200 mile march across Mexico, through an area called the Dead Man's Walk. Here, this book becomes much bloodier than Lonesome Dove was.The death toll is extremely high. Instead of Blue Duck, this time around we have Buffalo Hump and a ghostly Apache named Gomez. Not to mention the even worse white men, pirate turned "colonel" Caleb Cobb and the French Major LaRoche.
With Will Patton's voice adding both humor and horror throughout, I had a fine time listening to this book. I was disappointed to learn that he does not narrate the other books in this series. Which, despite how much I love the stories, discourages me from listening to them. I just can't see how anyone else could live up to this performance. I will probably read them instead.
Lastly, a warning to those that are easily offended. This book is populated with all kinds of stuff that is not politically correct. There are whores and lots of them, there are all kinds of names and terms that were used at the time that are not commonly used or accepted now. If that kind of thing bothers you, you should probably take a pass. In this context, it did not bother me.
I loved listening to Dead Man's Walk, and I am already looking forward to listening to it again in the future. The story isn't perfect, and perhaps it's a bit too bloody, even for me, but I loved it anyway and I learned some things. (Mostly that I love Will Patton's voice, but other things as well.) If you enjoyed Lonesome Dove, I believe that you'll enjoy this book too. And if you can get it with Will Patton's narration, you really can't go wrong.
Highly recommended!
November 11, 2017
i am not into Westerns but i have become a fan of Larry McMurtry. this is the second book in this series and i LOVE his style. i feel like i know the characters and wish them well. Cowboys vs Indians vs Mexicans. i recommend this and Lonesome Dove, so far. Nail biters for sure.
February 5, 2021
'Dead Man's Walk' by Larry McMurtry is sort of a prequel, but it can be read as a standalone.
Beloved (❤️) characters and best friends Augustus 'Gus' McCrae and Woodrow Call were introduced in a previously published novel, Lonesome Dove. That book is about their lives when they were older experienced ex-Rangers who had settled down to run a business in Texas. But they both were once young men unknown to each other who were eager for adventures in the West. That is where 'Dead Man's Walk' begins.
The two greenhorns meet and decide to sign up with the Texas Rangers together. Despite the fact the two young men appear to Texans to be like young pups, and that they are almost completely ignorant of horses, camping outdoors and hunting, tracking, the Indian nations, guns, and what killing is like, the Rangers accept them. They take anybody.
Gus and Call are thrilled! However, what follows is greatly shocking to the boys and very entertaining for us! It soon becomes clear rangering is dangerous business for the characters, gentle reader. The excursions are often led by crazy and incompetent 'generals'. There is no training or planning. Almost none of the Rangers ever know what is happening around them or why they are going on a journey, or where they are going, or how to get there, or how long the journey will be (no maps, no skills at 'reading' the landmarks), whenever they are contacted and invited to come along on some harebrained scheme. Some of the invited scouts fortunately know how to track, hunt and can speak the languages of local tribes.
The boys endure their first Indian attack and see their first scalping on one excursion. In other excursions, they experience for the first time the deaths of their fellow Rangers from attacks - not only from Indians, but from crazed plainsmen. They see mistakes in judgement from panic and drunkenness and lack of planning. They find the bodies of children murdered by Indians or psychopathic White men or Mexicans. They discover a very lucrative business in slave trading by Indians, Mexicans and White men. They find murdered Indians. Dead horses are everywhere, and not because of being shot or accidents, but because the animals are mistreated and are in poor shape. Their guns do not fire because they are old and wrecked, but even if they have a working gun, they don't shoot because of the shock of attacks. Horrible sudden deaths and mutilations freeze them like statues. Some of their company die slowly from shootings and injuries from spears and arrows when they are miles and weeks from any town. Walking is often their only option since they lost their horses in attacks and nighttime thievery and plain ordinary negligence. Starvation and thirst kills many of their fellow Rangers on trips because the men do not carry canteens or even think to plan for long stretches between watering holes. Many of the men do not have proper shoes, blankets or slickers and only one change of clothes. Meeting the disciplined Mexican troops for the first time shocks them as they had heard only racist gossip about Mexicans. The Mexicans quickly educate the ridiculously ignorant Rangers about the laws of Mexico in regards to American yahoos assuming they can overthrow Mexico with a hundred Rangers.
Call and Gus realize they have a lot to learn! It is pure luck Gus and Call survive. Wow.
'Dead Man's Walk' is very entertaining and somewhat graphic. It starts slow, but by the end it is exciting and awesomely revelatory for the boys and us readers! The Wild West was more interesting and less heroic in truth than the movies show!
Beloved (❤️) characters and best friends Augustus 'Gus' McCrae and Woodrow Call were introduced in a previously published novel, Lonesome Dove. That book is about their lives when they were older experienced ex-Rangers who had settled down to run a business in Texas. But they both were once young men unknown to each other who were eager for adventures in the West. That is where 'Dead Man's Walk' begins.
The two greenhorns meet and decide to sign up with the Texas Rangers together. Despite the fact the two young men appear to Texans to be like young pups, and that they are almost completely ignorant of horses, camping outdoors and hunting, tracking, the Indian nations, guns, and what killing is like, the Rangers accept them. They take anybody.
Gus and Call are thrilled! However, what follows is greatly shocking to the boys and very entertaining for us! It soon becomes clear rangering is dangerous business for the characters, gentle reader. The excursions are often led by crazy and incompetent 'generals'. There is no training or planning. Almost none of the Rangers ever know what is happening around them or why they are going on a journey, or where they are going, or how to get there, or how long the journey will be (no maps, no skills at 'reading' the landmarks), whenever they are contacted and invited to come along on some harebrained scheme. Some of the invited scouts fortunately know how to track, hunt and can speak the languages of local tribes.
The boys endure their first Indian attack and see their first scalping on one excursion. In other excursions, they experience for the first time the deaths of their fellow Rangers from attacks - not only from Indians, but from crazed plainsmen. They see mistakes in judgement from panic and drunkenness and lack of planning. They find the bodies of children murdered by Indians or psychopathic White men or Mexicans. They discover a very lucrative business in slave trading by Indians, Mexicans and White men. They find murdered Indians. Dead horses are everywhere, and not because of being shot or accidents, but because the animals are mistreated and are in poor shape. Their guns do not fire because they are old and wrecked, but even if they have a working gun, they don't shoot because of the shock of attacks. Horrible sudden deaths and mutilations freeze them like statues. Some of their company die slowly from shootings and injuries from spears and arrows when they are miles and weeks from any town. Walking is often their only option since they lost their horses in attacks and nighttime thievery and plain ordinary negligence. Starvation and thirst kills many of their fellow Rangers on trips because the men do not carry canteens or even think to plan for long stretches between watering holes. Many of the men do not have proper shoes, blankets or slickers and only one change of clothes. Meeting the disciplined Mexican troops for the first time shocks them as they had heard only racist gossip about Mexicans. The Mexicans quickly educate the ridiculously ignorant Rangers about the laws of Mexico in regards to American yahoos assuming they can overthrow Mexico with a hundred Rangers.
Call and Gus realize they have a lot to learn! It is pure luck Gus and Call survive. Wow.
'Dead Man's Walk' is very entertaining and somewhat graphic. It starts slow, but by the end it is exciting and awesomely revelatory for the boys and us readers! The Wild West was more interesting and less heroic in truth than the movies show!
March 17, 2024
“Salazar indicò il sud. Erano già in un territorio quasi brullo. Il giorno prima non avevano visto neanche un animale e le riserve d’acqua scarseggiavano.
– Lí c’è la Jornada del Muerto. Il cammino del morto.
– Di cosa sta parlando? – chiese Johnny Carthage. Vedendo che era in corso un conciliabolo, parecchi texani si erano avvicinati, compreso Bigfoot Wallace.
– Oh, allora è qui, – disse Bigfoot. – Il cammino del morto. Ne sento parlare da anni.
[…]
– Quant’è lungo? – chiese Long Bill. – Io cammino piano, ma se è cosí difficile cercherò di non restare indietro.
– Duecento miglia. Forse di piú. Presto ci toccherà bruciare il carro, magari già stanotte. Non c’è legna là dove andiamo.
Le voci erano penetrate nella rossa oscurità in cui viveva Call. Aprí gli occhi e si vide intorno tutti i texani.”
Il cammino del morto è il terzo volume della tetralogia scritta da Larry McMurtry ed è il prequel di Lonesome Dove.
E questa è una fortuna per me, perché finalmente inizio una tetralogia dal terzo volume che in realtà è il primo, cioè l’inizio della storia.
I due protagonisti Gus e Call sono due giovani ventenni che si avventurano in questo lungo viaggio, in cui saranno a contatto con la natura selvaggia
“Nessun uomo saggio incrociava lo sguardo di un cane rabbioso, di un lupo, un orso o un puma. L’animale poteva uscire e causare uno spargimento di sangue, anche solo per un’occhiata.”
Larry McMurtry, in questa storia ambientata nel 1840, non risparmia al lettore alcuna crudezza: ci sono delle scene che mi hanno scossa non poco (come ad esempio quella dei lebbrosi o quella dei cento colpi di frusta inferti a Call).
Insieme a tanta crudezza, c’è a mio avviso anche tanta bellezza e tanta poesia: quella delle vastità incontaminate e sconfinate
“Anche lui trovava eccentrico che Lady Carey interrompesse il viaggio per un giorno intero, solo per poter dipingere i colori del tramonto nel deserto man mano che apparivano sulle rupi a nord. Il giorno prima avevano viaggiato sotto una parete di roccia e si erano accampati proprio al tramonto. Lady Carey non era riuscita a tirare fuori cavalletto e pennelli in tempo per catturare le sfumature rosee e dorate che il sole gettava sulle rupi.
– Caspita, non c’è niente di simile al mondo, – aveva detto. – Devo dipingere.”
Gus e Call dovranno superare tantissime prove: affronteranno gli indiani crudeli di Buffalo Hump, i soldati messicani, il freddo, la fame e non ultimo il deserto.
Un romanzo duro, spietato e al tempo stesso molto avvincente.
– Lí c’è la Jornada del Muerto. Il cammino del morto.
– Di cosa sta parlando? – chiese Johnny Carthage. Vedendo che era in corso un conciliabolo, parecchi texani si erano avvicinati, compreso Bigfoot Wallace.
– Oh, allora è qui, – disse Bigfoot. – Il cammino del morto. Ne sento parlare da anni.
[…]
– Quant’è lungo? – chiese Long Bill. – Io cammino piano, ma se è cosí difficile cercherò di non restare indietro.
– Duecento miglia. Forse di piú. Presto ci toccherà bruciare il carro, magari già stanotte. Non c’è legna là dove andiamo.
Le voci erano penetrate nella rossa oscurità in cui viveva Call. Aprí gli occhi e si vide intorno tutti i texani.”
Il cammino del morto è il terzo volume della tetralogia scritta da Larry McMurtry ed è il prequel di Lonesome Dove.
E questa è una fortuna per me, perché finalmente inizio una tetralogia dal terzo volume che in realtà è il primo, cioè l’inizio della storia.
I due protagonisti Gus e Call sono due giovani ventenni che si avventurano in questo lungo viaggio, in cui saranno a contatto con la natura selvaggia
“Nessun uomo saggio incrociava lo sguardo di un cane rabbioso, di un lupo, un orso o un puma. L’animale poteva uscire e causare uno spargimento di sangue, anche solo per un’occhiata.”
Larry McMurtry, in questa storia ambientata nel 1840, non risparmia al lettore alcuna crudezza: ci sono delle scene che mi hanno scossa non poco (come ad esempio quella dei lebbrosi o quella dei cento colpi di frusta inferti a Call).
Insieme a tanta crudezza, c’è a mio avviso anche tanta bellezza e tanta poesia: quella delle vastità incontaminate e sconfinate
“Anche lui trovava eccentrico che Lady Carey interrompesse il viaggio per un giorno intero, solo per poter dipingere i colori del tramonto nel deserto man mano che apparivano sulle rupi a nord. Il giorno prima avevano viaggiato sotto una parete di roccia e si erano accampati proprio al tramonto. Lady Carey non era riuscita a tirare fuori cavalletto e pennelli in tempo per catturare le sfumature rosee e dorate che il sole gettava sulle rupi.
– Caspita, non c’è niente di simile al mondo, – aveva detto. – Devo dipingere.”
Gus e Call dovranno superare tantissime prove: affronteranno gli indiani crudeli di Buffalo Hump, i soldati messicani, il freddo, la fame e non ultimo il deserto.
Un romanzo duro, spietato e al tempo stesso molto avvincente.
April 4, 2017
I really loved this "prequel" to the Western Classic LONESOME DOVE. In this story, Texas Rangers Woodrow Call and Gus McCrae are not seasoned veterans in the Wild West of the 1870's when the buffalo herds are gone and the Indian tribes nearly vanished. Instead they are boys in their teens, inhabiting a post-Alamo Texas where buffalo herds number in the millions and raiders of the mighty Comanche tribe can appear anywhere and inflict sudden death and unspeakable torture at any moment.
You might think that this novel would be less dark and less poignant than LONESOME DOVE, just because the two main characters are young and carefree, and because readers obviously know that they won't be killed (since they have to grow up and become legends in another book.) But McMurtry is able to show so much terror and horror on the frontier, with boys the same age as the heroes meeting horrible death in the most unexpected ways. The suspense of the first Ranger patrol is almost unbearable, especially when Gus wanders off guard one stormy night and nearly walks right into the camp of legendary Comanche chief Buffalo Hump!
It's very exciting to read this book, but sometimes frustrating, because the most interesting characters tend to lurk in the shadows. This story fills in more details about Buffalo Hump, explaining how he came to father the devious, indestructible devil-child who will become Blue Duck. We also meet a colorful band of Comanche warriors who have never yet known defeat, including the crafty and cruel horse-thief Kicking Wolf, who tortures with great skill but remains a strangely admirable character. The only flaw in this book is that there aren't enough Comanches, and that the females they interact with are only ever portrayed as voiceless, faceless victims.
By the same token, the white women in the book are all sentimentalized to some degree. Either they're rugged, uncomplaining, good-hearted whores, like Matilda "The Great Northern" who exists only to proves that she's a pal over and over, or they're sickeningly sweet ingenues like Clara Forsythe. Personally, I would have loved to see a lot more about Rosa among the Comanches, and a lot less about Clara keeping store. But that's just me! Overall this book is a near-classic, sure to please any Western fan.
You might think that this novel would be less dark and less poignant than LONESOME DOVE, just because the two main characters are young and carefree, and because readers obviously know that they won't be killed (since they have to grow up and become legends in another book.) But McMurtry is able to show so much terror and horror on the frontier, with boys the same age as the heroes meeting horrible death in the most unexpected ways. The suspense of the first Ranger patrol is almost unbearable, especially when Gus wanders off guard one stormy night and nearly walks right into the camp of legendary Comanche chief Buffalo Hump!
It's very exciting to read this book, but sometimes frustrating, because the most interesting characters tend to lurk in the shadows. This story fills in more details about Buffalo Hump, explaining how he came to father the devious, indestructible devil-child who will become Blue Duck. We also meet a colorful band of Comanche warriors who have never yet known defeat, including the crafty and cruel horse-thief Kicking Wolf, who tortures with great skill but remains a strangely admirable character. The only flaw in this book is that there aren't enough Comanches, and that the females they interact with are only ever portrayed as voiceless, faceless victims.
By the same token, the white women in the book are all sentimentalized to some degree. Either they're rugged, uncomplaining, good-hearted whores, like Matilda "The Great Northern" who exists only to proves that she's a pal over and over, or they're sickeningly sweet ingenues like Clara Forsythe. Personally, I would have loved to see a lot more about Rosa among the Comanches, and a lot less about Clara keeping store. But that's just me! Overall this book is a near-classic, sure to please any Western fan.
March 17, 2024
Leggere Larry McMurtry mi porta ad un sottile senso di straniamento, di continuo.
Apro il libro e mi trovo nella prateria americana sotto il grande cielo cercando di capire dove si trovano i comance e da dove giungeranno i compagni per darmi aiuto o trarmi d'impaccio.
Quando chiudo il libro sono sempre qui e sono sempre io: funziona come un'interruttore, credo.
Ho trovato un cambiamento del ritmo del romanzo nel finale che mi pare la parte meno riuscita del libro e non al livello dei tre
quarti precedenti come se Larry avesse avuto un pó meno voglia di sviluppare ulteriormente la storia.
Bellissimo libro, comunque: so che mi mancherà.
Apro il libro e mi trovo nella prateria americana sotto il grande cielo cercando di capire dove si trovano i comance e da dove giungeranno i compagni per darmi aiuto o trarmi d'impaccio.
Quando chiudo il libro sono sempre qui e sono sempre io: funziona come un'interruttore, credo.
Ho trovato un cambiamento del ritmo del romanzo nel finale che mi pare la parte meno riuscita del libro e non al livello dei tre
quarti precedenti come se Larry avesse avuto un pó meno voglia di sviluppare ulteriormente la storia.
Bellissimo libro, comunque: so che mi mancherà.
March 6, 2011
What a let-down. Prequels blow. I don't want to see my beloved, crusty, bad-ass cowboy heroes as young, inexperienced, frightened, blundering, bottom-of-the-totem-pole, young'ins any more than I want to see Darth Vader as an insolent, surly, teenager. It's not fun or cool or satisfying at all. I wonder if I'll ever learn.
December 5, 2008
Wow. What a stinkeroo this turned out to be. In fact, it sadly confirms the suspicions I had of McMurtry while reading Lonesome Dove which is to say he has incredible skill in drawing you into a rich, realistic, dusty Old West atmosphere but lacks the ability to create a well-structured story. Also, contrary to popular opinion, I feel McMurtry -- at least in his Western novels -- paints some pretty one-dimensional characters.
This book triples the meandering of Lonesome Dove, which incidentally I really loved but for different reasons. Dead Man's Walk forms the first of two prequels to Lonesome Dove (the other being Commanche Moon) and attempts to build a solid back story to our two macho heros Gus and Woodrow. Lots of tension, to be sure. Tons of violence? You bet. Grisly, sadistic (and mostly unnecessary) torture? Yep. Not much point for being? Unfortunately, yes.
I slogged through Commanche Moon after this book but now, after reading three out of the four Lonesome Dove books, I have to admit defeat and leave Streets of Laredo (the series' last book, chronologically speaking) untouched. Probably just as well as that book is frequently talked about as the worst of the bunch.
This book triples the meandering of Lonesome Dove, which incidentally I really loved but for different reasons. Dead Man's Walk forms the first of two prequels to Lonesome Dove (the other being Commanche Moon) and attempts to build a solid back story to our two macho heros Gus and Woodrow. Lots of tension, to be sure. Tons of violence? You bet. Grisly, sadistic (and mostly unnecessary) torture? Yep. Not much point for being? Unfortunately, yes.
I slogged through Commanche Moon after this book but now, after reading three out of the four Lonesome Dove books, I have to admit defeat and leave Streets of Laredo (the series' last book, chronologically speaking) untouched. Probably just as well as that book is frequently talked about as the worst of the bunch.
December 16, 2017
Lonesome Dove is one of my favorite books of all time. And a rare case where the casting of the mini-series was PERFECT. I've re-read the book several times.
Dead Man's Walk precedes Lonesome Dove timewise. We meet many of the characters when they are younger. While not as good as LD, it's still a great read.
The long walk across Texas is fascinating. I've driven it in my Jeep, I was so interested in it. Larry McMurtry is a master writer who has written a wide spectrum of books. I don't want to give spoilers away, but the drawing of the beans was a staggering scene.
Highly recommended!
Dead Man's Walk precedes Lonesome Dove timewise. We meet many of the characters when they are younger. While not as good as LD, it's still a great read.
The long walk across Texas is fascinating. I've driven it in my Jeep, I was so interested in it. Larry McMurtry is a master writer who has written a wide spectrum of books. I don't want to give spoilers away, but the drawing of the beans was a staggering scene.
Highly recommended!
February 5, 2023
Published third in the Lonesome Dove series but chronologically listed as the first, this is a great intro to two great historical figures in Western fiction, Gus & Call. These characters are more commonly known from McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove, which won the ‘86 Pulitzer for fiction, and later the miniseries staring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall.
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The books are on the longer side but there’s enough tension and character development to pull the reader along. Lonesome Dove was in my top five last year so my expectations were high. Not sure I’ll tackle the next one (my TBR stacks need some love) but definitely enjoyed this prequel.
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The books are on the longer side but there’s enough tension and character development to pull the reader along. Lonesome Dove was in my top five last year so my expectations were high. Not sure I’ll tackle the next one (my TBR stacks need some love) but definitely enjoyed this prequel.
April 19, 2024
Buon western d'intrattenimento, ma non raggiunge l'intensità, la complessità strutturale e la profondità tematica di Lonesome Dove, e neppure di Le strade di Laredo a mio avviso.
Personaggio preferito: la lady inglese che con grande dignità, raffinatezza e acume 'sconfigge' i temutissimi nativi.
Sentimento predominante: fastidio condito con rabbia per la scontata e predominante narrazione dal punto di vista dei 'coraggiosi' bianchi contro i 'sanguinari' pellerossa (sentimento non necessariamente e solamente legato a questo romanzo western in particolare).
Personaggio preferito: la lady inglese che con grande dignità, raffinatezza e acume 'sconfigge' i temutissimi nativi.
Sentimento predominante: fastidio condito con rabbia per la scontata e predominante narrazione dal punto di vista dei 'coraggiosi' bianchi contro i 'sanguinari' pellerossa (sentimento non necessariamente e solamente legato a questo romanzo western in particolare).
July 23, 2016
This was the weakest of the series so far but it was still a good book. It was great to see Call and Gus when they were green and fumbling and it was great to see Gus meet Clara. Still, it didn't have the colorful characters that I loved so much in Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo. I was actually wondering if he wrote most of this as a background before he even wrote Lonesome Dove just because it was so much less entertaining.
January 27, 2020
Lots of dying, but even more walking. I can understand the complaints referring to repetition. It was a lot of forced marching. The story could have benefited from a change of situation. Even passing into the next territory, a new Indian enemy was ready to harass them. It was bordering repetitive. But through it all, the writer's propensity for misfortune, the unexpected, and the sobering reality of death, delivers a page turning tale of western dramatization, that'll leave you on your ass in the dust and dirt. Don't worry someone will extend a hand and pull you back up. You're in it together. McMurtry style.
I liked Captain Salazar's character. I think a lot of folks did. It worked well, perhaps because we had so many "other" commanders to compare Salazar to. It was a nice touch. One he could have capitalized on a bit more.
Hat's off to the Captain, they should have recruited him to be a Texas Ranger.
I liked Captain Salazar's character. I think a lot of folks did. It worked well, perhaps because we had so many "other" commanders to compare Salazar to. It was a nice touch. One he could have capitalized on a bit more.
Hat's off to the Captain, they should have recruited him to be a Texas Ranger.
March 16, 2019
This is the first book in the Lonesome Dove trilogy. I didn't know I could be so captivated by a story of the Texas Rangers. Other GR friends have written more detailed reviews and their enthusiasm is contagious. I am now a fan and will read more. Will Paton's narration was top notch.
September 16, 2022
Decades before Lonesome Dove, Woodrow Call and Gus McCrae are just young ‘uns, lost a bit in the frontier, and sign up to be Texas Rangers. Call’s the serious one, more apt to do his duty than goof off as others do. Gus cheats at cards, drinks too much, and visits the…uh, cathouse far too often. The job is to conquer the Mexican army, but they meet with all manner of danger before they even meet a single Mexican. Gus falls in love with a girl at a dry goods store and aims to get back to her, while Call just tries to check his anger at the shoddy leadership and peril all around. Stalking them at all times are a group of deadly Comanches, on whose land they’re trespassing. Soon they must endure the “Dead Man’s Walk,” a treacherous stretch across the desert of Mexico and Texas, long before the border is established.
I’ve decided that I’d read just about anything Larry McMurtry writes. And I haven’t even been to Texas, not even on a layover. He paints characters with just a near-perfect stroke. They’re all real people, with true thoughts and actions, along with loves, desires, hatreds. Even the side characters are so vivid, so complex. Just amazing.
He builds suspense, tells a long story of a long march, with unmatched skill. It’s a colossal novel but just doesn’t feel that way. It was a journey that I’d never want to take, since I’m far too wimpy to take on what they did. But I was on the edge of my seat every time they turned a corner, knowing something was there to murder them, even as I knew that Call and Gus would have to survive to appear in LD. Not as much romance here, although the little story with Gus and Clara is very sweet. Loved the ending, though it seems to lead to the next book. Fantastic descriptions of the Old West, so historically on point. Tremendous language, too. It's more of an adventure novel than the emotional saga of LD, so in that way it reminds me of Twenty Years After, the book that immediately succeeds The Three Musketeers. But a fantastic voyage, thrilling, frightening, fun.
I listened to about half of this in an audiobook. It’s narrated by Will Patton, from Armageddon, Remember the Titans, and in a superb villain role opposite Kevin Costner in No Way Out. He does a phenomenal job, acting things out according to the book’s suspense. I got so addicted to it, I’d come to work nearly talking in a Texas twang. “Well, I reckon I got to mosey on over and teach m’ class…”
Another superb story from a true master of the trade. Read on!
I’ve decided that I’d read just about anything Larry McMurtry writes. And I haven’t even been to Texas, not even on a layover. He paints characters with just a near-perfect stroke. They’re all real people, with true thoughts and actions, along with loves, desires, hatreds. Even the side characters are so vivid, so complex. Just amazing.
He builds suspense, tells a long story of a long march, with unmatched skill. It’s a colossal novel but just doesn’t feel that way. It was a journey that I’d never want to take, since I’m far too wimpy to take on what they did. But I was on the edge of my seat every time they turned a corner, knowing something was there to murder them, even as I knew that Call and Gus would have to survive to appear in LD. Not as much romance here, although the little story with Gus and Clara is very sweet. Loved the ending, though it seems to lead to the next book. Fantastic descriptions of the Old West, so historically on point. Tremendous language, too. It's more of an adventure novel than the emotional saga of LD, so in that way it reminds me of Twenty Years After, the book that immediately succeeds The Three Musketeers. But a fantastic voyage, thrilling, frightening, fun.
I listened to about half of this in an audiobook. It’s narrated by Will Patton, from Armageddon, Remember the Titans, and in a superb villain role opposite Kevin Costner in No Way Out. He does a phenomenal job, acting things out according to the book’s suspense. I got so addicted to it, I’d come to work nearly talking in a Texas twang. “Well, I reckon I got to mosey on over and teach m’ class…”
Another superb story from a true master of the trade. Read on!
July 12, 2020
Very enjoyable to read!
A great adventure story brilliantly told.
A great adventure story brilliantly told.
March 11, 2024
Bello ritrovare Gus e Call di Lonesome Dove in questo romanzo, scritto dieci anni dopo Lonesome Dove ma ambientato negli anni della giovinezza dei due ranger.
Call e Gus hanno diciannove anni quando decidono di arruolarsi nei Texas Rangers. Sono inesperti e un po' incoscienti ma cercano l'avventura. La troveranno assieme a Comanche amanti degli scalpi e Apache ladri di cavallu, entambi abilissimi nel sorprendere gli uomini bianchi che attraverso le loro terre. E poi messicani e orsi, serpenti, fame, freddo, torture e amicizia e sostegno. Come sempre stupende le figure femminili
Call e Gus hanno diciannove anni quando decidono di arruolarsi nei Texas Rangers. Sono inesperti e un po' incoscienti ma cercano l'avventura. La troveranno assieme a Comanche amanti degli scalpi e Apache ladri di cavallu, entambi abilissimi nel sorprendere gli uomini bianchi che attraverso le loro terre. E poi messicani e orsi, serpenti, fame, freddo, torture e amicizia e sostegno. Come sempre stupende le figure femminili
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