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Dead Man's Walk (Lonesome Dove #3)
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 t...more
ebook, 464 pages
Published
June 1st 2010
by Simon & Schuster
(first published 1995)
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Dec 05, 2008
Craig
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
should-have-been-better-than-it-was,
westerns
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...more
This book triples the meandering of Lonesome Dove, which incidentally I...more
4 likes · like · see review
view all 8 comments
Another rollicking McMurtry Western, the first (chronologically) of the "Lonesome Dove" series. A fun, easy read with maybe a little less allegory than I'd have preferred but what it contains is quite good. Excellent back-story work regarding Gus and Woodrow - quite delicious, that. Would've been 4 stars, if he'd shaved about a hundred pages off of it - got a little unwieldy toward the end and he had to bring in a deus ex machina to wrangle it all into the corral. Still, all-in-all, a wonderful...more
I am a big fan of Larry McMurtry. His novels have gone on to create two of the greatest films in history (Last Picture Show, Terms of Endearment). Lonesome Dove is arguably the greatest mini-series of all-time. And for someone like myself who is not a fan of Westerns, the novel Lonesome Dove is a true gem - a pulitzer prize winning marvel.
So, what is Dead Man's Walk? After Lonesome Dove and a sequel (Streets of Laredo), McMurtry went back to his typewriter and filled us in on the adventures of G...more
So, what is Dead Man's Walk? After Lonesome Dove and a sequel (Streets of Laredo), McMurtry went back to his typewriter and filled us in on the adventures of G...more
I hate to give this book such a low score. I really, truly do because Gus and Call are two of my favorite characters. I read Lonesome Dove a long time ago and still think fondly of it. And while it was nice seeing them again in their younger years, this book just didn't feel the same for me.
One thing the author does very well is draw a reader into the rough grittiness of the time and place. There is no doubt in your mind that this is a dangerous place, and that life is callously thrown away at t...more
One thing the author does very well is draw a reader into the rough grittiness of the time and place. There is no doubt in your mind that this is a dangerous place, and that life is callously thrown away at t...more
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 a...more
Most disappointingly, in this novel Gus and Call a...more
'Matilda Jane Roberts was naked as the air. Known throughout south Texas as the Great Western, she came walking up from the muddy Rio Grande holding a big snapping turtle by the tail.'
What great imagery to start off a novel with! After being less than thrilled with The Sisters Brothers, I was hungry for a more classic (in style and content, not age) western. Lonesome Dove has been on my TBR list for a while, so I decided to start off with the chronological first book in the series.
Gus McCrae and...more
What great imagery to start off a novel with! After being less than thrilled with The Sisters Brothers, I was hungry for a more classic (in style and content, not age) western. Lonesome Dove has been on my TBR list for a while, so I decided to start off with the chronological first book in the series.
Gus McCrae and...more
This is the first part of the Lonesome Dove trilogy, and for some reason I never read it, even though I finished the second and third books years ago. It was a pleasure to pick up this book and read about Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call again. They're just young pups in this book, barely old enough to shave (well, maybe they've been shaving for a few years), but their personalities are developed just as strongly as in the later books. McMurtry does a great job of describing the plains of Texas, and...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Sep 24, 2009
Keli Wright
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
cowboys
Recommended to Keli by:
Mitch
I just finished "Dead Man's Walk" by Larry McMurtry It was written after "Lonesome Dove" but chronologically came before so I read it first when I was dating Mitch we talked about me reading some westerns so I had all ready bought this one and I finally got around to reading it... At first I thought "oh man this is ANOTHER GUY BOOK! this reminds me of when Ryan and Chris would tell me to read books, except Mitch had never read this book but as I'm slogging throught it, saying I think I can, I t...more
Dead Man's Walk is the first book in the Lonesome Dove series, and features three beloved characters -- Woodrow Call, Augustus McCrae, and Clara.
If you enjoyed Lonesome Dove, don't expect to find awe inspiring younger versions of Call and McCrae in this story. Call and McCrae do not posesses great marksmanship, horsemanship, or tracking skills, they are not gifted with the ability to quickly learn Spanish, Apache, and Commanche, and they do not have great insights into the minds of Indians. The...more
If you enjoyed Lonesome Dove, don't expect to find awe inspiring younger versions of Call and McCrae in this story. Call and McCrae do not posesses great marksmanship, horsemanship, or tracking skills, they are not gifted with the ability to quickly learn Spanish, Apache, and Commanche, and they do not have great insights into the minds of Indians. The...more
I liked this one less than Lonesome Dove (no western beats that classic) but more than Streets of Laredo. It's really interesting to see my two favorite Texas Rangers as young men. Call is pretty much himself, but Gus is a much more timid and less sure version of who he turns out to be. He meets the love of his life, Clara, in this book and that encounter was pretty amusing.
McMurtry really pours it on in this book. The action is brutal and graphic (some of the scalping descriptions will probabl...more
McMurtry really pours it on in this book. The action is brutal and graphic (some of the scalping descriptions will probabl...more
Dead Man's Walk is one of the best Western novels I have read, not nearly as deep as Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian or All the Pretty Horses; but this is only the first McMurtry I have read, and I am delighted to find that there are so many more to read.
I am not very familiar with the Texas landscape, but reading this book makes me want to go visit Big Bend National Park and some of the other areas around West Texas.
At first I had a little difficulty separating the two main characters in my...more
I am not very familiar with the Texas landscape, but reading this book makes me want to go visit Big Bend National Park and some of the other areas around West Texas.
At first I had a little difficulty separating the two main characters in my...more
2 likes · like · see review
Feb 02, 2012
Dan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature,
read-in-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 nov...more
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 nov...more
3 likes · like · see review
The first book of McMurtry's that I read was The Desert Rose. I am generally not a fan of contemporary fiction, and was disappointed with the book. As a consequence, I delayed reading Lonesome Dove.
A great opening to the Lonesome Dove series. Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call are introduced as young men first joining the Texas Rangers. Written as the first of two "prequels" to Lonesome Dove, McMurtry does a wonderful job of developing the characters and providing a terrific story line. I had heard abo...more
A great opening to the Lonesome Dove series. Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call are introduced as young men first joining the Texas Rangers. Written as the first of two "prequels" to Lonesome Dove, McMurtry does a wonderful job of developing the characters and providing a terrific story line. I had heard abo...more
As a preamble to this review, the only previous book by this author that I've read was The Last Picture Show and that was many decades ago. Of course I have heard of Lonesome Dove, but not read or seen it.
I read this book in three stages, each taking about a third of the book. The stages were separated by months. The stages were determined by natural stopping points in the book. After the first stage (the attempt to get to El Paso) i quit reading because of boredom and would probably have rated...more
I read this book in three stages, each taking about a third of the book. The stages were separated by months. The stages were determined by natural stopping points in the book. After the first stage (the attempt to get to El Paso) i quit reading because of boredom and would probably have rated...more
The "first" in the Lonesome Dove saga, it has all the makings of an exciting western, and does not follow the formula for a western. True, there is everything you expect to find in a western: Texas Rangers, Comanche indians, a love interest. But it deviates from the formula because the good guy aren't necessarily all good, and they don't come out unscathed and end up in the arms of the woman they love at the end. The book has subsequent sequels, but the story does not go the way a formulaic west...more
Great story. Extremely vivid settings and interesting characters. A treat for a reader with a good imagination. Knowing this was the first of a series made it difficult to put down. Could hardly wait to see how it ended. This is a work of fiction and therefore a product of the author's imagination. The locales are researched and the characters fit the time period. However, the author kind of sugar-coats some very real social problems and in particular portrays the Texas Rangers in a more positiv...more
I just tore through this book today, had a good ol' time. It's a Western of the time-honored variety, man against the Desert mostly, but with a fair amount of depth and plot pyrotechnics. Having read three of the four Lonesome Dove novels now, all out of order and years apart, I can't exactly put all the pieces together but they do seem to make sense. The theme of this book, like the other ones, is more or less "some men are some badasses and some ain't." We are treated to a wild panalopy of the...more
I've read Lonesome Dove and felt like it dragged, but was worth the read. McMurty does a good job of pulling you into the setting he creates, and he continues that in Dead Man's Walk.
Unfortunately, as other reviewers point out, he doesn't do much with his characters in this one. I could barely keep them straight beyond Gus being obsessed with whores and Clara and Call being cranky.
I found the particular ending of the story to be totally nonsensical, I even went back and reread a chapter to make...more
Unfortunately, as other reviewers point out, he doesn't do much with his characters in this one. I could barely keep them straight beyond Gus being obsessed with whores and Clara and Call being cranky.
I found the particular ending of the story to be totally nonsensical, I even went back and reread a chapter to make...more
Jun 30, 2009
Molly Jae
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Vaughn, Rex, Jay, Clark, Jerry, Darren, Dad, Uncle John and all other cowboys.
Ahh, this is a great cowboy story. It's the first time I've ever read McMurtry who has written over 30 books, and I'm excited to read more. Dead Man's Walk is the first in a tetrology which includes the Pulitzer Prize winning Lonesome Dove. I think his writing flows beautifully, his dialogue is great and you can smell the sagebrush and taste the dry sand as he describes the West. I imagine that his story reflects some truth of how the West was explored which means it is not a light-hearted story...more
Lonesome Dove is one of my favorite stories, novel and mini-series. The characters, from the leads to throwaways, are rich, fascinating, full of quirks and flaws, and always fully-realized. I went into this book with high expectations. I wasn't wholly disappointed, but I found Dead Man's Walk lacking when directly compared to the great Lonesome Dove. It's a good book in its own right, though - gripping, darkly humorous, disturbing, and sad.
McMurty is a masterful writer. He excels in sharp dialog...more
McMurty is a masterful writer. He excels in sharp dialog...more
After reading Lonesome Dove, I was surprised and ecstatic to find that it was the third book of a four book series. I was so excited to get the back story of Gus and Call, and figured that the best place to start would be book one (Dead Man's Walk). Unfortunately it did not live up yo my lofty expectations.
This book does a lot to explain the background and even some personality traits of the two that you see in the 3rd book, but for me this was the one and only redeeming quality. The violence,...more
This book does a lot to explain the background and even some personality traits of the two that you see in the 3rd book, but for me this was the one and only redeeming quality. The violence,...more
Although not the grand epic or literary contribution of McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, this book is a more-than-decent action adventure. Combining themes from gothic horror and Western genres, McMurtry creates an impending sense of doom as he follows a band of Rangers, traveling from San Antonio to Santa Fe, where they hope to get Mexican gold. From the beginning they are hunted by ruthless Comanches, who aren't so keen on white settlers' expansion into their hunting territory, whose warrior skills f...more
Even though I have read the majority I wanted to read all four of the Lonesome Dove books in chronological order. Next at bat is Comanche Moon; however, I may take a hiatus to finish my pending books. Of course, no novel in the past 50 years, can approach the Pulitzer price winning "Lonesome Dove" which would receive my vote for the great American novel although I doubt anyone would want my vote. This book covers the adventures of Woodrow and Gus at the beginning of their Ranger career and descr...more
While not as good as Lonesome Dove, I still enjoyed this book (this is actually the 2nd or 3rd time I've read it). I love the characters of Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call who were first introduced in Lonesome Dove. Dead Man's Walk is one of two prequels to Lonesome Dove. Here we see Gus and Woodrow beginning their careers as Texas Rangers. Their adventures in this book will leave the reader exhausted by the end. There are some very gruesome scenes, but there are also moments of levity provided main...more
The "prequel" to "Comanche Moon, " depicting the adventures of Woodrow McCall and Gus McCrae as young men adrift in the Old West.
They join the Texas Rangers under Colonel Cobb to go on an expedition to take Santa Fe from the Mexicans. The travel through rough country in rough weather. They run into hostile Indians - Buffalo Hump, Kicking Horse and Gomez; the Mexican Army - Colonel Salazar; and an English noblewoman & her entourage, POW's of the Mexicans. It's another great McMurtry book, wit...more
They join the Texas Rangers under Colonel Cobb to go on an expedition to take Santa Fe from the Mexicans. The travel through rough country in rough weather. They run into hostile Indians - Buffalo Hump, Kicking Horse and Gomez; the Mexican Army - Colonel Salazar; and an English noblewoman & her entourage, POW's of the Mexicans. It's another great McMurtry book, wit...more
Aug 03, 2012
Kurt Schweighauser
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Interesting introduction to Woodrow Call and Gus Mccrae. the hero's of Lonesome Dove. I gave the book four stars because I liked the story but thought the ending absurd. The one thing that bothered me about their adventures, however, was the fact that no matter where they were; out in the desert with no water or food; in a town of lepers; or even in the middle of a swift running river, it was never the elements of the harshness of the situation that caused them trouble: It was always a lurking b...more
I am currently reading the entire Lonesome Dove series. Dead Man's Walk is the first of the four books. It vividly tells the story of Gus & Call as young Texas Rangers. McMurty is so skillful at fleshing out his characters. You quickly become to know them. This is a sweeping story of survival and brutality in the vastness we call Texas. This book begins to set the stage for the volumes to follow. This story will suck you in and make you want to read to the end to see out the rangers get out...more
This was a good read - anything by Larry McMurtrey is pretty much a sure thing. He is funny and so accomplished at building a character in very few words. You know the characters through their actions and words, not through any lengthy description by the author.
This is a prequel to Lonesome Dove, my all-time favorite book. It details the developing relationship of Call and McCrae, and helps the reader to understand the 'almost married' relationship they have in Lonesome Dove. YOu need to read th...more
This is a prequel to Lonesome Dove, my all-time favorite book. It details the developing relationship of Call and McCrae, and helps the reader to understand the 'almost married' relationship they have in Lonesome Dove. YOu need to read th...more
I'm not much of a western reader but I do enjoy Larry McMurtry and especially his Lonesome Dove saga now comprised of three books, Dead Man's Walk, Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo. The title book still remains my favorite, so much so that I had to purchase a hardbound version (difficult to find) of it after I had read the paperback just to keep on the shelf. Would have liked a first edition but the prices were prohibitive. This prequel, Dead Man's Walk was written after the success of Loneso...more
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Among many other accolades he was the co-winner of an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Brokeback Mountain in 2006.
Larry McMurty was born in Wichita Falls Texas in 1936. His first published book Horseman, Pass By was adapted into the film "Hud".
McMurty went on to publish many more novels, a number of which went on to become movies as well as a TV mini-series.
More about Larry McMurtry...
Larry McMurty was born in Wichita Falls Texas in 1936. His first published book Horseman, Pass By was adapted into the film "Hud".
McMurty went on to publish many more novels, a number of which went on to become movies as well as a TV mini-series.
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“-she remembered them kindly, for there was a sweetness in boys that didn't last long, once they became men.”
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“Well, boys," Long Bill said. "I guess here's where I quit rangering. It's rare sport, but it ain't quite safe.”
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