Lonesome Dove is probably my all time favorite novel. This is one of the prequels and not quite as good but still a terrific read. I think it is the only one of the 4 books that can't be read entirely on it's own so don't start with this book. They were written completely out of order and I think the best way to read them is in the order they were published, starting with Lonesome Dove. McMurtry writes great characters and includes both humor and tragedy to great effect. It starts off a bit slow but is never dull, McMurtry just takes awhile to build up the characters and the situation. I did feel the resolution to some of the conflicts were anti climactic but others played out just about right.