Stairs of Sand

by Zane Grey

A hard-driving, action-packed adventure from a true legend of American Western literature. For a beautiful young woman and the fiery men who are haunted by her, the past must be reckoned with in blood, before they can climb above the violence and go on to a bright, new future.

A sequel to Wanderer of the Wasteland.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Adventure

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1928

About the author

Pearl Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. As of June 2007, the Internet Movie Database credits Grey with 110 films, one TV episode, and a series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater based loosely on his novels and short stories.

Reviews

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was only 10 or 11 when I was introduced to Zane Grey by my mother and her brother Tom Martz. Over the next 10 or 15 years I think I read them all,some the 2nd time. After beng absent for 55 or 60 years I decided to read one of Grey's again with one obtained by the love of my life Dorry Lou in a bookstore in Bountiful, Utah over the Thanksgiving weekend
Although I enjoyed it very much, it did not grip me as his books once did. It may have been because having only lived in the East at the time I was fastinated and capitvatd by the western setting of his books. Now having lived in the West for 35 years I was not as capitavated as I once was.
The one thing I was reminded of in the first few pages was how Zane Grey described the women in his books. They are honor, respected and although all woman, they were placed on a pestal by Gray a lady in ever respect I've gained that same respect for the ladies in my life and my wife Dorry Lou has never disappointed me in living and performing as the women Grey wrote about

[RW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great descriptions of the desert scenery. Story a combination of star crossed lovers and old west thugs trying to strongarm an old man out of his property. Had a hard time caring much about the characters.

[Bob Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the book this book is a little dated as for the story line.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a desert waterhole at stake, Ruth Virey must team up with her husband's brother and killer. They come up against the law and the presumed dead husband. A typical Zane Grey romantic western.

[Aimee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite Grey book.

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

finished 2nd january 2026 good read three stars i liked it no less no more kindle library loaner and the second from grey zane the other his riders of the purple sage both stories contain some of the same elements, plot devices with some variation. some would call her "the damsel in distress" but in the first she is a head-strong independent woman and though i looked (a little) to see how the fashionably inclined viewed the story i didn't see any who were riding the fashion waves...though i'd hazard to suggest if i looked more i could find some. in this one the lead woman character fits more that "damsel" label. then there's the situations where two characters meet, or come close to meeting, after years apart for reason or another. a kind of mistaken identity motif and that fits somewhat.
both stories have the woman character under assault by a male character who either wants marriage (and the attendant power/wealth) or is married as the case here though apparently only by ceremony however brief or long it was, never detailed. and then there's the geography, not purple sage as in the first, but desert sand. there's a cast of other minor characters and they all play a part. i thought i saw over a thousand reviews for sage and this one has 120 or less. entertaining read i have another grey zane open and ready to go.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the Zane Grey books I have read, I think that this is my least favorite. For a "quick" western read this was way to heavy on the introspection of the 3 lead characters, which I felt was repeated over and over several times to the point of redundancy. To me, it interrupted the flow of a good story and plot. I know this was one of his earlier works, which may explain why so much effort was spent on the description of the character's flaws and emotions instead of the usual extensive and beautiful descriptions of the surroundings where the story takes place. I did enjoy the story line and plot, but I don't read western novels for psychological evaluations other than the brief explanations of why someone chose to be good or evil.

[Douglas Fugate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a western to keep me occupied on my drive through Texas. Having read Zane Grey before, I found this audio cd at the library. I was expecting an old gun-fighting western with a bit of romance. That is not this story.
Here we have romance set in the old west with minimal action. The story revolves around Ruth Virey and a man called Wansfel. There is action interspersed throughout the story, but this is a romance.
The most enjoyable part of the story, was the descriptions Mr. Grey provides of the Arizona and California desert. While driving through Texas and listening, I was able to appreciate areas that previously I had overlooked; or had failed to recognize for their unique beauty.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though Zane Grey is sometimes “politically incorrect” from today’s views, I thoroughly enjoy his characters, settings and story lines! His books give us a nice glimpse of the Old West (even if idealized and fictionalized), and they give a nice view of the perspectives of the early 1900s when many of his books were written.

[John Belcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by a Pretty Face

Ruth had a beauty like an angel. Men groveled at her feet for physical love but Ruth need live from the heart and soul. Adam had been tortured by his bastard brother mostly because of his jealousy of Adam. The book overall was long winded and could have easily been only half the length, but for the most part a good read.

[Utisz Reza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sequel to "Wanderer of the Wasteland".
What a way to destroy a Character that had grown and developed into a Remarkable Man over a thirteen year period of Hardship and Triumph in "Wanderer of the Wasteland"
I wish I hadn't read it.
I hated it so much I decided to give Zane Grey a rest.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down.
I wanted to give this 4 stars so badly. I really enjoyed the plot and the 2 main characters, but I found myself losing interest a couple times before I was grabbed two handed once again into the story.

[Aaron G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but very dated and certainly a product of its time in terms of social norms and acceptable behaviors. I'm not sure I could go so far as to say that there was as much character growth as is claimed. Still a good story though.

[mel ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nije wow ali je simpatična, održava pažnju :)

[Nadine Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great western story 😚

Wonderful western story Zane grey is a great western author all his books tell about the old west in great detail

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always liked stories by Zane Grey; westerns with just a little romance. However, some of them have a lot of descriptive passages that I find myself skipping over ... this is one.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some Zane Grey novels comes off as really not PC, and this is one of those books. (Indians who say "ugh," anyone?) It also contains the weirdness of the hero being involved? with the heroine's mother before loving the heroine. (I think? Or did he just worship the mother? I really wasn't too sure. And the hero later tells the heroine her mother "gave" her to him. Ugh, and I don't mean that in a stereotyped Indian way.)

For most of the book, the heroine is extremely self-centered and unlikable. It was hard to understand how anyone could fall in love with her - and the hero seemed mostly to have fallen for her incredible beauty. She also hates the desert, and that grew really old. At one point the hero whips a mule to make it move (and the mule "screamed," so it wasn't a gentle tap). So it was hard for me to like either the hero or the heroine! I did like the savvy old guy who was as important to the plot and narration as the two young lovers.

I downloaded Stairs of Sand to read while on a trip to the Arizona desert, and the dislike the heroine had for the desert kind of ruined my ability to focus on the beauty of the landscape. This is definitely not one of my favorite Zane Grey novels, and not one I will reread.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book flows much easier than its predecessor (Wanderer of the Wasteland), with much less description of the scenery and more characterization and plot. The tension is good and the ending satisfying, but the number of main characters is fairly low and the book still doesn't give as much of an impression of a "Western" as I would have liked. Still, it was entertaining to read, and now I'm going to send both books to my brother, from whom I got the first one. You should know that the edition I read is NOT the paperback but the original 1928 edition (got it on ebay). Cool.

[Mojca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old-fashioned prose, but exciting and gripping story-telling.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like Louis L'Amour, I never thought I'd like reading westerns, but I found it hard to put down.

[Brad Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow, I'm just getting around to meeting Zane Grey, and this book was our introduction. I'll be back for more.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good story

[JP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyable but not Grey's pinnacle, more "romantic" than anything else I've read by him.