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Jason
No. There isn't.
Blood Meridian is the typical answer to this question and while Blood Meridian is an exceptional novel, it isn't as personal or as grand as Lonesome Dove. Lonesome Dove is simply the best.
On a personal note, I do not believe Blood Meridian is Cormac McCarthy's best western. I would recommend All the Pretty Horses over Blood Meridian. It isn't a popular answer, but I thought I would share.
Blood Meridian is the typical answer to this question and while Blood Meridian is an exceptional novel, it isn't as personal or as grand as Lonesome Dove. Lonesome Dove is simply the best.
On a personal note, I do not believe Blood Meridian is Cormac McCarthy's best western. I would recommend All the Pretty Horses over Blood Meridian. It isn't a popular answer, but I thought I would share.
Louis Arroyo
IMHO, I think Lonesome Dove is a masterpiece that definitely deserves all the praise it has received. Is it the best western ever written .... only the reader can decide. A lot of people would pick books like, Shane, The Virginian, Riders of the Purple Sage, The Big Sky and its sequel The Way West, over LD. And truth be told, there is no right or wrong answer.
I loved Lonsome Dove (it is one of my all time favorite books that happens to be a western) and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a great piece of literature. And yes ... after reading LD, the bar for all other western genre books has been set very high.
I loved Lonsome Dove (it is one of my all time favorite books that happens to be a western) and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a great piece of literature. And yes ... after reading LD, the bar for all other western genre books has been set very high.
Nate
There's only one way to find out--read more westerns.
~☆~Autumn
No, there isn't as this is the very best one.
Marcia
I have enjoyed Stephen Harrigan's novels -- The Gates of the Alamo and Remember Ben Clayton (both are unusual books). Doc by Mary Doria Russell is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. Michael McGarrity's Hard Country and the sequel Backlands are both excellent. I'm making a list of more McMurtry, as this is the first Western by him that I have read . . . also on audiobook with a great reader.
Richard Marman
Read 'True Grit' by Charles Portis and your faith in Westerns will be restored. 'Centennial' by James A Michener is pretty damn good too. I know it's a bit of a plug, but you might consider my novel 'McAlister's Trail' which received good reviews when first released as 'Escape from Fort McLean' The title has been on continuous loan from out local library for the last twelve years and is still going strong.
Janel Kohlmyer
No. But I just read Whiskey When We're Dry and it definitely makes it into the top five.
Sasha
What you want is Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. Not better, but comparable. And they're both from 1985!
Liz McCafferty
Not that I have ever read - it's not just a Western it's more about every character coming live from the page, some good, some evil, but all very real. You learn about the frontier terrain and extreme weather conditions, its history of conflicting populations and a little about running the cattle drive from Texas up to Montana. If this book was to be published this year it would definitely win the Booker.
Sanjuro
I thought Butcher's Crossing by John Williams was better, and possibly also Warlock by Oakley Hall. Lonesome Dove has the best characters, but the writing style is bland and overly expositional compared to many other "literary" westerns.
Janith Pathirage
In my opinion, James A. Michener's 'Centennial' is greater. It was also the greatest historical fiction novel I have ever read so far. Give it a try and see.
Mantas
Nothing even comes close to Lonesome Dove.. - that's what I thought until today; I've just finished reading The Cowboy and The Cossack by Clair Huffaker, and I felt like sharing this with LD fans.
Adventure, loyalty, friendship, humor, deadly battles with enemies as well as nature - if you loved all these things in LD, you will love The Cowboy and The Cossack too. It has a lot of similarities but enough differences so it still feels like a unique story.
LD had been my #1 book of all time; today I have to put it on my #2 spot and give the top for The Cowboy and The Cossack. I'm sure many would disagree with me, and it also could be because I've just finished reading it and my emotions are still steaming hot, but I feel that those emotions were stirred slightly deeper when reading The Cowboy and The Cossack. I already miss all those characters from that book just like I missed Gus and Call from LD.
Adventure, loyalty, friendship, humor, deadly battles with enemies as well as nature - if you loved all these things in LD, you will love The Cowboy and The Cossack too. It has a lot of similarities but enough differences so it still feels like a unique story.
LD had been my #1 book of all time; today I have to put it on my #2 spot and give the top for The Cowboy and The Cossack. I'm sure many would disagree with me, and it also could be because I've just finished reading it and my emotions are still steaming hot, but I feel that those emotions were stirred slightly deeper when reading The Cowboy and The Cossack. I already miss all those characters from that book just like I missed Gus and Call from LD.
Mike
Blood Meridian is at the same level.
Dan Stein
I haven't read this one (it's on my list!), but I highly recommend Dances With Wolves. It's one of my favorite books ever. If you've seen the movie, it won't spoil the book for you. A teaser - the book has a different ending than the movie.
Arne
Can I just say, this has turned out to be the most valuable thread for book inspiration for me on goodreads :D
Albert Culbreath
I loved Lonesome Dove, but it's not among my top 5 Westerns.
Logan
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz is a good companion piece to Lonesome Dove. It doesn't have the same epic scope, but it's quite a good read and has a similar feel in that it's about a man traveling throughout the West. You really get a sense of the landscape and its desolate nature.
DanConway
Little Big Man, The Son-Philip Meyer. I'd put those 2 in this class.
Close behind are The Sister's Brothers, The Homesman.
It does set the bar high.
Close behind are The Sister's Brothers, The Homesman.
It does set the bar high.
Barbara Bryant
I loved the book, but if one Western ruins the genre for you, I think you are quitting too soon. On the other hand, you may be reading Westerns only to say you have read the genre and if that is the case they may not be for you. I do try unfamiliar genres from time to time as I am a librarian and I want to keep up and I have read other westerns and enjoyed them greatly years ago. They were not like Lonesome Dove, particularly. Books are so personal--I think, with luck, we find the ones we like. Good luck.
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