Comanche Moon

I am 80 years old. My eyes are not as good as they used to be so I am very selective about the books I read. Since I have never read a McMurtry book that I didn't like I chose Commanche Moon to read on my Kindle. I was not disappointed. Commanche Moon filled in a lot of the beginning story of the great Lonesome Dove, probably my favorite book of all time. I'm going to continue reading McMurtry as long as possible by enlarging the font on my Kindle until every sentence fills a page.

5 starsCaptain Inish Scull, also known as Old Nails is the leader of the troop of twelve Texas Rangers who set out to capture or kill, Buffalo Hump, Kicking Wolf and Gomez. Buffalo is a great Comanche chief who is a ruthless killer, Kicking Wolf is a Comanche horse and child thief extraordinaire and the other is a very vicious killer from Mexico.The group of twelve men set out with Captain Scull and his great horse that the Indians call “Buffalo Horse” because he is so imposing.At the same time, Buffalo Hump is having trouble with his son by a woman named Rosa that he stole from Mexico. Blue Duck is an arrogant twenty-year old who thinks his father is a fool, but wants his acclaim in spite of it. He is impulsive, does not learn the bow and prefers guns. Buffalo Hump is an extraordinary shot with his bow and thinks that his son is foolish for preferring the gun.Gus and Call are now middle aged men and are still Texas Rangers. They are still hunting Comanches and ride with Captain Scull. Also along for the ride is Pea Eye Parker and Deets. Captain Scull is a very educated man and has a wife who wanders and makes no secret of it. Inez now has her eye on young Jake Spoon. Gus is still in love with Clara Forsythe and still wants to marry her and after twenty years of asking, she still refuses him. Call, on the other hand, visits Maggie Tilton, but has no intention of marrying her in spite of the fact that she wants to marry him.Hector, the Buffalo Horse, is stolen by Kicking Wolf. Captain Scull sets out on his own with the scout Famous Shoes, a Kickapoo tracker, to track the great horse. He is afoot. He makes Gus and Call captains and tells them to take the other men back to Austin. On their way, Call finds a dead young boy. They follow the Indians’ tracks and shoot all four of them, rescuing the mother and her two surviving children. The woman is mute and seemingly does not want to have anything to do with her children. She keeps running off.They reach Austin and now promoted as Captains, they must report to the Governor. They are ordered by Inez to go and find the Captain and the Governor reluctantly agrees. The men set out the day after.Captain Scull gets captured by Ahumado, the killer to whom Kicking Wolf took his horse. Hung in a cage over two hundred feet from the bottom of the canyon, Scull amuses himself by capturing birds to eat and scratching Greek letters on the side of the cliff.Meanwhile, back in Austin, Buffalo Hump has raised a great army and set out to kill whites. When he gets to Austin, many people are killed. Pearl, Long Bill’s wife is “outraged” by seven Comanches. Long Bill is saddened and unsure what to do. Maggie is pregnant by Call, but he won’t marry her or acknowledge the child. Gus is despondent because Clara has decided to marry Bob Allen, a horse trader from Nebraska. Fortunately, she left with Bob before the raid, but her parents were killed.Ride with Captain Scull, Captains Gus and Call, Famous Shoes, Deets, Long Bill, Pea Eye and the rest of the boys as they scour the prairies looking for Comanches and other ne’er-do-wells. The infamous battles with Buffalo Hump, Kicking Wolf and the murderous Blue Duck are the stuff of legends. Feel the harsh weather, the inhospitable countryside and the fights they get into while doing battle. The relationships between the men are very interesting – and the women as well. The men’s loves and losses figure large in this book. All in all, it was a rousing read and I’m very glad to have read it – for the third time. It is a story I will never tire of.

This is the book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy. I found it richer and more complex than Dead Man's Walk. It introduces some important characters and advances the stories of others.Three of the central characters are among the most colorful in the series and do not appear again, so they're really worth the read. It is a very long read. I must say. I use a Kindle for most of my reading, so page numbers are essentially irrelevant. When I looked up the number of conventional pages in this book, I found that it came in at a hefty 752. It isn't light reading, exactly, but I found the book easy to read. McMurty pulls the reader right along at a pretty good pace. I'm nearly done with the entire 2,672 page series and I can honestly say that I haven't been bored.

It's been a long time since I read Lonesome Dove, and I had forgotten how much I love McMurtry' s style and his characters. McCrea, Call, Deets, Pea-Eye, and the whole crew came back to life like magic . This book contains some the most wonderful character descriptions you'll ever read, from the rangers to the Comanches, to the women in their lives, and all the hardy pioneers who peopled the dry, dusty Texas sage country in the mid-1800' s.You'll get thirsty reading this book - not much rain in the llano - as these Texas Rangers set out after marauding Indians against impossible odds, and you'll understand why they were the most feared and respected body of laymen in the Old West.Enjoy.Enjoy

Magnificent portrayal of the old west. Just read it again after 20+ years. Great story and characters. I've read several McMurtry books over the years and immensely enjoyed almost all. Returning to my book shelf to grab another today.

The Lonesome Dove series are all books that I can read over and over and over again, every time taking in a different story and meaning. Its a classic American western that any one can appreciate regardless of whether you are a fan of the genre or not.Gus McCrae and Woodrow call will leave you on the edge of your seat, up late at night reading as your live beside them in their adventure from young and rowdy Texas Rangers to grown men passing the torch. A wonderful read that will span generations.

This is the second book in the four-volume series "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry but it is the last of the series that he wrote. I have read the series in the order written. In this book you discover all the essential background to the "Lonesome Dove." It is also interesting to me that, in this book, McMurtry spends much more time illustrating Comanche culture through the development of special characters.

The second of the Larry’s mcmurtry’s epic series (though it was written last), Comanche Moon follows the Young Texas Rangers , August McRae, and Woodrow Call, in their adventures in life and love. As with most of McMurtry’s westerns, the book is beautifully written, with in depth descriptions or scenery, and situations, and stellar prose. The story, at times, is both heartbreaking and hilarious, and a must-read for any western fan.

This is, chronologically, the second in the Lonesome Dove series. Call and McRae are now experienced rangers, spending their time defending settlers, fighting native Americans, and carrying out any other tasks found for them. Like Dead Man's Walk - the first in the series - this book is episodic in form; there are three sections, each separated by a few years. In the first, they have a charismatic leader, Inish Scull, around whom, myths grow. When his famous horse is stolen, he sets off on foot to recover it. In later sections, the rangers continue their work whilst the Civil War rages to the north.Throughout the book, the central characters' stories are interwoven with various tales, some short, some more complex. We follow the development of Call and McRae, and come to understand their motivations, strengths and flaws. For those readers, like me, who read Lonesome Dove before the prequels, the author has done an extraordinary job in filling in their back stories to produce the men we meet in that novel. There is also, over the two prequels, a sympathetic portrayal of the native Americans realisation that their way of life cannot survive.In general, the book has all the strengths of Lonesome Dove and Dead Man's Walk; a light touch, sparse dialogue, a real feel for the time and place, and believable characters. There is, I think, more cruelty in this book than the others, but the world in which it is set was a cruel, brutish one, and it does contribute to the development of the main characters' weariness. It leads beautifully into the next book.

McMurty is most know for Lonesdove, and quite fairly it is a stunning novel. However the Lonesome Dove Series is incredible, and this novel gives us more from the key protagonists in Lonesome Dove, and feel as though the reader is the third rider, riding alongside them through their adventures, heartbreak and decisions. He has an ability to right with a sensitive touch despite the sometimes rough nature of some aspects of the book. The characters are not perfect individuals but it is very hard to not to feel as though you would be or would want to be friends with them.

Larry McMurtry is a wonderful writer- capturing not just the flavour of the West but with a talent for fleshing out even the most minor of his characters. I love the way he uses humour in sometimes unexpected ways. I came to his books through the 'Lonesome Dove' mini series with Robert Duvall as Gus McCrae and Tommy Lee Jones as Woodrow Call. They were obviously the perfect casting choices because e reading the books chronologically starting with 'Dead Man's Walk' their characters leap off the page fully formed.I am still reading this book- having caught the other prequel TV series [ including this one] I know what happens in the main but that doesn't spoil the book in any way. We have three men caught in uncomfortable romantic situations - Gus having lost his enduring love Clara- moved away & married- Call spending time with a pregnant Maggie but unwilling to commit not because of her profession but because he doesn't want to give up rangering & settle down and Long Bill returning to town after an Indian raid to find his adored wife 'spoiled' because of rape.Read the books in order and give yourself a real treat- wonderful writing- great stories!

I had previously read the brilliant Lonesome Dove and saw this prequel on kindle for 99p. It is not the usual type of book I read but I am really enjoying it. I am pleased I had read Lonesome Dove previously as I am familiar with the characters. Lonesome Dove is probably the best book I read all last year.

Just thought the book was long-winded. Some of the plot lines were highly unlikely and I became bored with Gus and Call. Some of the other characters were unbelievable.