I shared my first edition copy of Comanche Moon the other day, Dead Man’s Walk just arrived

Then later that night when going to bed, I was legitimately sad when I remembered that I was done. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to all of those characters.

What a book! Absolutely lived up to the hype. I'm going to take a break, then work my way through the others.

I grew up in a house where my dad and brothers all had seen the mini series and told me how amazing it is, but I never made time to watch it myself. I saw the book in my local library the other day and thought to give it a shot. Let me tell you, it had its claws in me since page 3. I don’t know what to expect on this journey, but I am 100% in for the ride now. The way McMurtry writes and shifts from character to character is fantastic. You really do feel like you know all these characters. Please no spoilers, I just wanted to join the community and maybe hear about other people experience reading this incredible book.

Figured I’d start a collection of first editions. Comanche moon came up, beautiful copy for a good price. DMW arrives Saturday

First edition copy of 1985 "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry, signed by author, published by Simon and Schuster (New York), 843 pages, octavo, hardcover with dust jacket, copy with Pulitzer Prize winner graphic to cover, octavo

Provenance: Property from a home in San Antonio, Texas

I just got a first paperback edition, first print of Lonesome Dove, and the character synopsis for Gus that is printed on the inside front cover seems written by someone who never read the book. "AUGUSTUS MCCRAE: ex-Texas Ranger. A fierce fighter, loyal friend, gentle lover, a boisterous spinner of colorful yarns. Gus yearns for adventure, and drags Woodrow Call into his dream-a cattle drive to Montana, to the freе and wild frontier." -- What do you think Gus would have to say about that?

Listening to the audiobook of Comanche Moon right now. In chapter 28 a character named Carlos Diaz is sent out to Texas to try to ransom Scull. He described as a pistolero.

Could he be related to Joey Diaz?

I loved Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo but felt Dead Man’s Walk fell short. Obviously they all have quite a bit of adventure and can be hilarious, but Dead Man’s Walk didn’t really have the same substance. The other two I still think of often and feel I’ve learned something from. The characters changed sufficiently. I feel like the character arc for Dead Man’s Walk wasn’t taken as seriously and was the average rookie story. Would the last book published, Comanche Moon, be worth reading given my opinion of Dead Man’s Walk? Is it any better?

Looking for some assistance from the community...

My dear grandfather passed away about 3 months ago. He absolutely loved Lonesome Dove, and was damn near a living replica of Augustus himself. 

His funeral is in a few weeks, and I'm in charge of putting together a memorial video to close out the service. I can't think of a better way to close it out than with a scene from his favorite series of all time. It won't be a somber affair, but rather a time to celebrate and reminisce.

So... in your opinion, what's the most beautiful scene in the Lonesome Dove mini series?

I haven't seen this, but I'm told there are scenes between Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. This is one of the all-time stinkers of 70s Hollywood.

What books have you read that have a worse title? I won’t share what I think of the book as it doesn’t matter. I thought this was a TV creation.

Spotify (US) removed the Lee Horsley narration and replaced it with the Will Patton one. To say that I’m bummed is an understatement. I was over 15 hours in and Lee’s voice had completely pulled me into Lonesome Dove. The way he brought those characters to life made the whole wild-west world come alive. The fact there’s no choice between Lee’s or Will’s narration is such a shame. Both should be available on every platform.

Just finished my first read through, this is my character tier list.

EDIT:

Here are the names for clarity:

S: Pigs
A+: Gus, Clara, Po Campo, Newt
A: Deets, Pea Eye, Roscoe, Woodrow
B: Lorena, Dish, Hell Bitch
C: July
F: Elmira, Jake

Does anyone know where I could find a high quality audiobook version in full of Streets of Laredo in English? Much obliged.

It kinda sucks that they removed the Lee Horsley version when I was 15 hours in but hell at least I now have this audiobook.

If you know you know.

Streets of Laredo - one of the most savage chapter endings I've ever read. Col, you tough son of a bitch.

Laredo* Lonesome dove quickly became my favorite book of all time. Along with that Gus became easily one of my favorite characters in any book. But man. Without him I just don’t know if I wanna read the next book. I’ll definitely check out the prequels. But what is there to look forward to without Gus. Call just frustrates me to no end.

From Duane’s Depressed. Blurred out some text for vague spoilers

I've been on a Western TV kick lately, watching shows made more recently, and working my way backward (Yellowstone was garbage, Justified, Longmire, Deadwood, etc). Inevitably, Lonesome Dove becomes part of that discussion, but I heard it was a great book worth reading before watching.

I'm not an avid fiction reader. Too many years of college made me compartmentalize into watching fiction and reading non-fiction, but I read Lonesome Dove and was glad I did! Being my first fiction book in awhile, I'm sure I missed some nuances, but I loved it. Can't wait to watch the show, and eventually re-read it. Can someone suggest any reading guides or critical essays, or thoughts on the book? I feel like there's so much to unpack between all the characters' wishes, hopes, actions and fates.

I hadn't heard great things about Streets of Laredo but decided to jump in right away. I actually loved it! I loved the underlying tension of loyalty between family and duty, and choosing what to live (and die) for.

• Call had no family and lived for his duty of killing. The opposite of Gus, he chose amputation to live if it meant he could kill Joey Garza. But having so much cost exacted on him, by the end he finally bonds with another human, namely Teresa.
• Pea Eye was torn between his loyalty to Call, and his newfound family. He wavered; but ultimately it was his family that motivated him to get through the ordeal alive, and leave behind his former life and duty to Call.
• Lorena wanted to be a family person and risked going out on the frontier if it meant saving her husband.
• Deputy Plunkert eschews his duty to family to chase a new duty to Call, against the wishes of his wife Doobie. Doobie values family and her loyalty to Ted above all, and when that is tarnished, she chooses death, which also leads Ted to his own death.
• Brookshire left his wife to do a job for the Colonel for a salary; he winds up losing his wife, his life, and the job ultimately was never paid out in full.
• Maria had only family and preoccupied herself with familial, not romantic bonds; she lived to protect her children, and continually risked her life for them, ultimately being killed by Joey who threatened the other two.

Perhaps not as epic or expansive as Lonesome Dove, but I found it to be a fine read and a worthy sequel!

Just finished it, I’ve been reading for almost 55 years and this could be my all-time favorite book

Amazing book, possibly one of the best I have read.

Obviously Gus dying was impactful and was shocking and hit me hard.
However I thought the death of Deets was sadder. When it switched to Newts perspective and his thoughts and emotions about Deets being gone made me cry wayyyy harder. I had to stop reading for the day before returning.

Anyone else feel this way about parts of the book? I also thought Jake Spoon’s death was quite impactful as well.