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After reading "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry and finding out that it was just one in a series of Western books written around the characters of Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call I went out and immediately purchased "Dead Man's Walk". For my review of "Lonesome Dove" check the link below. I was so impressed and enthralled with the storytelling in "Lonesome Dove" that I knew that I would enjoy another adventure and this book does not disappoint.

"Dead Man's Walk" is a prequel to "Lonesome Dove" and offers up the story of Call and Gus as they begin their careers as Texas Rangers. Where "Lonesome Dove" shows the two characters in their wizened forms, "Dead Man's Walk" shows them as real greenhorns poised to be molded into the hardened leaders of men they would become. Knowing that they will survive all the ordeals in "Dead Man's Walk" does not take away from the excitement and intrigue the book delivers but instead opens the characters up for a more intimate and raw examination.

The book begins with the two new recruits on an expedition into the barren American frontier in hopes of discovering a usable road west of San Antonio along the Rio Grande river but what they find on the trail is only their own ineptitude. This is when we are introduced to the main characters that will accompany Gus and Call for the bulk of the book. We meet Matilda Roberts, also known as "The Great Western", who is the only woman on the journey but as she is larger than most men and braver and more surly than most as well she doesn't take a side role in the ensemble. We also meet Bigfoot Wallace and Shadrach, who are the most experienced frontiersmen of the group and provide Gus and Call with mentorship throughout their hard journeys. Along with about twenty others, they make their way along the Mexican border.

Not far into this, their first rangering expedition, the group runs head-on into a small group of Comanche warriors and discover that the native people are not to be fucked with. One of the groups' members is killed within spitting distance and they don't even notice. Then they watch as one of their friends is scalped while running away from the Comanche Chief named Buffalo Hump. This wouldn't be the last time they see Buffalo Hump either. Not by a long shot.

Not long after our main characters return to the relative peace of civilization they find that another expedition is preparing to leave and this one would be an even better opportunity to find fame, fortune and whatever it is that Call's after. The new expedition is from San Antonio to Santa Fe and is headed up by an ex-pirate with a pension for pomposity and violence named Caleb Cobb. The expedition starts with over one hundred members but within just a few weeks dwindles steadily down as many simply turn back. The men that are left end up running directly into the wrath of the Comanches lead by Buffalo Hump, who does everything he can to terrorize the soldiers.

Soon the men split up only to find that they are well into Mexican territory and that the Mexican army knows they are there. With no water and no food, the soldiers have to decide whether to fight the superior Mexican army or surrender. The decision would be another in a long line of circumstances that lead to pain and suffering, which is really the main event featured in this book. It could have entitled "The Ordeals of the Ignorant" or "A series of horrible yet avoidable events". The hardships that the characters endure are seemingly never-ending and as a reader, it was never boring.

I am not sure what I would think about this book had I not read "Lonesome Dove" first. I might think that it is a bit one dimensional as there is not much under the surface of the text. The plain language of the narrator and characters does not leave much room for mystery or suspense but the whole thing seems like it is plucked out of a 19th-century western frontier campfire story. Because I have read "Lonesome Dove" I was excited to read about what made Call and Gus the hardened cowboys they became. I was even more enticed getting to know the accompanying characters Matilda, Bigfoot, and Shadrach. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes westerns even if they have not read any of the other Lonesome Dove series books before but if possible I think reading "Lonesome Dove" first is ideal. It is a deeper book that explores more of the emotional side of the characters as they reach retirement age. Also, below is a link to the very long movie based on "Dead Man's Walk" and I highly recommend watching it as a supplement to the book. The story and dialogue are essentially right out of the book and might be the most accurate adaptation I have seen. If you like westerns or want to try something new please check out these books.

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