Information AboutComanche Moon |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT COMANCHE MOON | |
| 1997 novels | |
| western novels | |
| texas ranger division | |
| films set in texas | |
| lonesome dove series | |
''Comanche Moon'', a Western Novel by Larry McMurtry is the last one written in his Lonesome Dove Series , though it is the second in the chronology of the narrative. PLOT INTRODUCTION In this bridge novel between McMurtry's Dead Man's Walk and Lonesome Dove , Woodrow Call and Gus McCrae are in their middle years, still serving as respected Texas Ranger s. PLOT SUMMARY When pursuing the celebrated Comanche horse thief, Kicking Wolf, the bold Indian steals the famous horse of their eccentric captain, Inish Scull. Scull, promoting McCrae and Call to Captains, sets off on foot after the Comanches, accompanied only by the Kickapoo tracker Famous Shoes. Scull is soon captured by the notorious Mexican bandit king Ahumado, feared across the border for the horrible torture that he inflicts upon his victims. While Call and Gus set out to rescue their captain, Texas is devastated by a raid launched by the fierce Comanche war-chief, Chief Buffalo Hump . Even as they struggle to free their captain and rescue captives from the Indians, Gus and Call know that, like the Indians, their time is coming, and the west will soon have no more room for adventurers such as themselves. The rangers struggle with their personal lives as well. Gus has lost the true love of his life - his beloved Clara has married another man and left Texas. Call can't admit his love for the whore Maggie, even as she bears him a fine son; he gradually loses her love. CHARACTERS IN "COMANCHE MOON"
MAJOR THEMES Unlike the other three books in the series, Comanche Moon devotes much of its space to the Indian point of view, particularly the lament of Buffalo Hump at the passing of his people and the end of the Comanche way of life. This conflict is thrown into focus with the struggle between Buffalo Hump, a traditional leader devoted to "the old ways", and Blue Duck, his rebellious, arrogant son. The Comanche Moon was once a symbol of fear in the borderlands - the full moon lit clear autumn nights, enabling Comanche raids into Mexico. Buffalo Hump realizes, as the years pass, that the moon will never truly rise again, and that the power of his people is broken. LITERARY SIGNIFICANCE & CRITICISM Comanche Moon, while not as well regarded as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove, is still noteworthy and enjoyable, especially as a chronicle of the dying West. It has the misfortune of being split chronologically - part of the book is before the Civil War; the other part focuses on what happened after the war. TRIVIA Note: The Lonesome Dove series was not written in the chonological order of the saga. |
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