Comanche Moon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Author | Larry McMurtry |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Lonesome Dove series |
| Genre(s) | Western |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Released | 1997 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 803 pp (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-671-02064-1 (paperback edition) |
| Preceded by | Dead Man's Walk |
| Followed by | Lonesome Dove |
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.
Contents |
[edit] 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 Rangers.
[edit] Plot summary
Texas Governor Ed Pease sends a small troop of Texas Rangers, under the leadership of Captain Inish Scull, in pursuit of the celebrated Comanche horse thief, Kicking Wolf. This bold Indian steals Scull's famous horse and takes it to the Sierra Perdida to give it to the notorious Mexican bandit king Ahumado, feared for the horrible tortures that he inflicts upon his victims. Scull, promoting McCrae and Call to Captains and instructing them to lead the Ranger troop back to Austin, sets off on foot after Kicking Wolf, accompanied only by the Kickapoo tracker Famous Shoes. Ahumado ties Kicking Wolf up to be dragged away by a horse, and takes Kicking Wolf's companion, Three Birds, prisoner. Ahumado intends to impose a slow death on Three Birds, but Three Birds throws himself off a cliff. Scull finds the unconscious Kicking Wolf being dragged by the horse, and cuts the Comanche's bonds, which allows Kicking Wolf to survive and return to his tribe. Scull is soon captured by Ahumado, and placed in a cage, where he is supposed to die slowly.
Having returned to Austin, McCrae learns that his beloved Clara Forsythe is marrying his rival, horse trader Bob Allen; Call learns that his lover, the reluctant whore Maggie Tilton, is pregnant with his child. Prompted by Scull's wife Inez, the Governor sends Call and McCrae out in charge of another typically small Ranger troop, to rescue Captain Scull. While they are on this mission, Comanche chief Buffalo Hump leads his nation on the warpath. They burn much of Austin, killing Clara's parents (she has already married and gone North, so she escapes the carnage) and outraging Long Bill's wife, Pearl. Maggie, having been prepared by Call, hides under a smokehouse, thus escaping the Comanches' notice.
The Rangers turn back to Austin as soon as they hear of the raid on Austin. Pearl and Long Bill are unable to recover emotionally, and Long Bill hangs himself.
Scull handles the cage so well that Ahumado has him taken down, and has Goyeto cut off his eyelids. Ahumado sends word to Austin that he will return Scull for a ransom of one thousand cattle. Governor Pease sends the Rangers out once again, to collect the cattle and exchange the herd for Scull. The Rangers go to Lonesome Dove in search of cattleman Captain King. Realising they will not be able to even obtain the cattle, Call and McCrae set out (without the rest of the troop) to try to rescue Scull on their own terms. Meanwhile, Ahumado has been bitten by a poisonous spider, and goes South to die. Call and McCrae find Scull going insane in a pit. But the rescue is soon enough to allow Scull to mostly recover.
Buffalo Hump banishes his half-Mexican son Blue Duck. Blue Duck goes East and acquires wealth and notoriety as the leader of a gang of bandits.
At this point, the novel moves more quickly, giving highlights covering the period leading up to the sequel, Lonesome Dove. Maggie gives birth to Call's son Newt, but Call refuses to acknowledge the child is his. She goes to work at the general store, and Jake Spoon more or less moves in with her. The Civil War takes most of the soldiers away from the frontier, enabling the Comanches to push back the white settlers. After the Civil War, Call and McCrae are sent in pursuit of Blue Duck, who is chasing his father Buffalo Hump. Buffalo Hump has gone off to die. Blue Duck kills his father and evades the Rangers. Maggie dies while the Rangers are on this expedition.
[edit] Characters in "Comanche Moon"
- Woodrow Call – Texas Ranger
- Gus McCrae – Texas Ranger
- Clara Allen –; Gus's former lover, a storekeeper's daughter
- Maggie Tilton –; Woodrow's lover, a whore
- Inish Scull – Captain- Texas Ranger
- Inez Scull – Wife of Inish Scull
- Long Bill Coleman – Texas Ranger
- Jake Spoon, Pea Eye Parker, Josh Deets – Texas Ranger
- Famous Shoes – the Rangers' Kickapoo tracker
- Buffalo Hump – Comanche war-chief
- Kicking Wolf – Comanche horse thief
- Blue Duck – Son of Buffalo Hump
- Ahumado – Mexican bandit and murderer
- Goyeto –; Ahumado's henchman and skinner
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Trivia
Note: The Lonesome Dove series was not written in the chonological order of the saga.The saga runs as follows: Dead Man's Walk, Comanche Moon, Lonesome Dove, and Streets of Laredo. The series was written in this order: Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo, Dead Man's Walk, Comanche Moom.
[edit] Mini Series
- The television adaptation of this novel will air on CBS in February 2007.
- Val Kilmer will be appearing in this adaptation.
