Last of the Duanes (novel)

Last of the Duanes is a 1996 novel by Zane Grey.

Origin

Last of the Duanes is the original version of The Lone Star Ranger. Originally written in 1913, it was rejected on the grounds that it was too violent. The manuscript was reworked with material from the serial "The Lone Star Rangers", and was then published as 1915's The Lone Star Ranger. In 1996 it was published in its original form.

Plot summary

Buck Duane is the son of a famous Texas gunman, a fact which brings him almost nothing but trouble. Duane shoots a man who threatens him and flees the law. He mixes with outlaws while clinging desperately to the last of his principles. He rescues a girl named Jennie from the hands of an outlaw king, but loses her in the escape. He then wanders aimlessly, desperation growing as the worth of life slips away.

Characters in "Last of the Duanes"

• Buck Duane; son of a famous Texas gunman turned outlaw who quickly gains a deadly reputation of his own.
• Jennie; a girl being held captive by outlaws high in the mountains.
• Bland; outlaw rustler who controls a beautiful, inaccessible mountain valley.
• Euchre; an old outlaw living high in the mountains who befriends Duane and helps plot Jennie's escape.
• Cheseldine; an outlaw king and rival of Bland's.
• MacNelly; a captain of the Texas Rangers who's searching for Buck Duane.

Themes

The coming of law and order on the American frontier leads to a clash of values as the very self-sufficiency of the frontiersmen leads them to break the law. Once broken, the outlaw starts a downward spiral that erodes his humanity as he runs from a harsh justice to an even harsher frontier filled with desperate men. Grey delves into the life of the gunman, examining what makes them dangerous both to themselves and to those around them.