Rating: 
Summary: Lots of Problems, but Still Enjoyable (3.5 Stars)
Review: First, I will wail, and lament, and gnash my teeth (all five of them). "Lonesome Dove," THE definitive novel of the American West, should have proudly stood all alone, on its own shining merits, sans sequels and prequels. From what I understand, several motives drove Larry McMurtry to write the other three books in the "Lonesome Dove" series; I only wish he had resisted all temptations and allowed Gus and Call to dwell in literary history exclusively in the pages of his Pulitzer Prize winning novel. But, I realize, I'm whistling up a ladder: a sequel ("Streets of Laredo") and two prequels ("Dead Man's Walk" and COMANCHE MOON) were written, and now that the "Lonesome Dove" series is complete, with McMurtry's COMANCHE MOON, I found myself relishing a psuedo "closure" with the story--with the author's unforgettable characters.
COMANCHE MOON is a delightful read, starting in the mid-1850's, when Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call were coming into their own as newly-promoted Captains in the Texas Rangers. Gus and Call's main task: keep marauding bands of Comanches, led by the menacing Buffalo Hump, out of the western frontier settlements (no easy task, given the Rangers' limited resources and manpower). Even more fun, we get to meet, for the first time, the mainstays of Lonesome Dove's Hat Creek Cattle Company: Deets, Pea Eye Parker, Jake Spoon--Newt Dobbs. For this very reason, there is so much more of a "connection" with "Lonesome Dove," a fact making this prequel so entertaining.
Yet, despite its entertainment value, what is this book about? What is the motor that drives the story? Why are we reading about Gus and Call as they travel the llano estacado in search of bad guys (some very, very bad guys)? I must confess: after some 750-plus pages, I still don't know what this book is about, as the plot meanders and swirls over some 10-year period, and nothing. . .nothing. . .is resolved, when it ends. We are introduced to a plethora of interesting characters, who do very interesting things, but their deeds (or misdeeds) do nothing to enhance the nonstory. And Maggie Tilton, Newt's long-suffering mother who so desperately loves Call, leaves the story with an insignificant whimper that did her character no justice. On turning the last page I felt so incomplete I wish there had been another 300, or more, pages to tie up infinite loose ends. For one thing: the town--Lonesome Dove--does, briefly, dominate the story, yet we're given no details telling us how Gus and Call left the Rangers, left Austin, and moved south to the Rio Grande. An integral facet setting up "Lonesome Dove," I would maintain, so why doesn't McMurtry provide more information?
There are also numerous chronological/timeline/plot inconsistencies leading into "Lonesome Dove," but I won't go over this tired old ground; it's been rehashed via several reviews on this website. But I will express my utter disapointment, for a book coming out of a major publishing house like Simon & Schuster, at all the typos--and just plain sloppiness--of the copy. Where in the world were the copy editors? On Spring Break? They weren't paying attention to the proofs, that's for sure, so reading this book becomes a most turbulent experience.
For diehard fans of the "Lonesome Dove" series, COMANCHE MOON will, overall, constitute a must-read. For those of us who mourn the fact the original novel spawned three other books, this novel has its moments--and its problematic non-moments. I only wish this book hadn't been written, but since it has, I recommend it with very reserved reluctance.
--D. Mikels
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Lonesome Dove?
Review: I can't decide whether this is better than McMurtry's original epic. Probably not, but I think it's far better than the other two in the series (the depressing Streets of Laredo, and the forgettable Dead Man's Walk) What makes this novel so good is not the story of Call and Gus, but the secondary characters. They're really wild this time, Inish Skull is probably the best of the new characters, when he is prisoner of the Mexican War Chief the book really takes off. I couldn't stop turning the pages, because I'm all too familiar with McMurtry's tendency to kill off likeable characters. Overall definately a great read, if you like McMurtry this is an excellent addition to your collection. Also try Elmore Leonard's westerns.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I think McMurtry's Lonesome Dove books are hands down the best western books out there today. It's because of this series that the western genre has become so exciting for me to read. His discription of life in Texas in the mid 1800's is so descriptive, I can close my eyes and envision the places he writes about.
First I read Lonesome Dove about ten years ago. Since then I haven't really read many westerns and have stayed primarily in the sci-fi\fantasy genre, but at the book store a couple weeks back I picked up Dead Man's Walk, the first story of Gus and Call. I bought it because I remembered how much I loved Lonesome Dove. I remembered laughing, crying and sitting there awestruck at how good a book it was. While Dead Man's Walk was not as good as LD, I still though it deserved five stars. It brought me right back to the world of LD. I also laughed out loud several times at the antics of Gus and I really loved that Mr. McMurtry put more humour in this book. After reading that I found out there were a couple of more books in the Lonesome Dove series, Streets of Laredo and Comanche Moon. I immediatley ran out and got Moon and Laredo.
Moon was next in the series and I thought it perfectly showed how Gus and Call become the men in Lonesome Dove. This book wasn't as humorous as parts of LD and Walk as it had a more somber tone and much more death than the other two. Maybe it's because this is the final book McMurtry said he is going to write in the LD saga but that tone of finality is there. Especially with Buffalo Hump and Kicking Wolf I thought.
I recommend this book and this series to anyone who likes westerns, love stories, grand adventures, great action, funny and poignant dialouge and another trip into the lives of Call and McCrae. Five out of five stars
Rating: 
Summary: Why are they heroes?
Review: I read Comanche Moon after having read Dead Man's Walk and Lonesome Dove. Comanche Moon seems closer to the mark than Dead Man's Walk, but still falls short of the standard set by Lonesome Dove. Gus and Call are developed more fully than was the case in DMW and that is good. We are told that they are well respected and admired, but it is never clear why. The only successful missions are the rescue of Inish Scull and the break up of Blue Duck's gang of renegades, otherwise it is not clear why they are regarded as heroes. That notwithstanding, the description of the contest of wills between Inish and Ahumado is very compelling and is worth the time spent on this book. Overall, a pretty good read but not everything I had hoped for.
Rating:
Summary: A real page turner.
Review: Let me start by saying I loved Lonsome Dove. I also enjoyed Dead Man's Walk. However, I could not finish this book. To me, it is not a big deal that there are historical inaccuracies. I do, however, mind that the characters are not true to their own history. Part of the whole Gus/Clara relationship is that he first met her when he was married, and maybe he would have been able to win her had he not been. You don't really see any of the wooing of Clara, no picknicks, no long conversations, etc. Clara comes out like a flighty silly woman, not at all the type of maid who would grow into the Clara of Lonesome Dove.In this book the author hits the reader across the face with facts. He never mentions Clara's future husband without refering to him as "the horsetrader from Nebraska" which just gets annoying. (additionally, this doesn't jive with the impression I got from Lonesome Dove, in which he and Clara went out to make their fortune, settled in Nebraska and became horse traders. The fact that he has an existing horsetrading business in Nebraska and still hangs around Austin wooing women?) We hear about "Young Jake" which is okay, but "Young Deets" and "Young Pea Eye" just don't work. He never misses a chance to note Maggie's last name, which is an unknown in Lonesome Dove. Nothing original happens with the main characters, and every plot turn is spelled out in Lonesome Dove. It feels very forced that in a period of just a few months (maybe a year) Call and Gus become captains, meet Jake, Deets, and Pea eye, Maggie tels Call she's pregnant, Clara gets married, and her parents get killed. Hell, those last three take place in the course of a few weeks. The characters don't seem true to themselves, but pale copies. I cannot imagine Call not taking responsibility for a child the whore tells him is his, but riding back in and finding a whore he had some relations with for a few months with a toddler, and never making the connection to himself, that's a bit more in character. Skip this one folks.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a must read!
Review: This book needs to be made into a T.V. mini-series like the rest of the books. If you like Capt. Call and Gus this book is a must read. This book fills in the blanks. Get it. You will like it.
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