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Wanderer of the Wasteland
Adam Larey rode into town alone, thinking finally that his troubles were over. He was finished with the biggest problem in his life--his brother, Guerd, a man who was plain ornery through and through, with a dangerous mean streak that made him one of the most feared gunmen in the West. Now, riding into a new town, Adam wanted to be done with Guerd forever. But Guerd rode in just a few days behind Adam. And when the brothers saw each other, the old sparks of hatred started to fly. This time the tempers got too hot--Guerd pushed Adam a notch too far-and Adam knew that, even if it cost him his freedom, he would get Guerd out of his life--forever!
342 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1923
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324 people want to read
About the author
Zane Grey
2,072 books590 followersPearl Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. As of June 2007, the Internet Movie Database credits Grey with 110 films, one TV episode, and a series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater based loosely on his novels and short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
April 4, 2008
Usually a fan of Zane Grey, but this was a complete waste of time. I'm gonna save you the trouble of having to read it, and just give away the whole plot right here-
Two brothers feuding over their inheritance and a girl get into a bar fight. One of them gets shot and the other, grief stricken over what's happened and worried he'll get hung for murder, runs away into the desert. Since he refuses to become a prospector like everyone else in the desert, he just wanders around and almost-dies like a fifty times, and learns a lot about donkeys. After like twenty years and 200 pages of this, he figures everyone has forgot him and goes back into town to visit his brother's grave. Only, his brother never died! Oh, what a fool they've all been. The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2014
Zane Grey’s take on Homer’s Odyssey turns up in Wanderer of the Wasteland, the story of a boy named Adam who flees his past and a terrible crime. Adam seeks refuge in the desert, where life is unrelentingly hard and every day brings a battle against the alkali sands, scorching heat, lonely nights, no-account highway men, and tempting yet treacherous women. It’s a coming-of-age tale and a landscape painting and an adventure story, as well as a romance novel and an existentialist inquiry into the nature of man’s solitude and unhappiness. And GOLD! Lots of GOLD!
Nobody writes landscape better than Zane Grey. That makes sense given how much time and money he spent in the desert. The man knows the colors, the mountains, the various textures of sand, the cacti that sting, the flowers that bloom, the horny toads and eagles and condors and sheep. He paints word pictures, most of which translate successfully onto the page. He populates his desert with memorable characters, like Dismukes, a gold miner who toils in the canyons and furnace winds of the desert his whole life, working to save a half million dollars in gold dust, only to find that he is miserable anywhere else but the desert. His story is a tragedy, a cautionary fable about the hazards of too much work and not enough play. Or there is Jinny, a headstrong burro that Grey uses for comic relief. One amusing scene features Jinny getting into Adam’s dough, whereupon a chase ensues, wrecking the campsite, the man cursing the burro’s name as she gallops just out of reach, contentedly chewing his supper.
Adam himself makes a pretty good everyman, though he sometimes vacillates between emotional extremes in ways more befitting a romance novel than a western. He is no gunslinger. He’s a boy on a quest to discover why the desert holds such fascination for men. What’s eerie about Adam is how, in his headlong rush to punish himself over the crime that sent him into the desert to begin with, he denies himself the usual earthly pleasures and attachments. He turns down money. He turns away from women. Whenever he lands in a settlement of any kind, he soon enough turns nomad. Adam is almost a Buddhist in his ability to float above his appetites. I suspect that, sooner or later, every reader will lose patience with Adam’s hand-wringing, or stop believing in his purity.
But if Adam’s soul is an almost lily-white shade of gray, Zane Grey’s soul is darker. Certainly these pages are dripping with "ejaculate." That word turns out, in fact, to be one of Grey’s favorite dialogue tags, as in “‘Huh!’ ejaculated the man, stupidly,” or “‘Ho! Ho! if thet durned injun I beat didn’t crawl way down hyar! An’ his brains oozin’ out!’ he ejaculated, hoarsely.” Adam and Dismukes ejaculate throughout the novel. Eventually even a fourteen year old girl ejaculates, and the most suggestive example of this trend by far is delivered by a ranch widow: “‘No wonder Gene spilled the milk!’ ejaculated Mrs. Blair.” This quirk appeals greatly to the juvenile boy who lives inside me. At first I thought that was just how early twentieth century writers wrote the word “exclaimed,” but then I ran across that verb in this selfsame novel. Clearly Grey knows how to exclaim, but he prefers to ejaculate.
All in all this is a fine book. Besides several gorgeous descriptions of the desert, it reaches some interesting conclusions about humanity’s fascination with death, loneliness, and the sublime reaches of both the natural world and the human soul. Unfortunately, Grey’s reach sometimes exceeds his grasp, and wherever it does his language falls short of his ideas. Several times Adam sits alone on a desert mountain overlooking a sandy, purple sunset, and he plumbs the depths of his own desires, and the writing slips into abstractions that contrast poorly with the concrete language describing the desert. These sections quickly become difficult to follow, and I often found myself wishing Grey could have swapped in a spiritual writer of greater literary power, maybe Dostoevsky or, in a more compact vein, Chekhov. If Annie Dillard could have ghost written those meditations, this novel would have deserved a place in the American canon as an epic, alongside Moby Dick or Huckleberry Fin. But Grey wrote at his best when he stayed lower to the ground, in the hills and canyons, the sand and spit, the burros and lizards and scorching sun of the landscape he loved most. I’m glad I read this novel, but I don’t think I’ll be going back for more of Grey’s ejaculations.
Nobody writes landscape better than Zane Grey. That makes sense given how much time and money he spent in the desert. The man knows the colors, the mountains, the various textures of sand, the cacti that sting, the flowers that bloom, the horny toads and eagles and condors and sheep. He paints word pictures, most of which translate successfully onto the page. He populates his desert with memorable characters, like Dismukes, a gold miner who toils in the canyons and furnace winds of the desert his whole life, working to save a half million dollars in gold dust, only to find that he is miserable anywhere else but the desert. His story is a tragedy, a cautionary fable about the hazards of too much work and not enough play. Or there is Jinny, a headstrong burro that Grey uses for comic relief. One amusing scene features Jinny getting into Adam’s dough, whereupon a chase ensues, wrecking the campsite, the man cursing the burro’s name as she gallops just out of reach, contentedly chewing his supper.
Adam himself makes a pretty good everyman, though he sometimes vacillates between emotional extremes in ways more befitting a romance novel than a western. He is no gunslinger. He’s a boy on a quest to discover why the desert holds such fascination for men. What’s eerie about Adam is how, in his headlong rush to punish himself over the crime that sent him into the desert to begin with, he denies himself the usual earthly pleasures and attachments. He turns down money. He turns away from women. Whenever he lands in a settlement of any kind, he soon enough turns nomad. Adam is almost a Buddhist in his ability to float above his appetites. I suspect that, sooner or later, every reader will lose patience with Adam’s hand-wringing, or stop believing in his purity.
But if Adam’s soul is an almost lily-white shade of gray, Zane Grey’s soul is darker. Certainly these pages are dripping with "ejaculate." That word turns out, in fact, to be one of Grey’s favorite dialogue tags, as in “‘Huh!’ ejaculated the man, stupidly,” or “‘Ho! Ho! if thet durned injun I beat didn’t crawl way down hyar! An’ his brains oozin’ out!’ he ejaculated, hoarsely.” Adam and Dismukes ejaculate throughout the novel. Eventually even a fourteen year old girl ejaculates, and the most suggestive example of this trend by far is delivered by a ranch widow: “‘No wonder Gene spilled the milk!’ ejaculated Mrs. Blair.” This quirk appeals greatly to the juvenile boy who lives inside me. At first I thought that was just how early twentieth century writers wrote the word “exclaimed,” but then I ran across that verb in this selfsame novel. Clearly Grey knows how to exclaim, but he prefers to ejaculate.
All in all this is a fine book. Besides several gorgeous descriptions of the desert, it reaches some interesting conclusions about humanity’s fascination with death, loneliness, and the sublime reaches of both the natural world and the human soul. Unfortunately, Grey’s reach sometimes exceeds his grasp, and wherever it does his language falls short of his ideas. Several times Adam sits alone on a desert mountain overlooking a sandy, purple sunset, and he plumbs the depths of his own desires, and the writing slips into abstractions that contrast poorly with the concrete language describing the desert. These sections quickly become difficult to follow, and I often found myself wishing Grey could have swapped in a spiritual writer of greater literary power, maybe Dostoevsky or, in a more compact vein, Chekhov. If Annie Dillard could have ghost written those meditations, this novel would have deserved a place in the American canon as an epic, alongside Moby Dick or Huckleberry Fin. But Grey wrote at his best when he stayed lower to the ground, in the hills and canyons, the sand and spit, the burros and lizards and scorching sun of the landscape he loved most. I’m glad I read this novel, but I don’t think I’ll be going back for more of Grey’s ejaculations.
July 4, 2023
I enjoy a good western, but this fell flat for me. I also thought the whole "take in orphan child and raise her for a few years until she's 16 and it's ok to start letching over her" angle was a bit ick...
November 11, 2018
Grey is a guaranteed good read. Kind of hard to believe that something written almost 100 years ago is still entertaining and true to human nature. This novel was a bit verbose, it is tedious at times.
December 4, 2023
This is at least the third time I've read this book, which is one of Zane Grey's lesser-known (not to say unknown) works. The simple story is that youthful Adam Larey flees into the Arizona desert after a violent and apparently fatal confrontation with his brother, adopts the name Wansfell, and spends years mastering the elements and attempting to atone for his crime in various ways. The descriptions of the desert, and the people he encounters there, are fascinating and graphic. There are scenes of great beauty and of horror.
I found particularly compelling Grey's treatment of his female characters, and Larey's relations with them; this may be one of the earliest examples of feminist writing by a male writer--particularly from an author known for his action novels. Dismukes, a prospector who befriends Larey, is one of the great characters in western literature (and incidentally has one of the great names in the genre, as well).
December 3, 2023. Well, this was at least the fourth reading, and I confirm all of the above written in 2015. Some of Grey's frequent descriptions of Larey/Wansfell's thinking process as he copes with his guilt and the desert are hard to follow, not to say incoherent, but I still love this book for its loving, graphic, poetic descriptions of the desert and its denizens--plus, it's a great adventure story.
I found particularly compelling Grey's treatment of his female characters, and Larey's relations with them; this may be one of the earliest examples of feminist writing by a male writer--particularly from an author known for his action novels. Dismukes, a prospector who befriends Larey, is one of the great characters in western literature (and incidentally has one of the great names in the genre, as well).
December 3, 2023. Well, this was at least the fourth reading, and I confirm all of the above written in 2015. Some of Grey's frequent descriptions of Larey/Wansfell's thinking process as he copes with his guilt and the desert are hard to follow, not to say incoherent, but I still love this book for its loving, graphic, poetic descriptions of the desert and its denizens--plus, it's a great adventure story.
November 8, 2019
This is a book review of Wanderer of the Wasteland, one of famous Zane Grey's lesser-known works. I found this first edition novel written in 1923 in my late mother’s book collection. Since I knew something of Zane Gray’s background from several sources, I wanted to read one of his books. I have been to the Zane Grey Museum in Norwich, Ohio and have seen the Zane Grey display in the Ohio Historical Museum in Columbus. As a retired elementary teacher who taught Ohio History, I have taught about Zane Grey to many 4th grade classes over the years, so I decided to try this old yellowed page novel by Zane Grey, "The Father of the Adult Western". Grey was born in Zanesville, Ohio wrote over 80 novels and there were over 100 movies produced that based on these books.
The main character in Wanderer of the Wasteland is eighteen year old Adam Larey. He fled into the Arizona desert after an apparently fatal confrontation with his estranged brother. I became somewhat disinterested in the first part of the book due to what I determined to be too much detailed description. The descriptions of the desert, and the people and things he encounters there, are thoroughly, graphically described. I learned about the heat, mountains, sand, cacti, flowers, horny toads, eagles, condors and sheep. This celebrated author, Zane Grey, paints word pictures, using descriptive language full of similes and metaphors beautifully—but perhaps a bit lengthy.
Grey incorporates characters that teach life lessons, like the character Dismukes, a gold miner in the desert most of his life. Dismukes saved a half million dollars in gold dust from his mining labors, only to find that he was miserable trying to “ enjoy his hard earned gold”. He wasn’t happy anywhere else but the desert. His story is a tragedy, as he spent most of his life involved in too much backbreaking work, only to learn this poignant fact. Though he becomes a very rich man, he never enjoys world traveling, and spending the money. Dismukes travels all over the world discovering that most people only befriend him for his money.
Adam goes to the desert to hide and cleanse him of his sin, but he seems almost too “angelic”. Near the end of the book, he befriends a young starving girl, Genie, who is soon orphaned. He spends three years of his life dedicating to helping her survive. Although refreshing, I found his purity of spirit almost unbelievable.
Something that made me laugh was Zane Grey’s use of the word "ejaculate." It was one of Grey’s favorite expressive words. Instead of “He shouted or exclaimed” he uses this word. “‘Huh!’ ejaculated the man. “ An’ his brains oozin’ out!’ he ejaculated, hoarsely.” Adam and Dismukes ejaculate throughout the novel. Eventually even a fourteen year old girl ejaculates, and the most suggestive example of this trend by far is delivered by a ranch widow: “‘No wonder Gene spilled the milk!’ ejaculated Mrs. Blair.” One reviewer commented that “At first I thought that was just how early twentieth century writers wrote the word “exclaimed,” but then I ran across that verb in this selfsame novel. Clearly Grey knows how to exclaim, but he prefers to ejaculate.” I don’t think Zane Grey meant to be funny…which makes it funnier…
The ending of the book is surprising. No hints here. Read the book and see if you agree.
The main character in Wanderer of the Wasteland is eighteen year old Adam Larey. He fled into the Arizona desert after an apparently fatal confrontation with his estranged brother. I became somewhat disinterested in the first part of the book due to what I determined to be too much detailed description. The descriptions of the desert, and the people and things he encounters there, are thoroughly, graphically described. I learned about the heat, mountains, sand, cacti, flowers, horny toads, eagles, condors and sheep. This celebrated author, Zane Grey, paints word pictures, using descriptive language full of similes and metaphors beautifully—but perhaps a bit lengthy.
Grey incorporates characters that teach life lessons, like the character Dismukes, a gold miner in the desert most of his life. Dismukes saved a half million dollars in gold dust from his mining labors, only to find that he was miserable trying to “ enjoy his hard earned gold”. He wasn’t happy anywhere else but the desert. His story is a tragedy, as he spent most of his life involved in too much backbreaking work, only to learn this poignant fact. Though he becomes a very rich man, he never enjoys world traveling, and spending the money. Dismukes travels all over the world discovering that most people only befriend him for his money.
Adam goes to the desert to hide and cleanse him of his sin, but he seems almost too “angelic”. Near the end of the book, he befriends a young starving girl, Genie, who is soon orphaned. He spends three years of his life dedicating to helping her survive. Although refreshing, I found his purity of spirit almost unbelievable.
Something that made me laugh was Zane Grey’s use of the word "ejaculate." It was one of Grey’s favorite expressive words. Instead of “He shouted or exclaimed” he uses this word. “‘Huh!’ ejaculated the man. “ An’ his brains oozin’ out!’ he ejaculated, hoarsely.” Adam and Dismukes ejaculate throughout the novel. Eventually even a fourteen year old girl ejaculates, and the most suggestive example of this trend by far is delivered by a ranch widow: “‘No wonder Gene spilled the milk!’ ejaculated Mrs. Blair.” One reviewer commented that “At first I thought that was just how early twentieth century writers wrote the word “exclaimed,” but then I ran across that verb in this selfsame novel. Clearly Grey knows how to exclaim, but he prefers to ejaculate.” I don’t think Zane Grey meant to be funny…which makes it funnier…
The ending of the book is surprising. No hints here. Read the book and see if you agree.
December 4, 2025
When he opened his eyes the desert under him and the infinity over him had been transfigured.
Only the full blaze of the sun! But a glory dwelt in the clouds and in the wide blue expanse of heaven. Silver edged rents, purple ships in a golden sky, the long, fan shaped rays of the sun, white rainbows of haze---these extended from the north across the arch to the open---a great peacefulness of light, deep and tender and blue.
Beneath lay the mirror of earth, the sun-fired ranges like chased and beaten gold, laid with shining jewels all around the resplendent desert. Mountains of porphyry marched down to the sands. The white columnar pillars of the clouds seemed reflected in the desert, slow-gliding across the lucent wastes; and the mosaic of mountain and plain had its mirage in the sky. Above and below worked the alchemy of nature, mutable and evanescent, the dying of the day, the passing of life.
Only the full blaze of the sun! But a glory dwelt in the clouds and in the wide blue expanse of heaven. Silver edged rents, purple ships in a golden sky, the long, fan shaped rays of the sun, white rainbows of haze---these extended from the north across the arch to the open---a great peacefulness of light, deep and tender and blue.
Beneath lay the mirror of earth, the sun-fired ranges like chased and beaten gold, laid with shining jewels all around the resplendent desert. Mountains of porphyry marched down to the sands. The white columnar pillars of the clouds seemed reflected in the desert, slow-gliding across the lucent wastes; and the mosaic of mountain and plain had its mirage in the sky. Above and below worked the alchemy of nature, mutable and evanescent, the dying of the day, the passing of life.
September 17, 2022
Adam Loret is a disillusioned, young man traveling across the country from the East to join his brother in California. The story describes his travel, the countryside, and the people he met along the way. The story reminds me of Boulder Dam, also by Zane Grey, as Adak’s trail takes him along the red Colorado River. Adam was a tenderfoot, to say the least, in many ways. His childhood with his older brother, Guerd was a constant conflict. Yet, Adam could not hate him, but nothing had changed. Enter the parable of Cain and Abel. Adam fled the gold camp. Due to his unfamiliarity with the country, Adam headed into the desert. Luck was on his side. This is quite the flowery and descriptive tale of the territory, the men that lived there, and the long-time issues of Adam’s childhood. It is interesting and beautiful in its prose but a bit slow for my taste.
April 17, 2023
Set in the Mojave desert in the days of the California gold rush, the story follows young Adam who becomes an exile after a deathly struggle with his brother over a girl. Rescued from terminal dehydration by a kindly gold-digger named Dismukes, he learns the ways of the desert and changes his way of life.
I've never read Zane Grey before and wasn't looking forward to this, but I read it for a challenge and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I loved all the description, listening to the audiobook - I might have had less patience with it in a physical book, but read aloud it was engaging and vivid.
The ending is very abrupt, and I wondered if something was lost in the audio, but other reviews suggest that's how it ends. It's very sexist, even for its time, and there's some racism too. All the same, if I ever have to read a western again, I would probably choose another by Zane Grey.
I've never read Zane Grey before and wasn't looking forward to this, but I read it for a challenge and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I loved all the description, listening to the audiobook - I might have had less patience with it in a physical book, but read aloud it was engaging and vivid.
The ending is very abrupt, and I wondered if something was lost in the audio, but other reviews suggest that's how it ends. It's very sexist, even for its time, and there's some racism too. All the same, if I ever have to read a western again, I would probably choose another by Zane Grey.
July 16, 2019
What an incredible author! Zane Grey's command of the English language is without comparison. He can truly paint pictures with words, stirring both wonder of the mind and emotions of the soul. When you read his books, you are truly there, watching it all unfold.
"Wanderer of the Wasteland" is, in my opinion, the best book of his that I've read yet. It covers a span of about 14 years in the life of a man named Adam, beginning when Adam was a young man of 18 years of age. After reading this book, I felt as though I, too, had wandered the desert wasteland with this young man.
The ending is a total surprise. I wholeheartedly recommend "Wander of the Wasteland" to anyone and everyone.
"Wanderer of the Wasteland" is, in my opinion, the best book of his that I've read yet. It covers a span of about 14 years in the life of a man named Adam, beginning when Adam was a young man of 18 years of age. After reading this book, I felt as though I, too, had wandered the desert wasteland with this young man.
The ending is a total surprise. I wholeheartedly recommend "Wander of the Wasteland" to anyone and everyone.
September 13, 2023
This is a terrific book. It's no wonder Zane Grey was so well known as a writer of Western's. This one, has a deeply spiritual thread running through it as the hero deals with early misfortune in life, sojourning through his young adulthood in solitude in the stark desolation of Death Valley and the American desert. Without saying it, Grey's writing seems to center around Psalm 19's beautiful words: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."
A wonderful story, with a very abrupt, ironic, unexpected ending!
A wonderful story, with a very abrupt, ironic, unexpected ending!
August 25, 2025
I am partial to stories taking place in isolated / desolated places.
This is a character study / bildungsroman of sorts that takes place in the Mojave Desert and Death Valley in California. Typically, for the author, it contains loads of descriptions of the desert and the fauna and flora (such as it is) (it waxes positively lyrical on occasion). There is a bit of a Man vs Nature undercurrent, but the few characters that do make an appearance are usually quite colourful.
Despite some pacing issues in the last quarter of the novel, I actually enjoyed the whole thing quite a bit. There is also a cool twist at the end.
This is a character study / bildungsroman of sorts that takes place in the Mojave Desert and Death Valley in California. Typically, for the author, it contains loads of descriptions of the desert and the fauna and flora (such as it is) (it waxes positively lyrical on occasion). There is a bit of a Man vs Nature undercurrent, but the few characters that do make an appearance are usually quite colourful.
Despite some pacing issues in the last quarter of the novel, I actually enjoyed the whole thing quite a bit. There is also a cool twist at the end.
May 22, 2022
Great book except for the ending. The last few chapters just seemed hurried, disjointed, and forced.
Almost like :His publishers did not like the ending and forced him to change it.
Just the way they did with the "Last of the Duane's".
Sad because it was truly a great book, that got a forced ending that simply did not belong or work.
But barring that it is still worth reading.
Just my opinion, stay away from "Stairs of Sand", it is just awful, I hated it so much I decided to give Zane Grey a rest.
Almost like :His publishers did not like the ending and forced him to change it.
Just the way they did with the "Last of the Duane's".
Sad because it was truly a great book, that got a forced ending that simply did not belong or work.
But barring that it is still worth reading.
Just my opinion, stay away from "Stairs of Sand", it is just awful, I hated it so much I decided to give Zane Grey a rest.
September 24, 2018
Entertaining plot but long. In the middle, I thought it had died in Death Valley but it eventually worked found its way over the Sierras. Having visited Death Valley, I was in agreement with Grey's depiction of it. Now I'm anxious to read the sequel, "Stairs of Sand". I no longer think of Zane Grey as just a writer of low-level westerns. He most certainly was not.
December 4, 2020
Superb story of redemption.
"She was beautiful, compelling, secretive, aloof, and proud, magnificent as a living flame. She was mocking because knowledge of the world, of the fragility of women and falsity of men, had been as an open page. She had lived in sight of the crowded mart, the show places where men and women passed, knowing no more of earth than that it was a place of graves."
"She was beautiful, compelling, secretive, aloof, and proud, magnificent as a living flame. She was mocking because knowledge of the world, of the fragility of women and falsity of men, had been as an open page. She had lived in sight of the crowded mart, the show places where men and women passed, knowing no more of earth than that it was a place of graves."
November 17, 2023
This story has a lot of introspection by protagonist Adam Larey, following his fight and killing of his brother. He flees the area and spends years roving about the desert of Death Valley. After many years, he returns to the area of his conflict, resulting in a surprising conclusion. Detailed descriptions of the beauty and life threatening challenges of a life in the desert.
December 29, 2023
Very wordy
Extremely verbose. Wanted to stop reading many times but there was enough of a story for me to finish the book.
Over half of the book described the desert and how it made the main character feel. The other half, the story, kept me reading as I learned to just scan pages of descriptions.
Extremely verbose. Wanted to stop reading many times but there was enough of a story for me to finish the book.
Over half of the book described the desert and how it made the main character feel. The other half, the story, kept me reading as I learned to just scan pages of descriptions.
September 6, 2017
Zane Grey has a wonderful way of incorporating the landscape into his stories and in Wanderer of Wasteland the landscape is a key part of the narrative. I really enjoyed this story although he probably breaks every rule for modern writing.
March 28, 2018
An early twentith century romanic Western set in the desert Southwest. Adam Laret flees to the desert after his girl jilts him for his brother. He tries to remake himself as a loner until he meets a woman who will inspire him.
March 9, 2020
I loved the depth of description of the desert settings. I loved the way it made Adam feel. To seek refuge in such a harsh place but it did keep him going. All the people that crossed his path were so real. Very good read, doesn't disappoint.
June 23, 2021
A grand story of adventure in the desert of the old west.
Agonies of different men, women and children are brought into contrast as this story unfolds. Some of the darker side of man may be there with much more of the good.
Agonies of different men, women and children are brought into contrast as this story unfolds. Some of the darker side of man may be there with much more of the good.
August 30, 2021
For a book with several segments that are too verbose, the ending ends up being very terse. The underlying story is very good but too much philosophizing slows down the pacing. One use of the N word which is probably more of an historical racism rather than blatant intentional slander.
July 17, 2025
Adam Larey leaves the comforts of the 'civilized' world to hide out in the desert. As he wanders, he meets individuals who are fighting their own demons.
After fourteen years, Adam finds himself and discovers that he is more of a man than he thought he was when he first entered the wasteland.
After fourteen years, Adam finds himself and discovers that he is more of a man than he thought he was when he first entered the wasteland.
August 29, 2017
A good story of the old west
August 9, 2018
JUST CAN'T FINISH IT.
November 22, 2018
One of the best I’ve read. Hero’s desperate attempt to survive in the dryvarid wilderness.,
September 13, 2019
Was amazed with the "pictures painted in such detail with only words". My first time reading this author.
November 29, 2021
I always enjoy Zane Grey Western stories.
There is beauty in his simple description and dull narrative. Furthermore, this book is full of wisdoms.
There is beauty in his simple description and dull narrative. Furthermore, this book is full of wisdoms.
April 13, 2022
Like a long, bad joke, but the ending is worth it.
Want to read
November 29, 2022I doubt I will finish this book. Its super corny and boring. Its like watching actors in movies from the 30s.
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