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Quick answer: If you loved Lonesome Dove, try Streets of Laredo, Comanche Moon, True Grit, The Son, News of the World and All the Pretty Horses. Each one offers a great frontier story, strong friendships or the harsh beauty of the American West.
Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize winner follows two retired Texas Rangers, the talkative Gus McCrae and the stern Woodrow Call. They steal a herd of cattle and drive it from Texas to Montana, with a colorful crew in tow. On the way, they meet love, violence and grief. Readers love its humor, its characters and its huge heart. These books share its epic journey and its honest look at the West.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Era | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streets of Laredo | Larry McMurtry | 1890s | readers who want to know what happens next |
| Comanche Moon | Larry McMurtry | 1850s | readers who want the young Rangers |
| True Grit | Charles Portis | 1870s | readers who love a great narrator |
| The Son | Philipp Meyer | 1800s-2000s | readers who want a Texas family saga |
| News of the World | Paulette Jiles | 1870s | readers who want a shorter, gentler story |
| All the Pretty Horses | Cormac McCarthy | 1940s | readers who like beautiful prose |
| Blood Meridian | Cormac McCarthy | 1850s | readers who want darkness |
| Little Big Man | Thomas Berger | 1860s-70s | readers who like humor and history |
| Butcher's Crossing | John Williams | 1870s | readers who like quiet, stark stories |
| Shane | Jack Schaefer | 1880s | readers who want a short classic |
| The Virginian | Owen Wister | 1880s | readers who want the original Western |
| Hondo | Louis L'Amour | 1870s | readers who love pulp Westerns |
| These Is My Words | Nancy E. Turner | 1880s | readers who want a heroine |
| Angle of Repose | Wallace Stegner | 1870s-1970s | readers who want a Pulitzer winner |
| Empire of the Summer Moon | S.C. Gwynne | 1800s | readers who want true history |
1. Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry
An older Woodrow Call chases a young killer.
Best for: readers who want to know what happens next.
2. Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry
Gus and Call come of age fighting on the Texas frontier.
Best for: readers who want the young Rangers.
3. True Grit by Charles Portis
A sharp-tongued teen hires a marshal to find her father's killer.
Best for: readers who love a great narrator.
4. The Son by Philipp Meyer
Three generations of a Texas family build an oil and cattle empire.
Best for: readers who want a Texas family saga.
5. News of the World by Paulette Jiles
An old veteran delivers a young girl across Texas.
Best for: readers who want a shorter, gentler story.
6. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Two Texas boys ride into Mexico in search of a new life.
Best for: readers who like beautiful prose.
7. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
A teen joins a brutal gang of scalp hunters on the Mexican border.
Best for: readers who want darkness.
8. Little Big Man by Thomas Berger
A 111-year-old man tells of his life among settlers and Cheyenne.
Best for: readers who like humor and history.
9. Butcher's Crossing by John Williams
A young man joins a buffalo hunt that goes terribly wrong.
Best for: readers who like quiet, stark stories.
10. Shane by Jack Schaefer
A mysterious rider helps a family stand against a cattle baron.
Best for: readers who want a short classic.
11. The Virginian by Owen Wister
A cowboy falls for a schoolteacher in Wyoming.
Best for: readers who want the original Western.
12. Hondo by Louis L'Amour
A loner protects a woman and her son in Apache country.
Best for: readers who love pulp Westerns.
13. These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
A pioneer woman records her life in the Arizona Territory.
Best for: readers who want a heroine.
14. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
A historian recreates the frontier lives of his grandparents.
Best for: readers who want a Pulitzer winner.
15. Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
The true story of Quanah Parker and the Comanche.
Best for: readers who want true history.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Lonesome Dove: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
Begin with Comanche Moon or Streets of Laredo if you want more of these characters, but do be warned that the latter is quite grim. For another great narrator and a shorter read, True Grit is an absolute joy. If you enjoyed the long journey and the sweeping scope, The Son is a good modern choice, while Angle of Repose takes a more thoughtful approach. News of the World has a smaller but equally loving friendship at its core. Those who want a more brutal version of the West can read Blood Meridian, one of the most violent novels in American literature. For true history, read Empire of the Summer Moon to see the real world McMurtry drew on.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lonesome Dove about?
Two retired Texas Rangers lead a cattle drive from Texas to Montana in the 1870s.
Did Lonesome Dove win a Pulitzer Prize?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1986.
What order should I read the Lonesome Dove series?
By story order: Dead Man's Walk, Comanche Moon, Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo.
Is there a TV version?
Yes. The 1989 miniseries starred Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.
How long is Lonesome Dove?
It is over 800 pages, but it moves quickly.