Comanche Moon

Fans of the LONESOME DOVE saga will rejoice in listening to this third, and final, installment of the epic, which follows a band of Texas Rangers in the 1850s and '60s. Frank Muller has made this project his own, not only by narrating, but also by producing and directing the book. Muller does a terrific job with the characters and setting, uses excellent pacing, and generally creates a vivid landscape for McMurtry's people to inhabit. Muller is a bit breathy at the beginning, but he soon finds his rhythm and makes this a very enjoyable book. (In a book of this length, announcements of tape number and tape side endings would be a helpful enhancement.) R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine


McMurtry and Muller are a fine pair. In his leisurely, polished style McMurtry expounds upon the saga of Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call (of Lonesome Dove fame), this time focusing on their early years as Texas Rangers. Indian raids, gunfights and grim descriptions of tortures are just part of the action that surrounds their lives. Muller handles McMurtry's wonderful characters with his usual finesse. Muller makes the Rangers's Captain Innish Scull and the black Mexican bandit, Ahumado, particularly memorable. The talents of both author and narrator compel listeners to care for these rough, enduring characters. The narration has to balance the length of the story with the intensity of the action. It wouldn't do to keep the pitch of emotions too high, or listeners would just get plumb tuckered out. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine