Lonesome Dove (Spoiler Free Review)

[@JLchevz]

I'm glad you're doing reviews for incredible books that aren't just fantasy but fiction in general because everything that makes some fantasy books great can be found in other types of books as well. I'll give this a go for sure.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you Jorge!

[@ashleyholbird4287]

The first couple hundred pages of this book are slow...but the character work is so good I didn't even care. More authors need to take note of McMurtrys character work. It's masterclass stuff.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah fully agreed.

[@Adrizzle]

Read this a few months back during the summer, it was such an incredible story! These characters go through so many highs and lows along their journey and we as the reader feel every emotion along the way. I can see why so many high tier authors quote this as one of their favorite books as there is so much that can be learned from this masterpiece.

[@cherylcouch-thomas8250]

I recently finished my FIFTH re-read of Lonesome Dove. I remember reading this for the first time. My paperback copy was drenched (in parts) with tears, dried by the hardship stories, and warmed by the love and friendship of this AMAZING story. If you haven't read Lonesome Dove, do yourself a favor and start reading it RIGHT NOW!

[@stever8147]

Well.....this just raced up my TBR!!! Great review as always 👏. I've done a few Westerns this year (mainly Louis L'Amour) and loving the genre. So, even though it's a chunker, I don't think I can call myself a Western lover until I've read Lonesome Dove!!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah you are going to absolutely LOVE this book.

[@lazerblu]

The magic system seems a bit underwhelming?

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah 0/5 for magic system. I should have noted that! lol

[@Zacon2mlg]

I went through a really challenging breakup last year and I had seen the mini series in the past but someone told me it would put everything I knew about friendship and relationships in a new light. That being said everyone not getting what they want in love and the last line of the book absolutely broke me.

[@okabeokuyasu2505]

This is a spoiler free video and you come here telling us about the last line of the book. I have to highligh your intelligence thanks

[@Zacon2mlg]

@@okabeokuyasu2505 bro this book has been out for almost 40 years suck it up and read it its life changing

[@TRICH10]

@@okabeokuyasu2505it’s kind of hard to spoil LONESOME DOVE. Even if you knew what happened before you started reading it, it would still be a great journey.

[@andrewf7732]

This is my mom's favorite book of all time and I haven't prioritized it because I don't really like westerns. However, when a book is praised this much, I feel compelled to add it to my 2023 TBR. Not sure what month I'll get to it, but sometime before the end of the year. Thanks for the nice review.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Hope you love it when you get around to it!

[@fwalk1]

Update?

[@kathleenkemp1030]

I just finished this book a few minutes ago and all I can say is "wow".

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah it's so so so good!

[@sueblack5794]

Maybe we all live like Gus but have the sensibilities of Woodrow. Best duo ever maybe.

[@caseykenreich1223]

The characters felt unbelievably real. The introductions were so good I was sucked in after the first few pages. The descriptions of anxiety and awkwardness felt more real than anything I’ve read

[@Texas_guy76]

Im still in highschool, but i read this book and its safe to say this book is the greatest book of all time, along with its sequel and 2 prequels

[@TheHungarianOak]

lol

[@williamgwynne]

So glad that you loved Lonesome Dove. Ed absolutely loved it as well. It is very high on my tbr :)

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I'm so surprised you haven't read this yet, I bet you will absolutely love it!

[@Paul_McSeol]

Love this book so much. In my top 10. All I wanted as a teen reading this was to live and work on Clara’s farm. One of the first epic books where I truly cherished the characters. As a kid I thought I was more like Woodrow. As an adult I am totally a Gus but my wife is a Woodrow (or a Clara). So glad you enjoyed it!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I totally figured as a kid you thought you would be more like a Gus and slowly turned into a Call. Too funny.

[@thechongwolla]

Louisa Brooks' farm is the one for me.

[@Wouter_K]

Starting today! Thanks for the warmup!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Wonderful, I hope you enjoy it!

[@claydanicholas5829]

what did you think...

[@thomasc9036]

On my top 5 fiction novels. Most likely, Brandon Sanderson got his Mistborn 2 Wax and Wayne from this book.

[@ninjaabooy]

Definitely. Just started reading wax and Wayne and you can definitely see the inspiration

[@DanExploresBooks]

The thing about books like this is sort of also why I like the Faithful and the Fallen. When tragedy in books are handled masterfully , man are those rides worth it. Malice GOT me in some of the ways this and tons of books do. Finishing Harry Potter series with a 9 year old and she has had a couple of those moments that I think are handled well. Lonesome Dove has lasting impact.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah well stated!

[@mr.1up932]

Another great author, if you're interested in westerns, is Louis L'Amour. He's fantastic. All his books are pretty short though

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah he's super famous in that genre. Never read any but I'll be sure to pick one up.

[@thomasc9036]

Louis L'Amour is one of my favorite authors as well. In some ways, Western was "superhero" books without extreme superpowers.

[@jddrafts]

I love the Sackett series. Sadly he died before writing all the books in the series from what I understand. The series follows the members of a family from the colonial days to the 1880s.

[@Limonada_RC]

It's time to see the video, I was at the university when I got the notification

[@truthjustice61]

Joe Abercrombie cites this book as one of his favorites as well. It is truly a masterpiece.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

And Stephen King!

[@truthjustice61]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews And Elmore Leonard. The man has good taste, it has to be said.

[@DrMetalpin]

Like I said on one of your other videos, LD is my number one favorite. Shogun is my number 2.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I put Shogun on my TBR!

[@akoyt748]

That has also been my exact #1 and #2 since I first read both in the 80s.

[@mikegowans1067]

I've read it a few times--------I'll always return to it every now and then..........True greatness--------A perfect novel really.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I can tell that I will come back to this book every now and again.

[@andrewp319]

Stellar review. I can't get this book out of my head for months after finishing it. I can see so many of the characters in the people I love.

[@jeremygunkel]

After I finish Durfee's trilogy this book is next, cant wait!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Hope you love it!

[@GhostofaSiren]

I'm 80% into it. I really love it. It's not my usual type of read, but it's so good! As a writer, myself, I'm definitely taking mental notes as I read it, especially how characters are killed off, etc. I am always interested in how a writer does that. Also, how the characters grow and eventually feel like real people you don't want to say goodbye too. I've teared up multiple times.

[@terabyter9000]

On my wishlist but waiting for deal to popup. Not saying I wouldn't love buying it full price, but I have an INSANE backlog so don't mind waiting a while.

[@dinocollins720]

I already love this book and have for a long time just because I know it takes place in large part in Wyoming and Montana and I grew up in Wyoming on the border with Montana. Small little town at the entrance of Yellowstone called Cody/Lovell!!!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Oh yeah you will probably love this book then!

[@raswartz]

A masterpiece. I read it years ago. My dad found it and made everyone in the family read it.

[@raswartz]

I'll never forget the classic opening line: "It is important, when eating a rattlesnake, to ensure that you bring blue pigs of sufficient size."

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Your dad was on to something!

[@jamienelson3470]

Wow, I'm sold. I would never have thought of trying this one. Thanks!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

You are most welcome!

[@trickynumber7]

Yeah this is also on my TBR due to a Joe Abercrombie bookshelf tour video I saw him do. I'll get this one in before Malazan:)

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Hope you love it!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Thanks for the review! This is a top priority for me next year.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Dude you are going to absolutely LOVE this book.

[@safinan8008]

Happy December reading to you!! Good video 🎥⚔️🎄❄️☃️

[@sueblack5794]

Yes Lonesome is about our expansion to the West and the violence that happened as a result.....but in the end, it is a book about a lifelong friendship and aging as its main themes. Think it is massively overlooked in the reviews. In the end, it is about friendship, reconciling & reflecting on the choices we have made in our youth, what we leave behind along the way (but still affects us) and we are never too old to have dreams & the desire for another adventure. A darn near perfect book.

[@chrisg733]

How accurate is the series? Does it do the book justice

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

It's like the book word for word. It's amazing.

[@DaiXVearn]

What is your favorite book across all genre? I didn't see it mentioned if this was second. Thanks for recommendations!!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

The Crippled God - Book 10/10 of Malazan: Book of the Fallen.

[@whodafokisdisguy5851]

Joe Abercrombie listed this as one of his favorite books I believe. So you hit the nail on the head.

[@michaelhunt-wf4xs]

I just finished this book and it was SOOO GOOD!!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

So glad you loved it!

[@cracky_wainwright]

Good review. Thank you for your work. Another favorite Larry McMurtry book of mine is BOOKS: A MEMOIR from 2008. As you can predict, it's a book about the books that shaped McMurtry's writing and scholarship career.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I'll have to check it out!

[@TheAnarchitek]

Best "western" EVER! One of the truly great American novels.

[@sueblack5794]

One of the best books ever written in any genre.

[@asymptoticspatula]

Awesome! It’s on my TBR. My mom and my brother both love it.

[@Dwish305]

Within the first 15 seconds of this intro I bought the book, Brian Lee Durfee and Stephen King’s favorite book? Nuff said

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL awesome!

[@irishknight6893]

Also it is Joe Abercrombie all time fav book as well :) he has said it in a few KZbin interviews:)

[@ScottnCarol4JC]

I’ve heard so many great things about this book including you and Mike’s Book Reviews, so I’m definitely going to need to read it soon.

[@jasonkonas]

I guess that's why Durfee named his latest book and final book in his trilogy The Lonesome Crown.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah, definitely why!

[@friscoray2]

May I ask what is Lonesome Dove second to?

[@Roondawg_Valhalla]

U rock Matt! I’m so on board def reading this within next couple months!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Awesome, I hope you love it!

[@justindavis4029]

Annnnndddd on to the TBR this goes. I wish the Kindle Price wasn't $17 though!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah that's too bad! I'm sure there will be deals for it! Do they not have this one at your library that you can get for free on kindle?

[@reaper2r]

I basically only read fantasy and scifi but i’ve got this book locked and loaded and I can’t wait.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah even though it's not what you normally read, I bet you love it!

[@shivaniUS]

Please continue reviewing books! Loved ur review without any spoilers 😍

[@NovelFindsByKassi]

Nice to meet you. I'm glad that I found you today! I keep having this feeling that I need to pick up Lonesome Dove and as soon as you said "Robin Hobb", I was like okay, I need to subscribe to this guy! I look forward to sharing your reading journey with you! ::hugs::

[@just_joosh]

Every book in the series is great! I read the prequels after this one, for the obvious reason, but really any order after this works.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Great to hear!

[@JohnDoe-xf9ly]

Just finished it this second This book was a hard 5 out of 5 stars for me Books that i loved blood song battle royale but lonesome dove for me is pure art

[@TalkingTorah613]

Uh, so what's the first best book?

[@brunocurado6117]

Do i have to read the whole series or it works as a standalone? that book looks awesome

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Standalone for sure!

[@reddawg19]

Dry bean needs to be a patreon tier.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL

[@GeekGawk]

What's your #1? Guessing it's one of the malazan books....

[@oliolion]

Thanks for recommending this. Just read it and it rocked. One of the best books i've read in recent years. I don't like westerns, and I don't like omnicient narrators, so I'm not quite sure what's going on here.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I feel you on that, no idea why I loved this as much as I did.

[@johntyson]

My favorite book and my favorite tv miniseries.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Nice! I'm watching the miniseries now and absolutely loving it!

[@jasonkonas]

I planned on reading Memories of Ice next (half way through Deadhouse Gates. Yes, I am a slow reader), but now not sure. Memories of Ice vs Lonesome Dove?

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Honestly I would keep reading through Malazan so you don't forget the things happening in that series.

[@jasonkonas]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews Will do. Also, using your Deadhouse Gates companion. It's actually quite ridiculous the amount of stuff I am missing. What a pos reader I am. 🤦‍♂

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

@@jasonkonas I assure you I missed more!

[@akoyt748]

Great, great review, you hit the important points well. Best novel I've ever read, and best film (whether TV or movie) I've ever seen.

[@angelaholmes8888]

I'm planning on reading this book soon

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yes! Enjoy!

[@angelaholmes8888]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews just finished reading it the book is good I will check out the adaptation

[@StoneColt45]

I had the same thought about Joe Abercrombie!

[@yelisieimurai]

I wanna read that book! But I don’t like blade itself :) by the way great western book “blood meridian” McCarty, very dark and very cool book. Much darker than Abercrombie.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I have that on my TBR!

[@j-m-0-0]

This book rekindled my passion for reading after I stopped reading at school/university, took me 2 and a half years to read since I never read at uni, and exclusively read on long journeys 🤣 it was so worth it though, and I finished the last 200 pages in the last couple of weeks. Now I need to know where to go from here… have I peaked too early 💀 any westerns you could recommend? Or other epic tales with great character development?

[@thechongwolla]

Cormac McCarthy does a few Westerns and Southern? Books that fit the mood. The Border Trilogy is good and a classic Western lots of horses and eating beans and campfires. 2nd Book is my fav in the trilogy. I like Suttree (is very long and mostly 'slice of life' about a guy living by a river in Knoxville), Outer Dark is about an Appalachian woman trying to find [spoiler] (is my 2nd? favourite McCarthy book), Blood Meridian is a very dark Western his most literary and maybe his most famous book. I wouldn't read Blood Meridian as my first McCarthy book. Of his Westerny books I prefer Outer Dark and Border Trilogy to Blood Meridian anyhow IMHO.

[@Pokucollector]

I Love all things Lonsome Dove!

[@adamaj74]

What is your #1 book?

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

The Crippled God. Book 10/10 of Malazan: Book of the Fallen.

[@dinocollins720]

Another fantastic video!!! Thank you!!!

[@claydanicholas5829]

guys the audio book is sensational... try it as your driving its just great

[@annakobuk3618]

I've heard a lot of good things about this book. Time to look for it. 📚

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Hope you enjoy!

[@bradguzman1931]

Hey matt of matts fantasy book reviews, nice review

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks! But here it's more like Matt from Matt's Historical Fiction Book Reviews lol

[@tuffguy0134]

Lonesome Dove is my 2nd favorite book of all time also. An absolute masterpiece.

[@zenstories]

What is the best?

[@tuffguy0134]

@@zenstories My favorite book of all time is Dune. My favorite book series is Malazan Book of the Fallen.

[@Joaquim.Oliveira]

So what’s your fav book that you have ever read ?

[@BelminHxC]

Generally don’t like western stuff but I’ll read it. +tbr

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah me neither, but this is a must read!

[@tia_lenay]

Saw this and immediately went and picked it up. Like as speak I just got it lol

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Awesome, hope you love it!

[@claydanicholas5829]

how did you like it

[@josephwilson-doan4163]

Great review brotha

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you Joseph!

[@Joaquim.Oliveira]

I heard that True Grit is great as well . But bc it is a western , it’s not talked about much anymore.

[@KayanKollyn]

Hi ! I want to share with you about one book: "KAYAN KOLLYN- The spiral of the Ellmott & messenger of the secret." a great fiction of adventure, mystery, ART, an ancient CRAFFARTT, and science. once you read it, you definitely love it, because it speaks about all dimensions of life, without the barrier of the beliefs and social divisions. Love your content !!!!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I will add it to my TBR. Thanks!

[@petervandeweyer517]

This book is so amazing.

[@Desh727]

Wait so what's your favorite book of all time? Lolol

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

The Crippled God, by Steven Erikson.

[@Desh727]

@Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews ahhh ok. I'm gonna start lonesome dove this week. I'm hyped to read it now

[@oletimer5853]

Based on true story of Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight … greatest story ever (besides Bible)

[@briandurfee3336]

great review

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you Brian - and thanks for unintentionally recommending this book to me!

[@moev29]

I hate westerns, Matt, but FINE. Adding it to my TBR. Feel like the whole planet has been recommending it lately.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL, I think it's a book you might enjoy even if you hate Westerns.

[@markbradshaw6578]

You are really good. Keep it up.

[@KarateSnoopy]

Have you watched the "1883" tv series? Its a spin off of Yellowstone TV series, I really enjoyed it. As you described this plot, it sounds like the plot of "1883" heavily borrows from Lonesome Dove. Amusingly searching for this, there's one opinion piece on the net that titled: Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1883’ might be the greatest TV Western since ‘Lonesome Dove’

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

No, I really don't watch much TV. Just reality shows with my wife.

[@jasonchamberlain4459]

I thought this was a spoiler free review? You told the whole fucking story

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Most certainly I did not. Have you read it?

[@dinocollins720]

You need to stop reading these incredible books; it's killing me and giving me crazy FOMO haha

[@salehbno]

Do your self a favour and read Blood Maridian and thats that.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah it's on my TBR!

[@yellowcityflyfishing]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pp2pe3qJfdmArsk If you have the time this is a short documentary about some of the real people these characters were based on. I’m curious now as to what is your favorite book of all time? I think Lonesome Dove is my current number 1 and I’m not sure it will ever be dethroned.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Wow I just got finished watching that link - that was wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing! My number 1 is The Crippled God: Book 10/10 of Malazan: Book of the Fallen.

[@dianneeagle4686]

Great book - just finished it. Agree with the characters being very flawed with the exception of Newt. I read somewhere that McMurtry wanted to tell a story of toxic masculinity and that certainly came through.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yes, that DEFINTIELY came through.

[@ParthapratimsChannel]

🫡

[@bartoszzakrzewski341]

Sounds very deppresing

[@claydanicholas5829]

just try it

[@oletimer5853]

Surprising to hear Stephen Kings favorite book .. he’s such a woke liberal and these Texas rangers are clearly conservatives