Dust Devils (Western Literature Series)

By Robert Laxalt

An action-packed story set during the violent and conflict-ridden days of the early 20th century, Dust Devils takes place in the rugged mountains and deserts of Eastern California and Northern Nevada. Ira Hamilton, the teenage son of rugged Indian-hating rancher John D. Hamilton, wins the bronc-riding competition at a local rodeo and comes away with a special prize: a beautiful Arabian colt. But the horse is soon stolen by Hawkeye, a notorious local rustler. Accompanied by Cricket, a young Paiute who has been his closest companion since infancy, Ira vows to retrieve his prize. On the way, Ira must find the courage to overcome the challenges of nature and outlaw, and to love the woman of his choice. This vivid tale will thrill readers with its authentic depiction of Nevada's lonely back country, its hardy ranchers, and its native peoples. Ira Hamilton's adventure shows us the last days of the Old West, when cowboys, sheepmen, and Indians still struggled to survive and overcome their long-standing animosities, and violent men rode boldly and unhindered across the harsh landscape.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874173000
• ISBN13: 9780874173000
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: University of Nevada Press
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A fine western novella

Although born and raised in Denver, one genre I have read very little is the "western" novel -- cowboys, rodeos, horse thieves, and the like. Because of this unfamiliarity, I do not know with what to compare Robert Laxalt's novella Dust Devils. In broad outline, the plot seems pat, almost cliche: teenaged boy wins Arab horse for bronco-riding in rodeo; horse thieves steal animal; boy and best friend -- an Indian -- take off after thieves and regain horse; boy shot by thieves and nursed back to health by shaman and Indian girl whom boy loves; boy and girl decide to marry in traditional Indian rite; boy's father -- a life-long Indian-hater -- renounces life-long prejudice and embraces new daughter-in-law and her tribe. And all of this in just 102 pages! What redeems this book is Laxalt's unerring gift of description and character. His world -- both moral and physical -- rings true. Having never read Louis L'Amour or any of the popular western novelists, I do not know how Laxalt's book compares. I do recommend it. (I also commend our local librarian for adding this book -- published by the University of Nevada Press -- to her collection. One of the particular gifts of local libraries and thoughtful librarians is the placement of obscure or unfamiliar books on the shelves which the community can sample for "free").