Wanderer of the Wasteland

For those of us who are nearing senior citizen age, there is no greater novelist of the West than Zane Grey. And indeed for the younger set, this book will probably not appeal to them, for it is long, and tedious at times. But the descriptions of the desert and of the times and of the people who Wansfell encounters in his search for self and for redemption over the "killing" of his brother are enough to counter the slowness of the novel. And yes, the book may seem dated in its style and colloquial language the characters use, but that is exactly how Zane Grey heard people speak when he encountered them in his travels in the West. I have been a ZG fan for over 50 years, and purchase every "new" book which is published, including those about the man, and it is easy to see that Wanderer of the Wasteland is autobiographical in nature--his life's story, his struggles, his losses, his journey of self discovery as to what the desert meant to him, and how nature and environment shapes lives. Don't dismiss this novel as "just another romance" by Zane Grey, but embrace it for what it was intended to be Zane Grey's Masterpiece--a story to be taken into one's own heart and used to reflect on one's own life. But even if you don't want to do that, this is still a book one can enjoy simply for the adventure.

I'm not sure I'd call "Wanderer of the Wasteland" Zane Grey's greatest, that is a title that I believe must be shared by his "Riders of the Purple Sage", "Call of the Canyon", and "The Vanishing American". What "Wanderer" is however is a great look at the genre of romantic western as written during the years Grey was active. Like all of Grey's books, the language is dated and for those used to later western authors (L'Amour, Brand, Leonard, Parker), his books appear more melodramatic as indeed "Wanderer" does. In some ways, his hunting and fishing stories were easier to read and in recent years it seems that Western fans are more in love with Grey himself, than his writing. Starting with what appears to be a nervous breakdown, the hero of "Wanderer" sets off on the Colorado River and drifts down to the town of Picacho where he tries to reinvent himself and almost immediately falls for a young lady. Then, the hero's hated brother "Guerd" (yes, you read that right) shows up and ruins everything, including the love affair. After shooting Guerd in a fit of rage, the hero sets off across the "Wasteland" and encounters all sorts of physical discomfort, but is also befriended by a lone minder known as "Dismukes". Anyone who's driven through this part of the country on I-10, I-40, or I-8 will be amused by the descriptions of the desert. All of it's pretty unlikely, and at the same time the book is over the top melodrama. But, taken as it is and considering when it was written, it can be an enjoyable read...an artifact of the genre from the first half of the 20th Century. In any event, its a must have for any serious western buff's Zane Grey collection.