Larry McMurtry revisited the characters of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Lonesome Dove,” three times with books such as “The Streets of Laredo,” “Comanche Moon” and “Dead Man’s Walk.”

Whether it’s been years or even decades, even if a reader has also seen the excellent mini-series of the same name starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, etc., “Lonesome Dove” is an epic worth revisiting.

Yes, many readers can’t help but recall the major events of the novel as well as the characters. They are memorable even if one hasn’t made a visit in years.

But the relationships between characters such as Capt. Woodrow Call, Capt. Augustus McCrae, Jake Spoon, Newt, Pea Eye, Deets, etc., remain as fresh as a first read. 

Anyone picking up “Lonesome Dove” for the first time, I envy you. You’re about to have an epic reading experience.

The story takes place in the late 1800s. Texas has been tamed. Two Texas ranger captains – Call and Gus – have retired and settled into running the nearly run-down Hat Creek Cattle Company in the small town of Lonesome Dove, Texas.

A casual comment of Montana being a cattleman’s paradise leads Call, McCrae and company on a massive cattle drive from Texas 2,500 miles north. They encounter numerous adventures, hardships and deaths.

“Lonesome Dove” won McMurtry the Pulitzer Prize when the novel was published back in the mid 1980s. The sequels come nowhere close to the original but after reading the nearly 1,000 pages of “Lonesome Dove,” you may understand why McMurtry wrote the sequels. 

Many readers want more.