Dust Devils: (A Novella) (Western Literature Series)

The rugged mountains and deserts of Eastern California and Northern Nevada in the early years of this century are the setting of this moving coming-of-age novella. Ira Hamilton, the teen-age 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, pure-blooded 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. His efforts pit him against the merciless expanses of the Black Rock Desert and the wrath of Hawkeye and his gang. On the way, Ira must find the courage to overcome the challenges of nature and outlaw, and to love the woman of his choice. He must, in short, become a man.

Robert Laxalt's stories of Nevada have been acclaimed around the world. This vivid new tale will thrill readers with its authentic depiction of Nevada's lonely back country, its hardy ranchers, and its wise and colorful 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. Readers will not soon forget Ira Hamilton's precarious path to manhood or Laxalt's haunting descriptions of Nevada's beautiful, treacherous deserts and mountain ranges.