Time of the Rabies - Softcover

Laxalt, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0874173507 ISBN 13: 9780874173505

Publisher: University of Nevada Press, 2000

Synopsis

During the 1920s, a rabies epidemic swept across northern Nevada, decimating wildlife and livestock herds. This historic event is the background for acclaimed writer Robert Laxalt’s brilliant new novella. Set on a sheep ranch in the desert foothills near Carson City, Time of the Rabies follows owner Pete Lorda and his family and ranch hands as the epidemic swirls around them, pulling humans and animals into a battle against an invisible but deadly foe. Beginning when a roving coyote is bitten by a rabid bat, the epidemic spreads like wildfire through the local coyote population, and soon whole bands of rabid coyotes are attacking Lorda’s sheep flocks. As he and his hands struggle to protect the sheep, the disease appears on the home ranch itself, infecting first valued animals and then some of the hands. Once again, Robert Laxalt has produced a lively, unforgettable story of the West and its hardy people. No other writer has captured so vividly the character of the Basque sheepmen and their harsh, solitary lives, or the precarious community of a ranch besieged by an insidious, lethal enemy. Laxalt’s genius seems to grow with each new work, and Time of the Rabies is the creation of a major writer at the peak of his powers. This is a tale of the true West, full of authentic heroes and the memorable sense of place that only a writer as skilled and experienced as Laxalt can create.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Laxalt graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1947. Laxalt joined the staff of the university in 1954, first as director of News and Publications and later as director of the University of Nevada Press, which he founded. He was named a Reynolds Distinguished Visiting Professor and held the position of Distinguished Nevada Author Chair. He is the author of seventeen books, including the critically acclaimed Sweet Promised Land. He lived in Washoe Valley until his death in 2001.

Reviews

Nevada ranchers and cowboys fight a 1920s rabies epidemic in this straightforward, warmly written western novella by historical novelist Laxalt (Dust Devils; Private War). Toward sundown on a spring day, a coyote viciously attacks one of sheep rancher Pete Lorda's ewes, in plain sight of a pair of Basque herders. Dumbfounded, the herders kill the coyote and bring its body and their tale back to the ranch. An examination by a veterinarian proves what Lorda already suspects: the coyote had rabies. Soon after the coyote attack, another of Lorda's ranch hands is chased by a rabid mountain lion, and it becomes clear that a full-blown epidemic is threatening the surrounding countryside. The job of battling roaming bands of deranged, flesh-hungry rabid coyotes falls to Tex and Slim, Lorda's veteran, shotgun-armed cowboys. Already difficult, their task is complicated by the actions of Michel, a stubborn young Basque herder in training and the love interest of Lorda's daughter. When Michel's collie is infected, the boy persists in believing he can nurse it back to health, endangering himself and everyone else on the ranch. A dramatic final rescue scene caps the cowboys' battle against the spread of the deadly disease. In this latest installment in his Basque series, Laxalt once again describes the lives of Basque immigrants in the western U.S., painting a convincing picture of ranch life. Though perhaps more suited to young adult audiences, the simple tale ably dramatizes a historic plague threatening man and beast alike. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Nevada Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0874173507
• ISBN 13: 9780874173505
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 104