The Constant Travellers

By Gordon Basichis

Book Overview

Sex, drugs, and the West that never was. In a novel at once raucously funny and deeply philosophical, author Gordon Basichis explores one man's continuing search to unlock life's elusive mysteries. Setting out for the Far West after the Civil War, young Shelby Lopez encounters Indian mystic Thunderbird Hawkins. With the help of his marijuana, peyote, and "magic mushrooms," the Indian teaches Shelby of the Great Necklace and the Great Book, which when brought together, lead on to wisdom and an understanding of man's destiny. The history of the Great Necklace and the Great Book stretches from the conquistadors to river gamblers, and finally to the frontier town of Star City. But even as mystic and disciple prepare to join the two sacred objects, they realize that they are not yet meant to be brought together, and that they themselves must return to their lives as The Constant Travellers. Humor, insight, violence and passion combine in this brilliant thought provoking narrative to create an unforgettable story. While set in the Old West, the novel assumes a modern idiom and is as contemporary as the hip scene of today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1517556309
• ISBN13: 9781517556303
• Release Date: September 2015
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 1.09 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A trip you'll really enjoy

I'm a female reader. Do I have an interest in Westerns? Uh, no. However, I had read this author's other book, The Guys who Spied for China, and I liked the way he wrote and thought. So I had a feeling this Western was going to be atypical, dark and somewhat philosophical. It was all that and more. The first quarter or so of the story focused on the unlikely friendship of this Jewish outlaw turned soldier and an exiled Indian whose paths crossed. As they rode through the desert smoking peyote, they reflected on their lives, their pasts, their families and the events that led them to their present situation. Then, as the book evolves, all kinds of colorful characters emerge - good, evil and in-between. All kinds of surprises develop and there are seemingly coincidental interconnections of people, places and things. It has everything - humor, violence, sex, adventure. The author seems to have a high sensitivity regarding women by the way he portrays the female characters. I'll tell you though -- after reading this, I'm so grateful that I'm alive in this era as opposed to back then. It was no time to be a woman. Great Book!

Destiny in the Desert

This is one of the more original novels I've read in quite a while. Space and time are broken into fragments in this hilarious new age western, as a young gunfighter and a Native American shaman meet in the desert. As they venture into the future they review their pasts, only to discover their lives have always been intertwined by fate and destiny. The author, Gordon Basichis, blends mystical occurences with the best and worst of the human condition. The results are charming and intimate, and often outrageous, as a most original host of characters wanders in and out of the story. For those used to reading more serious metaphysical novels, this is a welcome respite.

How the West Was Fun -- A New Age comedy

This book, published some years ago and now in reprint, is one of the great New Age comedies. It is wildly ahead of its time!I loved the characters, the humor, and the profound insight into the human condition that one rarely sees in literature today. Shelby Lopez, his Indian shaman/friend Thunderbird Hawkins, the smart and sexy Lemon Lime, and the host of other memorable characters loom larger than life as they wander in and out of this tale. At once funny, romantic, violent, and deeply philosophical, the author asserts there are neither coincidences nor chance meetings in the world, but predestined encounters dictated by fate. I couldn't put the book down, and when I finally finished the story continues to stay with me as I see its little truths appear before me in modern day life. If there truly are no accidents, then my finding this jewel of a book must have been a minor act of fate.