The Rainbow Trail
Encyclopedia
The Rainbow Trail, also known as The Desert Crucible is the sequel to Riders of the Purple Sage
by Western writer Zane Grey
. Originally published under the title The Rainbow Trail in 1915, it was re-edited and rereleased in recent years as The Desert Crucible, restoring the original manuscript that Grey submitted to publishers.
The novel takes place 10 years after the events of Riders of the Purple Sage. The wall to Surprise Valley has broken, and Jane Withersteen is forced to choose between the Lassiter's life and Fay Larkin's marriage to a Mormon.
Both novels are notable for their protagonists' mild opposition to Mormon polygamy, but in Rainbow Trail this theme is treated more explicitly. The plots of both books revolve around the victimization of women in the Mormon culture: events in "Riders of the Purple Sage" are centered on the struggle of a Mormon woman who sacrifices her wealth and social status to avoid becoming a junior wife of the head of the local church, while "Rainbow Trail" contrasts the fanatical older Mormons with the rising generation of Mormon women who will not tolerate polygamy and Mormon men who will not seek it.
Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage is Zane Grey's best-known novel, originally published in 1912. Most critics agree that it played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre.- Plot in a paragraph :...
by Western writer Zane Grey
Zane Grey
Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the Old West. Riders of the Purple Sage was his bestselling book. In addition to the success of his printed works, they later had second lives and continuing influence...
. Originally published under the title The Rainbow Trail in 1915, it was re-edited and rereleased in recent years as The Desert Crucible, restoring the original manuscript that Grey submitted to publishers.
The novel takes place 10 years after the events of Riders of the Purple Sage. The wall to Surprise Valley has broken, and Jane Withersteen is forced to choose between the Lassiter's life and Fay Larkin's marriage to a Mormon.
Both novels are notable for their protagonists' mild opposition to Mormon polygamy, but in Rainbow Trail this theme is treated more explicitly. The plots of both books revolve around the victimization of women in the Mormon culture: events in "Riders of the Purple Sage" are centered on the struggle of a Mormon woman who sacrifices her wealth and social status to avoid becoming a junior wife of the head of the local church, while "Rainbow Trail" contrasts the fanatical older Mormons with the rising generation of Mormon women who will not tolerate polygamy and Mormon men who will not seek it.