Wild Times

by Brian Garfield

An aged Western showman reflects over his long and colorful career
Few bother to separate the myth of Colonel Hugh Cardiff from his real life. The nation knows him as a sharpshooter, buffalo hunter, moving pictures pioneer, and one-time proprietor of the greatest Wild West show the nation has ever seen. Some of the stories are true, some exaggerated, and some rank among the wildest of tall tales. But for a man who has lived like Colonel Cardiff, the facts trump the myth. In the spring of 1868, Denver is the richest, wildest city west of the Mississippi. When an overweight Easterner named Dr. Bogardus rolls into town to announce a shooting contest with a $1,000 prize, ears prick up. Young Hugh wins the shoot with an ancient muzzle-loading rifle, knocking glass balls out of the air and missing only four out of one hundred targets. He is famous at nineteen, and the Colonel's wild life is just getting started.

Genres: Westerns, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction

477 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Brian Francis Wynne Garfield was a novelist and screenwriter. He wrote his first published book at the age of eighteen, and gained prominence with 1975 his book Hopscotch, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. He is best known for his 1972 novel Death Wish, which was adapted for the 1974 film of the same title, followed by four sequels, and a remake starring Bruce Willis.

His follow-up 1975 sequel to Death Wish, Death Sentence, was very loosely adapted into a film of the same name which was released to theaters in late 2007, though an entirely different storyline, but with the novel's same look on vigilantism. Garfield is also the author of The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Garfield's latest book, published in 2007, is Meinertzhagen, the biography of controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.

Brian Garfield was the author of more than 70 books that sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and 19 of his works were made into films or TV shows. He also served as president of the Western Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.

Pseudonyms:
• Bennett Garland
• John Ives
• Drew Mallory
• Frank O'Brian
• Brian Wynne
• Frank Wynne

Reviews

[Tim Deforest · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most entertaining and satisfying books I've read in a long time, with realistic and 3-dimensional characterizations supporting a wonderful plot. Hugh Cardiff is a crack shot--perhaps the best in the American West--who becomes the hero of dime novels and the star of a less-than-realistic play about his adventures. He eventually opens his own Wild West show. But along the way, he has a number of real Western adventures, suffering loss and romantic heartache while also making a number of life-long friends. Themes of loyalty, honesty and friendship are very strong throughout the story and Hugh (as one character states) is a hero because of his honesty and loyalty.

Several of the key scenes are vividly written and keep you on the edge of your seat. In particular, a chapter in which Hugh must carry a friend with a broken ankle out of the desert is one of the most engrossing and evocative sequences I've ever had the pleasure to read.

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read the paperback version of this book years ago - a copy from my library. I fell in love with the story. I was so glad to see it in ebook form years later, I had to buy it. It is every bit as charming and engaging as I remember. Fantastical in some aspects, surprisingly real in others. (There really was a Capt. Bogardus that was a champion shooter!) I will read, and re-read this book again and again. I highly recommend this book to every Western fan.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great novel for anyone who enjoys stories of the Wild West. It's about the life and times of sharp-shooter Hugh Cardiff and his Wild West Show, which rivaled Buffalo Bill's. I really got wrapped up in the rich story and the colorful characters. This is one book that I just couldn't put down.

A fun note: Some time after reading it, I discovered it was also made into a movie in 1980 starring Sam Elliott as the main character Hugh Cardiff, which is so fitting because he plays an awesome cowboy! :) I haven't tracked it down yet but I would love to see it.

[Ronald Koltnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sprawling, incident-filled fictional study of the myths and folklore of the West. Hugh Cardiff’s long life traces the history of the winning and settling of the western states of the U. S. He is a scout, a buffalo hunter, a marksman, a regulator, a rancher, a pilgrim, and an honorary Apache. He uses his experience to create a great Wild West show, the first of its kind (sorry Buffalo Bill). Cardiff also encounters, and deflates the reputations of, many well-known historical figures. It is well-written, brisk, and involving. It does have flaws however — the through-story of unrequited love hampered by one-dimensional villains keeps getting in the way. The novel is too long. It covers so much ground that one wishes that some of the twists in Cardiff’s life had been handled in sequels. Yet, it is a page turner and highly recommended for those who love historicals.

[Dirk D · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and compelling story of a fictitious Wild West figure, Hugh Cardiff from his flight from Kentucky in the early days of the Civil War while still a pre-teen through a lifetime of adventures to a fateful shooting contest in the 1920's. Along the way, Hugh becomes an expert shot winning contests all over the world, at times lives as a mountain man, a rancher, a peace officer, a hermit, an exile, an honorary Apache, and a showman with his own Wild West show to rival Buffalo Bill Cody. He experiences great loves along the way and ferocious enemies. He also is mostly well respected. This was a very fun read about a giant of a man who is yet flawed and stubborn who struggles with adversity and somehow comes out on top with his morals intact in a very violent age.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first real western I ever loved. I found this book on a bargain table in 1981 and devoured it. Recently I dug it out and plan to read it again soon. Garfield does an excellent job capturing the difference between the real frontier and the popular version. If you enjoy westerns this one is definitely worth a read (or two).

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful. Melodramatic. Real events, men. First love is last. Ran Wild West Shows.1865. At 16 in Arizona, Cardiff says his aim to be world champion rifle shot, at 6ft5 beds short, saloons for whites, lamps whale oil, contests glass balls, all wore hats. Typos: Bk1 p50 fanners IS farmers Bk7p80 reigns IS reins

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, great characters!

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1979. An aged Western showman reflects over his long and colorful career. Modeled after Buffalo Bill. Wild and wooly.

[Steve Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book I first read many years ago. A rip-roaring fictional autobiography of Colonel Hugh Cardiff, hero of the wild west, it's a joy from start to finish.

[Jeff Bradbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining book with many plot twists and surprises. I would not call it a literary masterpiece like Warlock, but I would put it up there with Lonesome Dove, for sure. This book does not get enough notoriety. It may have been a bit long in the middle but it is still an excellent read.

[Mike Desmond]

So I loved the TV series, the book is so much better and adds the background and a great ending to the story. Sam Elliott on TV was great the book should be read to fill in the rest.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one that is enjoyable from start to finish.