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Age of Daredevils, The
At the dawn of the twentieth century, a small but determined band of barrel jumpers risked their lives in one of the world’s most wondrous waterfalls. Only a few survived.
By turns a family drama and an action-adventure story, The Age of Daredevils chronicles the lives of the men and women who devoted themselves to the extraordinary sport of jumping over Niagara Falls in a barrel—a death-defying gamble that proved a powerful temptation to a hardy few.
Internationally known in the 1920s and ’30s for their barrel-jumping exploits, the Hills were a father-son team of daredevils who also rescued dozens of misguided thrill seekers and accident victims who followed them into the river. The publicity surrounding the Hills’ spectacular feats ushered in tourism, making Niagara Falls the nation’s foremost honeymoon destination, but ultimately set Red Hill Jr. on a perilous path to surpass his father’s extraordinary leaps into the void.
Like the works of Jon Krakauer and David McCullough, The Age of Daredevils explores the primal force of fear and the thirst for adventure that drive humans to the brink of death to see if they can somehow escape.
By turns a family drama and an action-adventure story, The Age of Daredevils chronicles the lives of the men and women who devoted themselves to the extraordinary sport of jumping over Niagara Falls in a barrel—a death-defying gamble that proved a powerful temptation to a hardy few.
Internationally known in the 1920s and ’30s for their barrel-jumping exploits, the Hills were a father-son team of daredevils who also rescued dozens of misguided thrill seekers and accident victims who followed them into the river. The publicity surrounding the Hills’ spectacular feats ushered in tourism, making Niagara Falls the nation’s foremost honeymoon destination, but ultimately set Red Hill Jr. on a perilous path to surpass his father’s extraordinary leaps into the void.
Like the works of Jon Krakauer and David McCullough, The Age of Daredevils explores the primal force of fear and the thirst for adventure that drive humans to the brink of death to see if they can somehow escape.
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First published October 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
September 20, 2016
I knew a river wide and deep
Her banks were very tall
At one end was a mountain stream
The other was a waterfall, boys
The other was a waterfall.
In a book that reads like historical fiction, Clarkson pays tribute to those who have dared the falls, in particular, the family of William "Red" Hill.
I asked the old man by the river
He did not recall
The last attempt to ride a barrel
Over the waterfall.
Interestingly enough, the first man to survive a trip over the Horseshoe Falls was a 63-year-old woman - Annie Edison Taylor.
After her 1901 plunge, she received 162 marriage proposals, though she accepted none. The trip obviously left an impression, as she is quoted as saying:
"If it was my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat . . . I was whirled about like a top. I felt that all Nature was being annihilated. I would not go over the fall again for a million dollars."
The ferryboatman, he did tell me
That the chance was very small
None survived who went alive
Over the waterfall, boys
Over the waterfall.
Red and his sons, witnesses to many of the attempts, made their living in and around the river - rescuing many from the raging rapids, and pulling bodies of suicide victims from the whirlpools. They also assisted with the many of the stunts of others, and it left them with a sort of "barrel" fever - a yearning to try the falls themselves.
Red Hill Sr.
Red Hill Jr.
You can watch some of the attempts here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1y6R...
So I built myself an oaken barrel
And inside I did crawl
I broke the record but I broke my back
Going over the waterfall.
The author does a fairly good job relating the stories of all the daredevils - the ones who lived to tell their tales, and the ones who didn't survive. There was perhaps a bit too much backstory - particularly about wives and girlfriends, but on the whole, an interesting and entertaining read.
And it's been my luck to live to tell
The only tale I can
It don't hurt you when you fall
Only when you land, boys
Only when you land.*
*Over the Waterfall by Michelle Shocked
Listen to it sung by three adorable children - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD3h2...
Her banks were very tall
At one end was a mountain stream
The other was a waterfall, boys
The other was a waterfall.
In a book that reads like historical fiction, Clarkson pays tribute to those who have dared the falls, in particular, the family of William "Red" Hill.
I asked the old man by the river
He did not recall
The last attempt to ride a barrel
Over the waterfall.
Interestingly enough, the first man to survive a trip over the Horseshoe Falls was a 63-year-old woman - Annie Edison Taylor.
After her 1901 plunge, she received 162 marriage proposals, though she accepted none. The trip obviously left an impression, as she is quoted as saying:
"If it was my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat . . . I was whirled about like a top. I felt that all Nature was being annihilated. I would not go over the fall again for a million dollars."
The ferryboatman, he did tell me
That the chance was very small
None survived who went alive
Over the waterfall, boys
Over the waterfall.
Red and his sons, witnesses to many of the attempts, made their living in and around the river - rescuing many from the raging rapids, and pulling bodies of suicide victims from the whirlpools. They also assisted with the many of the stunts of others, and it left them with a sort of "barrel" fever - a yearning to try the falls themselves.
Red Hill Sr.
Red Hill Jr.
You can watch some of the attempts here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1y6R...
So I built myself an oaken barrel
And inside I did crawl
I broke the record but I broke my back
Going over the waterfall.
The author does a fairly good job relating the stories of all the daredevils - the ones who lived to tell their tales, and the ones who didn't survive. There was perhaps a bit too much backstory - particularly about wives and girlfriends, but on the whole, an interesting and entertaining read.
And it's been my luck to live to tell
The only tale I can
It don't hurt you when you fall
Only when you land, boys
Only when you land.*
*Over the Waterfall by Michelle Shocked
Listen to it sung by three adorable children - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD3h2...
February 4, 2017
The golden age of Niagara daredevils is sketched through a portrait of three generations of the Hill Family. While there is no pubic monument to any Hill, this Canadian family is known on both sides of the river for its many and varied river exploits, for good and bad.
For me, because I grew up in Niagara Falls, NY I appreciated that author Michael Clarkson clarified who was who among the Hill’s. He shows how they aided those who took on the falls in a barrel, but never had a successful attempt. You see their bravery in rescues, rum running, corpse retrieval and stunts. I did not know (neither did my local history teacher) the story of the scow still stuck on a rock just above the Horseshoe Falls. I was unaware of the lower rapids barrel stunts, nor of the many country to country swims through the rapids by the Hill’s and others.
An interesting point I never noticed was that Niagara daredevils were not young (the first being a woman in her 60’s) and while some achieved fame, none achieved wealth (which I had noticed).
Despite having some background for this, it was not easy to read. The sentences don’t flow very well. Some seem like unconnected bites of information. Sometimes knowing the region was jarring (how do two Canadians in a row boat get to Luna Island? Where is Horseshoe?
This book needs an index. While the text is not always cohesive, there is a lot of information. I wanted to flip back to compare barrels and launching points, etc. The lack of a map was frustrating for me, so I would expect it would be worse when you don’t know the area.
The author has done his work. He was able to interview those who knew these daredevils which will be invaluable documentation for someone who can develop this material further.
September 17, 2016
While the topic of this book was compelling, the story itself was written in an old-fashioned way--all sorts of made up dialogue and thoughts, constant comments about what individuals looked like, a dramatic start with a daredevil act that wasn't actually described until much later in the story. Unfortunately, by the time I got to that later point, I felt the story had fizzled out and was becoming unbearably repetitious. That's not to say the book is not worth reading, however, since it covers a topic many readers know little about. The notes at the end of the Kindle edition also mention YouTube videos you can click on and watch, of some of the actual mentioned barrel trips down the falls, including Red Hill Jr.'s final trip. When you watch the videos having British narrators, be prepared to possibly laugh, even though those videos were about fatal trips. The cheeky way they describe what happened was too funny.
October 3, 2016
Although the story of people wanting to go over the falls pulled me to this book the writing was just not for me.
May 12, 2025
I was middle-aged when I saw Niagara Falls and expected to be underwhelmed. I'd seen a million pictures and films of it. Water falling over rocks. Big deal.
When I caught my first glimpse of the Falls themselves, I was as awe-struck as everyone who sees it. Reduced to a shadow of its former majesty by the construction of hydro-electric dams and surrounded by cheesy, dated tourist traps, it's still an awe-inspiring sight.
I can understand how the Hill family of Niagara Falls, Ontario became obsessed with the river. The family of William "Red" Hill, Sr. was known for challenging the Falls, but that's only a small part of the story. Red Hill wasn't a crank or a dare devil, but a River Rat who had a Tom Sawyer-like boyhood on the Niagara. As a man, he supported his wife and seven children by operating a taxi service, but also served as an unofficial, unpaid rescuer for anyone in trouble on the river.
The story of his rescue of two barge workers trapped above the Falls and facing death is incredible. He was there to save the life of a teenager playing on the frozen river when the ice broke up unexpectedly. He was awarded medals for his rescue efforts and deserved more than he received.
There were many he couldn't save. A few were dare-devils who took on the Falls and lost, but most were suicides. What is it about the Falls that attracts people whose emotional pain has overwhelmed them? Through the decades, Red (and then his sons) recovered hundreds of bodies from that treacherous stretch of the Niagara. Some were suicides, some were the victims of boating or swimming accidents. There was a day-old baby recovered in 1926 whose parents never came forward to claim their child. What does it do to a man to witness such tragedies repeatedly?
During Prohibition (which the intelligent Canadians skipped) he did a bit of "rum-running" - carrying liquor across the border in a fast boat. I suspect his contributions to bootlegging were as appreciated by U.S. drinkers as his rescue efforts, but he received no medals for them. The Canadian government simply looked the other way.
The lives of Red and Bea Hill and their children tell the history of North America from 1900 to the 1950's. Red served in the trenches in WWI. He was shot, gassed, and contracted tuberculosis. After two years in hospitals, he went back to work, supporting his family and serving the people of the river.
Two decades later, his son returned from WWII a war hero, but was unable to find work and eventually lost a leg to war injuries. Alcoholism finally claimed the handsome charmer. Big wars affect everyone, but some families pay a higher price than others.
This is the kind of "history" I love - social history. The story of how the decisions of politicians and tycoons affect those who have no power. The Hill family had no control, but faced life bravely and with humor and humility.
Unlike the glory-seeking risk takers who came to the Falls looking for money and fame, Red Hill loved the river and respected its power. When one young son showed a tendency to take foolish risks, Dad took him to the funeral home and showed him the bloated body of a drowned man. A harsh lesson, but the river is unforgiving and Red Hill had to make sure his children knew it.
Did you know that the first person to "go over Niagara Falls in a barrel" was female? American Annie Taylor was a much-traveled woman down on her luck when she got the idea that a barrel ride over the Falls would make a fortune. She made it, but never got the recognition she deserved. The first man to successfully complete the stunt was a self-aggrandizing Englishman who carefully billed himself as "The Only Man in the World Who Has Performed the Feat!" No mention of the woman who beat him to it by a decade.
Pushy Bobby Leach supported himself well by capitalizing on his stunt, but Mrs. Taylor died in poverty. Did the idea of a woman doing what a man had never done make people nervous or did she simply lack the talent for self-promotion? She exemplified the spunky American woman who was emerging at the beginning of the 20th Century and demanding the vote and other rights. She wasn't noted for her diplomacy. When asked if a woman with a husband would go over the Falls in a barrel, she replied dryly that if she was married "I probably would have gone over without a barrel."
This author has a wonderful talent for portraying the kind of odd-but-not-quite-insane people who make the world interesting. Some are likable and some are pitiful and some are obnoxious, but all are entertaining.
According to a Niagara Falls website, 15 people have attempted to go over the Falls in a barrel or other enclosed vessel. Ten survived the attempt. Red Hill dreamed all his life of being the first Canadian to succeed, but war and economic depressions and family responsibilities intervened. It was his second son William, Jr. who made the attempt in 1951. Did he make it? Read the book.
The first half of the 20th Century saw dramatic changes and social upheavals. Those changes shaped the lives of the people who lived by the Falls and those who came briefly looking for money or fame. Those changes even shaped the river itself, as the hydro-electric dams controlled the flow of water. But Niagara Falls will never be completely tamed. It was there when man appeared on earth and it will be there when we are memory.
When I caught my first glimpse of the Falls themselves, I was as awe-struck as everyone who sees it. Reduced to a shadow of its former majesty by the construction of hydro-electric dams and surrounded by cheesy, dated tourist traps, it's still an awe-inspiring sight.
I can understand how the Hill family of Niagara Falls, Ontario became obsessed with the river. The family of William "Red" Hill, Sr. was known for challenging the Falls, but that's only a small part of the story. Red Hill wasn't a crank or a dare devil, but a River Rat who had a Tom Sawyer-like boyhood on the Niagara. As a man, he supported his wife and seven children by operating a taxi service, but also served as an unofficial, unpaid rescuer for anyone in trouble on the river.
The story of his rescue of two barge workers trapped above the Falls and facing death is incredible. He was there to save the life of a teenager playing on the frozen river when the ice broke up unexpectedly. He was awarded medals for his rescue efforts and deserved more than he received.
There were many he couldn't save. A few were dare-devils who took on the Falls and lost, but most were suicides. What is it about the Falls that attracts people whose emotional pain has overwhelmed them? Through the decades, Red (and then his sons) recovered hundreds of bodies from that treacherous stretch of the Niagara. Some were suicides, some were the victims of boating or swimming accidents. There was a day-old baby recovered in 1926 whose parents never came forward to claim their child. What does it do to a man to witness such tragedies repeatedly?
During Prohibition (which the intelligent Canadians skipped) he did a bit of "rum-running" - carrying liquor across the border in a fast boat. I suspect his contributions to bootlegging were as appreciated by U.S. drinkers as his rescue efforts, but he received no medals for them. The Canadian government simply looked the other way.
The lives of Red and Bea Hill and their children tell the history of North America from 1900 to the 1950's. Red served in the trenches in WWI. He was shot, gassed, and contracted tuberculosis. After two years in hospitals, he went back to work, supporting his family and serving the people of the river.
Two decades later, his son returned from WWII a war hero, but was unable to find work and eventually lost a leg to war injuries. Alcoholism finally claimed the handsome charmer. Big wars affect everyone, but some families pay a higher price than others.
This is the kind of "history" I love - social history. The story of how the decisions of politicians and tycoons affect those who have no power. The Hill family had no control, but faced life bravely and with humor and humility.
Unlike the glory-seeking risk takers who came to the Falls looking for money and fame, Red Hill loved the river and respected its power. When one young son showed a tendency to take foolish risks, Dad took him to the funeral home and showed him the bloated body of a drowned man. A harsh lesson, but the river is unforgiving and Red Hill had to make sure his children knew it.
Did you know that the first person to "go over Niagara Falls in a barrel" was female? American Annie Taylor was a much-traveled woman down on her luck when she got the idea that a barrel ride over the Falls would make a fortune. She made it, but never got the recognition she deserved. The first man to successfully complete the stunt was a self-aggrandizing Englishman who carefully billed himself as "The Only Man in the World Who Has Performed the Feat!" No mention of the woman who beat him to it by a decade.
Pushy Bobby Leach supported himself well by capitalizing on his stunt, but Mrs. Taylor died in poverty. Did the idea of a woman doing what a man had never done make people nervous or did she simply lack the talent for self-promotion? She exemplified the spunky American woman who was emerging at the beginning of the 20th Century and demanding the vote and other rights. She wasn't noted for her diplomacy. When asked if a woman with a husband would go over the Falls in a barrel, she replied dryly that if she was married "I probably would have gone over without a barrel."
This author has a wonderful talent for portraying the kind of odd-but-not-quite-insane people who make the world interesting. Some are likable and some are pitiful and some are obnoxious, but all are entertaining.
According to a Niagara Falls website, 15 people have attempted to go over the Falls in a barrel or other enclosed vessel. Ten survived the attempt. Red Hill dreamed all his life of being the first Canadian to succeed, but war and economic depressions and family responsibilities intervened. It was his second son William, Jr. who made the attempt in 1951. Did he make it? Read the book.
The first half of the 20th Century saw dramatic changes and social upheavals. Those changes shaped the lives of the people who lived by the Falls and those who came briefly looking for money or fame. Those changes even shaped the river itself, as the hydro-electric dams controlled the flow of water. But Niagara Falls will never be completely tamed. It was there when man appeared on earth and it will be there when we are memory.
November 29, 2016
I don't know what to call Michael Clarkson's painstakingly researched The Age of Daredevils. It's formally historical. It's certainly popularly historical because I loved it. It may actually be an historical novel because, while based on the truth, certainly conversations are realistically imagined or recreated based on the recollections of others.
It may be truth, and it may be fiction. It's certainly as close to truth as fiction allows.
It is written in the spare, unadorned style of a journalist. It has few words one would look up to clarify. It is straightforward.
It tells a long tale of the men who came to the Falls -- Niagara, that is -- to risk calamity. Many are the glories of those who made it, and many are the tragedies of those who did not. At the story's center are the Hills, who rode the rapids and tried the falls, rescued others from watery graves and fished out others who found them.
I fear that there were once such men -- not just in barrels and rubber balls but in race cars, airplanes, rockets, etc. -- who would do such things, but my fear is even greater that they no longer exist.
It may be truth, and it may be fiction. It's certainly as close to truth as fiction allows.
It is written in the spare, unadorned style of a journalist. It has few words one would look up to clarify. It is straightforward.
It tells a long tale of the men who came to the Falls -- Niagara, that is -- to risk calamity. Many are the glories of those who made it, and many are the tragedies of those who did not. At the story's center are the Hills, who rode the rapids and tried the falls, rescued others from watery graves and fished out others who found them.
I fear that there were once such men -- not just in barrels and rubber balls but in race cars, airplanes, rockets, etc. -- who would do such things, but my fear is even greater that they no longer exist.
November 4, 2016
The Lives and Times of Daredevils
Michael Clarkson's book about the daredevils of Niagara Falls is thoroughly researched and well written. A self-professed river rat and former newspaper reporter, Clarkson interviewed numerous people and referenced many sources in compiling this history of those lured to challenge the magnificent waterfalls. He brings the human element into the narrative by framing the work around the Hill family, whose lives were seemingly defined by the mighty Niagara.
Michael Clarkson's book about the daredevils of Niagara Falls is thoroughly researched and well written. A self-professed river rat and former newspaper reporter, Clarkson interviewed numerous people and referenced many sources in compiling this history of those lured to challenge the magnificent waterfalls. He brings the human element into the narrative by framing the work around the Hill family, whose lives were seemingly defined by the mighty Niagara.
September 14, 2016
Got this on a whim from the Amazon Prime/Kindle Free program. After a slow start, it turned out to be fairly interesting. Still not sure what would compel any person to want to ride over Horseshoe Falls in any kind of transport, but the author weaves his story around a whole family whose lives were bound up in the falls and the Niagara river.
January 2, 2018
This is not a particularly well-written book. Yet it is very interesting for the facts of the two generations of the Canadian daredevil Hill family and their milieu, especially for me, a native of Niagara Falls, NY. It covers the time span of approximately 1900-1980. Although the matriarch, Beatrice, is central in the story along with her sons, there is only a little about her daughters. Full of detail of particular feats, It ended rather abruptly with a quick mention of non-Hill exploits and minor family members.
September 9, 2016
Just my opinion, mind you...
And that is that while this story might have been a labor of love for Mr. Clarkson, it just didn't have any appeal for me. I only really read the first sick chapter and then skimmed. But then, I don't enjoy professional hockey, or MMA, or boxing, and other sports that appeal to the - ummm - bloodthirsty element.
I'm from San Francisco. Our Golden Gate Bridge attracts a certain crowd not unlike these assorted poor souls who - let's be honest about it - commit suicide at Niagara. It happens. We all know it happens. But people don't write books about it and SELL them! It strikes me as rather ghoulish to profit from these events by telling the Niagara stories in all their psychotic and narcissistic glory.
Had this been a Psych Ph.D. dissertation it would be one thing; buried for time immemorial in an academic library. But this one is out there for people to BUY!
Yikes!
And that is that while this story might have been a labor of love for Mr. Clarkson, it just didn't have any appeal for me. I only really read the first sick chapter and then skimmed. But then, I don't enjoy professional hockey, or MMA, or boxing, and other sports that appeal to the - ummm - bloodthirsty element.
I'm from San Francisco. Our Golden Gate Bridge attracts a certain crowd not unlike these assorted poor souls who - let's be honest about it - commit suicide at Niagara. It happens. We all know it happens. But people don't write books about it and SELL them! It strikes me as rather ghoulish to profit from these events by telling the Niagara stories in all their psychotic and narcissistic glory.
Had this been a Psych Ph.D. dissertation it would be one thing; buried for time immemorial in an academic library. But this one is out there for people to BUY!
Yikes!
September 26, 2016
In 1951, when I was six, my family stopped at Niagara Falls on vacation. Leaving town to head to Toronto we stopped at what I've always remembered as a gas station. On the edge of the property by the road was a sign and against it a jumble of really big inner tubes covered with netting. My mother said a man went over the falls in it. I couldn't imagine anyone would actually do such a thing. Over time I leaned toward thinking it was a hoax and pretty much forgot it. The memory didn't pop back into my head until after choosing this book for my September Amazon First Read. And the first chapter is about the man and the inner tubes. From there the book goes back to chronicle the history of 'going over the falls in a barrel'. The information is all there, but Clarkson's writing style is convoluted and repetitive making the book a bit of a slog. He also attributes thoughts to people when there is no way of knowing what they thought. He romanticizes 'river men' and, especially, the Hill family, without ignoring their shortcomings. These men did save lives, as well as retrieve bodies. And in the final chapter the book gives me one answer about what I saw as a child while giving me another question about it.
November 19, 2016
As a kid I had heard about people trying to survive Niagara Falls in a barrel, but I can't say I had a burning desire to learn more. Still, when the book became available and I saw a Goodreads giveaway, I decided to give it a shot. Thanks to Goodreads for selecting my entry for a free Kindle version.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected based on the other reviews. It's written in a very conversational style, and while I was suspicious early on that the author really knew what was going on inside people's heads, my questions were eventually answered at the end when I discovered the author was himself a Niagara "river rat" and knew many of the people profiled in his book. At one point I decided the writing style reminded me of William Nack's "Secretariat" but it could have been my imagination.
I'm still not completely sure why I found the book so compelling, but as the reading progressed I found myself excited when my schedule gave me the chance to read a chapter or two. My only guess is, for someone who's spent the past 25 years in a 9-5 job, reading about people who live their lives "close to the edge" sparked my imagination.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected based on the other reviews. It's written in a very conversational style, and while I was suspicious early on that the author really knew what was going on inside people's heads, my questions were eventually answered at the end when I discovered the author was himself a Niagara "river rat" and knew many of the people profiled in his book. At one point I decided the writing style reminded me of William Nack's "Secretariat" but it could have been my imagination.
I'm still not completely sure why I found the book so compelling, but as the reading progressed I found myself excited when my schedule gave me the chance to read a chapter or two. My only guess is, for someone who's spent the past 25 years in a 9-5 job, reading about people who live their lives "close to the edge" sparked my imagination.
March 28, 2017
Really enjoyable read with tons of local Niagara history
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I appreciate the author's work and research, and his focus on the Hill family and their successes and tragedies. If you've ever been to Niagara Falls, then this book really helps color the world wonder beyond just the roaring waterfalls and thick mist. This book really did a great job of bringing the people and community of Niagara to life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I appreciate the author's work and research, and his focus on the Hill family and their successes and tragedies. If you've ever been to Niagara Falls, then this book really helps color the world wonder beyond just the roaring waterfalls and thick mist. This book really did a great job of bringing the people and community of Niagara to life.
November 4, 2016
Wpw!!!!
A crazy historical masterpiece! Coming from the northeastern coast myself, I found this to be a spectacular account of a time long forgotten. So many things you don't get on a tourist regaling of the area. Good stuff!
A crazy historical masterpiece! Coming from the northeastern coast myself, I found this to be a spectacular account of a time long forgotten. So many things you don't get on a tourist regaling of the area. Good stuff!
September 7, 2016
Interesting but a little bit of struggle to finish because it seemed some of the text conflicted previous statements throughout the book.
September 10, 2016
not bad. didn't care much for the writing style. some parts were repetitive, but overall it was an interesting read about some interesting people.
February 22, 2017
This book should have been a lot more interesting. It seemed very unfocused and meandered all over. I ended up skimming quite a bit and then just lost interest.
September 9, 2017
The subject matter of this book is pretty interesting - the story of the Daredevils who went over the Horseshoe Falls at Niagara in the early 20th Century. Foremost among these are the Hill family, Red Hill Senior and his sons, who make a living on the river, often bringing in the bodies of suicides or accidental deaths. Their relationship with the river, and with other thrill seekers who come to take on the Falls in barrels and balls, is compelling and often heartbreaking.
Clarkson has researched this really thoroughly, talking to the families and searching out evidence from the time. He is also a self-confessed 'river rat', so is completely immersed in the location and the way of life. However, this has had an adverse effect on the book as Clarkson throws in every fact he has gathered, regardless of relevance. The writing is full of non sequiturs and strange authorial interjections, and several parts of the tale are repeated. This gives it a rather sluggish feel that detracts from the desired dramatic effect.
Overall a bit disappointing, in the hands of a more judicious author this would have been a cracking story.
Clarkson has researched this really thoroughly, talking to the families and searching out evidence from the time. He is also a self-confessed 'river rat', so is completely immersed in the location and the way of life. However, this has had an adverse effect on the book as Clarkson throws in every fact he has gathered, regardless of relevance. The writing is full of non sequiturs and strange authorial interjections, and several parts of the tale are repeated. This gives it a rather sluggish feel that detracts from the desired dramatic effect.
Overall a bit disappointing, in the hands of a more judicious author this would have been a cracking story.
October 2, 2018
*listened to audiobook*
I did a speech on Niagara Falls in High School. I found the Daredevils fascinating. I've even visited Niagara Falls a couple times. Went on the Maid of the Mist. It's incredible and terrifying. The falls are so powerful. You can't win with mother nature. This book tells stories of some of the people who have gone over the falls..and about a family whose life surrounded the falls. The Hills.
I did a speech on Niagara Falls in High School. I found the Daredevils fascinating. I've even visited Niagara Falls a couple times. Went on the Maid of the Mist. It's incredible and terrifying. The falls are so powerful. You can't win with mother nature. This book tells stories of some of the people who have gone over the falls..and about a family whose life surrounded the falls. The Hills.
November 26, 2018
Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
"At the dawn of the twentieth century, a small but determined band of barrel jumpers risked their lives in one of the world’s most wondrous waterfalls. Only a few survived.
By turns a family drama and an action-adventure story, The Age of Daredevils chronicles the lives of the men and women who devoted themselves to the extraordinary sport of jumping over Niagara Falls in a barrel—a death-defying gamble that proved a powerful temptation to a hardy few.
Internationally known in the 1920s and ’30s for their barrel-jumping exploits, the Hills were a father-son team of daredevils who also rescued dozens of misguided thrill seekers and accident victims who followed them into the river. The publicity surrounding the Hills’ spectacular feats ushered in tourism, making Niagara Falls the nation’s foremost honeymoon destination, but ultimately set Red Hill Jr. on a perilous path to surpass his father’s extraordinary leaps into the void."
At first glance, I thought this book was going to be about the over all coverage of the daredevil stunts at the falls through the decades. While The Age of Daredevils does talk a lot about the history of the barrel stunts performed there, the main focus is on the Hill family through multiple generations (1901 -1970) as they try to make a living on the falls. The history you learn about the other daredevils is not nearly as in depth as what you learn about the Hill family. You mostly learn about the others through their interactions with Red Hill and his large family. The very last chapter in the book covers a more modern era stunt attempts at Niagara, but it was an extremely short chapter and not really any deep discussions about anyone. They were mostly just mentioned as in “Hey, this person did this in 1995.” and that was about it. I wished the audio came with a PDF of pictures to look at. It would have been nice to see what these people looked like without having to go to google. I’ve heard that the printed edition has a section in the back that talks about Youtube links to see some of the stunts that were filmed, but I don’t know if that is true or not because there was nothing like that included with the audio. That would have also been nice to have in a downloadable PDF.
I didn’t really know anything about the history of Niagara falls or of all the stunts and mishaps that occurred there. There are a lot of suicides and accidents (and “accidental” deaths). So many, in fact, that one of Red Hill’s jobs was to fish out “floaters” from the water. Yuck. Doing stunts and finding bodies weren’t the only thing the Hills were good at. They also had several successful rescues of people and animals that had accidentally fallen in to the water. The water was so rough and wild. Over the waterfall, the drop was 177 ft. My jaw just hung open thinking about the fact that people willingly wanted to go over Niagara falls. A lot of people have died there. So many unsuccessful rides over the waterfall. Why did people become obsessed with it? Some wanted money and fame they were sure they would get from the stunt. Some wanted to do it to show they were better then the other people who had attempted the same stunt, do it fast or better. Some people just wanted to prove to themselves that they could accomplish something daring. Red Hill did it because he loved Niagara Falls.
Red Hill sounded like a pretty amazing man. Courageous and kind. While I don’t normally go for the family drama stories, I’ve got to admit that the Hill family was pretty interesting. The things they did, truly amazing rescues and stunts. Some of it was pretty sad though. They made almost no money from all the hard work they did at the falls. Red suffered most of his life from pretty terrible injuries he received from WWI. Red and his son, Major, suffered from PTSD from the wars they were in, and in a time where the only help you’d get from that is to drink yourself to death. There were plenty of family tragedies throughout the book. The Age of Daredevils gives you a great slice of life for the early 1900s and it was pretty neat how it was written in a very old timey way… like the phrases and words used fit that early era perfectly. If I hadn’t known it was a book that came out just a few years ago, I would have thought it was much, much older. 😮
The narrator was Malcolm Hillgartner. He also had an old timey feel to him. A grandiose showman sort of voice, if you know what I mean. Come one, come all! See the amazing sights and death defying daredevils! Mr. Hillgartner was a perfect fit for this book. I really think you needed that sort of feel to do the narration justice.
The Age of Daredevils was a fascinating look at the early 1900s and the barrel stunts performed at Niagara Falls at that time, as well learning about the great Hill family. The stunts are wild and the story is very entertaining, with some spots of sadness sprinkled throughout. The narrator made the audio version fun, but I missed having the pictures from the printed edition to look at.
"At the dawn of the twentieth century, a small but determined band of barrel jumpers risked their lives in one of the world’s most wondrous waterfalls. Only a few survived.
By turns a family drama and an action-adventure story, The Age of Daredevils chronicles the lives of the men and women who devoted themselves to the extraordinary sport of jumping over Niagara Falls in a barrel—a death-defying gamble that proved a powerful temptation to a hardy few.
Internationally known in the 1920s and ’30s for their barrel-jumping exploits, the Hills were a father-son team of daredevils who also rescued dozens of misguided thrill seekers and accident victims who followed them into the river. The publicity surrounding the Hills’ spectacular feats ushered in tourism, making Niagara Falls the nation’s foremost honeymoon destination, but ultimately set Red Hill Jr. on a perilous path to surpass his father’s extraordinary leaps into the void."
At first glance, I thought this book was going to be about the over all coverage of the daredevil stunts at the falls through the decades. While The Age of Daredevils does talk a lot about the history of the barrel stunts performed there, the main focus is on the Hill family through multiple generations (1901 -1970) as they try to make a living on the falls. The history you learn about the other daredevils is not nearly as in depth as what you learn about the Hill family. You mostly learn about the others through their interactions with Red Hill and his large family. The very last chapter in the book covers a more modern era stunt attempts at Niagara, but it was an extremely short chapter and not really any deep discussions about anyone. They were mostly just mentioned as in “Hey, this person did this in 1995.” and that was about it. I wished the audio came with a PDF of pictures to look at. It would have been nice to see what these people looked like without having to go to google. I’ve heard that the printed edition has a section in the back that talks about Youtube links to see some of the stunts that were filmed, but I don’t know if that is true or not because there was nothing like that included with the audio. That would have also been nice to have in a downloadable PDF.
I didn’t really know anything about the history of Niagara falls or of all the stunts and mishaps that occurred there. There are a lot of suicides and accidents (and “accidental” deaths). So many, in fact, that one of Red Hill’s jobs was to fish out “floaters” from the water. Yuck. Doing stunts and finding bodies weren’t the only thing the Hills were good at. They also had several successful rescues of people and animals that had accidentally fallen in to the water. The water was so rough and wild. Over the waterfall, the drop was 177 ft. My jaw just hung open thinking about the fact that people willingly wanted to go over Niagara falls. A lot of people have died there. So many unsuccessful rides over the waterfall. Why did people become obsessed with it? Some wanted money and fame they were sure they would get from the stunt. Some wanted to do it to show they were better then the other people who had attempted the same stunt, do it fast or better. Some people just wanted to prove to themselves that they could accomplish something daring. Red Hill did it because he loved Niagara Falls.
Red Hill sounded like a pretty amazing man. Courageous and kind. While I don’t normally go for the family drama stories, I’ve got to admit that the Hill family was pretty interesting. The things they did, truly amazing rescues and stunts. Some of it was pretty sad though. They made almost no money from all the hard work they did at the falls. Red suffered most of his life from pretty terrible injuries he received from WWI. Red and his son, Major, suffered from PTSD from the wars they were in, and in a time where the only help you’d get from that is to drink yourself to death. There were plenty of family tragedies throughout the book. The Age of Daredevils gives you a great slice of life for the early 1900s and it was pretty neat how it was written in a very old timey way… like the phrases and words used fit that early era perfectly. If I hadn’t known it was a book that came out just a few years ago, I would have thought it was much, much older. 😮
The narrator was Malcolm Hillgartner. He also had an old timey feel to him. A grandiose showman sort of voice, if you know what I mean. Come one, come all! See the amazing sights and death defying daredevils! Mr. Hillgartner was a perfect fit for this book. I really think you needed that sort of feel to do the narration justice.
The Age of Daredevils was a fascinating look at the early 1900s and the barrel stunts performed at Niagara Falls at that time, as well learning about the great Hill family. The stunts are wild and the story is very entertaining, with some spots of sadness sprinkled throughout. The narrator made the audio version fun, but I missed having the pictures from the printed edition to look at.
July 1, 2019
A fascinating story that was well-written!
November 3, 2023
This is almost a true crime novel - the crime being people tossing themselves off Niagara Falls over several decades. It’s a pretty good read, although I still don’t really understand the appeal of such a venture. I fully enjoyed witnessing Niagara Falls and Niagara from the sidelines when I visited, thank you very much. Clarkson does do a good job humanizing people who might otherwise be anecdotes or “characters”, although I’m not sure he ever really comes up with a strong central theme. Except maybe that some folks never learn.
November 22, 2016
I really enjoyed this. Clarkson takes you through the history of 'daredevils' that have been bumped and bruised in the rapids or gone over the massive Horseshoe Falls at Niagara. We look at it through the prism of the Hill family from the early 1900's until the 1950's.
The history is fascinating as we learn about these daredevils. The first person to ever survive the Falls was a woman, Annie Edson Taylor, who was actually in her 60's when she went over in 1901. Watch out for a turtle making an appearance in 1930.
Also thrown into the mix are a few other intriguing and tragic events like the 'ice bridge' disaster in 1912 and the rescue of men on a barge in 1917 that is heading for the Falls. During this time there are two World Wars and prohibition which all have drastic effects on the Hill family.
If you do read the book it is also worth checking out the YouTube clips that Clarkson provides at the end. It shows the true power of the Falls and rapids.
The history is fascinating as we learn about these daredevils. The first person to ever survive the Falls was a woman, Annie Edson Taylor, who was actually in her 60's when she went over in 1901. Watch out for a turtle making an appearance in 1930.
Also thrown into the mix are a few other intriguing and tragic events like the 'ice bridge' disaster in 1912 and the rescue of men on a barge in 1917 that is heading for the Falls. During this time there are two World Wars and prohibition which all have drastic effects on the Hill family.
If you do read the book it is also worth checking out the YouTube clips that Clarkson provides at the end. It shows the true power of the Falls and rapids.
November 15, 2016
I really wanted to enjoy this book because the topic sounded so interesting. Who wouldn't be interested in learning about the daredevils who wanted to ride a barrel over Niagara Falls? Unfortunately this book was about as dry as Niagara is wet. The main focus of the book was on the William "Red" Hill family and its legacy of being Niagara's first family of rivermen. I kept wanting to get to know these men and to understand what drove them to risk their lives. However the writing felt too superficial and shallow - more of a "just the facts" narration. I never felt connected to any of the people, the author portrayed. Overall, a disappointing book.
September 17, 2016
This book was fascinating at first. I love reading about the people who decide to try crazy things for the first time. Where do they get the idea, the motivation, the gumption to go through with it? Very interesting! But this book slowed down a bit toward the middle, continuing through the end. Like many non-fiction subjects, it became a little repetitive as the book wore on. Still a fun read!
September 14, 2016
Interesting
Not the usual book I'd read but the title intrigued me. Having been to Niagara Falls I was curious to read about going over the falls but don't think I'd copy them as it rarely works!
Not the usual book I'd read but the title intrigued me. Having been to Niagara Falls I was curious to read about going over the falls but don't think I'd copy them as it rarely works!
December 10, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. It was a little different than I expected. I thought it would just kind of go through all the stories of the daredevils that tried to beat the falls and it did but you see it through the point of view of the Hill Family. I have been to the falls a number of times and was always fascinated and a little scared of the falls. I remember seeing some of the barrels in museums and expos on the Canadian side. I never realized one family through 3 generations was so involved with the falls. The Hills family did some deadly feats themselves with the falls and the rapids and whirlpools in the area and they were the main people that rescued and recovered people in the area. There were so many accidental deaths and many suicides as well and they would recover them and take them to the funeral home. They also were very involved in almost everyone who went over and helped get the daredevils and their barrels ashore after their crazy attempts. The book mainly goes from the late 1800's to the early 1950's and a short summary after that. You really get to know the family and it was also interesting just to see the changes in that short time with horses to car, electricity coming and phones coming in, style changes and more. It was a great read!
February 16, 2020
I applaud the author for the time and dedication it surely took to gather facts and details of all the events described in the book. Unfortunately for a book about daredevils, it was one of the most boring books I have ever read.
The amount of detail, although impressive, was just too much.
When it comes down to it, it's hard to make a hero out of people that literally just sit inside a barrel and hope for the best. There really wasn't any skill involved in the act itself of going over the falls no matter how hard the author tried to make it seem that way. How Red Hill saved people and recovered bodies was far more heroic.
It was mostly just depressing reading about this family's financial, marital, and legal problems. The majority of these problems stemmed from their obsession with fame and fortune from doing stunts. I felt more for the women that left their loser husbands after getting fed up with their inability to get their shit together.
Save yourself some time and do a google search or look on Wikipedia for details about past attempts of people going over the falls. Also, there are no pictures in the book. You can find many by doing a simple google search.
The amount of detail, although impressive, was just too much.
When it comes down to it, it's hard to make a hero out of people that literally just sit inside a barrel and hope for the best. There really wasn't any skill involved in the act itself of going over the falls no matter how hard the author tried to make it seem that way. How Red Hill saved people and recovered bodies was far more heroic.
It was mostly just depressing reading about this family's financial, marital, and legal problems. The majority of these problems stemmed from their obsession with fame and fortune from doing stunts. I felt more for the women that left their loser husbands after getting fed up with their inability to get their shit together.
Save yourself some time and do a google search or look on Wikipedia for details about past attempts of people going over the falls. Also, there are no pictures in the book. You can find many by doing a simple google search.
July 2, 2022
I've had this in my reading list for awhile because of my interest in crowd drawing spectacles, but the first time I tried to read it I was turned off by the narrative style. The author attempts to show what real-life historical actors involved in the daredevil stunts of going over Niagara Falls in barrels were thinking and feeling, and I'd assumed this was speculation. However, in preparation for a trip to the falls this summer (I'm leaving my barrel at home), I picked it back up again and gave this story another go. Turns out, this time around I found the writing engaging, and even better, upon finishing the book and checking out the acknowledgements and sources, it is clear the author was able to approximate thoughts and feelings of the characters based on decades of interviews, firsthand accounts, and personal experiences with a number of people in the book. So, overall I'm glad I was drawn back in. I think I have a better grasp of the personalities of the river people and the book is interesting, informative, and entertaining.
August 13, 2018
I did not know the first person to go over Niagara in a barrel and survive was a woman! This was an interesting history not only of the Falls but of what motivated Daredevils during the turning of the 19th to the 20th centuries. The risks people took were overwhelming - I sure have a healthy respect for Niagara after reading this. And Clarkson's surmising about why people would attempt this, why people would watch, and why the authorities sometimes stopped and sometimes turned a blind eye was fascinating.
The history of the Hill family who both tempted the Falls themselves, but mostly rescued people who both survived and didn't, was also interesting. I had no idea so many people committed suicide by throwing themselves in the Falls- what a way to go! The Falls, the boulders, the eddies and whirlpools - so much horror!
The book presents itself as history - but there is so much imagined dialogue, thinking, and description that it feels more like historical fiction.
The history of the Hill family who both tempted the Falls themselves, but mostly rescued people who both survived and didn't, was also interesting. I had no idea so many people committed suicide by throwing themselves in the Falls- what a way to go! The Falls, the boulders, the eddies and whirlpools - so much horror!
The book presents itself as history - but there is so much imagined dialogue, thinking, and description that it feels more like historical fiction.
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