Wildfire

by Zane Grey

The red stallion did not appear to be hurt. The twitching of his muscles must have been caused by the cactus spikes embedded in him. There were drops of blood all over one side. Lucy thought she dared to try to pull these thorns out. She had never in her life been afraid of any horse. Farlane, Holley, all the riders, and her father, too, had tried to make her realize the danger in a horse, sooner or later...

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Horses, Classics, Romance, Historical Fiction, Adventure

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Pearl Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. As of June 2007, the Internet Movie Database credits Grey with 110 films, one TV episode, and a series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater based loosely on his novels and short stories.

Reviews

[Gary Sites · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Twice he had seen Wildfire, but only at a distance. Then he had resembled a running streak of fire, whence his name, which Sloan had given him.”

When I finish a Zane Grey novel, I think, This is my favorite! It is no different this time. I’ve read 18 of them now, and I haven’t run across a dud yet.
Number five on the best seller list of 1917, “Wildfire” is a novel for folks who love horses. Although there are plenty of horses in Grey’s other westerns, this one stands out in that the horses are as much a part of the story as the humans. Anyone who has ever spent any time around horses will recognize and relish the characterization that Grey lovingly presents of these wonderful creatures.
This is one of Grey’s “complete” novels. We get our love stories--between man and woman, man and horse, woman and horse, and father and daughter. There’s the usual beautifully written descriptions of nature. Add to these the exciting actions of a man chasing a wild horse, a kidnapping, a horse race, and a fantastic conclusion, and you have a romance/adventure novel that is difficult to put down.

[Daniel Villines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this Zane Grey book while visiting Virginia a few years back and immediately thought of the wisdom, kindness, and practicality that was portrayed by Colonel Potter in the TV series M*A*S*H. While I do enjoy the occasional black-and-white western, the genre has typically not been a place where I look for insightful writing on the human condition. Colonel Potter, however, loved Zane Gray and the character of Colonel Potter exhibited a straightforward dedication to truth and virtue. With this in mind, Zane Gray became a stone that was yet unturned.

Reading Wildfire was simply a fun experience. The story was indeed a “black-and-white western,” but truth and virtue were its central themes. The story was told simply and the plot was not very complicated, but the themes that permeated the book were founded in the best and worst parts of human nature. Love and hate, greed and charity, condemnation and forgiveness, were all present and they were presented in believable proportions. Zane Grey knew life and the character of Colonel Potter knew how out-of-proportion life could become. It is not surprising that Colonel Potter would find comfort in the writings of an author that presented life as it should be.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about obsession. Some obsess to own the fastest horse. Others obsess about having the beautiful daughter of the richest man in the village. This was my first Zane Grey novel. It follows the greed of a man who wants the fastest horse at any cost. He ignores his beautiful daughter and hunts the fastest horse, named Wildfire by his daughter. A big red stallion that hates the man who broke him but loves the girl who saved him. It isn’t much of a Wild West story as much as it is a story of revenge, obsession, and love. Hard to imagine a trained dentist could write such wonderful stories. They will continue to thrive over time.

[Teri-K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see how much this would appeal to romantic horse-crazy young girls. Unfortunately I didn't love horses even when I was a teen ager, so a lot of the story didn't work for me. There is a great deal of lovely description of the Four Corners area and the Colorado River, but the young heroine was too headstrong and wild to appeal to me. Not one of his best.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zane Grey's Wildfire, named after a wild stallion in this novel, is full of majestic scenery, complex characters, and unforgettable episodes including the description of the tracking and capturing of this magnificent animal by the horse hunter, Lin Slone. But that occurrence is only an early part of the story which is filled with bad men, romance, fast paced action, and resplendent descriptions of the four corners area around the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. The final scenes of this book will not be forgotten for some time. What amazes me about this book, as well as many of the other Zane Grey books I have read, is that the stories and the plots still seem to be fresh and original notwithstanding that they were written many years ago. In fact, his stories include action sequences that I have never read in any other book, including most of the hackneyed and turgid literature that seems to be so commonplace today. Sometimes I wonder why I even try to read today's literature, but then I remind myself that someday I will find another Zane Grey, or John Steinbeck, or Victor Hugo or.... I am sure they must be out there somewhere if only I keep looking, which unfortunately finds me slogging through one more vampire book, or dystopian tragedy.

[Rick Shrader]

Well, I finally read a Zane Grey book. Over the years I’ve found that one kind of leisure book I like is the American western. I have also read a couple Louis L’Amour books and I’ve read all of the Harold Bell Wright books. I suppose I like them because they remind me of my childhood on the river with my grandpa. Zane Grey is a good story teller. He obviously had a knowledge of the southwestern states and a love for the land. These stories are set in the horse and buggy western days (this one was written in 1915) and usually involve a good character who is loyal and honest. This story is about a cowboy who caught a wild stallion and named him Wildfire. He fought the bad guys and won the girl. Some things don’t change.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It astounds me that Zane Grey’s WILDFIRE has not received the literary acclaim it rightly deserves. Grey’s skillful depiction of the classic American theme of innocence to experience is masterfully portrayed in the fourfold symbolism of “Wildfire.” These four streams of the untamed mustang, the fiery force of nature, the indomitable spirit of Lucy Bostil, and the saga of the American west are developed and finally converged in the climatic denouement that is exceptionally insightful and particularly memorable.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me a month and a half to read, but I loved every moment of it. A man and his horse. A father and his daughter. A young boy and his love interest. An idiot and his love for a girl he can't have. This story has everything on the backdrop of detailed desert views. There are so many things to like about this story. Some stories are timeless. This is one of them.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered westerns when I was a freshman in college and was drawn to Zane Grey in particular. Wildfire was one of the books I read then and kept. (The edition I have was published in 1917.)

I didn't love it this time around. It's surprising how much it reads like a modern young adult romance. ("You're better than all of them - my rider!" she cried, full-voiced and tremulous. "Lin, you make me love you so - it - it - hurts!" (p. 238) And it is very obsessed with horses, just like all the main characters.

Once the head rancher's daughter is kidnapped by the man he ruined (over horses), it turns into a pretty good story. Grey excels at describing natural landscapes.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 2.5. It had a lot of good parts, but the ending was weak.

[Mojca · Rating 5 out of 5]

***eBook available for free on Amazon***

Lucy Bostil has been a tomboy all her life, riding the most willful horses, doing anything she pleases, more than content with her life, but when she meets Lin Sloan, she learns she hasn't yet lived her life to the fullest.

Sloan has followed the wild horse he's named Wildfire for months and across thousands of miles before he captured him. When Lucy stumbles across him on one of her rides, both man and untamed horse fall for the spirited young woman, but danger is looming ever closer and both man and beast will strike a hard bargain to save the woman they love.


This is far from height of literature, and let's face it, the love story, hidden between these pages, is rather cheesy and not very-well written. I could even say Zane Grey is an acquired taste. A taste that I appreciate.

I don't read his stories for the plots or the romance or the characters. I love his stories for his descriptive narrative style. When I read the scenes with Sloan stubbornly following Wildfire through the desert, the high plains, and the monumental canyons, images rise in front of my eyes as if I was watching a movie. As if I was there.
I rode alongside Lucy that day when she ventured into the valley of monuments and found Wildifire, Nagger and Sloan, I sat beside old man (and utter bastard) Bostil as he watched the first race between Sage Kind and Wildfire, I was there on the arduous trek through the canyons with Lucy and her pursuer, and I trembled as I watched that last race-for-life through the blazing forest.

The story was nice and rather well-written, but merely an ornament to the imagery and descriptions of the vast plains, deep canyons, the roaring Colorado and the fields of sage. The romance and that last few suspenseful chapters were merely a bonus.

[Remo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Típica novela del oeste que fue, viendo cómo siguieron los acontecimientos, precursora de mi pasión lectora de los dos siguientes años, en los que leí unas 400 novelitas del oeste con auténtica fruición, viernes tras viernes. Un vaquero persigue durante días a un potro alazán de espléndida factura y en la lucha final entre ambos quedan los dos afectados, siendo casualmente descubiertos por la hija de un rico ranchero, hija que a continuación se enamorará del vaquero y montará al caballo ganando una importante carrera local. A partir de ahí empiezan a pasar más cosas, pero siempre dentro del entorno controlado de las novelas del oeste. Entretenida.

[Katherine Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in my early teens and still remember it! Always the sign of a good book. Obviously I identified with the young heroine Lucy Bostil at the time, and maybe I was a bit young for the romance side. But I fell in love with the spirited stallion Wildfire, and the scene where Lucy is tied naked by a jealous rival to the back of her father's prize racehorse and sent galloping into the wildfire has stuck with me to this day.

The language might seem a bit dated now, but don't let that put you off. This is an exciting and romantic story.

[Dystopian Mayhem · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like western genre, but the second by second description of the tedious journey to catch a horse is too much for me. I can picture Zane Grey writing everything he saw or did during a camping trip to use it later in his books.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wildfire is one of Zane Grey’s best books about horses. Wildfire is a wild, red Arabian stallion living in Utah’s canyon country. The story about Wildfire is legendary and larger-than-life. Wildfire is the envy of men who are passionate about horses; men who want to capture, dominate, and out-compete others with their fast horses. Also, there is Lucy Bostil, a young woman who is loved by her father and more than one man. Passions run high in the story and sometimes can even drive some men to lose their rational minds over their brutal obsessions with the hard living on their land, with their horses, and with their love for Lucy. Wildfire loves only one human: Lucy. I read the book because I enjoy Zane Grey’s exquisite descriptions of the locations. There are just a few grammar errors in the writing. A geography professor wrote a paper about the geographical locations described in the book; the paper includes a map and color pictures. The author of the paper maps out the journey of Wildfire by using Zane Grey’s descriptions of the country. The paper can be easily found on the internet; just search for: Blake, Kevin. August 2017. The Geography of Wildfire. Zane Grey Explorer pp. 14-19.
Locations: [Arizona: Bostil’s Ford (fictional name for Lee’s Ferry) on the Colorado River, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon; Utah: Sevier Valley, Grand Staircase, Wild Horse Mesa]

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Mr. Grey's better ones in my opinion. This one has a lot of action (and of course lots of description of the canyons, etc.), as well as a romance. The main theme is a rancher who loves good horse flesh so much that he gets carried away and cruel to acquaintances that better him. His daughter saves a horse hunter (Lin Slone) and his horse (Wild Fire); she forms a bond with the horse and rides him in a race against her father's prize animal. Then her father causes a fella to lose his horses just by ignoring his need to ferry them across the river and in retribution he and his son capture the daughter to hold for ransom. Lin Slone saves her but it is a sad ending for his prized horse, Wild Fire.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zane Grey, you are indescribably vulgar. What were you thinking, having half naked people running around on the prarie, and hinting at suggestive behavior wherever you can fit it in? Your audience was much more proper than that when you wrote this drivel. What did you do to literature? What did you do to American moral integrity? Most of all, what have you done to America's upright cowboys? You've made them into oversexed rabble rousers that work on ranches between robberies, murders and illicit encounters. Shame on you, Zane Grey.

[Arska-täti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vanhanajan Amerikan länteen sijoittuva tarina siitä, kuinka eräs karjapaimen tekee kaikkensa pyydystääkseen legendaarisen villihevosorin, Tuliharjan, ja mitä tapahtuu, kun hevonen päätyy muiden, ahneiden lännenmiesten tietoon.

Ihan liian amerikkalaistyylinen kertomus, jotta olisin viihtynyt tämän tarinan parissa. Alun kuvaus siitä, kuinka karjapaimen lopulta saa vangittua Tuliharjan, on kyllä hieno.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several Zane Grey Westerns, and I enjoyed them all (alot). But, that being said this is my favorite. The title refers to the majesty of a wild horse, full of fire, with a coat, the color to match. The horse is the embodiment of the Great West. The xharacters ate larger than life, the energy of this story, full to the brim. Loved this! Highly recommend, if you're new the this genre this is a great place to start :)

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Good Book.

Zane Grey makes the description in his stories so you can feel and see it. This book’s characters were good, would be great with a little more depth to each. The horses stole the story and made you feel like you were riding over the country on them. The story made it seem like the characters only thought about horses or romance. Romance was to much of the story. Read and dream about the horses will bring a smile.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book held my daughter's attention, which is hard for a book to do. We read it together and finished it in a week. The characters were one-dimensional, which we expected. The main female character, Lucy, was strong and not the typical damsel in distress, which was refreshing. For the time period, there wasn't as much problematic language as we thought there would be. The book was filled with action, and we kept wanting to read the next chapter to see what happened.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

one word. AWESOME. When Lucy Bostil saves the life of horse hunter Lin Sloan and his recently caught horse wildfire, she steals his heart. but danger is looming ever closer and both man and beast will strike a hard bargain to save the woman they love. Never read a Zane grey book before. I REGRET NOT EVER HAVING DONE IT BEFORE.

[Rick Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I ever read Zane Grey before it would have been as a boy. I picked this up between other books, and thoroughly enjoyed the simple story, full of stereotypes of quiet misunderstood cowboy and headstrong young girl united in their love of horses, and ultimately, each other. A little florid, but satisfying to read.

[Mwenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerfully descriptive — the detail creates almost a film reel in your imagination. While the characters all fill pretty stereotypical tropes, there are still enough twists to the plot to keep things interesting. Anyone who loves the canyon lands of Arizona and Utah will be particularly drawn to this story and the depictions of that wild, rugged landscape.

[RW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic western adventure. Drifter rolls into town, rancher's daughter takes a shine to him... Throw in a jealous suitor, a few epic horse races, and the river flooding and you've got a raucous good time.

Even though it's not a long book, ZG's writing really helps you get to know the principal characters and the desert town and the surrounding wilderness where the plot unfolds.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat enjoyable western filled with a number of classic tropes of the genre, with a plot about horse traders, horse racers, horse hunters, horse breakers, horse thieves, and a little bit of romance.

[Tim Beauchesne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read to take your mind off other things.....it's the first time I've read a
Zane Grey book but have read a few Louis L'Amour books and found it to be somewhat similar.
I just wished Mr. Bostil had received a severe punishment fitting his crime ....like 10 years jailtime.
However it's only a story and that's the way Zane wanted it to end..so be it....

[ROBERT J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably Zane Grey’s best!

This wonderful book set in the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley is spellbinding!

The excitement of great horse riding, and exceptional Western heroes makes this a timeless masterpiece!

[Grearjess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I found it at a thrift store and it reminded me of the collection my great grandmother used to have. These books don’t age well. It’s a little sexist and very predictable. But it’s an entertaining book that has some sweet moments.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart warming epic adventure with a bittersweet ending. Loved it as always.