The Untamed

Dan Barry #1

by Max Brand

The mysterious Whistlin' Dan Barry rides a black stallion named Satan, followed by a wolf dog named Black Bart. Dan has his own problems, but they multiply when he encounters Jim Silent and his outlaw gang. Goodreads

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Adventure, Classics, Historical, Novels, Pulp

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Frederick Schiller Faust (see also Frederick Faust), aka Frank Austin, George Owen Baxter, Walter C. Butler, George Challis, Evin Evan, Evan Evans, Frederick Faust, John Frederick, Frederick Frost, David Manning, Peter Henry Morland, Lee Bolt, Peter Dawson, Martin Dexter, Dennis Lawson, M.B., Hugh Owen, Nicholas Silver

Max Brand, one of America's most popular and prolific novelists and author of such enduring works as Destry Rides Again and the Doctor Kildare stories, died on the Italian front in 1944.

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Untamed is the first of the Whistling Dan Barry books written by Max Brand. Brand is my favorite of the big western authors, so I give that as an immediate caveat. Trigger warning to all those who might be offended by the antiquated language, that to the modern ear may sound misogynistic or racially insensitive. The book is more than 100 years old.

One of the universal aspects of the western milieu is the overt and admittedly skewed morality attached to masculinity. A modern audience might question the almost asinine motivations of the characters.

There's a gang led by Jim Silent, and they learn about this man that whistles. They want to test themselves against such a man, who not only is quick with a gun, but travels with a wolf called Black Bart and a wild horse named Satan. In fact, the outlaw gang will divide up the spoils so that everyone can nurture jealousy for Dan. He even has a pretty girl that likes him, and he likes her.

Great characterization, nonetheless. Great storytelling, with action and suspense. Also, a weird ending typical of Brand novels. Still, I really have fun with this type of classic books.

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan 11, 2023, 930pm ~~ Well, I certainly shot myself in the foot back in 2014 when I didn't read this book just because I had read the sequel first. That was a dumb thing to do!

This story is the first of four Brand titles that involve Dan Barry. Back in 2014 I had not discovered Project Gutenberg. I read this book and a few other Brand titles at a site which disappeared at some point either that year or the next one.

I had not known that there was more than one Dan Barry book, but back then I usually did not read any author's works one right after the other. I only started author projects a few years ago. So in those days, when I accidentally read the second Dan Barry book and then started on this one, I didn't want to read it. Nine years can certainly change a lot of tings, reading styles included.

This year Max Brand is one of my reading projects. I won't be going by publication date like I have with other authors, but I will begin with series titles and then the omnibus editions I have, and then the individual titles. And after the series titles, I won't be concentrating exclusively on Brand, I will be bouncing around from project to project.

Now that I've bored everyone with trivia, I will get myself back on track here.

This book introduces us to Dan Barry, called Whistlin' Dan. Dan is not your usual type of man. There is a wildness in him, something dangerous lurking under the surface. And he has a strange bond with a wolf and a wild stallion. He seems to be able to communicate with them just by looking at them. How does he do that? No one knows, they just know that Dan is . . . unusual. And very scary all the time, but especially when angry.

So, take this intriguing if mostly unbelievable man, add a lovely young woman and a band of outlaws, mix thoroughly, and you will find out what happens to Dan because of his unique character. But will it be trouble, heroics, or a little of both?

The story is slightly over the top in some ways, but is very entertaining and I am happy to change that original one star rating (silly me!) to four.

And now I am going to gallop off to start number two in the Dan Barry series!


Jan 9, 2023 ~~ One of my projects for this year is to read (or reread) a pile of Max Brand titles. I've read a few of his but there are tons of others I haven't. I decided to create a list of both print and Gutenberg titles so here we are with the first one! I am not reading Brand by publication date the way I usually do with a one-author project. I will be reading those titles that go together in a series first, then just whichever appeals to me on the day it is time to choose a new book.

And if you are wondering why I am rereading a book I rated with just one star 9 years ago, it's because now I will read the entire Dan Barry series one after the other. I was not reading that way back then and I rated the book solely on already knowing what would happen next. This time I will pay attention and then continue to books 2,3, and 4. I know I don't remember plot details at this point even though I might once I get started reading.

Oh, and I imagine that when I get finished reading, I will most likely change that rating! lol

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Original review from July 2014

I ended up not reading this one since I read the sequel to it first without realizing. I knew what would happen eventually in the lives of the main characters and that spoiled this book for me. Quit as soon as I learned who was who.

[Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the LibriVox recording. Love the prose of Brand and the early authors of western fiction "He says, she says, etc". A very good story and entertaining.

[Cindy DeLong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what to think of the main character, Whistlin' Dan. I was never sure what he was going to do but whatever he did always seemed true to his character. Whistlin' Dan was a very likable character but in a way I felt sorry for him and I always worried about him. I started to be concerned about how the book was going to end. If it ended badly, I was sure that I never wanted to read another Max Brand book again. The book did not end how I expected but the ending fit perfectly. On the downside, I had to work to keep the characters straight because sometimes they were referred to by their first name, sometimes by their last name, and by nicknames, too. I was surprised that the author spoke of werewolves and shape-shifting since these seem to be modern fads and this book was written many decades ago.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning writing.

[READERS RETREAT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book Max Brand is one of the best of the western writers this is a must read for all western lovers

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regardless of what might be considered melodrama, I felt The Untamed (the first of the Whistling Dan Barry novels) was a book that kept me interested and engaged throughout. Unlike a typical Zane Grey novel, Max Brand doesn't delve so much into the setting as he does into the thoughts and lives of the men and women about whom he writes.

As I read about the unusual traits, skills and abilities of Dan Barry, I couldn't help but compare him with Harmonica, the character played by Charles Bronson in Sergio Leone's all time great western, Once Upon a Time in the West. I also couldn't help but think about other literary protagonists such as Zane Grey's Louis Wetzel (The Spirit of the Border), James Fenimore Cooper's Natty Bumppo (The Leatherstocking Tales), Victor Hugo's Jean Valjean (Les Miserables), Robert Louis Stevenson's David Balfour (Kidnapped and Catriona), and many others who seemed to accomplish impossible feats in order to achieve noble goals. And then it came to me that these people were not much different than the superheroes of today's literature. It then became evident to me that mankind has always needed heroes. They give us hope, and inspire us to do better. In any case, The Untamed was, overall, a fun book to read in a, more or less, fantastical west that probably never existed. I will certainly read more books by this author.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brand is a skilled writer and he uses words well but this is just too melodramatic and the character a bit absurd, despite being an interesting concept.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this story, it had a little bit too much supernatural about it. It's supposed to be a straight western, but Whistling Dan is just too unusual.

[Éric Kasprak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a Max Brand western. Obviously I've heard about his tremendous contribution to the genre. But my preference in western reading is usually stories with action packed, graphically violent gunfights and hard edge characters and Max Brand westerns did not seem to fit those criteria. Still, for whatever reason, I decided to read The Untamed and was totally floored! There is an eerie quality to the story that is unmatched by anything I read before. Brand writing style is definitely unique and very high quality for the genre. I read that he detest his success in the western pulp genre and only did it to pay the bills and that he wanted instead to be reorganized for his poetry. Well, Peter Sellers loathed his inspector Clouseau role, foreigner did not want to record "I want to know what love is" so what do they know... I think that the poetry aspiration of Max Brand really dictates the style and quality of his writing style, but also the composition of his stories. The Untamed is more concern with telling and good adventure tale than having a high action set piece and it is better for it. I'm so glad that I finally discover the western of Max Brand and will be reading many of them in the future.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Barry is an unusual man, or is he a man? He seems to have other-worldly characteristics that help him protect and avenge those around him. He is the superhero of the old west. He appears to be a mild-mannered, child-like young fellow who is sheltered from the goin's on down in town and the new saloon. His adopted family wants to shelter and protect him. Little do they know he has powers and abilities from which the saloon should be sheltered.

I like Max Brand. His old-style writing of 100 years ago is unlike today's modern writing. He is much more eloquent and verbose. He provides details that many of today's modern writers would gloss over. I'm not sure what to think of Whistlin' Dan Barry, but I'm intrigued enough to read more so I can find out if he is man or beast.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange and fast-paced Western with almost no historical ambience: it feels purely mythical, a new type of mythology, and that's precisely the effect that Brand was aiming for. This is the first of the four 'Dan Barry' novels and it launched Brand on his incredibly prolific career. There are absurdities aplenty, coincidences and odd jarring effects, but somehow they don't interfere with the sheer forceful drive of the story, which occasionally veers into genuinely eerie territory. The reader is left with the suspicion that Dan Barry isn't fully human. As for the villains: Jim Silent is intimidating and deadly and his gang consists of differentiated individuals, some of whom even occasionally resist the murderous inclinations of their leader. A thoroughly enjoyable read...

[L J Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was Max Brand’s first great success. It is the first of four books starring Whistling Dan Barry. It is an unusual western with the lead character having some characteristics of a werewolf. It is a very enjoyable book, though almost fantasy when matched against the writing of westerns today. For example, a woman is kidnapped by a bloodthirsty band of outlaws. And none of them even think of molesting her in any way. Of course, this was written in about 1920 and if Brand had told the reality of men outside the law, it probably wouldn’t have been published. I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max Brand was one of about 10 pen names used by Frederick Faust. This book was published in 1919 and was the first in a series of Dan Barry westerns. Pulp westerns like this one could be sappy and cliche-ridden, but Faust wrote well. He was also the creator of Dr. Kildare.
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It is interesting to think that this book was written only 20 years or so after the end of the times it is written about, but we still read westerns 120 years later. Also, the most accurate accounts are probably those that were written later, not the ones written in 1919.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An MB. Colorado Western Action Adventure (TU)

MB. has penned a Colorado western action adventure titled, "The Untamed" which begins with a young man arriving at a ranch many miles from the nearest town, called Elkhead, Colarado. The owner of the ranch convinces the young man to stay. He believes the young man, he wolf and black stallion will be safe. The young man enters manhood with a placid attitude, but cannot seem to get along with bad people. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an oldie. Circa 1919, The Untamed is the book that put Max Brand on the map.

Featuring a horse named Satan and a dog (or wolf) named Black Bart, you just know this is going to be groovy. It also features one of the most intriguing protagonists in early Western fiction. "Whistling Dan" is unassuming and endearing. At least, so it would seem. Anger him, however, and he turns into a feral maniac (for lack of a more succinct description). He also appears to have a special connection with animals, which makes for some really interesting plot dynamic.

[J.L. Rallios · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good Western yarn in which Whistlin' Dan Barry avenges himself on a long rider named Jim Silent (leader of a gang of cutthroats and robbers). Dan is a mysterious untamed figure of a man with uncanny speed and accuracy with both his hands and his guns. He is also more of a part of nature than of man, having a connection with his wolf-pet Black Bart and wild stallion Satan. A bit over dramatic and the story was pretty straightforward, but it was worth the read.

[Tiffany Petitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. It kept me invested throughout, though I was having a hard time balancing the fantastical elements with the conflict. It didn't break the world, or the relationships, but it was an element unusual enough to where I'd have liked the protagonist to actually address it himself at some point.
That may be nit-picky, but I'm trying to work through why it didn't quite work as well as it could have.

[Jeffrey Gallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whistlin Dan Barry, with his pet wolf, Black Bart, and his wild horse, Satan, whom only he can ride, is one of the classic pulp characters. Sort of a foreunner to the Incedible Hulk, Dan's eyes turn yellow when he's angered. When he's attacked and made to taste his own blood, Dan cannot rest till he exacts revenge.

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

Completely illogical plot and characters. To read early, classic western fiction read The Virginian by Own Wister or The Big Country by Donald Hamilton. Or pick up anything by Zane Grey, Brett Harte, A. B. Guthrie, Jack Schaefer, Conrad Richter, or Eugene Manlove Rhodes.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful listening 🎧
Due to eye issues and damage from shingles Alexa reads to me.
Another will written western adventure by Max Brand. I would recommend to readers of westerns. Enjoy the adventure of reading 2021

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

more romance than western

The book was more romance than a western. This book could be set in any period without changing much. It is well written, but to much boy, girl and the mixed up relationship between them.

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Western read from this author and I thought it was just OK. I’ve read many and felt this was in the middle of the pack or the lower end. I will try the next one in the series and see how it goes.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Barry, along with a black stallion named Satan, and his dog Black Bart,really more of a wolf are headed for trouble with outlaws in this thriller.

[Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Close to Zane Gray, the best Western writer. Max Brand really can tell a good story.

[John Lietzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of "The Untamed" by John Lietzke

Like other western books I Iiked this to too. I rated this book by giving it four stars. The story had good ending!

[Jim Peplinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Classic
Many twists. A little confusing. Quiet guy gets beat up by a bully, is scorned by everyone and ends up cleaning up the bad guys.
A classic.

[Joseph Baiocco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whistlin' Dan Barry is one interesting character. Can't wait to complete the trilogy.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot not love the adventure, good vs evil, romance. Great characters both two footed and otherwise.

[Randal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Brand's first novel, originally published in 1919.