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The Pistoleer
Relates the wild days of Wes Hardin through the voices of those who encountered him during the 42 years of his life: friends and enemies, kinfolk and strangers, lawmen and outlaws, gamblers and fancy ladies.
397 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
136 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
James Carlos Blake
22 books210 followersJames Carlos Blake was an American writer of novels, novellas, short stories, and essays. His work has received extensive critical favor and several notable awards. He has been called “one of the greatest chroniclers of the mythical American outlaw life” as well as “one of the most original writers in America today and … certainly one of the bravest.” He was a recipient of the University of South Florida's Distinguished Humanities Alumnus Award and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 6, 2023
Review to follow
February 5, 2017
Look.
I'd rather milk a mule than read another goddamn page of this thing.
If you like your Westerns with a patina of literary/historical high-mindedness then this is your bowl of quail.
Not mine.
I can appreciate the author's talent but I can't read anymore of this particular novel.
3 stars because he's a swinging dick, well-received, big shot author of some esteem.
July 9, 2022
I'd first heard of John Wesley Hardin from those old Time-Life Books tv ads where I was told he "was so mean, he once shot a man just for lookin' at him". I'd picked up a good biography of Hardin earlier this year which I really enjoyed, and wanting to read something by James Carlos Blake, chose this one. It was surprising to find the events in this "novel" mirroring those in that nonfiction work. So in a way it felt like a re-read, but an especially entertaining one this time hearing the stories of "The Pistoleer" voiced by a wide variety of narrators. Since I'm an East Texan and have lived in other regions of the state, mentions of little towns, creeks, geographic landmarks, even certain streets and buildings I've known were an added thrill. My podunk hometown was even mentioned.
Minus a point for it being a bit over-long for me, and for excessive porn- something I dislike (in books & film) - though some of it here was funny.
Minus a point for it being a bit over-long for me, and for excessive porn- something I dislike (in books & film) - though some of it here was funny.
May 7, 2012
I'm all for any novel that has at least one guy per chapter getting his brains knocked out the back of his head by a Colt .44 slug. This is one viscerally violent, action-packed "literary" western. James Carlos Blake uses the form of the oral history to tell the story of "the most feared mankiller in Texas," John Wesley Hardin. Each chapter takes on a different narrator and a different impression of Hardin. Some see him as a postwar hero, others as a vicious, rabid killer. Some admire him, others fear him. Lawmen, whores, ranchers, innocent bystanders, saloon rats, a muckraker named Peckinpah, anyone who has the fortune/misfortune to cross paths with Wes Hardin takes a turn telling the story. If there's one flaw to the novel, it's that at the end, the reader has no clearer understanding of the man behind the fast draw. Who was Wes Hardin the person? How do you reconcile the loving, fiercely loyal family man with the reptilian, thrill-seeking murderer? Was he a sociopath sporting different masks, or was he caught up in a legend that grew too big to handle? It's hard to tell whether the ambiguity is the result of the novel's form and the outsiders' POV or whether Blake couldn't quite grasp his "hero." Or maybe there's no insight to be had. Maybe Hardin was unknowable. Whoever he was, his exploits, factual or embellished, make for a blistering good read. Disappointingly, he never kills a man just for snoring.
September 15, 2008
Blake's first novel, unless I'm much mistaken, and perhaps his most creative, its subject and delivery are as masterful and rough as a confident whiskey shot. A historical must, even for the most diligent and devoted historian.
October 18, 2014
John Wesley Hardin, In All His Bloody, Ugly Glory
John Wesley Hardin was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a 'good person'. As part of a generation of young southern males who were too young to join the Confederate Army, but old enough to strap on a gun when the insults and injustices of Reconstruction became too much to bear. Jesse James was another one of these Rebels-born-too-late; for many of them, guilt over missing the War - while older brothers, cousins, fathers, and friends fought and died, while entire cities were put to the torch - had to be channeled into hatred, redirecting outward the flames that threatened to consume them. In the early years after Lee's formal surrender to Grant at Appomattox in 1965, many bad decisions were made concerning 'Reconstruction'; the use of black soldiers, some of them former slaves, was one of them. Most southerners, even though only a small percentage were slaveholders before the war, saw the presence of black men carrying guns and issuing orders as an unforgivable insult. Belief that blacks were inferior to whites was something taken for granted; on the other side, many of the black soldiers stationed in the former CSA rightfully and understandably despised the whites who would see them dead or back in chains. In such an environment, violence was an inevitability. The Ku Klux Klan was born in this time and place, and so was John Wesley Hardin's career as a killer. James Carlos Blake views the life and legend of America's most notorious anti-hero through the eyes of the people who knew him, structuring his novel like a series of anecdotes told by the many friends, lovers and enemies who passed into and out of his life. He was a complicated man, extremely well read, even becoming a lawyer during a prison stint. Blake refuses to pass judgement, on either Hardin or the fictional/semi-fictional narrators, presenting the ugliest beliefs of the time as honestly as possible. This makes for a powerful and disturbing novel, violent and ugly, but also fascinating; the roots of hatred and violence are never easy things to look upon, but attempting to understand them makes us better for it.
John Wesley Hardin was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a 'good person'. As part of a generation of young southern males who were too young to join the Confederate Army, but old enough to strap on a gun when the insults and injustices of Reconstruction became too much to bear. Jesse James was another one of these Rebels-born-too-late; for many of them, guilt over missing the War - while older brothers, cousins, fathers, and friends fought and died, while entire cities were put to the torch - had to be channeled into hatred, redirecting outward the flames that threatened to consume them. In the early years after Lee's formal surrender to Grant at Appomattox in 1965, many bad decisions were made concerning 'Reconstruction'; the use of black soldiers, some of them former slaves, was one of them. Most southerners, even though only a small percentage were slaveholders before the war, saw the presence of black men carrying guns and issuing orders as an unforgivable insult. Belief that blacks were inferior to whites was something taken for granted; on the other side, many of the black soldiers stationed in the former CSA rightfully and understandably despised the whites who would see them dead or back in chains. In such an environment, violence was an inevitability. The Ku Klux Klan was born in this time and place, and so was John Wesley Hardin's career as a killer. James Carlos Blake views the life and legend of America's most notorious anti-hero through the eyes of the people who knew him, structuring his novel like a series of anecdotes told by the many friends, lovers and enemies who passed into and out of his life. He was a complicated man, extremely well read, even becoming a lawyer during a prison stint. Blake refuses to pass judgement, on either Hardin or the fictional/semi-fictional narrators, presenting the ugliest beliefs of the time as honestly as possible. This makes for a powerful and disturbing novel, violent and ugly, but also fascinating; the roots of hatred and violence are never easy things to look upon, but attempting to understand them makes us better for it.
March 3, 2021
It is not that James Carlos Blake's narrative form is all that radical, instead, what makes The Pistoleer so different and interesting is how he combines that form, of multiple perspectives, with dialog that captures the era and the region. And within the dialog, he successfully gives expression to varied voices that are distinct and individual. Granted, he begins to fail a bit on this point towards the end, but for the most part, the separate narratives also stand as separate characterizations. Additionally, with the multiple narrations, Blake also allows the perspective not only to change on John Wesley Hardin but on the other narrators as well, as they, too, comment and interact with each other.
There is also the matter of the content. As to be expected of any novel that took on the life of Hardin, The Pistoleer depicts a time and place that is bloodthirsty and violent. It's a picture of Texas after two revolutions, one being Texas' successful separation from Mexico, and the other being the failed secession of Texas and the Confederacy from the United States. Hardin is almost a symbol of the era: chaotic, fearful, narcissistic, hot tempered, and violent. A point reinforced with the fictional narrator of the last chapter, Sam Peckinpah. The real Sam Peckinpah's film, The Wild Bunch, was a sentimental bloodbath sympathetic to outlaws and outlawry. Blake achieves much the same with his, ultimately, sympathetic portrait of Hardin.
There is also the matter of the content. As to be expected of any novel that took on the life of Hardin, The Pistoleer depicts a time and place that is bloodthirsty and violent. It's a picture of Texas after two revolutions, one being Texas' successful separation from Mexico, and the other being the failed secession of Texas and the Confederacy from the United States. Hardin is almost a symbol of the era: chaotic, fearful, narcissistic, hot tempered, and violent. A point reinforced with the fictional narrator of the last chapter, Sam Peckinpah. The real Sam Peckinpah's film, The Wild Bunch, was a sentimental bloodbath sympathetic to outlaws and outlawry. Blake achieves much the same with his, ultimately, sympathetic portrait of Hardin.
May 17, 2009
Excellent. If you like Cormac McCarthy, or Peter Matthiesen's Killing Mister Watson (which this book resembles, since Hardin's story is told through a variety of voices), you should enjoy The Pistoleer. Similar to Jesse James, Hardin was a product of the violent post Civl War era in Texas. But unlike James, Hardin was no robber. He could however shoot -- and with extreme accuracy (often right into an enemy's forehead or eye). The Hardin that emerges from Blake's version is young and prideful, but also loyal to friends and family. Still, Hardin's luck only lasted so long. Prison, and loss of a family he dearly loved, would turn the gunfighter into a lonely man out of touch with a rapidly changing world. His end, despite an admirable attempt at self reform (he became a lawyer), is totally bound up in the way he lived his life.
August 23, 2021
*Sigh*
This left me pining for dangerous and dusty border towns and the rough and rowdy outlaws that inhabited them...
JCB has an undeniable knack for recreating the people and times of the wild west and I can't get enough of his transportive magic. This has been on my TBR list for a while. I recently heard from my Army son that he will be stationed in El Paso in a few weeks. I did some reading on the city to see if there was anything I'd be interested in seeing if I ever went to visit him. Concordia cemetary came up and boasted to be the burial place of John Wesley Hardin. That got me excited!!
John Wesley Hardin has been hailed as the most prolific "mankiller" in the US at the time. He was wanted in numerous states and had the law after him for most of his free life. He was unrivaled in the quickdraw. Everyone knew of him and everyone feared him. He was callous, vengeful, and violent. I was rooting for him for the entirety of the book. How can you not? JCB is excellent at creating sympathy for the devil (see my review of Wildwood Boys). Yes, the author unabashedly romanticizes a violent villain, and yes, I unabashedly loved it.
My only gripe is how the story is told, specifically, the chapter setup. Each chapter is a different person telling their little piece of the story as it relates to him/her and John Wesley Hardin. I just could not keep up with who was who and eventually didn't even bother to try. I was reading each chapter without really knowing who exactly it was that was "talking". Honestly, it didn't necessarily detract from the telling of the story. Most were inconsequential persons that could have had their part of the story told without naming them specifically.
This is my second James Carlos Blake book (Wildwood Boys is probably one of my favorites OAT) and I am already a die-hard fan. Gonna have to read everything by him...
This left me pining for dangerous and dusty border towns and the rough and rowdy outlaws that inhabited them...
JCB has an undeniable knack for recreating the people and times of the wild west and I can't get enough of his transportive magic. This has been on my TBR list for a while. I recently heard from my Army son that he will be stationed in El Paso in a few weeks. I did some reading on the city to see if there was anything I'd be interested in seeing if I ever went to visit him. Concordia cemetary came up and boasted to be the burial place of John Wesley Hardin. That got me excited!!
John Wesley Hardin has been hailed as the most prolific "mankiller" in the US at the time. He was wanted in numerous states and had the law after him for most of his free life. He was unrivaled in the quickdraw. Everyone knew of him and everyone feared him. He was callous, vengeful, and violent. I was rooting for him for the entirety of the book. How can you not? JCB is excellent at creating sympathy for the devil (see my review of Wildwood Boys). Yes, the author unabashedly romanticizes a violent villain, and yes, I unabashedly loved it.
My only gripe is how the story is told, specifically, the chapter setup. Each chapter is a different person telling their little piece of the story as it relates to him/her and John Wesley Hardin. I just could not keep up with who was who and eventually didn't even bother to try. I was reading each chapter without really knowing who exactly it was that was "talking". Honestly, it didn't necessarily detract from the telling of the story. Most were inconsequential persons that could have had their part of the story told without naming them specifically.
This is my second James Carlos Blake book (Wildwood Boys is probably one of my favorites OAT) and I am already a die-hard fan. Gonna have to read everything by him...
December 29, 2020
I may have found my new favorite author. Loved this book. Raw, rough, real. Captured the early days of Texas post-civil war and bad blood between Texans and union occupiers and carpetbaggers.
The book did a great job of showing how and why native Texans who were generally poor and powerless admired and later practically hero worshiped Hardin and his reputation as a gunman. Is was usually their sole brush with fame and/or celebrity in their dreary lives.
Written as accounts from various eye-witnesses, associates, lawmen, etc, this historical novel was genius. Highly recommend this book.
The book did a great job of showing how and why native Texans who were generally poor and powerless admired and later practically hero worshiped Hardin and his reputation as a gunman. Is was usually their sole brush with fame and/or celebrity in their dreary lives.
Written as accounts from various eye-witnesses, associates, lawmen, etc, this historical novel was genius. Highly recommend this book.
October 21, 2013
A very entertaining read about John Wesley Hardin, told in the first person by a number of narrators who were present at the various events in the Texas gunfighter's life. Blake is an artist at giving multiple characters their own unique voice. Two thumbs up for this author. If you enjoy westerns, based in fact, but not the usual "horse opera," then give James Carlos Blake a try.
October 29, 2020
The Pistoleer is James Carlos Blake's first novel and ironically it is the last of his books that I have finally gotten the chance to read. I like historical fiction and stories about the old west. Among my favorite authors are Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry along with James Carlos Blake. Now I have read all of his books with the exception of his latest Wolfe family novel "The Bones of Wolfe".
The "Pistoleer" did not disappoint and was different in Blake's usual style of writing in that it was written as though he was the editor of an assemblage of the remembrances of John Wesley Hardin by a number of people, some real and some fictional. This device manages to make even the fictional accounts read like facts. Of course any account of a legendary gunfighter like Hardin will resound with exaggeration including Hardin's own autobiography. Even so, I came away feeling that I knew at least a little bit more about this character from the old West and certainly some more Texas history. It is interesting to me that Texas was still this wild in the late 1800's, but then I recall that some of my ancestors were living in Cherokee County in the 1840's and relocated to Hamilton & Mills County in the 1880's at which time they were still subject to Comanche raids!
The "Pistoleer" did not disappoint and was different in Blake's usual style of writing in that it was written as though he was the editor of an assemblage of the remembrances of John Wesley Hardin by a number of people, some real and some fictional. This device manages to make even the fictional accounts read like facts. Of course any account of a legendary gunfighter like Hardin will resound with exaggeration including Hardin's own autobiography. Even so, I came away feeling that I knew at least a little bit more about this character from the old West and certainly some more Texas history. It is interesting to me that Texas was still this wild in the late 1800's, but then I recall that some of my ancestors were living in Cherokee County in the 1840's and relocated to Hamilton & Mills County in the 1880's at which time they were still subject to Comanche raids!
December 24, 2022
A (Fictional) Oral History Of A Western Legend
James Cameron Blake has written an entertaining biography of John Wesley Hardin using the fictionalized voices of those who knew him. I'm no historian, so I can't vouch for the truth of what he's written, but it sounds like an accurate account of what life was like in Texas in the late 1800s and the things Hardin did at that time. By using a number of different narrators, Blake keeps the story moving along quickly. It's a fascinating story and paints what seems to be a realistic picture of post-Civil War Texas, filled with gunfighting, gambling, whoring, and general bad behavior. Be aware that Hardin and his compatriots were Confederates through and through, so if you don't care for sympathetic portraits of men like that, this may not be the book for you. That said, these men and the things they did are presented as they happened, and you need not agree with them to simply take this as an imaginative history of that era.
James Cameron Blake has written an entertaining biography of John Wesley Hardin using the fictionalized voices of those who knew him. I'm no historian, so I can't vouch for the truth of what he's written, but it sounds like an accurate account of what life was like in Texas in the late 1800s and the things Hardin did at that time. By using a number of different narrators, Blake keeps the story moving along quickly. It's a fascinating story and paints what seems to be a realistic picture of post-Civil War Texas, filled with gunfighting, gambling, whoring, and general bad behavior. Be aware that Hardin and his compatriots were Confederates through and through, so if you don't care for sympathetic portraits of men like that, this may not be the book for you. That said, these men and the things they did are presented as they happened, and you need not agree with them to simply take this as an imaginative history of that era.
February 12, 2017
a very interesting read, and while written from interesting perspectives (each chapter is written from a different person's perspective-people who were supposedly around when the current events were taking place), it got a little frustrating to continually have to refocus myself for every new chapter. on top of this (building off of the changing perspectives) mini stories of side characters were told. if I were a huge old West fan I would have been elated to learn so much. as it is, I've really only heard of Hardin from my husband and have no clue if these side characters were even real people. because of that, large portions of the book were pretty dry. very very well written.....just overall not really my area of interest, which honestly made me a little sad. a good book wasted.
March 19, 2020
This novel, about legendarily homicidal Texas outlaw John Wesley Hardin, is ridiculously fun. Each chapter is told first-person from the perspective of someone who knew Hardin, either as a friend, an enemy, a lover, etc, making each chapter feel like it’s own self-contained short story.
Keep in mind, this is most definitely not your granddad’s hoss opera. There are some extremely graphic depictions of violence and sex, but to me these add to the realism...somewhat. This is a first novel, and so Blake sometimes tries a little bit too hard with the love scenes. But this is a minor flaw; overall this book is richly authentic and a showcase for how good of a writer Blake actually is.
If you like westerns with a historical/biographical twist, check this out. You will not be disappointed.
Keep in mind, this is most definitely not your granddad’s hoss opera. There are some extremely graphic depictions of violence and sex, but to me these add to the realism...somewhat. This is a first novel, and so Blake sometimes tries a little bit too hard with the love scenes. But this is a minor flaw; overall this book is richly authentic and a showcase for how good of a writer Blake actually is.
If you like westerns with a historical/biographical twist, check this out. You will not be disappointed.
January 5, 2020
This is a great book if you are interested in John Wesley Hardin, in which case you will learn probably more than you wanted to know. I really enjoyed the book until I got about halfway through, when it became kind of repetitious or something. The book features interview-like monologues with people who supposedly knew or came in contact with Hardin, but I don't now if any of them are real people. Certainly the monologues are not. I think it is based on true events and you get an idea of what his life was like. I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 because I thought it was too long and I didn't believe that Hardin could be constantly the best at everything he did, all the time.
November 9, 2020
Blake wisely chooses a historical figure in this, as the number of killings and run of luck would strain credulity if Hardin was fictional. He wisely couches this story in accounts by various people who knew Hardin along his journey, giving the reader unreliable narrators praising or condemning a character that would have otherwise been much less sympathetic. The drawback of this is that while Blake fairly effectively duplicated the writing style of the era, it felt a bit monotone after a while and wore out the novelty a bit.
September 25, 2017
I loved the language in this book, the setting was richly-drawn, and there were fine supporting characters. I put it down halfway through though. I had to. The main character was insufferable. He was the best at everything. The best rider. The best roper. The best shooter. The most charming with women. Best lover. Hardest-working farmer. Most skillful and lucky gambler. Blake's Hardin is just so damned wonderful at everything he starts to get boring.
February 22, 2020
Excellent!
An excellent story of the life of John Wesley Hardin. I liked the unique format. Each chapter is told by a different person, their personal experiences with Hardin, kind of like a documentary film. How much of the material is historically accurate is anybody's guess, but it is definitely a believable look at the days of "kill or be killed" . Well worth the read. Bravo, Mr. Blake!
An excellent story of the life of John Wesley Hardin. I liked the unique format. Each chapter is told by a different person, their personal experiences with Hardin, kind of like a documentary film. How much of the material is historically accurate is anybody's guess, but it is definitely a believable look at the days of "kill or be killed" . Well worth the read. Bravo, Mr. Blake!
November 28, 2021
This was a remarkable book. I loved the tie-in of the personal stories. I thought it was very interesting. I also found it exciting and adventurous. I'd definitely recommend it to someone who can appreciate the history and the time in which the book takes place in. It may be shocking to some weak minded or close minded individuals. John Wesley Hardin is definitely one of my favorite outlaws. Yee-haw!
June 22, 2019
This book was written in a style that I have never read before. It looks at John Wesley Hardin from the perspective of all the people he ever interacted with in his life. The author chose a difficult style to read and follow. I cannot say it is biographical in nature but it is historical in that he was a real person.
September 3, 2020
Fills the historical outline of a legend.
The book closely follows the facts of John Wesley Hardin’s life. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different person who interacted with Hardin. It felt like you just missed him and the narrator was relaying a recent experience. Very well done.
The book closely follows the facts of John Wesley Hardin’s life. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different person who interacted with Hardin. It felt like you just missed him and the narrator was relaying a recent experience. Very well done.
November 27, 2021
Entertaining and riveting
I enjoyed this account of John Wesley Hardin’s life immensely, though it is hard to know how much is truth and how much fiction. I found the use of supposedly first-person accounts to tell the tale effective and engaging. I highly recommend this book.
I enjoyed this account of John Wesley Hardin’s life immensely, though it is hard to know how much is truth and how much fiction. I found the use of supposedly first-person accounts to tell the tale effective and engaging. I highly recommend this book.
January 24, 2023
I liked the fact each chapter was from a different character's point of view. Also, a lot of the book was set in East Texas so that was interesting to me. I kept googling places and people I was reading about since it was a historical book. I do plan to read some more by this author.
November 15, 2023
The story was okay but went on forever. Each chapter, and there were too many, was told by a different person. I understand the author wanted the reader to get a perspective of Hardin from many different people but I think it could have been shortened considerably and still make a good story.
May 25, 2024
It's very interesting device to tell this story from the vantage of people who knew John Wesley Hardin. What made it more interesting is that the more they told his story he still remained quite the mystery.
February 19, 2025
#2 Second Time
Even better.
#1 True
I loved it.
You can take my word for it that it is 100% true.
All history books should be written like this -- cut out the middle-liars.
Even better.
#1 True
I loved it.
You can take my word for it that it is 100% true.
All history books should be written like this -- cut out the middle-liars.
February 2, 2019
True or not, this book looks at the life of John Wesley Hardin in the wild days of the old west and is compelling.
August 27, 2020
DNF
Super man of the old west. It got old quickly.
Super man of the old west. It got old quickly.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews