A Breed Apart: A Novel of Wild Bill Hickok

by Max McCoy

This exciting historical account paints a vivid portrait of the life of Wild Bill Hickok, from his first showdown at the age of twenty-four, to the legendary events in Springfield, Missouri, that made him a legend in his time. Original.

Genres: Westerns

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 7, 2006

About the author

Max McCoy is an award-winning journalist and author. He’s won awards for his reporting on unsolved murders, serial killers, and hate groups. In addition to his daily newspaper work, Max has written for publications as diverse as American Photographer, True West, and The New Territory. He’s the author of four original Indiana Jones adventures for Lucasfilm/Bantam and the novelization of the epic TNT miniseries, Into the West. His novels, including Damnation Road, have won three Spur awards from the Western Writers of America. His novels, Hellfire Canyon and Of Grave Concern, have also been named Kansas Notable Books by the state library. He's a tenured professor of journalism at Emporia State University, in east central Kansas, where he specializes in investigative reporting and nonfiction narrative. He's also director of the university’s Center for Great Plains Studies. His most recent book is Elevations: A Personal Exploration of the Arkansas River, from the University Press of Kansas.

Reviews

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed in this novel. The novel felt like a generic Western story with Wild Bill Hickok's name plugged in.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although his given name was James Butler Hickok, history, legend and myth all refer to him as Wild Bill Hickok. Although he did some of the things that have been claimed, his exploits have been greatly exaggerated by Hickok as well as by those that wrote about him. It all starts with precisely how many men he killed, both as a lawman and as a man living on the edge of the law.
This novel is based on some facts, particularly his actions during the American Civil War and his work as a Union spy and a scout. One event in particular stands out, it is the gunfight he had with onetime friend Davis Tutt, where both drew their pistols in what was likely the first “fast draw” form of duel made so popular in the Western video genre.
It is an interesting read, Hickok was a complex man, deadly with a gun and willing to tell the tallest of stories, mostly about himself. Hickok also had many allies in the media when it came to making the tall tales of his exploits even taller. Like many men of western legend, he was sometimes the law and other times the target of legal accusations. I enjoyed it very much, it encapsulates the complexity of the men that fought on and died in the American frontier.

[Janna Odenthal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good Western, but I think I've been spoiled by author Jane Kirkpatrick. While I was hoping for more of a historical fiction Western book, this is more similar to a dime-a-dozen Western. Nothing against the author. His writing style was excellent, and I would recommend this for those who like quick read Westerns. Just not my style at this time.

[Amy Byers]

I love this book. It seems realistic just a great book!!!

[Trent Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed at Pulp300...

http://pulp300.wordpress.com/2012/11/...

[Ayny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing.