Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Untamed | 1919 | Max Brand | Buy |
| 2 | The Night Horseman | 1920 | Max Brand | Buy |
| 3 | The Seventh Man | 1921 | Max Brand | Buy |
| 4 | Dan Barry’s Daughter | 1923 | Max Brand | Buy |
The Dan Barry series was Max Brand’s first major Western work. The Untamed, published in 1919, introduced a character unlike the typical cowboy hero. Dan Barry is a strange, quiet man raised outside of normal society, more comfortable with animals than people. He has a preternatural calm that breaks into explosive violence when threatened, and his bond with his wolf-dog Black Doone and horse Satan gives the books an almost mythic quality.
The series continued with The Night Horseman, The Seventh Man, and Dan Barry’s Daughter. Each book deepened the conflict between Barry’s wild nature and the pull of human relationships, particularly his love for Kate Cumberland. Brand wrote the Dan Barry novels early in his career, and they show his ability to mix straightforward Western action with something stranger and more atmospheric. These four books are often considered among his best work.