THE STRIKER

THE STRIKER

An Isaac Bell Adventure

By JUSTIN SCOTT & Clive Cussler

Berkley Novel

402 pages

Okay, back-story first for those of you unfamiliar with the Isaac Bell series. He was created by popular new pulp writer Clive Cussler in the first book of the series, “The Chase,” with the assistance of novelist Justin Scott. Since that time, although his name always appears on the book’s covers, it is all too clear that these marvelous tales are penned solely by Mr. Scott. And, we might add, we’ve come to enjoy them just as much as Cussler’s own original Dirk Pitt books.

Isaac Bell is the leading investigator for the New York based Van Horn Detective Agency. The son of a wealthy Boston banker, Bell found the life of a banker much too dull and boring for his taste and discovering the excitement and adventure inherent in his chosen professional, quickly became one of the finest investigators at the Agency. In the previous books, all taking place in the early 1900s, Bell’s saga is set against the amazing birth of the industrial age in America. His cases have dealt with the burgeoning empires of transcontinental railroads and the pioneers of early aviation; whereas in this volume, Scott sends us backward in time to one of Bell’s first assignments.

As the book opens, he is disguised as a coal miner in rural West Virginia attempting to learn more concerning the make up of union organizers determined to gain higher wages and safer working conditions for their members. At the same time he begins to suspect that one of the richest Wall Street tycoons is behind a series of sabotage attacks on the mines that have left dozens injured or dead. Someone has hired a cunning agitator to create turmoil between the owners and the workers but to what end he cannot fathom.

As ever Scott’s historical setting is phenomenal and half the fun of reading these exploits. But with “The Striker” there comes a fresh twist in that this mysterious provocateur Bell is chasing is in many ways as skilled and trained as he is. Could it be possible that the man Bell is hunting is another detective? One trained by his own mentor?  And what is the role of the lovely Mary Higgins, the sister of one of the union organizers?  Combining both emotional investments with a mile-a-minute pacing, Scott once again delivers a breath-taking race through history at the same time making it come alive for today’s readers. It isn’t often that a thriller provides us with a genuine glimpse into tragedies and glories that made this country great.

“The Striker” is another great addition to the Isaac Bell series and we’re already anxious for the next one.  Major thumbs up here, loyal readers.

HE-MEN, BAG MEN & NYMPHOS

HE-MEN, BAG MEN & NYMPHOS

Stories by Walter Kaylin

Edited by Robert Deis & Wyatt Doyle

New Texture

283 pages

A little while ago this reviewer had the joy of discovering the fiction world of Men’s Adventure Magazines that proliferated the newsstands of the 50s, 60s and 70s via a wonderful anthology titled, “Weasels Ripped My Flesh.” Amongst the great and wacky stories in that were a few by a writer named Walter Kaylin who the editors claimed was one of the most prolific writers for those magazines.

“He-Men, Bag Men & Nymphos,” is an entire collection of Kaylin’s amazing work with fifteen stories featured within its pages. They represent the entire spectrum of this he-man brand of pulp fiction; from modern day gangsters, to south sea island sirens to western outlaws and surfing assassins. This book has it all making us marvel at the boundless imagination that produced these outlandish tales. There are even a few factual articles mixed amongst them. Of these, the most gripping is Kaylin’s account of the U.S.S Indianapolis and its fate when sunk in the last days of World War II. It is a harrowing tale comprised from documented naval records and survivors’ testimonies.

Going from fact to fiction has no diminishing effects on any of Kaylin’s work, all of it is brilliant and written with a flare, no matter how boring the subject material. Which brings us to the one piece we feel should have been omitted; “The Army’s Terrifying Death Bugs and Loony Gas.” It is dated 1960 and is report on the state of the military’s research into chemical warfare. It is the only piece that doesn’t belong here. But hey, fourteen bulleyes out of fifteen shots is a damn impressive score.

Which is as good a way as any to describe Walter Kaylin’s wrtings. He was a master at his craft of spinning pulp tall tales and the fun he had writing them infects his readers as well. Bravo, Bob Deis and Wyatt Doyle; that’s two homeruns in a row.  Please, keep swinging for the fences. We love this stuff.  

TRIPL3 CROSS

TRIPL3 CROSS

An Eliot Cross Adventure

By John Hegenberger

Rough Edge Press

144 pages

We so love discovering talented writers like John Hegenberger. Although still relatively new to pulp fiction, he has a wonderful, clean, no-nonsense style of writing that is always a pleasure to read. His new spy thriller, set in 1988, captures the feel and essences of the era and the Cold War tensions that pervaded world politics at that time.

His protagonist is Eliot Cross, a small time private-eye operating out of Ohio whose father disappeared two decades earlier. An only child, Cross grew up with the constant question of why had his father had abandoned him and his mother. Her dying wish is for him to find his father who she believes to be in danger. After her passing, Cross files away her request as a hopeless dream. He has absolutely no clues as to where his father might have fled.

When a shady former C.I.A. contact approaches him with the news that his father is actually in Cuba working as a deep-cover agent for the Agency, Cross doesn’t know whether to believe him or throw him out of his office. In the end he travels to C.I.A. headquarters in Washington, where he meets a beautiful operative who unwillingly confirms what ex-spy had alluded to. But when this fellow is gunned down in his hotel room, Cross begins to suspect he’s inadvertently kicked over a hornet’s nest and could be the next the unknown killer’s next target.

Obsessed with learning the truth, Cross manages to make his way to Cuba where he is promptly captured and thrown into jail. Still he manages to extricate himself from one dire situation after another. As he tries to piece together the complex puzzle that is his father’s ultimate fate, he becomes embroiled in a new conspiracy wherein he may be the sacrificial pawn. Death could be his final reward unless he can discover the truth behind a twenty year old secret.

“Tripl3 Cross,” is a small book that packs an awfully big punch. Hegenberger brilliantly captures Cross’ voice and pulls us intimately into his adventure until the very end where he pulls off a dandy O’Henry style twist that had this reviewer crying, “Bravo!” This is a damn good read by a pro.  Spy buffs will not be disappointed.

SEVEN FOR A SECRET

SEVEN FOR A SECRET

A Timothy Wilde Novel

By Linsay Faye

The Penguin Group

451 pages

In 2012 writer Lyndsay Faye set mystery fiction world on its collective rear with the release of her historical mystery, “The Gods of Gotham.” That it went on to receive a Best Novel nominations from the Mystery Writers of America was no surprise to any of the millions of fans who had to read it. In that book we were introduced to two orphaned brothers of Irish immigrant parents, Valentine and Timothy Wilde, both living in New York City in 1845.

The plot of that first story was centered about the creation of New York’s first ever Police Department and related how the brothers, for their own personal reasons, chose to put on the copper star and join this new law keeping body. Shortly thereafter Timothy uncovered the works of a child serial killer and was successful at tracking him down and ending his reign of terror. But his triumph was not without personal sacrifices from the abandonment of the woman he loved and the vicious animus of another who vowed to cause him unending suffering.

“Seven For a Secret,” picks up with Wilde brothers almost a year later. Though missing Ms. Mercy Underwood badly, Timothy has been able to focus his energies on his new career as a detective.  According to Commissioner Matsell, Timothy has a “gift” for solving puzzles which makes him ideal for police work. Soon enough, our hero finds himself caught up in another tragic murder; one that revolves around the heinous practice of slave catching that occurred all too often during this time period. With the advent of the Underground Railroad, more and more slaves fled to northern cities in hopes of making their way to Canada and freedom. Sadly the laws regarding such abductions were vague at best and legal magistrates found themselves unable to determine whether the captured black men and women were actually runaway slaves or northern born free men and women.

When Timothy learns that two black women and a child have been abducted from their home by southern bounty-hunters, he enlists Valentine’s aid in rescuing them. Two days later one of the women is found strangled in Valentine’s apartment and her sister and son once again missing. Ms. Faye weaves a powerful story set against one of history’s ugliest eras, embroiling her characters in the hellish boiling pot of mixed cultures that was New York. As in her previous novel, the city is always a major element in the tale and her ability to capture its people, their language, hopes, dreams and agonizing despair is as skillful as any sculptor shaping a stone figure.

Her command of words is the essence of poetry and we found ourselves relishing each new metaphor that would fly from her imagination. She is a gifted writer with an uncanny sense of time and place…and above all the human condition. If you enjoy solid history mixed with heartfelt drame, you won’t do any better than “Seven For a Secret.” It is a great book!

LADY ACTION – The Sands of Forever

By Ron Fortier

Airship 27 Productions

91 pages

Guest Reviewer – Bob Deis

Ron Fortier has a long and distinguished career as a writer for comics. I’ve been a fan of his work in that realm for years, especially his contributions to the Green Hornet and Terminator series published by NOW Comics. In 2006, Fortier created his own publishing company called Airship 27. At that point, he became a pioneer in publishing “new pulp” novels and story anthologies that are inspired by both classic comics and old pulp magazines.

THE SANDS OF FOREVER is a short novel that has genes from both realms. It features the character Nicola Sinclair, a beautiful, butt-kicking international spy code-named “Lady Action.” Although she comes from the popular Captain Action comics series, you don’t really need to know anything about that series to understand and enjoy THE SANDS OF FOREVER. It’s a self-contained action/adventure romp that takes Nicola to Libya to find another agent who has gone missing. He was searching for the mysterious “Tree of Life” mentioned in the Bible, which was said to have tremendous powers and be hidden somewhere in the Libyan Desert.

The search-and-rescue mission soon turns into a fight for survival. A local, colorfully-evil Arab sheik has also heard of the magical tree and wants it for himself. This leads to a series of bloody fights between Nicola and the sheik’s henchman, a wild car chase through the streets of Tripoli, a race across the desert and a final confrontation in an ancient underground maze of tunnels full of deadly giant scorpions. It’s a fun read with a quick-paced, cinematic style: kind of a novelistic mashup of Lara Croft, Indiana Jones and James Bond with its own unique characters and flavor. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading future Lady Action novels by Fortier.

THE DIGEST ENTHUSIAST - Book Two

THE DIGEST ENTHUSIAST  Book Two

Editor Arkay Olgar

Contributing Editor D. Blake Werts

Larque Press LLC

151 pg

Having really enjoyed issue #1 of this terrific new digest, I was delighted to find # 2 in my mailbox a few weeks ago.  Much like the first volume, this second issue features a wonderful balance of articles, interviews and short fiction.  Being a writer/editor, the latter has particular appeal to me and writers Rudolf Schmitdt, D.D. Ploog, Richard Krauss and John Kuharik all deliver quality tales filled with adventure, horror and fantasy.

After the fiction, the two lengthy interviews with writers Gary Lovisi and Robert Lopresti were excellent; each giving the reader personal insights to the careers of these two talented penmen.  Add articles on Australian crime pulps, an Italian comic named Mister No and various other fascinating pieces and biblio entries and you have a solid package worthy of the best digests of the past.

A hardy applause to the entire editorial crew, writers, artists and designers.  If you aren’t following “The Digest Enthusiast,” you are missing out on a very entertaining title.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH!

WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH!

Edited by Deis, Friedman & Doyle

New Texture

416 pages

Telling you this book is amazing would be perpetuating the biggest understatement of all time.  It is a fantastic collection of over-the-top fiction and articles from those garish, exploitive men’s adventure magazines that proliferated throughout the 50s, 60s and ultimately died in the 1970s.  Chief Editor Robert Deis gives the reader a brief history of this macho movement, connecting it with the post World War II era wherein millions of American veterans came home after having saved the world from the dictatorial evil of fascisms.  They returned home heroes not afraid to challenge whatever the future might throw at them while rebuilding a new, brighter society.

This was the macho nature of times, particularly in the 50s where a John Wayne attitude pervaded both in literature and on the giant silver screen.  So it’s no surprise magazines that lauded brave, he-men protagonist willing to take on overwhelming odds, battle ravenous beasts, and take on tribes of love hungry nymphomaniacs.  It was the age of the tough guys and dozens of publishers eagerly flooded drugstore racks with their fantastic exploits.  Deis makes a solid case that these were the direct descendants of the cheap pulp mags of the 30s and 40s; something he has been extremely passionate about and this collection bears out his theory wonderfully.

What is also startling about this anthology is the caliber of writers it showcases; writers who later went on to earn accolades and awards in the more sophisticated, accepted publications of the times.  Names like Lawrence Block, Harlan Ellison, Mario Puzo and Robert Silverberg all cut their literary teeth writing for these men’s adventure titles thus making them a training school for the best of the best.

Then there are the bogus scientific articles dealing with drugs and sexual proclivities, never mind the outlandish battles with maddened beasts of all types from the cover spotlighted weasels to ravenous snapping turtles and killer-mad monkeys.  “Weasels Riped My Flesh!” not only entertained the hell out of me, it also educated me in the process.  No self-respecting pulp enthusiast should be without this tome.  We tip our fedora to Misters Deis, Friedman & Doyle.  Thanks for the oh-so enjoyable lesson.

THE MEN WHO MADE THE YANKEES

THE MEN WHO MADE THE YANKEES

By W. Nikola-Lisa

Gyroscopebooks.Com

113 pages

This is not the first time we’ve reviewed a non-fiction book in this column.  That is not the relevant note here but rather what the theme of this new review is and our own personal passion.  Let it be known loud and clear, this reviewer is a bonafide Red Sox fan.  Always have been and will die as such.  So what on earth would possess us to read, let alone review a book about the history of the Red Sox’s greatest rivals, the New York Yankees?  Our answer isn’t complicated at all.  We not only love baseball, in all its incarnations, but we are history buffs as well.  Thus when this book was offered to us, there was absolutely no hesitation in requesting a copy.

“The Men Who Made the Yankees,” is a wonderful story filled with little known anecdotes about the real history of America’s favorite pastime.  Chapter after chapter, author Nikola-Lisa sets forth the twisted, often antagonistic, rise of professional baseball in America and completely it was intertwined with the post-Civil War growth of our great nation.  Baseball’s evolution was tied to rising prosperity of its major eastern cites as the industrial revolution came into full force.  As Americans left the 19^th Century agricultural mores of being tied to 18 hour days and through the advent of fantastical new machines found themselves with the treasure of leisure time, sports and theater entertainments mushroomed across the land.

Every “big city” wanted its own baseball team.  Savvy entrepreneurs from all walks of life began to see the money-making potential of professional baseball and leagues began to sprout up like weeds; so many that it was difficult for the average fan to keep up with what players were playing for what teams…in what leagues during the years between 1890 and 1910.  Those twenty years saw the emergence of dozens of teams, ornery managers, colorful club owners and truly gifted ballplayers.

We loved how deftly the author wove his way through this convoluted period while at the same time etching these larger-than-life personalities that would give their blood, sweat and tears to make baseball successful.  He tells the beginnings of traditions, gives us simple factoids such as how the first balls were made from wood and cloth and how their ultimate transformation into the hard spheres we know today would change the entire game fundamentally.  It is these side-line essays that enrich the entire book and make it something truly special.

The long time baseball fan will recognize many of the names in this story whereas the rookie with a pension for understanding history will be equally rewarded by picking up this little book.  As a kid growing up in New England, we fondly remember an old radio sportscaster who would end his show with this phrase, “Next to religion, nothing contributes more to the wellbeing of America than sports.”  “The Men Who Made The Yankees,” has that very same philosophy and to that we simply say, “Amen.”

SHERLOCK HOLMES - Blood to the Bone

SHERLOCK HOLMES

Blood to the Bone

By Andrew Salmon

A Fight Card book.

89 pages

Among today’s writers of New Pulp fiction, two men have risen to the top of their generation’s class in writing new Sherlock Holmes mysteries.  One of these is Canadian Andrew Salmon, the other is British and I’ll let you guess at his identity.  Last year, after having penned a half dozen traditional Homes and Watson tales for Airship 27 Productions best selling series, “Sherlock Holmes – Consulting Detective,” Salmon accepted an offer from Paul Bishop, the creator of the popular Fight Card series, to write a Sherlock Holmes boxing story.  The result was “Work Capital,” one of the finest Sherlock Holmes tales this reviewer has ever enjoyed.  That it went on to be nominated for several publishing awards came as no surprise to anyone who had had the pleasure of reading that novella.

Now Salmon and the Fight Card crew have given us a sequel that is as good, if not better, than its predecessor in “Blood to the Bone.”  Again, as he did before, Salmon digs deep into the history of British bare-knuckles fighting and offers up an amazing plot heavily dependent on the incredible fact that that form of pugilism was not confined to men.  I had never heard of the fairer sex’s participation in this rough and tumble sport and reading through the story was truly amazed at this revelation.  As he did in “Work Capital,” Salmon cleverly puts forth authentic facts and then weaves his elements of fiction around them so that the two become symbiotic.  Thus leaving the reader with both having experienced a wonderful read while at the same time expanding his or her education on the history of boxing.

Eby Stokes and her husband, Richard, are boxers who work for a traveling circus and often fight together in tag-team fashion taking on challengers from the audience, both men and women alike.  When Richard goes missing just prior to their new engagement just outside of London, Eby seeks out the aid of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and his faithful chronicler, Dr. Watson.  Watson is quick to point out that Holmes’ interest in the manly art of fisticuffs was of a scientific nature and he relished any opportunity to study the martial sport and increase his own considerable abilities in that field.

In short order, Holmes and Watson find the missing boxer only to have him snatched away and murdered within a matter of minutes of their locating him.  If Richard Stokes disappearance had piqued the Great Detective’s curiosity, the man’s cruel murder instantly stokes that flame into an obsessive flame.  Having established a warm rapport with the lovely Eby Stokes, Holmes devotes himself to solving the murder and bringing her husband’s killers to justice.  But to do so, he will have to disguise himself as a professional fighter and Eby’s new partner in the circus bouts.  Something dear old Watson objects to soundly.

I’ve always believed that one of the greatest challenges in writing Sherlock Holmes isn’t so much detailing his exploits and understanding Dr. Watson.  All too often, less accomplished writers forget Watson is very much his own man and his relationship with the bachelor sleuth wasn’t always smooth sailing.  Such is the case in this adventure and the contentious head-butting between the two companions is what makes the book especially entertaining.  Salmon channels the stodgy old Afghan veteran brilliantly and in doing so brings us intimately into his tale.  We are spellbound from the first page to the last.

“Blood to the Bone,” is a magnificent addition to the Holmes canon and should be in the library of every Holmes enthusiast in the world.  Yes, it is that good and I honestly believe Conan Doyle would have truly loved reading this book.  I know I did and believe so will you too.  Thanks Andrew Salmon and Fight Club.  This book is a treasure.

DEVOURING WIND

DEVOURING WIND

(Book Two of the Exchange)

By Dale Cozort

Available at Amazon

235 pages

In book one of this series, a huge portion of Illinois was transplanted to an alien world and vice versa.  The people, who chose to remain on that other, more hostile world, tagged it Bear Country.  By the end of that first novel, there were two colonies of humans established in Bear Country.  One made up of good people longing for a simpler, more basic life and eager to recreate the old frontier spirit in themselves.  The other group was escaped convicts from the Illinois State Prison, dozens of hardened murders, thieves and rapists preferring this new savage land rather than return to their incarceration back on our earth.  The book ended with survivor Sharon Mack and her fiancée, government agent Leo West, resigned to the fact that eventually there would be a bloody confrontation with the convicts to resolve which group would ultimately control Bear Country.

With “Devouring Wind,” writer Dale Cozort picks up the story of Bear Country and immediately adds a new wrinkle to his tale, aliens.  Another “exchange” has occurred and this time, rather than transferred another chunk of our familiar earth to Bear Country, the unexplained phenomenon has brought over a piece of land from an alien world.  At its core is an ancient, ruined city buried under a jungle of black vines.  Both the settlers of Fort Egan, the frontier community, and the convicts, under the leadership of Sam Kittle, see the new alien presence as something dangerous; to be studied with extreme caution.

When surveyor drones fly out of those supposedly lifeless buildings and begin scouting both camps, it soon becomes clear some manner of automated alien machinery is still active in the ruins and poses a real threat to all humans in Bear Country.  In the end both sides have no recourse but to form a shaky alliance to explore this alien territory.  All the while several members of the convict town are plotting to overthrow Kittle and take control of Fort Egan.  Sharon, her autistic daughter Bethany, and a former convict named Woody are caught in the middle of these machinations doing their best to keep things together while at the same time solve the mystery of what destroyed the alien city and learn if it is still a viable danger to their own existence.

We’ve read lots of science fiction over the years with alternate world themes but nothing quite like what Cozort has created in this highly imaginative series.  His characters are wonderfully complex and their interactions with one another are the sparks that fire up this storytelling engine.  He mixes human psychology with our understanding of social mores and from this recipe offers up a truly thought-provoking adventure we thoroughly enjoyed.  Hopefully there is a book three on the way.  That would make us very happy indeed.

A SERPENT'S TOOTH

A SERPENT’S TOOTH

(A Longmire Mystery)

By Craig Johnson

Penguin Books

335 pages

First of all, we really wish we could read these in order, but life has conspired against us with this particular series so we plow ahead reviewing whichever is within arms reach at any given day.  Two week-ends ago, we were packing for a flight to Kentucky and wanted a lightweight paperback to read on the plane.  The nearest on hand was this Longmire mystery by the ever reliable Craig Johnson.  We stuffed it in our bag and headed out.

Having read several Longmire mysteries, we’ve only ever found we really didn’t care for.  Not a bad track record and “A Serpert’s Tooth” falls into the positive box in a big way as it delivers all the things we love about this series.  When a runaway teenage boy is discovered in Absaroka County Wyoming, it’s left to Sheriff Walt Longmire and his  team of deputies to uncover the boy’s identity and get him back to his family.  It is soon learned that he escaped from a fanatical religious cult with headquarters in South Dakota.  Upon further investigation Longmire learns that the boy’s mother has gone missing about the same time he popped up in the sheriff’s backyard.

When his routine probes into the church’s history, and past run-ins with the law, start to draw some very reactionary actions from the cult, Longmire soon suspects the group is hiding more than just a body.  Further investigation links the group to former government agents with connections to illegal oil drilling.  Like all good mysteries, this one comes with all sorts of pieces that at the beginning seem totally unrelated; impossible to form into one cohesive image.  But Longmire is tenacious if nothing else.  He’s got an orphan boy on his hands, a possible dead mother and the shady dealings of a cult group that attempts to impede his investigation at every turn.  Then, amidst this convoluted puzzle, a crazy bearded fellow shows up claiming to be a two-hundred years old Mormon gunfighter on a mission for the prophet John Smith.

Johnson’s best stories are those that mix his wry, sarcastic humor with brilliant flashes of intuition that peers into the human psyche like a laser beam.  He mixes dark humor with love and loss so brilliantly, you’ll find yourself reading some of his passages out loud like the poetry they really are.  “A Serpent’s Tooth,” is classic Longmire and honestly, we couldn’t give it any higher praise. 

LIGTHWEIGHT - Senior Year

LIGHTWEIGHT

(Senior Year)

Nick Ahlhelm

Metahuman Press

151 pages

Kevin Mathis is an only child living in a world with superheroes.  He lives in a town called Federation and is about to start his senior year of high school.  Neither a nerd nor a jock, Kevin is pretty much your average American teenage boy.  He has two close friends, Andy, who he has known since childhood and Millie, his neighbor next door. 

As the school year begins, Kevin is plagued by strange dreams in which he is flying while at the same time hearing strange, ominous voices.  Over a period of a few days he discovers he has the ability to move things with his mind; telekinesis.  He gets so good at using this skill he eventually ends up saving the city from a runaway robot and decides to become a masked superhero.  He takes the name Lightweight.  Though he shares his secret with Millie, he still finds having a dual identity a problematic challenge.

Which only gets worse after he is confronted by a hooded figure called the Gray Man who informs Kevin he is actually a pawn in an ancient war between the forces of good, the Eloi, and the forces of darkness, the Morlock.  Yes, they’ve taken their names from the H.G. Wells classic sci-fi novel, “The Time Machine.”

Nick Ahlhelm has a keen awareness youthful awkwardness and insecurity.  Kevin, Millie and Andy come across as believable teenagers all of us have met before.  It is this juggling of life, school and hormones that make Kevin such a fun character.  By the time he meets a sexy, female werewolf named Howl, the book is speeding along like a runaway freight train until it comes to a screeching, cliffhanger finale.  And that, fellow readers, is our one warning in regards to this tome; it is only the first in a series and the ending is by no means the climax.

So if you don’t like continuing series, then you’d best let this one pass.  On the other hand if you enjoy well written superhero fiction that takes a fresh, new look at this familiar genre, then “LIGHTWEIGHT – Senior Year” is something you really should pick up.  It’s a quick and fast read and we enjoyed it a great deal.  Happily, the next one is sitting on our bookshelves and we’ll be digging into it shortly.  Stay tuned.

WHERE STORIES DWELL

WHERE STORIES DWELL

By I.A. Watson

Pro Se Press

204 pages

If you haven’t been paying close attention over the past few years, then it might have escaped you that one of the leading voices in New Pulp Fiction these days is British writer, I.A. Watson.  We can confirm that easily enough by telling you in the past ten years he’s won two of the coveted Pulp Factory Awards for Best Short Story.  The first was for a Sherlock Holmes story and the second for frontier adventure featuring the characters from James Fennimore Cooper’s “Last of the Mohicans.” 

Now that bit of information leads us into this particular volume which is a pure reading light.  You see those Pulp Factory Awards I just mentioned are given out by the internet group on Yahoo called the Pulp Factory; an informal group of New Pulp writers, artists, editors, publisher and fans with a membership numbering 128.  Watson has been a member since its inception nearly ten years ago and he has used this particular internet board to regale his fellow members with entertaining essays covering such a wide range of topics it sometimes boggles the mind.  Let anyone even hint at an odd tidbit found on-line and instantly Watson is putting forth a two page dissertation on the subject, filled with insightful commentary, humor and the most outlandish historical notes once could ever imagine.

Watson’s Pulp Factory essays have rambled freely over such topics as the birth of heroic fantasy and fairy tales; the legend of King Arthur, heroes, the most powerful female monarch in history, how bad guys die, the purpose of using chapters, the dead World War II hero, Hollywood’s misunderstanding of pulps, etc. etc. etc.  Just to name a few of the dozens between these pages.  There’s even an essay explaining the genealogy of British Kings which I confess still confuses me to no end.  But what was crystal clear from the first page to the last was just how much fun this book truly is.

And this is where, as a fellow publisher in the New Pulp field, I humbly tip my hat to Tommy Hancock of Pro Se Press.  While the rest of us were reading Watson’s essays and enjoying them, it was Tommy who had the oh-so brilliant idea of publishing them and producing this remarkable book.  Oh, and if you are wise enough to pick up a copy, there’s a challenge for you in the very cover by Jeff Hayes, which includes an item related to every single essay in the book itself.  Can you pick them all out?

“Where Stories Dwell,” is that rarest of books; on that both amuses and informs at the same time by a writer I’ve come to believe is truly the World’s Last Renaissance Man.

Read it and then tell me I’m wrong.  That’s a safe bet on my part.

THE SPECIALISTS

THE SPECIALIST

By Joel Jenkins & Derrick Ferguson

PulpWork Press

306 pages

In the world of New Pulp fiction, two of the coolest heroes out there are Derrick Ferguson’s Dillon and Joel Jenkins’ Sly Gantlet.  The latter has appeared in several in adventures along with his brothers as they are a world famous rock and roll band who just happen to work for the U.S. Government as a side job.  Whereas Dillon is a globe trotting adventurer much in the tradition of Leslie Charteris’ Saint, only with a lot more punch and swagger.

That these two larger than life heroes would team up for one action packed tale would cause for celebration.  To do so in three tales, as this volume collects, is nothing but sheer pulp action Nirvana. 

In “Dead Beat in Khusea,” our two heroes cross paths in Northern Africa and immediately butt heads over a beautiful Princess who once left Dillon out to dry in a previous adventure.  No sooner do Dillon and Sly start going at each other when the lady in question is abruptly kidnapped by a group of black-clad terrorist and taken to a long hidden Nazi stronghold in the desert mountains.  Their aim is to revive a horrible biological weapon that has lain dormant since World War II and use it to blackmail the rich countries of the world.  The problem is the chemical threat has no antidote and could easily destroy all of mankind if allowed to spread freely.  Now it’s up to our two heroes to find this hidden base, rescue the damsel in distress and save the day.  And that’s just the first story.

“Dead Beat in the Gobi,” has Sly and Dillon fleeing from a Russian military base with the biological weapon they’ve just stolen.  When their helicopter goes down in the frigid wasteland and they open the sealed canister they discover a beautiful woman awakening from a cryogenic nap.  What’s her connection to the biological weapon and how will our two adventurers escape an all out attack by wilderness cannibals hoping to make them the main course of their next meal?

“The Specialists,” is the novella length final entry of the volume and easily one of the most action packed tales we’ve ever read.  It’s pretty much a final swan song to one of the characters as Sly, Dillon and a half dozen other special operatives are sent on a suicide mission into Russia to destroy a munitions factory that has built four electronic pulp generator bombs; any of which could knock out the power grid of any country if denoted in the upper atmosphere.  From its inception the mission is plagued with mishaps until it is obvious to our two central characters that there is spy onboard determined to see the mission fail before it is even begun.  “The Specialists” reminded us a great deal of some those early Alistair McLean thrillers such as “The Guns of Navaroone” and “Where Eagles Dare,” only set the clandestine world of modern espionage.  Our only critique is that at the offset there are too many characters to keep track of and it becomes confusing to remember whose who.  But again, a minor quibble, as before too long many of them are dead and the core group of survivors that manages to infiltrate the hidden Russian facility are finally etched as the story goes into hyper-drive.  Once begun, “The Specialists” is impossible to be put down.

This book is one of the finest produced since the inception of the New Pulp Movement and we urge you to pick up a copy.  They don’t get any better than this.

AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY

AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY

By Fred Saberhagen

Tor Books

207 pages

“An Old Friend of the Family,” was the third in the New Dracula series written by the late Fred Saberhagen (1930-2007).   Best known for his Beserker science fiction series, his reimagining of the Dracula legend put forth the concept that Vlad Tepes, the Prince of Wallachia, only became a vampire after he was murdered.  In the books, he is the protagonist and the humans bent on his destruction are portrayed as bumbling fools.

This volume was the third in the series and with it he moved the saga to modern times with the descendants of Mina Harker, Dracula’s one true love, living in the suburbs of Chicago (where Saberhagen was born) and coming under the attack of New World vampires hoping to lure the Old Count to America and defeat him. 

It is the middle of a brutal Illinois winter and Kate Sutherland is kidnapped party and made into a vampire.   Her grandmother Clarissa, Mina Harker’s granddaughter, recalls being told that should she, or her loved ones, ever find themselves in danger, all she had to do is read aloud an ancient Latin chant and help would appear.  After Kate’s body is discovered, her younger brother Johnny is then snatched and brutal kidnapped.  The old woman, with the help of her remaining granddaughter, Judy, speaks the chant and a few days later Dr. Corday arrives on their doorstep.  He is the old friend of the family and though vague and mysterious, it is immediately obvious to Gran and Judy that they have a very powerful ally in this strange old man.

Dr. Corday waste no time investigating the attacks on the Sutherlands and offers his assistant to Joe Hagen, Kate’s detective boyfriend.  It is Corday who, upon examining Kate’s body in the morgue before her autopsy, discovers that she is not dead.  Rather she’s been turned and he manages to get her out of the morgue and sequesters her in the family mausoleum until he can properly educate her in regards to her new status as one of the undead.

But as the savage blizzard continues to blanket the Windy City and its outlying communities, Corday’s supernatural foes learn of his arrival and double their efforts to capture and destroy him.  “An Old Friend of the Family,” is a gripping, fast moving vampire adventure told by a master whose hero is presented in a new light while maintaining his dark appeal.  We’d heard of this series often over the years, especially of this particular entry, and are now very glad to have finally read it.   If you’re a fan of classic vampire tales, this book will put a huge smile on your face.  Just watch out for the fangs.

THE SLEEP DETECTIVES

THE SLEEP DETECTIVES

By Matthew Bieniek

Self-Published

ISBN-13  978-1493620142

134 pages

Many times, while attending various pulp conventions, new writers will present me with copies of their self-published books to obtain a review.  Such was the case with this little gem from Matthew Bieniek.  It is a wonderful, extremely well written story about a young man named Tony who has the ability to go places and events in his dreams that have actually happened.  All he has to do is think of the time and place before falling off to sleep and in his dreams he is there.  This can happen with mundane incidents to those with rich historical significant such as being at Gettysburg to see President Lincoln deliver his famous address to a war weary nation.  Or appearing in a parking late at night to see who it was that stole his co-worker’s car.

Tony works in a grocery store and spends most of his time with his best friends, Dom and Danny.  When he confides in them about his special “dream” abilities, they see the potential for Tony being able to assist the police in solving crimes that have been relegated to the cold-cases files.  Eventually, Dom gets a job with a local detective agency and connects Tony with the owner of the company.  Invariably our likeable hero is asked to help solve the five year old disappearance of a young lady.  This assignment takes him to some dark places and ultimately endangers Tony and his friends when a  murderer is exposed.

“The Sleep Detectives” is fresh, original and its characters believable from the first page to the last.  Bieniek’s pacing is balanced and he pulls us along effortlessly.  It is rare to find such an unpretentious writer who clearly loves what he is doing and achieves what he sets out to do, completely entertain his readers.  Go find “The Sleep Detectives.”  You’ll be glad you did.

FLYING FISH "PROMETHEUS"

FLYING FISH “PROMETHEUS”

By Vilhelm Bergsoe

Translated by Dwight R. Decker

Vesper Press

47 pages

When little books, sometimes called chap-books, land on my desk, they bring within their pages lots of unique, long forgotten literary treasures.  FLYING FISH “PROMETHEUS” is a very old Danish science fiction tale reminiscent of the works of Jules Verne.  It is a rare story, considering its source, and little known among most sci-fi buffs until only recently.  It was published in 1870 and tells the story of a Danish engineer who travels in a remarkable airship.

In the tale, the author sets his adventure in the future of 1969 and his hero is on his way to Central America to witness the opening of the Panama Canal.  The fun of this short tale is seeing which of the author’s predictions came true and which were pure flights of imaginative fancy. (Pun intended.)  Perhaps the greatest of these being the aircraft itself which works less than conventional dirigibles and more like an actual flying fish having to propel itself out of a body of water to attain flight. 

For those of you who enjoy finding such long lost sci-fi gems, this wonderful package comes with additional material to include an essay on the author and the story’s history and a post article by the translator, Dwight Decker, on his role in bringing the story back into print and the inherent challenges in the translation.  All in all, FLYING FISH “PROMETHEUS” is a rare sci-fi oddity we think readers will enjoy discovering…at long last.

BLUE LABYRINTH

BLUE LABYRINTH

An Agent Pendergast Novel

By Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Grand Central Publishing

403 pages

“Blue Labyrinth” is the fourteenth novel in our favorite new pulp fiction series starring Special FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast.  We first discovered the remarkable, acerbic millionaire detective when a close friend gifted us with a copy of his third adventure, “The Cabinet of Curiosities.”  We were hooked immediately and compared many of the character’s talents and attributes to Walter Gibson’s classic pulp hero, The Shadow.

Of course all such series have their ups and downs and loyal fans are always going to quantify certain entries as being better than others; the lackluster titles quickly shoved aside and forgotten.  Such has been the case with the Pendergast books and we are thrilled to report that “Blue Labyrinth” immediately moves to the top of our personal list as one of the best ever.

The action begins when Pendergast’s diabolical son is left murdered on his doorstep in Manhattan.  It is over, sadistic challenge that sends Pendergast on a twisted, trap laden hunt for one of the most cunning adversaries he has ever dueled.  One bizarre clue after another leads him from an abandoned casino in the Southwest desert to an over populated Brazillian ghetto filled with human misery and suffering.  Eventually a twisted motive somehow connected with his family’s past begins to emerge.  The entire affair is in fact a cold, calculating campaign against all those Pendegast holds dear.  It is a personal war and one he cannot afford to lose.

Once again writers Preston and Child whip up a brilliant, pretzel like plot that keeps the readers guessing from one page to another.  Once more, we readers sit on the edge of our armchairs following familiar cast players such as Detective Vincent D’Agosta, Dr. Margo Green and the ephemeral, always mysterious, Constance Greene as they join forces to help Pendergast survive the greatest threat he has ever faced.; one that will destroy him if they fail.

“Blue Labyrinth” is another top-notch chapter one of the finest thriller series on the market today and not to be missed.  Honestly, we can’t wait for the next one.