THE ADVENTURES OF GRAVEDIGGER
By Barry Reese
Pro Se Press
146 pages
The fun of any Barry Reese pulp fiction is that very
element; the fun. It is an inherent
element in every thing he writers and this, the premier volume, of his latest
new character series is no exception.
Charity Grace grew up on the way-way wrong side of the
tracks in Sovereign
City. The end result of this hard-knock life was
her becoming a petty thief and ultimately led to her violent murder. But cosmic forces manifested by a mysterious
Voice are not prepared to allow her eternal slumber just yet. Instead, floating in a weird limbo state
between life and non-existence, Charity is offered a proposition. She will be allowed to return to the land of
the living for a period of three years.
In that time she must become an agent of righteous vengeance and
eliminate, permanently, all who prey on the innocent in Sovereign City. In other words she will become a vigilante
executioner. Considering her only other
option is most likely eternal damnation, Charity wisely accepts the Voice’s
offer.
Once back, her body renewed with new found vigor and
abilities, she soon learns that she is only one in a long line of such special
avengers known by the name, Gravedigger, though she has the dubious distinction
of being the first female to assume the role.
With the all too brief mentoring of the former Gravedigger and his big,
black British assistance, Charity begins to adapt to her new role. Of course this being pulp fiction, she soon
finds herself coming up against an assortment of supernatural menaces to
including the gruesome Headless Horseman of American folklore; only he now
proves to be a real entity and nearly impossible to kill.
We could go on and on about the cool elements Reese throws into
this heady pulp stew chief of which are the cameo guest appearances by two of
his other popular heroes, the Rook and Lazarus Gray and their very different
reactions to the Gravedigger’s arrival on the crime-fighting scene. And then there’s the historical back story
that adds even more mysterious layers to the plot and is a clever hook for
future volumes.
“The Adventures of the Gravedigger,” is another winner from
one of the most entertaining writers in New Pulp today. And friends, that’s saying a whole lot.
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