YOUNG DILLON
In The Halls of Shamballah
By Derrick Ferguson
From Pro Se Productions/Pulp Work Press
109 pages
First of all let’s get one thing clear right from the start,
this is a whopping great novella and you have to get, read and enjoy it right
now. I’ll explain why in a second, but I
wanted to jump right into the deep end.
It’s billed by Pro Se as part of their Young Pulp line and I have a
problem with that. At the “young” age of
67, this reviewer totally sees himself as the audience for this wonderful
adventure yarn. Whereas sticking a label
on this paperback telling perspective readers it is geared to children is a
miscue that could turn away older readers.
Now that would be a shame. I have
to believe that this labeling comes from the fact that the protagonist in the
tale is only twelve years old.
Derrick Ferguson has been writing the exploits of his hero,
Dillon, for a decade now and has produced some of the finest pulp fiction ever
put to paper. The Dillon books are
classics, always filled with tons of action, adventure, colorful locales and
amazing characters; the primary of these being Dillon himself. He’s a globe-trotting adventurer part Doc
Savage, Indiana Jones and Dirk Pitt.
Throughout all these amazing tales, Ferguson
has hinted at Dillon’s training as a youth amongst the fabled Warmasters of
Shamballah; that magical realm hidden in the heart of the Himalayas.
Found half dead at one of the secret bridge entrances to the
fabled city, Dillon is rescued by Kerenos Ford, the Grand Master of the
Warmasters. When he regains
consciousness, he learns his mother, Pamela, herself a one time Warmaster, has
sacrificed her own life to get him to Shamballah. This creates a political upheaval in the
strange city. In its five hundred year
history no one who ever left Shamballah has ever been able to find it again;
until now. Suddenly this resilient young
boy finds himself at the center of a political contest between the various
factions that make up Shamballah, each wanting to know how his mother
accomplished the impossible.
Ever since James Hilton’s classic novel, “Lost Horizons,”
Shamballah has become a recurring setting in many fantasy adventures to include
both pulp and comics. In most of these
it is employed as a unique training ground of heroes and Ferguson does the same thing here. But his Shamballah is far from the quaint,
quiet and sedate repository of ancient wisdom, rather it is vibrant, energetic
enclave filled with as many dangers and wonders. None more deadly than the Roaring Forest
in which young Dillon must face his greatest challenge at the story’s powerful
climax.
This reviewer has been a Dillon fan from day one. When news of this title was first announced,
we couldn’t happier; fully expecting something truly wonderful. Now having read it, we can say our
expectations weren’t only met, they were exceeded beyond our wildest
imagination. “Young Dillon In The Halls
of Shamballah,” is an amazing chapter in the continuing saga of one of New
Pulp’s greatest characters. Young, old,
middle aged, don’t let that YA label put you off. If you love pulp action of the highest
caliber, this book is for you. I
guarantee it.
