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Friday, July 13, 2012

DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENT, THREE PLANETEERS, THE SPIDER, THE MOON POOL AND EVEN MORE PULP FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!




RadioArchives.com Newsletter



 
July 13, 2012
 
Radio Archives in the Book Cave! Listen Now!
 
Tom Brown and Will Murray visit the Book Cave to inform the listeners of some of the great new projects coming from Radio Archives!



 
Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent to a lot of places I can’t even pronounce. They all spell the same thing, though - trouble.
 
The 1950s in America was a period of both prosperity and paranoia, of families and fear. Even though victorious in World War II, American society still saw criminals in every shadow, villains around the corner, all laying in wait to disrupt the American way of life. Movies, television, books, and entertainment of all sorts capitalized on this anxiety, turning out tales of foreign infiltrators, nefarious plots to overthrow America, and the broad shouldered barrel chested heroes who stood up for the United States. Radio was no different and one of the best examples of this type of program was Dangerous Assignment.
 
Debuting in 1949 on NBC, Dangerous Assignment featured tough guy actor Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell, a troubleshooting agent of some sort, no real title or number is identified, for an unnamed agency established to protect the country and prevent unrest and turmoil from abroad. Given orders each week by The Commissioner, Mitchell embarked on globe hopping adventures in each episode, usually posing as a foreign correspondent working a lead on some possible threat to America or even the entire world. Wading into the fray in stereotypical United States tough guy hard boiled style, Mitchell would uncover the plot, deal with the villains, and leave the world safe once again for democracy, all within thirty minutes.
 
Restored to sparkling audio quality by Radio Archives, Dangerous Assignment, Volume 1 features 20 episodes on 10 Audio CDs of two-fisted action, worldwide intrigue, and a dash of humor and heroics! Classic radio adventure! And it's available now from Radio Archives for only $29.98!
 



 
In “Dangerous Assignment”, U. S. Special Agent Steve Mitchell played by Brian Donlevy is sent to exotic locales where he encounters adventure and intrigue and gets involved in situations that have the potential to shift the balance of world power. Also starring Herbert Butterfield as The Commissioner, the series first aired in 1952. This collection features three full-length television adventures.
 
In “Mr. & Mrs. North”, Richard Denning and Barbara Britton star as Jerry and Pamela North, amateur sleuths, who investigate mysteries from the comfort of their Greenwich Village apartment. Jerry is a mystery magazine publisher and, while he remains skeptical of Pamela’s intuitions, he can’t deny her uncanny ability to find the clues necessary to unravel the most complex crimes. The collection features three of their most delightful television adventures, all originally aired in 1952.
 
Buy all six television episodes for only $9.98, exclusively from Radio Archives. A perfect addition to our new Dangerous Assignment Radio Collection.
 
Rapid Fire Radio
A Column by Tommy Hancock
 


Reviews!
Radio shows were at their most popular at the same time Pulp Magazines sold by the millions. It’s no surprise then that some classic Radio programs were influenced or even directly based on Pulp stories on the newsstands or even written by Pulp writers. Like these fantastic examples of Pulp Radio at Radio Archives.
 
Boston Blackie, Volume 1 Originally conceived by creator Jack Boyle as a safecracking criminal, Boston Blackie took movies, books, and eventually radio by storm and in the process became ‘A Friend to Those Who Had No Friends.’ Portrayed by Dick Kollmar in this collection, Boston Blackie is a wisecracking, tough talking, smooth as ice former criminal turned crime buster, often bringing his girlfriend Mary Wesley along and always to the chagrin of Inspector Farriday, his sparring partner on the Police Department. These shows are fun, action packed, and intelligently written and available to you now for $29.98 from Radio Archives!
 
Box Thirteen, Volume 1 “Adventure Wanted. Will go anyplace, do anything…” These words, a part of the ad that Dan Holliday, played by Alan Ladd in Box Thirteen, posts in the newspaper to get ideas for his books describes this show perfectly. Tightly plotted, quickly paced action each and every episode as Holliday finds himself in different predicaments, thanks to Box Thirteen. Alan Ladd’s tough guy persona plays extremely well in this almost hard boiled hero role! Every episode sounds like a Pulp story right off the pages! Box Thirteen, Volume 1 can be yours for $20.98!
 
The Shadow of Fu Manchu As popular as Pulp heroes are, Pulp Villains often overshadow their foes! Such has always been the case with Sax Rohmer’s creation, Fu Manchu. From magazines to books onto films, comics, television, and more Fu Manchu has definitely left his mark on Popular culture and radio is no different. The Shadow of Fu Manchu is mad, maniacal fun, relentlessly paced tales with over the top characters and action! Pulp and Radio Fans alike will thrill to each exciting episode and it’s only $29.98!
 

Character Spotlight!
While the galaxies and spaceways were full of heroes, protectors, and policemen in the early 1950s, one of the most memorable was Commander Buzz Corey from the classic radio program Space Patrol. Focusing on the adventures of a thirtieth century intergalactic police force, ‘Space Patrol’ told the tales of Commander Corey, portrayed by Ed Kemmer, and his crew as they patrolled the stars, protecting planets from the likes of Mister Proteus, Agent X, and The Black Falcon! Definitely cast in the mold of Buck Rogers and other spacegoing heroes, Buzz Corey was a true blue galactic hero on each and every episode. Experience Space Patrol, Volume 1 for only $29.98!
 
Hancock's Favorite Episodes!
Dragnet, Volume 1 “The City Hall Bombing”
Considered an entertainment icon, Jack Webb delivered riveting stories nearly every episode of the radio classic Dragnet. This episode was by far one of the best for several reasons. The plot, a man showing up at City Hall with a package supposedly carrying a bomb he will detonate if his brother is not released from jail, is truly nail biting and intense, even by today’s standards. Couple this with the fact that this episode unfolds in real time, Friday and his partner Romero have less than a half hour to resolve this case and you have a truly excellent program. The performances by all involved from Webb down are top notch and add a sense of ‘They just might not make it’ to the entire program that makes it an edge of your seat thriller. Find out for yourself by picking up Dragnet, Volume 1 for only $29.98 at Radio Archives!
 
 

During the Golden Age of Science Fiction, one writer towered over all others. The legendary Edmond Hamilton was the pulp pioneer who took over where Jules Verne and H. G. Wells left off. Hamilton wrote on a scale that dwarfed anything that had come before. Where other writer’s imaginations saw only expeditions to the Moon and Mars, Hamilton envisioned a future filled with an interplanetary police force, space pirates and fearsome weapons capable of destroying whole planets. Among readers of his early fiction in magazines ranging from Amazing Stories to Weird Tales, this penchant for galaxy-spanning space opera soon earned him the nickname of “World-Wrecker” Hamilton.

 

Although NASA has all but debunked the possibility of humanoid life on Mars and Venus—not to mention the frigid, inhospitable outer planets—21st century readers still thrill to Hamilton’s infectiously enthusiastic yarns, which influenced both Star Trek and Star Wars.

 

One of the most intriguing is The Three Planeteers, which ran in the January, 1940 issue of Startling Stories. Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ classic adventure tale, The Three Musketeers, Hamilton’s reinterpretation of the concept brings together an Earthman, John Thorn, allied a pair of friendly aliens, Sual Av of Venus and hulking Mercurian, Gunner Welk, who are out to stop a sinister despot from shifting the balance of power from the peace-loving Alliance of Inner Planets to the planet-hungry League of Cold Worlds. When the resourceful trio are branded interplanetary outlaws, their only hope is to ally themselves with the renegade Companions of Space, led by the bewitching pirate princess, Lana Cain.

 

This swashbuckling space opera was the type of pulp Hamilton did best, and set the stage for his legendary Captain Future series, also from the publisher of Startling Stories. In that series, as in The Three Planeteers, Hamilton postulated a future Solar System inhabited by distinct races of aliens, each with their own characteristics and cultures. Against this backdrop, the non-stop action races from the inner worlds to the outer regions, with atom-pistols and ray-blasters frying combatants on both sides.

 

Joey D’Auria voices The Three Planeteers’ stellar cast of heroes and despicable space pirates. This is vintage space opera at its most arresting and audacious! Only $20.98 in a deluxe Six Audio CD set.
 
 

The Spider Battles Lightning Itself In New Audiobook
 
Devastating lightning, aimed at the highest buildings and critical public facilities of the city. Targeted with precise malevolence by a Man from Mars – with the flowing mane and deadly claws of the king of beasts.  The Lion Man!  The Flame Master!
 
In one of Norvell Page’s wildest Spider adventures, Richard Wentworth battles not one outrageous foe, but two. The Lion Man, who can rip a man’s flesh with deadly claws and unleash lightning with devastating results at any target he chooses. And a mysterious munitions master, whose allegiance can be bought by the highest bidder.
 
Electric Audio Adventure
“The Flame Master” is the newest Spider audiobook from RadioArchives.com, continuing the fantastic adventures of one of the 1930s’ most relentless avengers. This audio adventure once again features stage and screen actors Nick Santa Maria and Robin Riker as Richard Wentworth, alias The Spider, Master of Men … and Nita Van Sloan, his daring companion who battles at his side despite unspeakable danger.
 
The Spider faces Aronk Dong, the self-proclaimed Man from Mars, who unleashes the wrath of the heavens to subjugate Earth. But what is his real purpose? And hiding behind his deadly French Apaches is Toussaints Louvaine, a mysterious dealer in death who may be on Wentworth’s side … or may not.
 
“In this incredible adventure, no one is who they seem, and everyone has a private agenda,” says director Roger Rittner.  “Nick and Robin are at their best, portraying all the characters in this lightning-charged adventure.”
 
A Unique Listening Experience
“The Flame Master”, like its predecessors “Prince of the Red Looters” and “Wings of the Black Death”, is enhanced with extensive sound effects and period music score.
 
For a sample of the excitement, listen to a preview:

“The Flame Master” is available for just $19.95 in a deluxe six Audio CD set.
 
by Derrick Ferguson
 

The Moon Pool and Other Wonders is truly a different Radio Archives audiobook that took me kinda by surprise. By now I’m used to the single-character, slam-bang, punchy-punchy-run-run of the previous audiobooks I’ve listened to with heroes such as Doc Savage, Operator #5, Secret Agent X. So engrossed did I get in my listening that frequently I intended to listen to only two or three chapters then save the rest for the next day. Of course I ended up listening to the whole thing as I just had to know what happened next.
 
But The Moon Pool and Other Wonders actually seems to be an audiobook designed for listening in small bites instead of one huge meal as it’s an audiobook of separate stories. Which means that if you choose to do so, you can listen to one story a night or when you’ve got a short drive or even taking a short walk. The whole point I think I’m trying to make here is that this isn’t your usual audiobook and shouldn’t be listened to the same way.
 
Take the excellent voice work that is done here by three talented voice actors, some of whose performances I’ve greatly enjoyed on past Radio Archives audiobooks. Joey D’Auria, Doug Stone and John Shelton share duties in narrating the five stories and I think it was an excellent decision to have different voices on different stories. It gave me a feeling almost as if I were attending a reading of the works of these various authors.
 
A. Merritt is a writer I freely admit I don’t know much about but after listening to “The Moon Pool” I’m now interested in reading the prose version and looking out for other stories by this writer. Even though I’m convinced that whatever A. Merritt story I read I won’t hear it in my head in my own voice but in Joey D’Auria’s.
 
“The House and The Brain” is a story in a genre I’m a sucker for: the haunted house story. H.P. Lovecraft is always a safe bet for an anthology such as this and he’s well represented in “The Moon-Bog” and “What The Moon Brings”
 
“The Great God Pan” by Arthur Machen is another one of those stories I’ve always heard so much about but never read. It’s regarded as one of the classics of horror and now, thanks to John Shelton’s voice work, I now know why.
 
Another excellent Radio Archives production that is most definitely worth listening to. As I said earlier, it’s a lot different from the usual Radio Archives fare but it’s a good different.
 

The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge Ebooks! Will Murray's Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your E-Reader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator 5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like Doctor Death and more, Will Murray's Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday's Pulp today!
 
Five new golden age Pulp tales exquisitely reformatted into visually stunning E-books!

 
No man was safe in the city streets—no woman could be left long alone in her own home—when the Underworld, newly organized into one compact army of crime, declared a new and bloody social war against society. How can the SPIDER, his prestige gone, wage successful battle against a criminal horde which laughs at death and ignores the grim warning of the "spider seal"? Another epic exploit of America's best-loved pulp-fiction character of the 1930s and 1940s: The Spider — Master of Men! As a special Bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction: “Meet the Spider” especially for this series of eBooks.
 
Never before in history had anything quite so horrible as the Mad Horde been loosed upon a terrified humanity! In rural towns and through the thronging streets of great cities the death-bringers stalked, spreading the slow madness of which they themselves must soon die! The Spider, dismayed and horrified as never before in his long career, is forced at last into risking the life of the girl he loves — so that a million others may live! Another epic exploit of America's best-loved pulp-fiction character of the 1930s and 1940s: The Spider — Master of Men! As a special Bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction: “Meet the Spider” especially for this series of eBooks.
 

A happy crowd, inspired by the spirit of Christmas, was milling joyously in Times Square, New York. Suddenly, cutting through the sounds of gayety, came a shrill whine. It became louder, and at the very second of midnight, a gigantic shell exploded, killing, maiming, destroying! At twelve hour intervals thereafter — no man knew in advance where — another shell burst devastatingly. Two great powers were openly accused in the newspapers. War — savage and bloody — was imminent, and Operator 5 realized that he had encountered his most cunning foe, the clever woman spy — Radi Havara!
 
Jimmy Christopher, clean-cut, square-jawed and clear-eyed, was the star of the most audacious pulp magazines ever conceived — Operator #5. Savage would-be conquerors, creepy cults, weird weather-controllers and famine-creating menaces to our mid-western breadbasket... these were but a few of the fiendish horrors that Jimmy Christopher was forced to confront. Operator #5 returns in vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. As a special Bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of Operator #5 eBooks.

 
The world’s greatest space-farers battle to expose a dangerous secret menacing mankind and face desperate risks as they pursue two scheming miscreants across the void! Captain Future… the Ace of Space! Born and raised on the moon, Curt Newton survived the murder of his scientist parents to become the protector of the galaxy known as Captain Future. With his Futuremen, Grag the giant robot, Otho, the shape-shifting android and Simon Wright, the Living Brain, he patrols the solar system in the fastest space ship ever constructed, the Comet, pursuing human monsters and alien threats to Earth and her neighbor planets.
 

“There is one Val Kildare, government agent. It is my wish that he die the most painful death in our power to inflict.” From an underground room in Limehouse this order was given. And now, across the Atlantic, sped a murder cargo to wipe out the only man who stood between Wu Fang, Emperor of Crime, and his conquest of the world! Toward New York sped that great ocean liner. And only two Americans knew that somewhere onboard was an unwanted passenger, guessed that thousands of men and women were marked for death in the murder schemes of a tall, smiling yellow man whose name was Wu Fang and whose ambition was to own the world?
 
Wu Fang is a Chinese criminal mastermind and scientific genius. With his hybrid monkey-men, he plans to conquer America. He is member of various secret societies and has spies everywhere. Opposing him is Val Kildare of the F.B.I.  His aides, reporter Jerry Hazard, archaeologist Rod Carson and newsboy Cappy, help him in his battles against the sinister man of evil known as Wu Fang.
 
Inspired by the Asian menace of Fu Manchu, Harry Steeger, publisher of Popular Publications, decided to publish a villain-centered pulp magazine series. And so, The Mysterious Wu Fang was born.  The series was written by Robert J. Hogan, who also wrote for G-8 and his Battle Aces and The Secret Six.  But after seven stories, the series was ended.  An eighth story "The Case of the Living Poison" was planned, but never was printed.
 
When you purchase these beautifully reformatted eBooks from RadioArchives.com you receive all three formats in one ZIP file: PDF for PC or Mac computer; Mobi for Kindle and ePub for iPad/IPhone, Android, Sony eReader, and Nook. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook novels to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
 
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray's Pulp Classics, now available in the Kindle store and the Barnes and Noble Nook store! The best Pulp eBooks now available for only $2.99 each from Radio Archives!
 
1 cent Spider eBook!
 
For a limited time you can now download an exciting original Spider adventure for just one thin penny! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers. Their motto? Why "KILL THE SPIDER!" of course.
 
For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps this is a perfect opportunity to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp's most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page's stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.
 
Even today Page's scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you download this bargain.
 
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you purchase this eBook from RadioArchives.com you receive all three formats in one ZIP file. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your Spider novels to your new device without the need to purchase anything new. Use the PDF version when reading on your PC or Mac computer. If you have a Kindle, the Mobi version is what you want. If you have an iPad/iPhone, Android, Sony eReader or Nook, then the ePub version is what you want.
 
Join the eBook Team!
 
Radio Archives is seeking motivated, excited people to help us proof our eBooks. The team is working hard and we currently have a backlog of 100 eBooks that need to be read and any errors corrected before the eBooks are published.
 
If you have a love for classic Pulp tales as well as a good grasp of spelling, punctuation, capitalization and basic formatting, then you may be just the person we're looking for! Send an email inquiry to Service@RadioArchives.com for more details! 
 
 
 

By Dr Art Sippo

 
In the Florida Keys, a black fisherman named Jep Dee is discovered on the beach mutilated and blinded with a loop of rope tied around his neck. He had obviously been tortured. Jep Dee had come to Matecumbe Island supposedly to catch lobsters, but he was actually looking for something. But what? In his delirium, he kept mumbling something about Mr. Steel but in more lucid moments he would not say anything more.
 
After his rescue, he escapes from the hospital and mails a strange piece of freckled shark skin to a Rhoda Haven in New York. Shortly thereafter, Rhoda and her father Tex are attacked by thugs searching for that piece of shark skin. Rhoda was a beautiful woman with expertise in archaeology, infectious disease, and governmental administration. Her father wasn’t much to look at but he was one of the foremost exponents of Jiu Jitsu in the world. They were adventurers who dabbled in all sorts of dangerous affairs around the globe, but this freckled shark matter had them spooked. So, they went in disguise to seek the help of Doc Savage. But their intention was merely to use him without letting on what was really happening.
 
During this story Doc travels to Florida in disguise under the name Henry Peace. He pretends to be a rough and ready scrapper who had fallen in love with Miss Havens and wants to marry her. Rhoda is a well-educated and complex woman who finds Henry Peace’s attention repulsive. She does not know who he really is. Meanwhile, while playing this role, Doc Savage begins to enjoy being an uninhibited bumpkin and we get a rare insight into the mind of the Bronze Man and his inner psychology. What is the secret of the freckled shark skin? What is Rhoda and Tex Haven’s real agenda? And after getting a taste of Henry Peace will Doc Savage want to return to his old life?
 
This is a story of intrigue, role reversal, and revelation with a mystery, high adventure and plenty of action. It is one of the more unusual Doc Savage stories. Rhoda Haven is a woman with skills and brains who is worthy of Doc Savage’s affections. But will she fall for him or Henry Peace?
 
Don’t miss this exciting Doc Savage adventure! Get it today and another great Doc tale in Doc Savage 19 for only $12.95 from Radio Archives!
 

The Knight of Darkness wages battles to the death with two of his greatest superfoes! First, The Shadow becomes "The Devil's Paymaster" to end the sadistic reign of The Prince of Evil in the violent conclusion of Theodore Tinsley's most acclaimed storyline. Then, Lamont Cranston must die to crush a superfiend's evil plots when "The Wasp Returns" in an action-packed thriller by Walter B. Gibson. Foreword by Michael Uslan, executive producer of the Summer Bat-Blockbuster, "The Dark Knight Rises." This instant collector's item leads off with one of Graves Gladney's greatest covers, and also showcases all the original interior illustrations by legendary illustrator Earl Mayan, with historical commentary by Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. BONUS: The Shadow tracks down "The Comic Strip Killer" in a classic adventure from the Golden Age of Radio. Buy it today for $14.95.
 
The Man of Bronze returns in two tales of super-science that inspired classic Superman stories. First, a silvery stratospheric craft showers vapors of death upon a Texas town, while Cosmic Rays alter Long Tom’s mental makeup. Doc and Patricia Savage attempt to thwart the deadly plots of a red-hooded mastermind in “He Could Stop the World,” a pulp classic by Laurence Donovan that inspired an early Superman story by Jerry Siegel. Then, “The Laugh of Death” could change the outcome of World War II, in a Lester Dent thriller that introduced Doc’s new Fortress of Solitude that inspired the Man of Steel’s glacier hideaway. This double-novel collector’s edition leads off with a knockout cover by legendary paperback artist James Bama. and also reprints both classic color pulp covers by Robert G. Harris and Emery Clarke, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray. Priced at only $14.95.
 

The Man of Bronze returns in two tales of super-science that inspired classic Superman stories. First, a silvery stratospheric craft showers vapors of death upon a Texas town, while Cosmic Rays alter Long Tom’s mental makeup. Doc and Patricia Savage attempt to thwart the deadly plots of a red-hooded mastermind in “He Could Stop the World,” a pulp classic by Laurence Donovan that inspired an early Superman story by Jerry Siegel. Then, “The Laugh of Death” could change the outcome of World War II, in a Lester Dent thriller that introduced Doc’s new Fortress of Solitude that inspired the Man of Steel’s glacier hideaway. This double-novel collector’s edition features both classic color pulp covers by Robert G. Harris and Emery Clarke, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of ten Doc Savage novels. Priced at only $14.95 
 
One of the top crime-fighters from the golden age of pulp fiction, The Spider returns in two thrill-packed adventures written by Norvell Page under the pseudonym of Grant Stockbridge. First, in "The Spider and the Scarlet Surgeon" (1941), With unheard of skill, the Red Surgeon can change a patient into an imbecile… or a genius of crime! Not only can he alter the physical shell, but this mad doctor can even amputate parts of a victim's personality, even their conscience. And his greatest ambition is to operate on none other than Stanley Kirkpatrick, Nita van Sloan… and the Spider! Then, in "The Spider and the Death Piper" (1942), Weird compelling music lures the inhabitants of Martinsville to suicide! By ones and twos at first, then in a stampede of maddened self-destruction. Even Richard Wentworth, with the iron will of the Spider, felt the irresistible calling of that Devil-tune! Can even the Master of Men prevail against an unearthly power that goads the listener to suicide? These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. Available now for $14.95!
 
 

Altus Press is proud to announce the release of the third volume in its acclaimed Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series, written by Will Murray and Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson.
 
Set in the Fall of 1936, The Infernal Buddha tells the epic story of Doc Savage’s desperate quest to control the Buddha of Ice, a relic of unknown origin—and what may become the most dangerous object on Earth!
 
When a mummy arrives at Doc Savage’s New York headquarters wearing the clothes of his missing assistant, engineer Renny Renwick, Doc, Monk, and Ham rush to Singapore where they get on the trail of a swashbuckling pirate who calls himself the Scourge of the South China Sea, in whose hands a piece of the infernal Buddha has fallen. The trail leads to Pirate Island, the fate of Renny, and a mysterious box containing a terrible, unstoppable power.
 
But that is only the beginning of the quest into which the Man of Bronze plunges—one that will take him to the upper reaches of the Yellow Sea and a series a wild ocean battles against the vicious factions fighting for control on the infernal Buddha.
 
Before it is all over, every human life on Earth will tremble on the brink of eternity, and Doc Savage will face his greatest test.
 
“This may be my wildest Doc novel to date,” says author Will Murray. “The Infernal Buddha is a fantasy epic full of corsairs, criminals and other culprits. The menace is planetary. The threat, extinction. Doc Savage has a reputation for saving the world. This time he does it on the greatest scale possible. I began this book back in 1992, working from an opening situation Lester Dent started in 1935. Together, we have produced a true Doc Savage epic. And it only took about 75 years….”
 
The Infernal Buddha features a startling cover painted by Joe DeVito, depicting Doc Savage as the Buccaneer of Bronze! This cover was painted from a still taken in 1964 of legendary model Steve Holland, and is a variant pose shot for famed illustrator James Bama’s classic cover to The Man of Bronze. There has never been a Doc cover like it! Buy it today for only $24.95 from Radio Archives.



The very first issue of the Pulp Magazine that would introduce the world to Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and more! Girasol Collectables, a leader in Pulp reproductions, offers a complete Pulp Replica of this classic magazine! Reproducing all the stories and accompanying material presented in the original, Girasol Replicas are also crafted to get as close to the feel of an actual pulp magazine, while making sure this issue lasts much longer than the original! A chance to read a piece of Pulp history from Girasol for only 35.00 in the Pulp Book Store!

 
The Complete Cases of Detective Lee Nace
by Lester Dent
Although best known for Doc Savage, writer Lester Dent gave Pulp several fascinating characters. Lee Nace, the Blond Adder, is a detective and crime fighter known to utilize gadgets, as many of Dent’s creations did. These stories are exceptional in light of what Dent went on to create and definitely carry shades of what was to come to full bloom in Doc Savage! This collection also features an introduction by Will Murray and a real treat for fans and creators, the actual bible that Dent developed to write the series from! Only $29.95 from Altus Press in the Pulp Book Store!
 
Comments From Our Customers!
 
Carolyn Andersen writes:
The Railroad Hour, Volume 1 is so good that I can hardly wait for my order of Vol. 2 & 3 to arrive!
 
Blain Toman writes:
Thank you again for bring the Spider to life!
 
Dominick Cancilla writes:
I’ve read Doc Savage, The Spider, and The Shadow for years, but through this audio series I’m discovering many pulp heroes that I’d somehow overlooked through. I just finished listening to your first Operator #5 audiobook, The Masked Invasion, and am definitely ready for another! Operator #5 has everything I look for in a pulp adventure: a bigger-than-life hero, off-the-wall action, a battle against world-endangering villainy, and an author who occasionally wields his thesaurus like a hammer. So far, the secondary characters in Operator #5 haven’t made much of an impression on me, but the hero has a number of interesting facets that help him stand out from the crowd. These include some interesting gadgets (such as a belt that somehow contains a full-length rapier) and a propensity for doing magic tricks (the secrets of which he immediately explains -- I guess he didn’t get the memo from the Magician’s Union about keeping secrets). The book had off-the wall science, massive battle scenes, masked cultist underworld figures -- and I did I mention the blimps? Operator #5 hasn’t risen to the level of Doc, Spider, and Shadow in my mind, but it’s certainly one of my new favorites among Radio Archives offerings. Thanks again for the continued awesomeness!
 
Barney McCasland writes:
I just finished Chapter 1 of The Flame Master. Wow! This one sounds incredible! As I was listening to Nick Santa Maria, it came to me that if you ever produce any of The Shadows, he’d be a great narrator for them. Also, when reading his interview in the newsletter, Nick mentioned that he’d already finished four Spiders. Any idea when the fourth one will be available? Gotta stop now as I’ve got to get back to The Spider!
 
Richard Selwood from England writes:
I had the pleasure to buy your Al Jolson Kraft Music Hall set some time ago and I can see how many great reviews you have had about it, it truly is a most magnificent set, the best I’ve ever heard, bar none. I and many others would love to see more in the Jolson series so how about it? There are some terrific shows in this series. Fantastic work.
 
If you'd like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We'd love to hear from you!
 

The products you've read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you'll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it's the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you'll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.
 
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PRO SE AND REESE UNLIMITED DEBUT LAZARUS GRAY VOLUME TWO: DIE GLOCKE!

Pro Se Productions, a leading New Pulp Publisher proudly announces its latest release.  From Reese Unlimited, an imprint of Pro Se Productions, and Pro Se's Sovereign City Project comes the second volume of one of New Pulp's most popular and newest heroes- THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY VOLUME TWO: DIE GLOCKE! by Veteran New Pulp Author Barry Reese!

Lazarus Gray and his aides in Assistance Unlimited return for what may prove to be their greatest challenge... What is the secret of Die Glocke? Will Lazarus Gray and his teammates discover the answer in time to stop a power hungry madman and his undead soldiers? The Adventures of Lazarus Gray returns with an epic adventure where the fate of the world is at stake. Is even Lazarus Gray up to a task that could take him to the very gates of Hell itself? Also, Assistance Unlimited takes a case that will bring them face to face with Terror and the making of a Hero! Included in this volume is an updated timeline of Reese's works and an interview with the author himself!

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY VOLUME TWO: DIE GLOCKE most definitely builds on what Reese established in Volume Two, but also explodes with new concepts and themes.  “I never really think about themes when I’m writing a story,” Reese says, “but in hindsight, sometimes I can see recurring ideas. With Die Glocke, I really wanted to focus on the family dynamic that we’ve established with the members of Assistance Unlimited. These people would die for one another and I wanted to show why that was and how far that loyalty could be tested.”

“The story is also about paying homage to the many things that went into the creation of Lazarus Gray,” continues Reese. “Obviously, there are elements of The Avenger in the series but I also drew heavily upon Indiana Jones, the Hellboy stories by Mike Mignola and Andy McDermott’s novels. I wanted to incorporate elements from all of those, in terms of plot elements, specific scenes and just the overall feel of those works.  Hopefully, I’ve taken all of that and combined it with my own creations to feel fresh and new – but with all my New Pulp work, I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of giants.”

 Featuring cover and interiors by George Sellas and one interior piece by Anthony Castrillo and logo, format, and design work by Sean Ali, DIE GLOCKE-THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY VOLUME TWO: DIE GLOCKE is a must have for any fan of Action, Adventure, and New Pulp! Available now at Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/c9rs42f , and directly from Pro Se’s own store at http://tinyurl.com/7gj2axb. And Coming Soon in Ebook Format!

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY VOLUME TWO: DIE GLOCKE! From Reese Unlimited and Pro Se Productions- Puttin' The Monthly Back Into Pulp!

Monday, July 9, 2012

AIRSHIP 27 ENTERS THE REALM OF LICENSED WORK WITH 'CAPTAIN ACTION' PULP NOVEL DEBUT!

CAPTAIN ACTION – PULP HERO!

Airship 27 Productions, one of the premier publishers in the New Pulp movement, and Captain Action Enterprises, licensors of the popular Captain Action toy line, have joined forces to produce the first ever Captain Action pulp novel, “Riddle of the Glowing Men,” by Jim Beard.  The book debuts this Aug. at Pulp Fest in Columbus, Ohio.

“We are tremendously excited to be working with Joe Ahearn and Ed Catto of Captain Action Enterprises,” said Airship 27 Productions’ Managing Editor, Ron Fortier.  “This is the first time we’ve ever put together a title based on a highly popular and successful license.”

Captain Action is based on the action figure created in 1966 by Stan Weston for Ideal Toys. He came equipped with a wardrobe of costumes allowing him to become many different heroes such as Batman, The Lone Ranger, the Green Hornet and many more. In 1967, Captain Action proved so popular that the line was expanded to include a sidekick, Action Boy and a blue skinned alien foe with bug eyes, the nefarious Dr. Evil.  The following year, DC Comics licensed the character from Ideal and published five issues of Captain Action featuring industry luminaries such as Jim Shooter, Wally Wood and Gil Kane.
Since 2005, Captain Action Enterprises, has been producing an array of exciting new collectibles, including statues, toys, comics, trading cards, and apparel.  Still, the one remaining venue the enduring hero had yet to conquer was that of a prose novel.  Enter veteran writer Jim Beard, a life-long fan of the character.  “Jim approached us late last year with this idea for a Captain Action pulp novel,” recalls Catto. “We were immediately intrigued by the possibilities and began seriously exploring the idea.”
It was Beard who then brought Ahearn and Catto to Airship 27 Productions.  “At the time I’d just finished my first book for Airship 27,” Beard elaborates.  “Impressed with their industry leading quality and professionalism, I knew they were the right people to usher Captain Action into the fast-paced world of pulpdom.”

The challenge of doing a licensed property appealed to Fortier and his partner and Art Director, Rob Davis and they signed on.  Their first goal was to assemble the finest art team possible. This was achieved by recruiting the talented cover painter, Nick Runge.  Runge’s work on such IDW titles as Angel & Terminator –Salvation has spotlighted him as being one of the finest new artists in the graphic field today.  Davis himself took on the task of doing the nine interior illustrations while also designing the entire package.

Riddle of the Glowing Men,” is set in the sixties where secret agent, Miles Drake, aka, Captain Action, is attacked at A.C.T.I.O.N. headquarters by several assassins whose green skin glows as if radiated.  In the process of learning the identity of these killers and the reason behind their attack, Captain Action teams with a beautiful female Russian agent and their quest leads them to a hidden civilization under the frozen wasteland of Siberia. “Jim Beard has written a terrific, authentic Captain Action adventure,” applauds Fortier. “It perfectly captures the break-neck speed and thrills of the early pulps only with today’s modern sensibilities. This book is sure to appeal to both Captain Action fans and new pulp enthusiasts alike.”
Joe Ahearn and Ed Catto will be hosting a Captain Action panel at this year’s San Diego Comic Con with further details about other exciting plans for the classic hero.  Artist Nick Runge will also be present at his table in Artist Alley.  Fortier, Davis and Beard will be in attendance at Pulp Fest and will announce the book’s actual publication date.

About Captain Action Enterprises
As Retropreneurs, Captain Action Enterprises, LLC specializes in taking old properties and rejuvenating them for a new generation. Captain Action now appears in an on-going comic book series, lithographs, statues, action figures, T-shirts, model kits and an iPhone app. Additional properties include Lady Action, the Zeroids and Savage Beauty. For additional information, contact ed.catto@bonfireagency.com.

About Airship 27 Productions
Begun in 2004 to produce new novels and anthologies featuring classic, public domain pulp heroes of the 30s and 40s, Airship 27 Productions was one of the major factors behind the pulp renaissance which evolved into the New Pulp Movement.  Today they have over fifty titles in their ever expanding catalog, sell both hard copy and digital versions of their books and will soon be launching audio books of their titles. They can be found at airship27hangar.com



Sunday, July 8, 2012

FIGHT CARD DEBUTS 'A MOUTH FULL OF BLOOD'!

The latest release from New Pulp powerhouse publisher Fight Card is the first sequel in the series!


A year after the pulse-pounding action of Split Decision, Jimmy Wyler is back in Chicago trying to put his life back together. Working a job washing dishes in a late night diner, Jimmy vows to never get into a boxing ring again.


But then, someone needs him. Leo, a teenaged boy who fights hard against the city every day, could use a man like Jimmy. To help save him from his alcoholic father, and to save his only sister from a pimp bent on turning her out.

Jimmy must fight again. Fight for the ones who can?t fight for themselves. It will take him from fistfights in back alleys to no rules bouts with crowds screaming for blood and all the way back to the orphanage where he grew up. Along the way, blood will be spilled and knuckles will be bruised.
More white-knuckle action and epic fights from the Fightcard series.

Praise for Split Decision: It was unpredictable; it put its main protagonist through the ringer; and didn't take the soft option for the resolution. It's that kind of story. I finished it in one sitting. It's that entertaining. Highly recommended.- Permission To Kill

Split Decision is a prime example of the sort of variety and adventurous storytelling we can expect from the Fight Card series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.- James Reasoner, author of Dust Devils and The Blood Mesa

Split Decision hooked me. Allow enough time to read the whole thing at one sitting, you're not going to want to put it down.- Mike Faricy, author of Russian Roulette and Finders Keepers

Available now in Paperback on Amazon and as an Ebook for Your Kindle!

PRO SE ANNOUNCES STUNNING ADDITION TO 2012 PUBLISHING CALENDAR!

Pro Se Productions, a leading publisher in the New Pulp Movement, announces an addition to its already dynamic publishing calendar for 2012!

“Even though the New Pulp Movement,” stated Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “is still in its infancy, relatively speaking, there have already been some writers and works that stand out.  Authors and books who will truly be remembered as being the best of what New Pulp has to offer and considered classics by those after us, and even by many today. One such book from the last two years was "Sun Koh: Heir of Atlantis" written by Dr. Art. Sippo.   Pro Se is extremely proud to announce that we will be publishing and promoting Volume Two of The Collected Stories of Sun Koh, tentatively titled ‘ Quest of the Secret Masters’ written once again by Dr. Art Sippo.”

According to Sippo, “Sun Koh was a character created by Paul Mueller for Germany’s pulp magazines who was based on Doc Savage. He was intended to be the Nietzschean Übermensch. He was an Aryan prince from ancient Atlantis who came to the future and descended out of the sky to land in London. He had come to prepare for the coming of the next Ice Age when Atlantis would rise again from the ocean. He would save all those who were fit to survive and use them to repopulate the lost continent. Of course, those he considered to be most fit were of Aryan/German extraction according to the theories of the Theosophists whose mythology had been taken over by the Nazis.”

“Between 1933 and 1938 there were 150 Sun Koh stories published. Sun Koh epitomized the Aryan ideal and fought all sorts of villains and super-science threats very similar to those from the Doc Savage stories.  Strangely enough, the Nazis found these stories frivolous and in some cases subversive. Eventually they forced the series to end and Mueller had Sun Koh discover and conquer the newly risen Atlantis inside the Hollow Earth in 1938. That brought an end to the series.”

Cover of original Sun Koh Pulp
Sippo continued, “Sun Koh was the most successful of all the Doc Savage clones (if we exclude the comic characters like Superman and Batman). I was fascinated by the idea of such a character having so many adventures in a language that I could not read. I became frustrated and decided to write my own stories about Sun Koh preserving as much of the original adventure ideas as possible and excluding all the Nazi nonsense.”

“We are ecstatic,” Hancock stated, “to be a part of the work Art is doing with this great character.   He has taken a character that could have been lost to history and even more, marred by the country and period it originated in, and using the original tales and roots of the story, created and woven an intelligent, action packed adventure that not only does not skirt the philosophical issues involved, but instead turns them on their ear by showing Sun Koh to be more than what label anyone puts on him.   Art writes him as, even as a Prince of Atlantis, a very human hero who has to make choices about what sort of man he will be in the world around him.”

“Quest of the Secret Masters” is currently in production and will be published in late 2012 from Pro Se Productions!   Press releases featuring more information and interviews with Dr. Sippo and more will follow in coming weeks as publication approaches!

Pro Se Productions-Puttin’ the Monthly Back Into Pulp! 
For interviews and further information, please contact Tommy Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net.



Saturday, July 7, 2012

PJF NEWSLETTER GETS SET FOR NEW RELEASES AND FARMERCON!

From Michael Croteau

Hello to everyone. This month's newsletter is to remind you FarmerCon VII is just over a month away! It runs from August 9th to 12 in Columbus, Ohio, right smack dab in the middle of that science fiction, mystery, horror, and adventure book (and magazine) collector's dream: PulpFest.

Meteor House will be releasing two new books at FarmerCon this year, The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 3: Portraits of a Trickster and Exiles of Kho. You can preorder either book now, whether you are coming to FarmerCon or not. However, if you would like your name to be printed in Exiles of Kho (how cool is that, and the book is a very short run signed limited edition to boot), you need to order TODAY. That's right, today is the deadline to preorder, but it may also be your last chance to get a copy of the book at all. As of this moment Exiles of Kho will be a signed limited edition of only 200 copies. Of those two hundred, all but about thirty of them are spoken for. Those thirty could very easily sell out at PulpFest, where about four hundred book collectors will be hanging out. If we get a surge of orders before the book goes to the printer, we may bump the print run up a little bit. But once it goes to the printer, that is it, no more copies will be available.

As for The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 3: Portraits of a Trickster, it's the best volume in the series to date. The material around the theme of Farmer's trickster nature will make your jaw drop and your head spin. But once you get to the Expanded Worlds section of the book, all bets are off. Four stories about some of Farmer's most popular characters and featuring The Wild Hunstman, a Wold Newton origins novella by Win Scott Eckert.

But let's get back to FarmerCon shall we? Just take a look at the line up of interesting movies, readings, presentations, and panels, fully integrated into PulpFest's programming:
Thursday, August 9 2012
8:00 PM The French Connection - Rick Lai will discuss "How French Literature May Have Influenced American Pulp Heroes" in a presentation concerning The Count of Monte Cristo, Arsene Lupin, Fantomas, Doc Savage, The Shadow, Zorro, and more. 10:00 PM Henry G. Franke, III, editor of The Burroughs Bulletin, discusses Edgar Rice Burroughs’ best-known creation–Tarzan of the Apes (100 years old in October)–and the character’s many incarnations in popular culture.
Friday, August 10 2012
11:00 AM - Exiles of Kho book launch. Christopher Paul Carey will sign the limited edition release of his book, a novella about the early days of the Khokarsan empire featuring the gray-eyed god Sahhindar! 1:00 PM - The New Fictioneers - Christopher Paul Carey will read from his novel co-authored with Philip José Farmer, The Song of Kwasin, part of the Gods of Opar: Tales of Lost Khokarsa omnibus, forthcoming from Subterranean Press.  2:00 PM - The New Fictioneers - William Patrick Maynard will read from his new, fully authorized novel, The Destiny of Fu Manchu, a continuation of the classic mystery and adventure series created by Sax Rohmer.  7:10 PM - Lord TygerTime’s Last Gift, and Gods of Opar - our FarmerCon VII panelists discuss a sampling of the Burroughs and Verne-inspired works of Philip José Farmer. Moderated by Paul Spiteri, editor of Pearls from Peoria and featuring authors Win Scott Eckert and Christopher Paul Carey.  11:10 PM - I, Tarzan - set in an English castle, this documentary features George McWhorter, editor emeritus of The Burroughs Bulletin, Philip José Farmer, Grand Master of Science Fiction, and popular culture expert Francis Lacassin in a discussion about Edgar Rice Burroughs’ most famous creation, Tarzan.
Saturday, August 11 2012
1:00 PM - The New Pulp Fiction - Ron Fortier of Airship 27 moderates a panel featuring contemporary authors inspired by the pulp fiction of yore. Jim Beard, Mark Halegua, Tommy Hancock, Rick Lai, William Patrick Maynard, and Frank Schildiner will join Ron for a discussion of New Pulp fiction. 2:30 PM - The New Fictioneers - one of the founders of the New Pulp movement, Win Scott Eckert, will read from works written for The Green Hornet: Still at LargeThe Avenger: Tales from the Roaring Crucible, and The Worlds of Philip José Farmer 3 3:30 PM - A Tribute to Howard Hopkins and David Burton - author and editor Win Scott Eckert and Wild Cat Books publisher Ron Hanna will lead a celebration of the lives and works of these two creative pulp fans, recently departed.
In addition to all of that, you will get to hang out with other fans, including those at the forefront of keeping Farmer's legacy alive: Christopher Paul Carey, Win Scott Eckert, Rick Lai, Art Sippo. Paul Spiteri, and others.
So here is the real point of this email. If you don't reply and tell me you are coming, you are going to miss out on a lot of the fun. And the freebies. That's right, we have swag, we have outings, we stay up way too late talking about books! There will be books from Farmer's personal collection, and other Farmer titles, and books by FarmerCon attendees for sale at the Meteor House tables in the dealer's room. Now, if you want to be a part of all this, don't just think about maybe perhaps dropping by late on Saturday. You need to let me know. It's hard enough getting dinner reservations for thirty people; trying to add in several more at the last minute probably won't happen.

Well, that's it. All I'm asking for is a heads up if you want to come. If you don't want to come, or if I contacted you in the last few days to say I know you are coming, then you don't need to reply to this email, you don't need to do a thing. Except preorder Exiles of Kho if you haven't already. Seriously, there are only hours left now.
Mike Croteau
The Official Philip José Farmer Web Page
www.pjfarmer.com


Friday, July 6, 2012

PRO SE RELEASES FIRST OMNIBUS! THE FAMILY GRACE FROM REESE UNLIMITED!

Pro Se Productions, a leading Publisher in the New Pulp Movement, proudly announces the release of its latest volume, the first of a new size and type of books from Pro Se.  THE FAMILY GRACE: AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY is the first extra sized omnibus edition of a writer’s works produced by Pro Se Productions!

From a leading New Pulp Author comes The First Family of Adventure! Barry Reese, creator of the Rook, Lazarus Gray, and more brings together the classic early adventures of a cast of characters that are truly a family. THE FAMILY GRACE: AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY collects the hair raising, action packed tales of Eobard Grace and his family of adventurers, always on the edge of Hell ready to save the world!

Featuring stories that have never appeared together in one volume, THE FAMILY GRACE is an omnibus spotlighting Barry's creativity and skill at universe building! And features his seminal creation, THE ROOK!

This volume is also the first omnibus under Barry's own imprint, Reese Unlimited! Featuring stunning cover and logo work by George Sellas and fantastic design by Sean Ali as well as being newly edited by Lee Houston, Jr., THE FAMILY GRACE: AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY is full of all the best action, adventure, chills, and thrills New Pulp has to offer! From Reese Unlimited and Pro Se Press- Puttin' The Monthly Back Into Pulp!

Available at www.prosepulp.com and on Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/dx9htec and other retailers soon!  Also coming soon in an omnibus e-book edition!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

FORTIER TAKES ON THE DESTINY OF FU MANCHU!


ALL PULP REVIEWS by Ron Fortier

THE DESTINY OF FU MANCHU
By William P. Maynard
Black Coat Press
210 pages

When William P. Maynard wrote The Terror of Fu Manchu, it justifiably received an overwhelming positive reception from the pulp community.  Not only had Sax Rohmer’s classic character been resurrected after decades, but by a wonderfully talented writer able to tell the story in Rohmer’s same, unique literary voice.  Reading that book one could easily imagine it having been penned by Rohmer, it is that good.  And before all the hoopla had died down, it would go on to receive many acolytes and even a Pulp Factory Award nomination for Best Novel of 2010.  This success did not go unnoticed by both the publisher and the licensors.  They wisely concluded that Fu Manchu fans would want more from this skilled writer and were only too happy to sign Maynard to write a sequel.

The Destiny of Fu Manchu is that rare follow up book that is better than the first.  Which is no small feat by any means.  Taking a different tack, Maynard opts to tell this new thriller through the eyes of British Archeologist, Prof. Michael Knox rather than those of Dr. Petrie, the original series’ best known raconteur.  In doing so, he offers the readers a marvelously new perception of these classic figures from both sides of this on-going saga.  Knox, unlike Petrie, in not a selfless, courageous hero but rather a shallow, womanizing opportunist who, upon finding himself entangled with the deadly forces of the Si Fan, immediately flees with no other plan than to save his own skin.  

For whatever reasons, Fu Manchu and his enemies are after a hidden Egyptian power buried under one of the pyramids Knox and his colleagues are excavating.  When his associate is brutally murdered by oriental assassins, Knox disguises himself and flees, hoping to escape whatever dangers have befallen him.  Instead he is found, seduced and hypnotized by Fah lo Suee, the daughter of Fu Manchu.  She is the most alluring Femme Fatale ever created in pulp fiction.  At the last possible moment, Knox is rescued by the determined Sir Nayland Smith of British Intelligence; Fu Manchu’s arch rival. From that point onward, the narrative becomes a world spanning adventure going next to the jungles of Abyssinia and London, then on to Munich before making a complete circuit and ending back in Egypt.

Maynard cleverly weaves in a diabolical plot that has Knox and Smith involved with Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s Munich meeting with Chancellor Adolf Hitler in an ill fated attempt to forestall a second world war.  His portrayal of Hitler and his bullying manipulation of the western world leaders is deft and insightful blurring the line between history and fiction to tell a fantastic, mesmerizing tale.

As ever, Maynard’s true genius is his comprehending Fu Manchu’s complicated character and motives so that by the book’s epilogue, it leaves us contemplating what forces compel men to achieve power and glory when aware both will ultimately destroy them. In the end, the differences between the hero and the villain seem inconsequential, both being obsessed to the point of self-destructive hubris.  The Destiny of Fu Manchu is the finest pulp novel this reviewer has read this year.  It is going to take something truly remarkable to usurp that number one spot.  We shall see.



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Sunday, July 1, 2012