The Peril of the Pacific by J. Allan Dunn

This is a five-part serial, originally published in the pages of “People’s” magazine way back in 1916.  J. Allan Dunn, the author, had broken into the pulps just two years prior, but was already in high demand as a writer.  I was drawn to this book because I had read and enjoyed a collection of his “Crime Master” stories which weren’t written until the late 1920’s and 30's.

This serial is really a science fiction tale for that time, telling of a possible near-future.  A man by the name of Bruce Grahame is an expert in aeronautics and also a believer in preparedness, especially against what he believes is an imminent invasion of the western US by Japan.  Remember that this was written in 1916 so it is a really interesting take on what might happen, even if in our reality it didn’t come close to happening until the 1940s.

The author speculates that the new aeronautical technology of helicopters would completely transform the way combat would ensue, basically predicting that normal fixed-wing aircraft would become completely obsolete.  An interesting speculation that has, of course, been contrary to our history thus far but nevertheless makes for an interesting story.

This is largely a tale of war strategy with a lot of heroic adventure and a bit of romance thrown in. A major sub-plot involves a half-American/half-Japanese bad guy who hopes to betray his native US, lead the Japanese to surprise victory, and ultimately rule the new Nippon. He also kidnaps Grahame's girlfriend, for added incentive. A mere 150 pages cover the entire pre-war preparations, the surprise attacks, the limited response by the caught-flat-footed Americans, several key battles, and ultimate resolution.  And yet, it doesn’t feel rushed at all. It’s written in a more serious tone than the Crime Master stories I read, and I was content to read one section at a time, between novels, rather than straight through.  I wanted that same sense of reading a serial. I imagine that reading it back when it originally came out over five straight months amid the real WWI was quite an edge-of-your-seat experience.

Hats off to Off-Trail Publications and John Locke for re-publishing this interesting story.