Flash Gordon: Crisis on Citadel II by David Hagberg

Picking up immediately after the events of book 2, "Flash Gordon: War of the Citadels", Flash, Dale, and Dr. Zarkov find themselves wondering just what side of the Citadel war they should be on. The android known as “Martin” has proven duplicitous so Citadel 1 seems like the bad guys now.  But Citadel II is now also showing signs of manipulating them for its own ends. Their galactic war has been going on for thousands of years now, run mostly by computers, and it would seem that perpetual war is the only thing that keeps them all going.

The third novel in this set of Flash Gordon books is my favorite so far. I’ve gotten used to this “new” style of Flash Gordon and I’m really starting to enjoy the action-oriented space opera plot. This one sees Flash on his own for almost half the book, away from Dale and Zarkov and I think that is good. In the first two books we didn’t get to see him as the hero as much as just one part of a group, often overshadowed by Zarkov who could use his intellect to get them out of trouble. He was the go-to guy for the first two books with Flash often relegated to just being the muscle. But this time around he is on his own much of the time and can display his own intelligence and creative solutions. That’s what this series needed. In addition, there were some important plot developments along with finally turning the corner on the Flash/Dale relationship.

All six books in this series are one long story so be sure to read them in order. Looking forward to book 4, "Flash Gordon: Forces From The Federation", even though the title makes it sound like a Star Trek novel.

Flash Gordon: War of the Citadels by David Hagberg

The second book in the Flash Gordon: Citadels series picks up right after the events of the first book (Flash Gordon: Massacre in the 22nd Century).  Flash, Dale and Dr Zarkov find themselves caught up in a war between two super-advanced machine worlds that have been at war with each other for many thousands of years.  When they acquire knowledge of a weapon named “Ultimus” that seems likely to tip the balance, the trio travel to a communications center planet to retrieve it.

David Hagberg once again pens this entry in the series.  He’s known for his techno-thrillers featuring super-spy Kirk McGarvey and has also written numerous thrillers under the pseudonym Sean Flannery.  That writing style is on full display here, combining lots of technical detail with a plot that leads the main characters through one harrowing escape after another.  In fact, the middle two thirds of this novel is practically nothing but running and escaping various pitfalls as they fight their way through enemy androids. 

I was pleased to see Dale briefly leave her damsel-in-distress role for a moment when she assumed a warrior persona and bravely sliced two androids in two.  Unfortunately, she immediately resumed her former approach to life by bursting into tears and throwing herself into Flash’s arms.  Oh well.  This was published in 1980 but perhaps the author felt this was one area in which he could emulate the more traditional story from the 1930s. 

Once again, the book spends the final few paragraphs setting up the next volume.  It’s one long hi-tech adventure throughout the series so don’t expect much resolution to the plot elements in each book.  One can't help but wonder if our heroes are truly fighting for the right side or if that might be a revelation still to come. I'm enjoying these books so far though, in spite of minor annoyances.  It's not exactly a traditional take on the Flash Gordon mythos but as long as readers can live with that, it's a decent action-oriented space opera story.

Flash Gordon: Massacre in the 22nd Century by David Hagberg

Having read all six of the Flash Gordon novels written by Ron Goulart under the “Alex Raymond” name it’s time to turn my attention to another 6-book set in the Flash Gordon universe.  David Hagberg is the author this time, a fairly prolific author under a variety of pseudonyms, but almost always producing action-oriented thrillers or military fiction.  Those influences are very evident here in this first book.

I’ve done quite a bit of immersion in Flash Gordon-related media over the past six months, from books, to films, to the original 1930’s serials, and a fair number of comics.  So it is with some confidence that I can say this really is not a traditional Flash Gordon story.  It takes place in the year 2376 AD.  Flash Gordon is a Colonel in Earth’s military, and a widower for the past eight years.  Dr. Zarkov is an old man in his 80s and Dale Arden is his niece.  Not exactly “canon” if such a thing exists for these characters. One could substitute different character names for all three main characters and still have the same story.  No planet Mongo.  No Ming the Merciless, or anything else familiar to traditional Flash Gordon stories.

But despite that, I found this to be an enjoyable read.  The author brings the plot and the story aspects up to date (1980s) using technological jargon that is much more sophisticated than the older versions.  It has a sort of Star Trek feel to it.  The humans on Earth have built a “Federation” of planets for example. The term “prime directive” is used when interacting with alien civilizations. There is even a giant spaceship in the shape of a cube, 3 kilometers long on each side.  No, it’s not the Borg.  This novel predates that concept by almost a decade.

The plot involves our three characters encountering a derelict spaceship (the aforementioned cube) that had been launched from Earth 200 years previously and not expected to return.  But when they board it, they discover all crew members aboard have been murdered while in cryogenic sleep.  All but one who is missing.  But it seems the ship is being controlled by somebody or something and indeed, they are sucked into an FTL journey to a distant planet where they crash land.  Eventually they find a huge futuristic city but that also appears to be devoid of any life.  

The book does end with some answers to their questions but it is clear that this set of books will all be connected.  An actual series instead of a group of stand-alone books like the Ron Goulart ones were.

Bottom line: while clearly a new approach to the Flash Gordon saga, this was still a fun read.  The characters are one-dimensional, but I expected that.  Dale did show some feistiness at first, but this proved to be short-lived unfortunately.  She still serves as somebody to get in trouble and have to be rescued.  Flash is still the brawn of the group and Dr. Zarkov the brains.  So…maybe it’s more like the originals than I thought.  I am looking forward to book two to see where this goes and that is always a good sign.