Second Generation by Howard Fast

Another page-turner by Howard Fast. Following up the first book in the series, (The Immigrants), as the title would imply, this is about the children of the Lavette family, particularly Barbara, that takes center stage this time. She makes for a good protagonist because she has trouble deciding what to do with her life and therefore tries everything under the sun. The novel takes place during the depression-era 1930s and on through World War II, so there is plenty of adventure to attract her, including several lengthy trips to foreign countries as part of her budding writing and journalism career.

But it’s not all about the younger set. There is still plenty of drama for the first generation to go through as well, particularly Dan, the main protagonist of book one. Additionally, I was surprised to see the turn that his first wife, the aristocratic Jean took, turning from a rather boilerplate character into a really interesting one.

This series continues to be a well-done portrayal of a family saga of immigrants wrestling with the tumultuous events of America in the 20th century.  Some seek wealth or power while others seek purpose in life. Some achieve their goals while others miss the mark. Some lives are cut short. But always, the plot remains unpredictable.

Happily, there are several more books in the series, as I’ve become attached to the characters and am anxious to see what happens next. For me that's just about the highest praise I can offer.

The Loner (Edge Series) by George G. Gilman

Being the first novel of the lengthy "Edge" series I suppose you could look at this as the origin story for the rest of the books. But really that is covered in the first couple of chapters as Captain Josiah Hedges returns from the Civil War to his family farm in Iowa only to discover that his little brother had been brutally murdered.  Josiah's vendetta towards the five men who did it (who also served under his command in the Union Army) drives him into becoming the killer character we all know and love as "Edge".

Most of the novel is, predictably, about Edge following the trail of the five men, getting into brief bits of trouble along the way, and eventually catching up to them in Arizona Territory. The finale is a nice payoff and serves well to set up the rest of the series. 

This is my first "Piccadilly Cowboy" western, a moniker shared by a handful of British authors in the 1970's and 80's who themselves never set foot in America. Terry Harknett, the author behind the George G. Gilman pseudonym was the most successful of all. I'm happy I finally took the plunge into the Edge series. More will certainly follow.

Ambush! by Steve Mackenzie

Kevin D. Randle has more than 80 books to his credit, mostly in the field of UFOs where today, he is considered a prominent expert. But in the 1980’s he wrote a series of 14 novels about US Navy SEALS in Vietnam under the pseudonym, Steve MacKenzie. In Vietnam, Randle piloted UH-1 helicopters based at Cu Chi, and Tay Ninh. His knowledge and experience in Vietnam and later in Iraq is evident in this series.

This first novel in the series opens with US Navy Lieutenant Mark Tynan having trained up a new group of SEALs in preparation for action during the Vietnam conflict. But he knows there is no substitute for real combat in a wartime situation so he prepares a sort of “final exam”, infiltrating enemy lines and ambushing a small group of VC. While their mission is a success, they uncover what appears to be a large surprise operation in Hobo Woods to take out Fire-Support Base Crockett. Tynan’s attempts to warn his superiors fall on deaf ears; seems the intel folks don’t like to pass on unsubstantiated rumors. So Tynan takes his squad of rookies along with a couple of experienced SEALS and attempt to scuttle the surprise VC action before it can get started.

I really enjoyed this novel, far more than I expected to. LT Tynan demonstrates excellent leadership skills time and again and his SEALS are extremely competent warriors, although they aren’t perfect. In typical SEAL fashion, they implement creative solutions rather than brute force firepower. But when it’s called for, the military action is intense. Not all of the characters make it through the culminating battle but I’m looking forward to book two to see what’s next for the survivors.

Voyagers: Twelve Journeys Through Space and Time by Robert Silverberg

Robert Silverberg is well known as a grand master of science fiction and while he has written in other genres, it is his science fiction tales that have made him a legend. With a career spanning more than 60 years, his longevity is matched only by his productivity. From 1956 to 1959, he routinely averaged five published stories a month, and he had over 80 stories published in 1958 alone. While his novels have garnered much acclaim, I believe it is his short stories and novellas (his favorite form) that have propelled him into the stratosphere. 

This collection of 12 stories provides excellent examples from his body of work, traversing most of his career.  The theme is, obviously “voyaging” or “traveling” in one form or another. Silverberg himself is an experienced world traveler, and many of these tales reflect ideas he first garnered on his own journeys. These stories reflect various concepts of “voyaging” such as travelling to the far corners of the universe, time travelling, or even travelling into the depths of one’s own soul. They have all appeared in published form before, often in magazines such as “Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine”, “Amazing Stories”, or in various anthologies. Each story includes a nice introduction by the author describing how and when it came to be.

Over the past few years, I have been straying further and further away from my youthful love of science fiction. Lured away by other interesting genres perhaps or maybe just choosing poor samples. Often, I seem to run into science fiction stories that sacrifice good storytelling (characterization, plotting, pacing, etc.) in favor of too much detail. Many times, it seems authors are more interested in trying to show how smart they are than in telling a good story. Happily, this collection is not like that. Here, Silverberg displays his range, showing different styles, different levels of “hard science”. There are a couple of ‘literary’ examples here as well as less serious yarns but always, always, there is a good, compelling story that kept me turning the pages. I am pleased to say that it has reignited that feeling I once had about science fiction and I plan to dive into the genre more readily in the future than I have for quite some time.

Highly recommended.

The Insidious Doctor Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer

The first Fu-Manchu novel, originally published in 1913 by Sax Rohmer (Arthur Henry Ward) does an excellent job of introducing readers to the “most diabolical evil genius of all time”. Published in the UK under the name, “The Mysterious Fu-Manchu”, the story is told from the first person perspective of Dr. Petrie who acts as a sort of Watson to the more adventuresome Nayland Smith, a colonial police commissioner in Burma who has been granted a roving commission that allows him to utilize any group that can help him in his mission. When this book was written the western world was in the midst of the “Yellow Peril” and thus a diabolical mastermind intent on subjugating the West was a well-received idea.

The book is filled with idealized adventure much as one would find in the pulps and it never lets up on the accelerator. I like the way Dr.  Fu-Manchu scorns the use of guns or explosives in favor of thugs with knives, members of secret societies, or using "pythons and cobras ... fungi and my tiny allies, the bacilli ... my black spiders" and other natural chemical weapons. Perilous adventure for Dr. Petrie and square-jawed Nayland Smith to be sure.

Many readers today are unable to cope with the racism inherent in such a book, but I can take it as it was written and consider the times in which it takes place. I may cringe now and again but there is always a poisonous spider or deadly mold trap coming to take my mind away.

I’ve been reading similar pulp-era books for years but lately have made a plan to introduce myself to a new character each year. Last year was The Shadow and this year it’s Dr. Fu-Manchu. It’s a great way to expand my universe. Based on this first novel, it’s going to be a good year.

Shades of Evil by Hugh B. Cave

There is something coming from the lake. It looks like a foggy blob at first but then coalesces into the shape of a human woman. First, two large dogs are found dead but later, residents of the nearby condominium complex start to be killed. Will Platt is an author of occult stories who lives in the complex and he feels there is some connection to his soon-to-be ex-wife as well as a recent trip to Jamaica. Certainly, voodoo has something to do with it.

Hugh B. Cave was a prolific pulpster, selling over 800 stories during the 1920’s and 30’s in just about every genre imaginable. He was probably known best for his horror and weird menace stories, and this novel is a good example of that. This novel is told in three parts with the first and third taking place in Florida near the aforementioned lake while the third is a flashback to the island of Jamaica. Interestingly, the author, after a stint in WW2 as a war correspondent, moved to Jamaica and managed a coffee plantation while continuing his writing career. This has resulted in accurate and insightful descriptions of the island and its inhabitants in this novel.

I’ve never been a big fan of voodoo in novels and there is a lot of that here, as well as other occult practices that I am not familiar with (obeah and bocorism?). I guess it is not surprising considering the author’s time in Haiti resulted in his publishing "Haiti: Highroad to Adventure", a nonfiction work that some claim is the "best report on voodoo in English." The man knew his subject. Many of the main characters in this novel not only believe in the associated powers but seem to take it for granted that others do too. And they do! Nobody ever really questions the occult nature of the mysterious apparition, and easily buy into the premise. I found the horror elements to be somewhat subdued by today’s standards, but it does focus on the fear and apprehension aspects rather than any kind of gore and blood splatter.

I was surprised to find out the novel reads much more like a modern horror story than a pulp story. Like something from Dean Koontz or John Saul might write.

Bran Mak Morn - The Last King by Robert E. Howard

Before Conan, before Solomon Kane, and even before Kull of Atlantis, there was Bran Mak Morn, King of the Picts.  In fact, Bran was the second main character ever developed by Robert E. Howard, second only to Francis X. Gordon (El Borak).  This book contains several stories about Bran as well as numerous fragments, untitled/unsold stories, essays, letters (most notably to and from Weird Tales magazine and Howard’s buddy, H.P. Lovecraft), etc. that help to define REH’s life-long interest in the Picts.

The more pulp fiction that I read, the more I have come to appreciate Howard’s work.  His historical research and in-depth understanding of history, its peoples and cultures, all led to stories that have a genuine ring of actual historical texture to them, even for those stories that are part of his imaginary history.  The Picts are a perfect example, described in this book in an authentic manner while also appearing in Conan’s Hyborian age stories.  Often, they are the enemy race and easily maligned so for Howard to create a character such as Bran Mak Morn that will lead such a people, was perhaps risky but also admirable. 

These stories were written early in Howard’s career and as such there is inconsistency among them.  I wish Howard had developed Bran more thoroughly through additional stories but alas, Conan came along and that market drove Howard’s output for several years and put an end to Bran.  A couple of the stories in this volume have very small roles for Bran himself and tend to concentrate on co-characters or take a wide-angle lens approach to the history of the era.  It seems as if Howard’s penchant for research was translating itself directly into the story, rather than developing a typical plot structure that we might expect.  This book includes those stories for the sake of completeness, even though the pulp magazines didn’t buy them. As such, while I heartily recommend this book to Howard readers (indeed, necessary reading), for others who are simply looking for another Conan-style character, I would still encourage diving into these stories simply on their own merits…just expect a different experience.

Two for the Money by Max Allan Collins

Nolan. No first name given. Tough guy. Resume includes managing nightclubs for the Chicago branch of “The Family” and also a professional thief – a true master. Of note: he once killed an incompetent mobster who also happened to be the brother of an underboss. Not good.

Nolan has been laying low for over a decade, dodging his former employers. He’s nearing 50 years of age but his hard life makes him feel closer to 80.  So, when a friend offers to broker a deal to grant Nolan a clean slate with The Family, he feels he must take them up on the offer. The deal turns out to be one last job. A bank robbery that Nolan must carry out along with three rookies who are little more than college age juvenile delinquents. But the rewards are high; not just the take from the bank but also that promised clean slate. If only Nolan could trust the deal.

This book combines the first two novels in the Nolan series by Max Allan Collins: “Bait Money” and “Blood Money”. Collins makes it clear in the afterward that he considers these two books to really be one larger novel and indeed, that’s the way this reads. This combined book was first published by Hard Case Crime in 2004 (with unspectacular cover art) but thankfully the publisher has committed to re-publishing the entire Nolan series with new cover art, beginning with this volume. In reading the first half of this book, I was amazed to discover it was actually Max Allan Collins’ very first published novel, written back in 1969-70 while he was a college student himself. But it reads like a veteran writer’s work, all the way through. It’s clearly an homage to Richard Stark’s (Donald Westlake’s) Parker series, readily admitted to by Collins in the afterword. In fact, Collins sought out Westlake’s approval before continuing the Nolan series.

As for the story itself, it’s a wonderful read. The first part is a gripping heist novel with all the meticulous planning and unforeseen snags that occur in the best of that genre. The second part is a little more character-driven but with just as many edge-of-your-seat scenes to keep the pages turning. Together, the larger story really creates an unforgettable character, Nolan, a hardened criminal with a code that makes you want to root for him all the more. Bring on the next one pronto!

The Copenhagen Affair (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) by John Oram

For the third novel in the series, the publishers turned to John Oram (John Oram Thomas), a staff writer for the Empire News before turning to writing novels.  The plot revolves around a new THRUSH threat in the form of a flying-saucer-type weapon system being built in Denmark.  Solo and Kuryakin are sent to stop whatever progress has been made but when they finally arrive on scene (after a couple of action scenes where Solo must force his way past some THRUSH thugs), they discover the weapon is complete and ready to run its first dastardly mission.

My research into this author revealed little other than he supposedly based this book on his wartime experiences fighting for the Danish resistance.  He would go on to write the 22nd novel in the series, The Stone-cold Dead in the Market Affair.  However, I could find no other novels by him, or any other pen names he might have used.

This is a quick read, with a straight-forward plot that seems a lot like one of the season one television shows.  Solo still gets most of the protagonist role but I did notice Kuryakin seems to be a bit more of a ladies man than we see in the TV show.  Perhaps, like the first two books in the series, this was written based on the show’s concept and before the show’s first scripts were produced or maybe just before the show started to jell into its norm.  David McCallum, the actor who played Kuryakin, is on record as saying he purposely did not play the role as a ladies man, believing the character would be too focused on the missions to get side-tracked by that.

The Black Master (The Shadow) by Maxwell Grant

Even though this is the second “Shadow” novel in the order published by Pyramid, it is actually the eighth one as originally published in the March 1932 issue of The Shadow Magazine.

The story opens with a bombing on Wall Street, leading to the deaths of five men. One hour later a similar bombing takes place at Grand Central Station, followed by a third explosion at the subway entrance at Columbus Circle. What is going on? Sounds like a case for The Shadow…

The Shadow, as usual, needs help gathering all the evidence and clues necessary to expose the entire plan and who’s behind it. Several of his regular agents contribute to this adventure, including Harry Vincent who has been in all seven of the novels before this one. Also, contact man Burbank is here, as well as reporter Clyde Burke. Detective Joe Cardona plays a large part in this story and I understand he appears in over 200 of the pulp novels. The Shadow, himself, appears in disguise as Henry Arnaud for the very first time although not quite the same Arnaud that will appear in later stories. The Arnaud disguise reportedly appears in twenty-eight of The Shadow's adventures, but usually Arnaud was a solemn businessman. This time around, he is an eccentric multi-millionaire.

This was a fast-paced adventure with a lot of moving parts. The identity of “The Black Master”, the one behind the bombings is fairly evident from near the beginning but it is still fun to watch how The Shadow and his agents figure it out.

Apache Devil by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The sequel to ERB’s 1927 western, "The War Chief", begins with our hero, Shaz-Dijiji (Black Bear) trying to pick up the pieces of his life amid the tragic circumstances surrounding his loved ones in that first book. He’s still a young man in his early 20’s when this book begins, still an Apache warrior chief but the end of the Apaches as a people is becoming more and more evident. 

The novel is a conjunction of two types of stories. It’s partly an accurate historical novel that chronicles the final years of Geronimo and his renegades before the final peace agreements and the eventual life on a reservation. It also includes a more typical western tale (told from the Apaches’ point of view) that centers on Shaz-Dijiji and his needing to come to grips with his own origins as a white man. A potential romance may be in the cards; dare we hope for a happy ending for him? 

I’ve thought before that ERB was ahead of his time when it comes to appreciating the plight of the Native Americans and this novel proves it. It’s hard to believe this was first published in 1928 given the sympathetic view the author has for Geronimo and his people.

ERB isn’t well known for his westerns, probably because there are only a handful of them and when compared to his prolific output and world-famous settings and characters like John Carter, Tarzan, David Innes, etc. it’s just hard to compete. But one gets the impression that the author’s own experiences in the West as an enlisted soldier with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in Fort Grant, Arizona Territory were forever imprinted on his psyche and came pouring out in these two novels. I wish there were more in this series.