Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 112

Today's exciting episode reviews the life and career of a crime-fiction and pulp megastar named Stewart Sterling. He wrote over 400 pulp detective stories and is credited as the creator of the specialty detective formula. Sterling also wrote numerous paperbacks for publishers like Beacon, Fawcett Gold Medal, Dell, Ace, Pyramid, and Avon. Additionally, the fallout from the Brian G. Berry accusations, Eric reviews the new sword-and-sorcery novella Doom of the Dark Delta by James Reasoner, and much more. Listen to the episode below or on any streaming platform. You can also download HERE. If you prefer to listen on YouTube you can click HERE.

Listen to "Episode 112: Stewart Sterling" on Spreaker.

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 111

On this episode Eric presents a feature on George Harmon Coxe, a prolific pulpster that wrote a number of series titles in the early 20th century before authoring full-length novels in both paperback and hardback. Additionally, a second feature is presented on vintage book publisher Hillman. Eric also reads a pulp story by legendary crime-noir writer John D. MacDonald. You can stream the episode below, download HERE, or on YouTube HERE. 

Listen to "Episode 111: George Harmon Coxe" on Spreaker.

Conan - Savage Sword of Conan #3 (Curtis)

The Savage Sword of Conan #3 was first published in December of 1974. The cover, inspired by Bjorn Nyberg's short story “The People of the Summit” (more on that in a bit), was painted by Mike Kaluta. The first pinup, which again is probably inspired by Nyberg's story, is penciled by Alfredo Alcala. 

The book's first story is “At the Mountain of the Moon-God”, a sequel to Robert E. Howard's “Black Colossus” story that first appeared in Weird Tales in 1933. That story was adapted to comic form in the second issue of The Savage Sword of Conan by Roy Thomas, who takes the writing reigns to pen this sequel to Howard's original story. The art was created by both John Buscema and Pablo Marcos. 

After the events of “Black Colossus”, Conan and a Khoraja princess named Yasmela are enjoying each other's company. However, a messenger climbs through the window carrying a warning that Yasmela's brother, King Khossus, is being held prisoner in Ophir. The messenger dies but passes a scrawled map of Khossus' whereabouts – the Mountain of the Moon-God. Conan makes the decision to journey to Ophir to liberate Khossus despite the qualms of a Prince of Stygia now serving Yasmela. Unfortunately, Yasmela's servant steals the map and delivers it to the King of Koth. The King of Koth wants to capture Khossus as well so he leads a badass named Sergius to the Mountain of the Moon God. Thankfully, Conan arrives and there's a three-way tussle to free Khossus. 

This was an entertaining story perfectly penned by Thomas to incorporate so many elements and layers to this otherwise standard search-and-rescue tale. The artists create two formidable foes in Captain Geballus and Sergius, both possessing facial expressions that would stop a clock. The story's ending puts to rest this chapter of Conan's life. 

“The First Barbarian: Chronicles of the Sword Part II” follows next. It is a continuation of the essay written by Lin Carter dating the sword-and-sorcery origins and Howard's acknowledgment of Clark Ashton Smith. He cites Smith's Atlantis stories as an inspiration on King Kull. 

The next story continues Gil Kane's Blackmark novel with “The Testing of Blackmark”. The first two issues of Savage Sword of Conan introduced this post-apocalyptic hero. In this story, Blackmark is hurled into savage gladiator games by King Kargon. The main event is a highly touted match between Blackmark and the Flame Lizard. I enjoyed the story and liked the connection to a character from Blackmark's childhood. Kane's art is always delightful as he introduces another element to Blackmark mythos with a silver rocket. That will be the highlight of the next Blackmark adventure.

Next is “Kull of Atlantis”. The editors explain that in the early days of the Conan comic-magazine (I assume they are referencing Conan the Barbarian), Barry Smith and Roy Thomas toyed briefly with the idea of a Kull of Atlantis comic book. What follows is seven pages of Smith's artwork with quotes taken from Robert E. Howard's “Exile of Atlantis”. It is interesting to see that Smith draws Kull just like the early issues of Conan the Barbarian, complete with the same face and horned helmet. I'm fairly certain some of the character's poses and positioning were repurposed for Conan the Barbarian or vice-versa. Conan the Barbarian's first issue was in 1970 and this magazine was published in 1974. It would depend on what the editors are referring to as “the early days of the Conan comic-magazine”. My guess is that these drawings of Kull came after Conan the Barbarian's debut. 

The last story is an adaptation of Bjorn Nyberg's “The People of the Summit”, originally published in The Mighty Swordsmen in 1970 by Lancer. Roy Thomas changed the title to “Demons of the Summit” and the artist is Tony deZuniga. 

"Demons of the Summit” features a twenty-something Conan taking a job as a mercenary to serve King Yildiz of Turan. Conan is provided the role of makeshift sergeant and ordered to lead a small army of Turanians into the Khozgari Hills in hopes to bribe and threaten the restless tribesmen from raiding Turan's lowlands. 

The Khozgari are brutal barbarians and they ambush the Turanian force leaving only Conan and a fellow soldier named Jamal alive to escape. The two are spotted by the daughter of a Khozgari chief, Shanya, and Conan takes her hostage to secure a safe pass back to a Turanian city. But, to avoid any unnecessary engagement, Conan decides to take the trio across the Misty Mountains. The chief's daughter begins screaming at Conan's decision and swears they will all be killed by the mysterious people there. 

I read and reviewed Nyberg's short story recently and found this adaptation by Thomas a much better narrative. The inclusion of a ghastly leader named Shangara vying for control of Shanya really enhanced the story. Conan's fights with the hideous creatures is worth the price of this whole issue. de Zuniga's use of pitch black pencil shading cleverly leaves a little for the imagination. This was an excellent adaptation to what is otherwise an average Nyberg story.

The last pages of the issue advertises “Iron Shadows in the Moon” is included in the next issue. There is also a great advertisement for the seventh issue of Savage Tales featuring Ka-Zar. 

Conan - The Flame Knife

“Three-Bladed Doom” was a short story authored by Robert E. Howard starring his character El Borak. It was not published during Howard's lifetime. There were two versions of the story, one printed in REH Lone Star Fictioneer in 1976 and a longer version in the Zebra paperback of the same name published in 1977. However, L. Sprague de Camp decided to rewrite the story to feature Conan, which was a common occurrence for both de Camp and Lin Carter in the 1960s and 1970s. “Three-Bladed Doom” was rewritten and included as part of de Camp's novella The Flame Knife. It was originally published in Tales of Conan in 1955. The novella was then reprinted as part of the Conan the Wanderer collection by Lancer in 1968 and then again as its own book, Conan: The Flame Knife, in 1981 by Ace. The story was also adapted to comic form in Savage Sword of Conan #31-32.

The Flame Knife is set during Conan's “Free Companions” era. He's instructed by Kobad Shah, the king of Iranistan, to lead a team of men to hunt a bandit named Balash. The problem is that Conan and Balash are old allies and Conan refuses the task. Instead, he teams with his companion Tubal and the two, along with a woman named Nanaia, ride to Balash's camp in the Ilbars Mountains to warn him of Shah's pursuit. Meanwhile, Shah is stabbed in his chambers by an assassin carrying a sacred knife marked with a symbol of the Hidden Ones. Whatever that means. Shah, along with his royal guard's captain, believe that Conan's sudden departure and the arrival of this assassin means that the Cimmerian is instrumental to this Hidden Ones cult. Shah orders a large army to hunt and kill Conan.

Convinced by Balash that there are mysterious things happening on the Drujistan border, Conan, Tulal, and Nanaia head there. This is where the narrative finally begins to settle in. Conan discovers a large city within the rocky terrain housing the Zuagirs, a mysterious tribe led by a leader deemed The Magus who declares he is part of the ancient Hidden Ones cult. 

Soon, the book kicks off a rapid pace as Conan escapes imprisonment and commits to freeing Nanaia, who has been captured by The Magus. Conan's overall goal is to overtake the Zuagirs and use their fortified city as a compound where he and the Free Companions can hold off Shah's oncoming forces. Conan fights a giant snow ape (depicted beautifully by Sanjulian on the Ace paperback cover) and finally ends a longtime rivalry with Olgerd Vladislav, the raider he usurped in Howard's 1934 Weird Tales story ”A Witch Shall Be Born”. 

Overall, this was just an average novella. If you have read de Camp's Conan stories you know that his version of Conan is much different than Robert E. Howard's. In de Camp's novels Conan is a cookie-cutter hero that personifies all that is good. The bad guys are carbon-copy bad. In The Flame Knife, Conan wants to free Nanaia. If Howard wrote this, Conan's nihilistic approach would be something to the effect of, “So what?” Additionally, I'm not sure under Howard's watch if Conan would attempt to even save Balash. With de Camp's writing, I mentally can compartmentalize his work as more of Conan the Barbarian's comic character. I do the same with the Tor paperbacks. These are “heroic” Conan stories. 

The Flame Knife is an average Conan novella filled with swordplay, prison escapes, crazy cults, and a fiendish cave creature. If the comic version of Conan is your jam, then this knife spreads the enjoyment. Get the book HERE.

Black Hound of Death

Robert E. Howard's weird fiction story “Black Hound of Death” first appeared in the November 1936 issue of Weird Tales. It was also included in the Summer 1976 issue of Dark Phantasms, the 1978 Sphere collection Weird Tales Vol. 1, and countless other volumes housing weird fiction and Howard stories. My review is from the Trails in Darkness 1996 paperback collection from Baen.

The story takes place at night in a dense forested area in the American southeast. While Howard doesn't specifically state Kirby Garfield is a lawman, it is implied based on his actions in the story. Through a first-person perspective, Garfield explains to readers that he's in the part of the forest to deliver a message. A man named Braxton has escaped from the law leaving a “ghastly toll of dead behind him.” Garfield believes Braxton is in the area and he is riding on horseback to warn a reclusive man named Richard Brent of the potential danger. 

On his way he stumbles upon a man begging for help after being ripped to shreds by some sort of animal. He screams at Garfield saying that “HE” done it. He relays a story to Garfield on how he was hired by a white man (wearing a mask) as a guide to Brent's house. But, somewhere along the way the mask slipped away and the man went on the attack. The man later dies in front of Garfield after providing him a warning to leave the area.

The book ventures into a pulpy horror nightmare as Garfield and a few stragglers venture to Brent's house and prepare for the flesh-ripping forest menace to appear. Of course there is an explanation on who – or what – is killing people and how it all ties to the fugitive Braxton. I can't give away any more details because it would inevitably spoil the reading fun. Trust me, the story is worth pursuing and delivers a hair-raising creature-feature experience. Recommended! Get the vintage copy of Trails in Darkness HERE.

Isle of the Undead

Pennsylvania native Lloyd Arthur Eshbach (1910-2003) discovered science-fiction at the age of 15. He soon began writing his own stories and sold his first to Science Wonder Stories in 1929. Eshbach became influential with his small Fantasy Press, initially publishing authors like E.E. Smith and Robert A. Heinlein. My first experience with Eshbach is the novelette Isle of the Undead, originally published in the October 1936 issue of Weird Tales. 

It begins with Cliff and his girlfriend Vilma on a rented yacht sailing through a sea of fog. Cliff rented the yacht, and it's captain, a guy named Corio, to entertain his small group of vacationing friends. Cliff and Vilma are horrified when they spot a strange galley ship approaching. As it nears, the couple see the crumbling timbers are blackened with rot, the prowl is bent backwards, and the mast is a jutted broken arm. But, the real terror lies in discovering the wretched crew of undead “things” sailing on the ship, a group of raggedy men that appear bloodless white with puffed and bloated skins as if they had been drowned and left in the sea for a very long time.

Soon, Cliff, Vilma, and the crew are manhandled by these monstrosities and taken to an obscure island hosting an enormous castle. Inside, they discover that this island is home to an undead legion of vampires that ransack vacationers and use them as sustenance to quench their nocturnal thirst.

I was thoroughly entertained by this pulpy horror tale and found Eshbach's writing so descriptive and imaginative. He creates scenes of stark-white terror when the group learn of their fate inside the Hellish castle. He really had to deliver the goods to match J. Allen St. John's ferocious cover design. However, his writing blends a sense of swashbuckling adventure as Cliff attempts to liberate his lover and friends. There are rescue attempts, sacrifices, nautical adventure, and plenty of fisticuffs as the group fight to survive the Isle of the Undead. 

You can listen to this story for free using Librivox, read it online at archive.org, or order a cheap copy online HERE. 

Solomon Kane - Rattle of Bones

Robert E. Howard's story “Rattle of Bones” was first published in Weird Tales in the June 1929 issue. The story was also printed in Skull-Face and Others, Magazine of Horror #11, Red Shadows, and a host of collections by the likes of Wildside Press, Del Rey, Bantam, and Baen. The story was adapted to comic form in the Savage Sword of Conan #18. 

“Rattle of Bones” features Howard's Puritan hero Solomon Kane. In the Black Forest of Germany, both Kane and a man named Gaston L'Armon stop for the night at the Cleft Skull Inn. After the bartender's strange behavior, Kane advises Gaston that they should bar the door to their room. While searching for something to secure the door with L'Armon discovers the skeleton of a man. One of the legs is shackled to the floor. Something is amiss in the strange Cleft Skull Inn.

This is a very simple but effective story. Kane discovers that he knows L'Armon from somewhere else. As the two investigate the skeleton, Kane is held at gunpoint by an assailant. I can't tell you too much more due to spoilers. “Rattle of Bones” is a mere eight pages, so anything else would disrupt your enjoyment of Howard's writing. Thus far, this is my least favorite of the Solomon Kane stories I've read, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing considering how much I enjoy this series. Every installment has been entertaining. Get it HERE.

Note - Howard's first draft was published in the first issue of The Robert E. Howard Foundation Newsletter in Spring of 2007. That version apparently has a different ending.

The Curse of the House

“The Curse of the House” is an early short story authored by Robert Bloch (1917-1994). It first appeared in the February 1939 issue of Strange Stories. It was later included in Subterranean Press's The Reader's Bloch series that concentrates on the writer's fantasy, horror, and science-fiction offerings. 

One of the unique features of “The Curse of the House” is that it upends the haunted house formula, proving that Bloch was already thinking outside of the box with his macabre artistic style. Instead of the average-man thrust into nightmarish home ownership or positioned as a haunted house-guest, Bloch flips the narrative by having a house “haunt” the average-man. The key is that this haunted dwelling can travel and follow the man throughout his life. It is an animate object with the ability to transcend boundaries – both physical and literary.  

The story is presented in first-person perspective by an unnamed doctor. He is interviewing his newest patient, a guy named Will Banks. Banks explains to the doctor that a house is haunting him. He then reveals that as a student he delved into the Black Arts. So much so that he traveled across the globe in a pursuit of olden devil-worship. His most alarming stop is in Edinburgh. It's here that Banks interviewed a warlock, Brian Droome. Droome invites Banks into his home and explains that his family have generations upon generations of active witchcraft. Droome is very open and hospitable to Banks, but as he temporarily leaves he instructs Banks to never go into the home's basement. He is adamant about this. But, Banks does and this creates the awful predicament that plagues his every waking moment. The house is alive.

There is a lot to this story that I can't divulge here. If you enjoy a classic horror tale that offers a non-traditional approach then look no further than Bloch's excellent “The Curse of the House”. While I'm not certain what Bloch is transcribing here, my guess is that it is a look at the mental health industry and its inner strengths and weaknesses in the early 20th century. The basement could represent an abstract approach to healthcare with authorities suggesting it is off-limits. The side-effects and long-term ailments could parallel the idea of the “house” haunting the patient. 

You can read this story HERE.

Conan - The People of the Summit

Bjorn Nyberg (1929-2004) briefly associated himself with Conan lore beginning in the 1950s. The Swedish author collaborated with L. Sprague de Camp in 1957 to write the novel The Return of Conan, published by Gnome Press. Nyberg authored two short Conan stories, “The People of the Summit” and “The Star of Khorala”, and both are featured in the paperback collections published by Bantam and Ace. Lately, I've been reading early The Savage Sword of Conan magazines and stumbled up on a story titled “Demons of the Summit” in issue three. It was based on “The People of the Summit”, so I decided to check out Nyberg's story before reading the comic adaptation. 

“The People of the Summit” features a twenty-something Conan taking a job as a mercenary to serve King Yildiz of Turan. Conan is provided the role of makeshift sergeant and ordered to lead a small army of Turanians into the Khozgari Hills in hopes to bribe and threaten the restless tribesmen from raiding Turan's lowlands. Sounds easy enough, right?

The Khozgari are brutal barbarians and they ambush the Turanian force leaving only Conan and a fellow soldier named Jamal alive to escape. The two are spotted by the daughter of a Khozgari chief and Conan takes her hostage to secure a safe pass back to a Turanian city. But, to avoid any unnecessary engagement, Conan decides to take the trio across the Misty Mountains. The chief's daughter begins screaming at Conan's decision and swears they will all be killed by the mysterious people there. She describes it, “'Tis a land of terror and death! Do not go there!”. 

But they do and this is where the bulk of the story remains. Nyberg's action scenes were well-written, but I felt Conan's dialogue left something to be desired. Additionally, Conan's strategies were nothing short of awful – he led his men into an ambush and then foolishly took a shortcut that led to even more danger than the original Khozgari warriors. On top of that, the chief's daughter is captured. It's just a complete failure on Conan's part, but I suppose without that we don't have a story. Nyberg's descriptions of a tower existing in the foggy whiteness of the Misty Mountains was very effective and moody, leaving a supernatural atmosphere to blanket these characters and story. 

As I mentioned in my opening, “The People of the Summit” was adapted into “Demons of the Summit” by Roy Thomas and printed in Savage Sword of Conan #3. The story's original appearance was in The Mighty Swordsmen collection published by Lancer in 1970. Additionally the story was also edited and published in Conan the Swordsman by Bantam in 1978 and was also included in a collection titled Sagas of Conan by Tor in 2004. Get the Bantam paperback HERE.

Paperback Warrior Primer - Steve Fisher

Steve Gould Fisher (1912-1980) was a prolific author of westerns, crime-fiction, and pulp stories in the early to mid 20th century. We've reviewed a number of Fisher's literary work including both shorts and full-length original novels. Today's primer looks at Fisher's military career and his contributions to all of the genres we adore here at Paperback Warrior.

Fisher was born on August 29th, 1912 in Marine City, Michigan. At some point his family relocated to Los Angeles so his mother could pursue an acting career. Fisher was enrolled into Oneonta Military Academy. It was there that he apparently sold a story to a small magazine as a teenager. But, he had enough of school and his personal life and ran away at age 16. He would later join the U.S. Navy and was stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Fisher's writing career took off with two articles that he wrote for the Navy's magazines – Our Navy and U.S. Navy. When he was discharged in 1932, Fisher returned to Los Angeles to continue writing for U.S. Navy. His work was so closely aligned with the Navy that they officially advertised Fisher as “The Navy's Foremost Writer”. 

Outside of the Navy publication, Fisher also started writing original short erotic fiction stories, which was published in 1933 and 1934 in magazine format. Sometime in the late 20s or early 30s, Fisher became married. In 1933, he moved to Greenwich Village in New York and lived close to the offices of Street and Smith, the dominant pulp publisher at that time. Friends and contemporaries stated that Fisher had a rough time as a New Yorker and was evicted several times. It became known that he even pawned his typewriter and used rejected manuscripts at lunch wagons promising that someday he would make it.

Author Frank Gruber moved to New York around the same time so the two of them became lifelong close friends. The friendship pushed Fisher in the right direction. Later, the two became friends with Cornell Woolrich. In 1934, Fisher's first non-erotic or romance story was published. It was a nautical story called “Authorized Mutiny” and it was published in the February 1934 issue of Top Notch. Some resources show his first non-erotic story was “Hell’s Scoop” and it was included in the March 1934 issue of Sure-Fire Detective Magazine. In 1935, lowly publisher Phoenix Press published his romance novel Spend the Night. They also bought and published two more of his novels - Satan's Angel and Forever Glory. 

By 1936 Fisher had become divorced. He then married a Popular Publications Inc. editor named Edythe Syme. By 1937, Fisher was really hitting his stride and providing stories regularly for Black Mask. In 1938, Fisher also refined his romance stories and sold them to the slick magazines like Empire, Cosmopolitan, and Liberty. 

Fisher's pulp career is often highlighted by the characters he created and wrote about. I've highlighted some of the prominent characters:

Captain Baby Face – This character's name is Jed Garrett but he's known as Captain Babyface and he works for the American Special Agent's Corps. His mission in the series is to kill Mr. Death, an evil genius working for Germany. There were ten total stories and they ran January through November of 1936 in the Dare-Devil Aces pulp magazine. The publisher Age of Aces has all ten stories combined into one awesome, 230-page volume and you can obtain it through Amazon HERE. 

Sheridan Doome - Doome is a Lieutenant Commander and chief detective for U.S. Naval Intelligence. His job is to investigate crimes committed on Naval bases and ships. Doome flies a special black airplane and his face is monstrously disfigured from a WW1 explosion. These stories appeared in the back pages of The Shadow Magazine beginning on May 1st of 1935. There were six Sheridan Doome stories in The Shadow Magazine in 1935. These six were the only Sheridan Doome stories published under Steve Fisher's real name. Beginning in 1937, they were all written under the pseudonym Stephen Gould. In the pulp magazine The Shadow, there were 54 total Sheridan Doome stories between 1935 and 1943. Fisher also placed Sheridan Doome in two full length novels - 1936's Murder of the Admiral and 1937's Murder of the Pigboat Skipper.

Big Red Brennan – This character is a U.S. Naval Intelligence agent fighting enemy spies in the U.S. and in Shanghai. Accoring to Spy Guys and Gals, who gather information from The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes by Jeff Nevins, Big Red Brennan's adversary is a former American Naval Lieutenant who sold out to a spy ring of Chinese and Mongolians. There are 24 Big Red Brennan stories and they ran from October 1936 through December 1937 in a pulp magazine called The Feds. The rest of the series was in the magazine Crime Busters and that ran from February 1938 through May 1939.

Danny Garrett – Garrett is a 13-year old shoe shine boy in New York City that solves crimes and catches criminals. His nickmane is Shoeshine Kid Detective. There were 65 of these stories from 1936 through 1946. Nearly all of these are in The Shadow. Two were in Crack Detective Stories and one in Mammoth Detective. There were even more Danny Garrett stories during that time written by both William G. Bogart and Fisher under the house pseudonym Grant Lane. The character was so popular that it spawned 18 appearances in comic book form beginning with Doc Savage Comics #1 in 1940. 

Tony Key – This character appeared in 12 stories in Detective Fiction Weekly and Black Mask from 1937 to 1941, beginning with “Murder Game–With Mirrors” in Detective Fiction Weekly, May 15, 1937. Key works in Hollywood and poses as a film and television agent. But, his real job is a detective for the film studios. He solves crimes involving producers, actors, and writers. He's described as always wearing flannels, white shoes, a white sweater, and a black coat. He has “patent leather hair.” His secretary and lover is the smart, pretty platinum blonde Betty Gale, and his ally is Mickey Ryan on the Homicide Squad. You can purchase the Tony Key stories in a collection from Black Mask HERE.

Mark Turner – Turner works as captain of the detectives in Honolulu, HI. He’s described as having red hair and a red Vandyke styled beard. Because of his brown eyes offset by red hair, the natives call him Red Eyes. Turner appeared in five stories. They were published in The Mysterious Wu Fang, Mystery Adventure Magazine, and Ten Detective Aces from 1935 to 1937. 

Johnny Connel – Perhaps the shortest lived character, Connel only appears in two stories. The first was “Murder Melody” and it was in Detective Tales June 1941. That same character is in “Blues for a Dead Lady”, which was in Detective Tales March 1951. I couldn't locate any information about this character. 

Fisher wrote about 500 stories for the magazines and pulps but he also wrote a number of full-length novels. His most popular book is probably the 1941 novel I Wake Up Screaming. It's about a promoter who is a suspect in the murder of a starlet. The book was compared to Cornell Woolrich, which makes sense considering Fisher and Woolrich were friends. He even has a character in the book named Cornell as a tribute to his friend. The book became a hit film the same year and kick-started the crime-noir film era. It was even filmed again in 1953 under the same title. With I Woke Up Screaming, Fisher really made a statement that he had moved on from the pulps.    

Fisher authored 16 total full-length novels including No House Limit in 1958, which was later reprinted by Hard Case Crime. 

Fisher moved to Hollywood, CA and began a long-running, highly successful career writing and producing films and television shows. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1944 for his screenplay Destination Tokyo, which was adapted from his novel. He wrote and produced seemingly hundreds of shows and films up until his death on March 27th, 1980 in Canoga Park, CA.

Ooze

Author Anthony M. Rud authored science-fiction, horror, and detective novels and short stories between the 1920s through the 1930s using his own name and pseudonyms of R. Anthony, Ray McGillivary, and Anson Piper. He also edited Adventure magazine for three years and Detective Story Magazine for one year. He is best remembered as authoring the title novella in the historic first issue of Weird Tales – Ooze from March 1923. 

Ooze is presented in first-person narration by an unnamed narrator. The narrator learns that his former college roommate, John Cranmer, has died along with John's son Lee and his wife Peggy. The novella begins with the discovery of these deaths and then follows a non-linear narrative as the narrator pieces together the pieces of history leading to these deaths.

Working as an aggressive scientist, John purchases a swampy area of Alabama to conduct experiments on microorganisms. The idea is to somehow grow larger livestock that would provide more food to people. However, things spiral out of control when John grows a small amoeba. John's adult son Lee visits his father and purposely begins to feed the “Ooze” large animals in an effort to supersize the growth and showcase his father's scientific prowess.

I won't ruin the surprise for you but I'll hint that this slimy gelatin-encased oozy monster may or may not bite the hand that feeds. How the deaths happen, who is responsible for this creature-run-amok incident, and the mystery of where the thing lives becomes the bulk of the narrative in a fun and gross way. Literary scholars have often cited that this story may have influenced H.P. Lovecraft's style, specifically his story The Dunwich Horror. 

If you love early horror and gross-out monster mayhem, do yourself a solid and read Ooze. Get it HERE.

Nightmare on Ice

John Stephen Glasby (1928-2011) was a British born author that produced more than 300 novels and shorts during the mid 20th century. Most of his literary work was written using pseudonyms or house names like A.J. Merak, J.L. Powers, Victor La Salle, Chuck Adams, and John E. Muller. Bold Venture Press spotlighted Glasby's Nightmare on Ice in their 45th issue of Pulp Adventures. The novelette was originally published under the pseudonym Peter Laynham in Supernatural Stories in 1963. 

The narrative features five men living in a research station miles from civilization in the Arctic. There's three scientists, a mechanic, and a meteorologist. Inside this base sits three main buildings and each of these tiny buildings is connected by a dark narrow tunnel. One of the men mentions that he can hear animal noises outside the doors, which is unusual considering the area is in a heavy thunderous blizzard. 

Days later one of the men is alone in the storeroom and hears scratching at the outside door. Considering the temperature is hovering at 60 below zero, nothing alive should be outside in the storm. The man opens the door, begins screaming, and then the reader is left guessing at his demise. This sort of thing plays out again with another member of the research team. 

With three survivors remaining, one of them tells the others that through the frost-crusted window he could see both of the dead men standing out in the snow. There's discussion among the men that ancient people in that area believed something supernatural lived in the ice and sort of embodied the winter. Needless to say things happen and eventually we're left with one survivor who is armed with a gun and attempting to keep his sanity knowing he's the next victim. But, what is the thing in the ice? Is it a ghost, a creature, Satan himself? I like that Glasby leaves it all subjective. There is an ending to the story, but it's slippery to determine exactly what's happening. 

Nightmare on Ice is a fantastic reading experience with a sense of dread looming in every dark crevice. I love books and stories set in snowy locales or frozen settings so the atmosphere and temperature was perfect. One of my favorite horror films is John Carpenter's The Thing and this novelette contained those vibes, which in itself was based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There". Glasby's tale is mostly what I consider a horror entry but I guess you can lump it in as a science-fiction with the possibility that the evil thing is from another world or planet. Regardless of genre, this was entertaining and highly recommended. 

You can get Pulp Adventures for ten bucks on Amazon HERE and as I mentioned earlier it contains this novella and a lot of other great content. Bold Venture Press does such a great job with this magazine and I have no qualms supporting their efforts. This issue also contains pulp fiction stories from E.C. Tubb, Shelley Smith, Ernest Dudley, and contemporary stories from authors like Jack Halliday and Michael Wexler. There's also a Rough Edges article written by author James Reasoner reviewing three novels.

Simon Ark #06 - The Wolves of Werclaw

I reviewed a novel called Murder's Old Maid by Donald Bayne Hobart. It was published in the October 1956 issue of Famous Detective. I was happy to find a digital scan of the issue online and even more delighted when I saw that the sixth Simon Ark story, “The Wolves of Werclaw”, was included in this same issue. 

Simon Ark, written and created by Edward D. Hoch, may or may not be a 2,000 year old occult detective who is endlessly searching for Satan. He teams with an unnamed narrator who normally presents each Simon Ark story in first-person perspective. These stories have Ark and the narrator somewhere on Earth investigating a weird menace that typically has more in common with crime-fiction than the supernatural. But, Hoch writes the stories subjectively with the reader still thinking something creepy really happened long after the last page is read. That is sort of the Ark gimmick with these tales.

In “The Wolves of Werclaw” novelet, the narrator is now serving as vice-president of a major New York publishing firm. He journeys to Poland to witness firsthand the gradual lifting of the Iron Curtain. In the Polish city of Werclaw (not to be confused with the real Polish city of Wroclaw) the narrator is joined by a co-worker named Franklin Fangler. A celebration is occurring to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of a historic battle in which the tiny town held off a thousand Nazi troops. The survivors are being honored for their achievements and patriotism.

That night the narrator and Fangler are invited to the cavernous home of Berza, the town's Chief of Police. Later, the two are awakened by a frantic Berza claiming that giant wolves are savagely attacking the town. The narrator witnesses three large grey wolves running through the streets and a rifle crack as police officers attempt to stop the bloody carnage. The next morning Berza calls for a wolf expert. 

Simon Ark appears with an introduction and is pleased to discover his friend from years ago in the unnamed narrator. The two catch up and then discuss the pesky wolves. As the narrative tightens the two friends are thrust into protecting a man named Otto from the town's vigilantes. The people feel that Otto is an actual werewolf and may be behind the brutal murders (or a pack leader). But, as usual, Ark has a different theory that may suggest the real killers are the communists hoping to keep a firm foothold on Poland's throat. 

This story was just terrific with plenty of action, foul play, murder, and violence. With so much carnage and mayhem the author was still able to create an imposing chilly ambiance to the storytelling. While certainly maintaining a political vibe, this tale had more of a supernatural feeling to it than any other Ark story I've read. The white-knuckled hatred from the town combined with the innocent nature of Otto was such a great blend. The story was clever, entrancing, and just excellent. I'm loving these Simon Ark stories. Get a lot of stories starring Simon Ark HERE.

Simon Ark #04 - The Man from Nowhere

The fourth Simon Ark appearance was in the June 1956 issue of Famous Detective Stories. It was also reprinted in Startling Mystery Stories' Summer 1967 issue. The story, written by Edward D. Hoch, is titled “The Man from Nowhere” and features an enticing premise of “...the story of Douglas Zadig's last day on Earth and the people who were with him when he died.”

The story begins with occult detective (who may be 2,000 years of age) Simon Ark telephoning the unnamed narrator in November 1940ish. Ark asks if the narrator would like to join him on a weekend trip to Maine. In first-person narrative, the narrator explains that any trip with Simon Ark is never as casual as it sounds. He's delighted to unearth some criminal activity with the bizarre detective. 

Ark, who is presented in the series as searching for “Ultimate Evil”, is in Maine to interview an overnight sensation named Douglas Zadig. The 20-yr old man appeared out of the mist one day claiming to have no memory of his past life. He spoke English very poorly, wore clothes that were rags, and possessed a copy of Voltaire's novel Zadig, thus his name was created. However, since the man appeared he has managed to write a book titled “On the Eternal War Between the Forces of Good and the Forces of Evil” that contains word-for-word teachings from a religious leader named Zoroaster – a man that lived seven centuries before Christ. 

When Ark and the narrator arrive to visit Zadig they discover that he has been attacked twice by an unknown entity while sitting alone in his room. There's talk that Zadig may be a target for the Devil himself. Through an investgation both Ark and the narrator learn about a similar man named Kaspar Hauser that also appeared “out of thin air” in 1829. He also remembered nothing of his past and was dressed like a peasant. What is the correlation between these two bizarre men and their outwardly appearance of being from another century? Needless to say the story escalates with a murder mystery. 

“The Man from Nowhere” is an excellent representation of what this series is all about – the perfect cocktail of traditional detective-fiction mixed with a dose of Victorian horror and draped in the hints of a supernatural explanation. Like other weird-menace stories in the pulps there is always a logical explanation. But, what I love about Hoch's resolution to these cases is that he leaves it subjective. There is always a brief possibility that the abnormal things happening are really supernatural. That is evident with Ark's last spoken words in this story: “...there are some things better left unexplained, at least in this world.” 

In this world, you can get a copy of the Simon Ark stories HERE.

Simon Ark #03 - The Witch is Dead

“The Witch is Dead” was the third Simon Ark story, and it appeared in Famous Detective Stories' April 1956 issue. It was reprinted in the Fall 1966 issue of Startling Mystery Stories. There were a total of at least 45 Ark stories, and they are all penned by Edward D. Hoch. The concept is that Ark travels the globe searching for Satan while also solving crimes that possess a weird menace. Most of the stories include an unnamed narrator presenting the story in first-person. 

The story begins with the narrator describing a woman named Marie Carrio and her career as a fortune-teller named Mother Fortune (how original). She operates her mammoth crystal ball in Westchester County, New York. The narrator states that Mother Fortune died in a burst of flames and that her death proved even more fantastic than her life. 

The narrator then describes the events leading up to Mother Fortune's fiery demise, which is the story. He says it was October in 1950 and he was now working for Neptune Books, a paperback publisher (great nod to the era). He is now married to a woman named Shelly. He meets Simon Ark unexpectedly at a train station. Ark catches up with the narrator on the last couple of years since they had worked together. He says, “There is evil everywhere these days, and it is most difficult to separate the man-made evil from the more ancient type.” This statement pretty much sums up the Simon Ark series – deciphering supernatural or simple logic. 

Ark explains to the narrator that he is in Westchester County to investigate weird happenings at the Hudsonville College for Women. The narrator laughs when Ark advises that the college has somehow become cursed by Mother Fortune. Three students are near death and another forty are critically ill. Ark is there to determine the real cause of the outbreak and if it is somehow linked to an unfortunate event that occurred between Mother Fortune and the school years ago.

This was probably my least favorite of the Simon Ark stories thus far. The plot development was a bit murky and the final solution to the school's epidemic was hard to believe. I enjoyed the exchanges between Ark and the narrator and appreciated the PI-esque investigation. The story just moved a little too slow with such a limp payoff. With this many stories across four decades the output is certainly going to vary. You could skip this one.

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 105

Today's brand-new episode focuses on one of the most polarizing authors of the early to mid 20th century, Sydney Horler. He wrote 150 books and authored over 1,000 short stories while waging a headline war with his contemporaries. We dive into his life, his involvement in London's criminal underworld, and the many series titles and characters he created. Eric also reviews a private-eye novel from 1984 and discusses a heated marital dispute in the parking lot of a Jacksonville bookstore. Play the episode below or on any streaming platform. Download the episode HERE. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and follow us on Facebook, X, and YouTube. 

Listen to "Episode 105: The Crazy Career of Sydney Horler" on Spreaker.

Simon Ark #02 - Hoofs of Satan

The Famous Detective Stories February 1956 issue includes “Hoofs of Satan”, the second appearance of occult detective Simon Ark. He first appeared in the magazine a few months earlier. Those of you unaware of the character there were at least 45 Simon Ark stories and they were all authored by series creator Edward D. Hoch. Ark travels the world searching for the Devil while investigating bizarre occurrences that suggest an evil presence. He teams with an unnamed narrator that progresses from a reporter to a publisher and then a partner with Ark in a detective agency. 

“The Hoofs of Satan” takes place in the winter of 1945 in North Bradshire, a village that lies on the edge of a forest on one of the main highways from London to the coast. The narrator, in third-person this time, describes it as a relic of the Middle Ages that somehow survived the 20th century. Simon Ark is there to investigate the village and later explains to a Chief Inspector that a hundred years ago several villages in that area discovered strange cloven hoof-prints in the snow. The villagers followed the path of the prints through the forest but came to a certain point where the dogs would just howl but go no further. 

Simon Ark, the Inspector, and the village mayor examine new hoof-prints that have appeared in North Bradshire. The trio interview the owner of a house where the majority of the hoof-prints appear. A man named Summers agrees to help the group find answers on who – or what – is making these tracks. Ark has some suspicions and meets with a neighbor named Hunt, a strikingly beautiful married woman that was a popular actress before her retirement a couple of years ago. Ark believes there may be some connection between Hunt, her husband, and Summers. A love triangle? But, what does that have to do with hoof-prints?

Despite Ark's explanation of the weird happenings in North Bradshire, the story eventually drifts into familiar territory in these Ark stories. There is a logical explanation, a murder, and a central mystery on who the killer is. The prints in the snow are unusual but explained in the story's conclusion. As the story ends there is a dark tone as readers discover that Ark may have dished out vigilante justice. The ending suggests that maybe there was a supernatural element marked by Ark leaving an ankh behind. 

This was a fun bit of escapism that puts Ark into the role of leading a mystery investigation. The story is more procedural and follows a well-worn template but it still works well. Readers gain a few tidbits about Ark along the way which contributes to the grand mystery of who the heck Ark really is. As usual, suspend your disbelief and have fun with it. That's what the Simon Ark stories are really about. 

You can obtain this story by purchasing City of Brass: And Other Simon Ark Stories. It is a collection published by Mysterious Press and it features three Ark stories. You can buy it HERE.

Simon Ark #01 - Village of the Dead

Edward D. Hoch was a prolific writer that penned hundreds of shorts across several different genres in dozens upon dozens of magazines. He was a big deal for publishers and editors looking for content for their monthly or weekly books. While there have been several memorable characters in Hoch's bibliography, ranging from Ben Snow to Captain Leopold, the one that fascinates me the most is the bizarre occult detective Simon Ark. 

Simon Ark debuted in “Village of the Dead”, a short story featured in Famous Detective Stories in December 1955. In fact, Ark's first six appearances were in that magazine before spilling over into magazines like Crack Detective and Mystery Stories, Double-Action Detective and Mystery Stories, and Tightrope!. Eventually, the character would become a fixture in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. There were at least 45 stories featuring Simon Ark between 1956 and 2008. 

In “Village of the Dead”, an unnamed narrator (he is never named) recounts a strange event that occurred in a small American town – The Gildaz Horror. In first-person, the narrator explains that he was working as a reporter scoping out political stories when a teletype hit the newsroom about a mass suicide occurring in the tiny village of Gidaz, just south of the narrator's location. He quickly gets to the scene and discovers that a majority of Gidaz's population took a fatal jump from the top of a hundred foot cliff. 73 people now lay in bloody shreds on sharp rocks lying at the cliff's base. What would make all of these people commit suicide together?

As the narrator begins researching the story he enters one of the abandoned homes and meets another investigator – one of a different sort. He introduces himself as Simon Ark, but advises the narrator that his name is not important. He is described as not appearing old, yet there were tiny lines of age if you looked close enough. The narrator says in a way Ark was a very handsome man, yet he couldn't imagine women ever being attracted to him. He later describes Ark as seemingly from another world or another time.

The two team up together to learn more about the suicide and eventually meet another reporter named Shelly that was originally from the small town. Ark discovers a book in town called The Confessions of Saint Augustine that looks as though it was burned. Later, they discover that a man calling himself Axidus came to town two years ago and began a new religion for Gidaz. The population trusted him to a fault, which may have been their downfall. Through the course of the investigation the narrator and reader learns more about Simon Ark – he may be 2,000 years old, he speaks Coptic, hints that he knew Saint Augustine himself, and that this Axidus may be an evil figure from long ago. How does it all tie together?

There are readers that absolutely love the Simon Ark stories and others really hate them. I've had the fortune of reading a lot of them and I really enjoy the character. “Village of the Dead” by itself isn't strong storytelling and ends with a Scooby-Doo type ending. That's the thing about the Simon Ark stories, they have a bizarre menace theme that eventually leads to a logical explanation instead of some far-flung supernatural one. However, what makes the stories cool is there is always a lingering thought that maybe there was something supernatural occurring. Like in this story Axidus is probably just a quack fanatic that got rich quick or he really was some ancient enemy from centuries ago. 

The thing with Simon Ark stories is that he is on a mission to find the Devil. It is his goal to combat evil across the globe and to eventually bring the ultimate fight to the Devil. But, he isn't a pulpy over-the-top hero. Instead, he solves mysteries in a Sherlock Holmes way with the narrator playing Watson. As the series progresses forward the narrator becomes a book publisher and then eventually partners with Ark as a detective agency. The supernatural and bizarre menace possibilities tend to lessen as the series matures in the 60s and 70s. 

Many Simon Ark stories have been reprinted in physical and digital collections. A passing glace on Amazon will net you a handful of titles with this story included. Start here as a base and then work your way forward. I'll bring you more Simon Ark reviews to guide your way through the darkness. 

Get Simon Ark books HERE.

Paperback Warrior Primer - Sammy Gomez

Author George F. Krull (1911-1963) utilized the pseudonym Dean Evans to author shorts for the pulps from 1948 through 1954. During his short writing career (and abbreviated lifespan) Krull churned out 30 stories for magazines like Black Mask, The Phantom Detective, and Detective Tales. From my research, I was able to find one lone paperback authored by Krull, This Kill is Mine, published in 1956 by Graphic Mystery that also uses the Evans name. 

Krull created two characters during his pulp career, both of which are of the detective variety. The first was Edward Gates, a private-eye beating the street for clients in Reno, Nevada. He first appeared in “Need a Body Cry?” in New Detective Magazine's May 1949 issue. He then re-appeared in the subsequent issue, a cleverly titled story called “I.O.U. - One Grave”.

The second of Krull's character creations, which we are examining today, was Sammy Gomez, a Lieutenant Detective working for the Carson City, Nevada police department. The fact that both characters are in Nevada makes me think Krull was a Nevada native and/or resident. Gomez's appearances were “The Man Behind the Gun” in Detective Tales July 1950, “Margie – It's You!” in Detective Tales September 1950, and the novelette "Immanuel" in 5 Detective Novels Magazine Summer 1952.

A look at Gomez and his three appearances:

“The Man Behind the Gun” - The story begins with Gomez arriving at the Club Drake casino to investigate a fatal shooting. The initial interview and evidence shows that a disgruntled gambler barged into an accounting room and started firing off shots. Drake, behind his desk, ducks and pulls a .45 and kills the gambler. Despite the evidence and City Hall's praise that this is an open and shut case, Gomez doesn't buy it. Despite his superior, the recurring Captain Hart, Gomez digs in further to learn about Drake's business practices and connections. His determination to seek justice leads to Gomez giving Hart his badge when the pressure is on to bring Drake to trial for murder. The story had a fast-pace, quick character development, and provided the traits and skill-set to establish Gomez as a viable and durable hero. I enjoyed it.

“ Margie – It's You!” - Gomez begins with a scolding from Captain Hart about his inability to find a murderer named Hamil. He interrogates Gomez and wants to learn what the delays are. Gomez is working the case hard by going after Hamil's honey, a woman he finds at a nearby bar called The Queen Bee. The bulk of the story relies on dialogue as the woman expresses her discontent with Hamil, an emotion that is only rivaled by her undying love for him. Eventually Gomez gains the scoop on what type of vehicle Hamil is driving and his plans to escape town. The story ends in a subjective manor as Gomez pulls a gun and begins walking into a laundromat that Hamil is occupying. As I flipped the page I was wanting more, but then I thought better of it and decided the story didn't need the shootout or cuff. I was happy with the pursuit, which is where Evans' writing centers consistently. This was a great story. 

“Immanuel” - This story concerns a dying man's last words. When a bank heist occurs, the police erroneously shoot an innocent bystander. Now, City Hall is cracking down on the department and Captain Hart is feeling the heat. He wants Gomez to learn more about the incident and what exactly led to the citizen's death. Gomez, of Hispanic ethnicity, interviews the man's family and friends, all of which share his same ethnicity. As the pieces come together the man's innocence is severely questioned. Again, this was a fantastic story and I appreciated Gomez's determination. Like the first story, Gomez once again threatens to give Hart his badge when the criminal fires begin to heat up. Hart, in a role-reversal, is often found serving Gomez more often than not. 

Unfortunately, there were no other Gomez stories. The author's death at just age 52 abbreviated his writing career and diminished his contributions to the pulps. His run is rather short compared to other writers of the time like Edward D. Hoch, Bruno Fischer, and John D. MacDonald. Like so many of these pulp authors, Krull's literary work is mostly forgotten now. Hopefully, this primer will provide some new light on the author, his stories, and maybe more information about his personal life. If anyone has more information please feel free to post it in the comments. You can read these stories and more HERE.

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 103

Today's episode examines the intriguing police procedural sub-genre of crime-fiction. Eric presents an exciting feature on one of the genre's most iconic authors, Hillary Waugh. In addition, Eric reviews the first installment of the vintage detective series Neil Hockaday and discusses some new book aquisitions. The episode also includes an audible story by crime-noir writer Jimmy McKimmey. Stream below or download the episode directly HERE. 

Listen to "Episode 103: Hillary Waugh" on Spreaker.