The Sergeant #05 - Doom River

For my money, the best WW2 men’s action-adventure series was The Sergeant by Len Levinson, writing as Gordon Davis. The series follows U.S. Army Sergeant C.J. Mahoney through Europe kicking Nazi ass along the way. Installment #5 from 1981 is called Doom River.

The novel begins following the liberation of Paris in 1944 and Mahoney is banging a French whore who charged him 10 cigarettes for the sex. After his tryst, he walks right into one of the finest, most brutally violent, action set pieces I’ve read in years with Mahoney confronting some kraut holdouts in the Paris Opera building.

Levinson uses fictionalized strategic meetings between George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, and military brass to give the reader context about the strategic importance of the mission Mahoney and his fellow soldiers will be undertaking. In this paperback, the mission is for U.S. Army troops to fight their way across the Moselle River in France into solidly German turf.

For this assignment, the military brass agree to assign Mahoney’s long-time sidekick, Corporal Cranepool to work with our Sergeant. The pair only have eight hours to get their slacking new platoon of lazy, complacent soldiers outfitted and motivated to cross the river under heavy resistance from the Germans.

While there’s never any question about the battle’s outcome or Mahoney’s fate, Doom River remains a fantastic combat adventure by one of the greats of the genre. Levinson can always be counted on to mix violent, bloody adventure with sex and humor to deliver the goods. His paperbacks will always be a must-read. Get the book HERE.

A Short Stay in Hell

A Short Stay in Hell is a 2012 short novel of speculative science-fiction by an evolutionary biologist and philosopher named Steven L. Peck about a guy who goes to a very unusual version of Hell.

Our narrator is Soren Johansson, who lived a perfectly reasonable and ethical life but nonetheless awakens in Hell after his death. At orientation, Soren is informed by a demon that Hell is actually temporary, and he will eventually get to Heaven if he completes an unusual task.

Soren’s Hell is a vast library filled with shelved books as far as the eye can see. Soren’s task is to go through the books and find the one among them that chronicles his life on earth. There are others in the library working on the same task along with Soren.

The setup for a vast library of this nature filled with mostly nonsensical and irrelevant books was borrowed by the author from a 1941 short story from an Argentinian librarian and author Jorge Borges called “The Library of Babel,” but Peck’s version is more of a smart, humorous, and tragic science-fiction meditation on the pitfalls of living forever.

Can the residents of the library work together to use process of elimination to find their biographies? How big is this library, anyway? There’s adventure and sorrow and romance in these pages wrapped in some serious Big Ideas making this one of the finest short novels I’ve ever read. Highest recommendation. 

Get the book HERE.

The Woodkin

According to his bio, Alexander James is a Seattle-based writer that enjoys Dungeons & Dragons, Double Stuff Oreos, and hiking. But, we aren't on a dating site. Alexander James also loves to write and experienced the publication of his debut novel, The Woodkin, in 2023 via CamCat Books. This unusual horror-hike novel was nominated for an Audie Award for Thriller/Suspense and earned an Independent Publisher Award for best Mystery/Thriller for Audiobook. I enjoyed my childhood backpacking the Appalachian Trail so I was anxious to see where James would take me on the trail. 

Protagonist Josh Mallory experienced a tragic childhood due to his mother dying in a blazing housefire. The memories of that day are firmly etched in his scarred memory. Josh grew up, attended college, and now finds himself in a strained marriage with his wife Deb. After discovering she may be cheating on him, Josh decides to embark on a three-week “find myself” hike through the Cascade Mountains using the popular Pacific Coast Trail.  

Early in the hike Josh (who uses the name Switchback) discovers a rotting corpse in a rugged ravine. Hoping to notify authorities, he continues his trek and meets a couple of other hikers. The most vibrant is an old hippy-esque guy nicknamed Appletree. He seems innocent enough and the two share a fire one night and Josh learns of a nearby town called Bedal. After hiking to a secluded roadway, Josh hitches a ride into town.

Bedal is a strange place where some of the town doesn't seem to physically hear or see Josh. Others have conversations with him, but it is all misplaced ramblings that seem senseless. He discovers a bulletin board with postings of missing hikers and tries to find a semblance of law and order to report the dead body. However, this weird little place doesn't have any police, working phones, or rangers. When Josh attempts to buy supplies he is introduced to the irritating character of Coars, a drug peddler that operates the town's only store. 

Soon, Josh is back on the trail and discovers more eerie things – a dead deer with a knife embedded in the skull and a wild “forest child” that seems to possess a nefarious motive. Eventually Josh finds the book's horror and it all relates to something in a cave deemed “Woodkin”. All around him Josh hears the words “feast for the woodkin” as he spirals into a really violent and dark experience cutoff from civilization.

There's a lot to unpack here, but the most entertaining parts of the book is simply Josh's flashback chapters that visualize the things that happened in his childhood. His need for a Sony Playstation, a football injury, and the horrific fire. If it wasn't for these chapters removing the reader from the forest, the book would have been rather lifeless. Picture the television show Lost without the character flashbacks. Just jungle and mystery yawns, right? The Woodkin is like one long episode of Lost where nothing makes any sense. Things happen that appear to have just been created by the writer that very second. I'm sure there is a mythology to the madness but I was completely lost on what was happening. One minute it is Wrong Turn, the next it's The Ritual, other times it's Rambo II in a forest prison. I had flashbacks of frustrating gamer days when Silent Hill and Deadly Premonition had no rhyme or reason. Just atmosphere. 

Go read The Woodkin and tell me what the Hell the book is about. I finished it. I'm weary from the fight. But, I finished it. Maybe you can too. Get it HERE.

Hunter at Large

We've covered author Thomas B. Dewey quite extensively here on Paperback Warrior, including a Primer article and a podcast episode. The Indiana native wrote 36 novels between 1944 and 1969. Of his stand-alone novels and series books the one novel that I have been the most excited about is Hunter at Large. The book was originally published in 1961 as a Permabook paperback. Stark House Press chose to reprint the book in 2024 under their Black Gat imprint. The novel is now available in physical and digital editions. 

Mickey Phillips (almost Spillane backwards!) is a tough cop. He makes his living beating the streets as a detective. His only real peace in life is the quaint country house he shares with his beautiful wife Kathy. The two have a wonderful harmony together, evident in Dewey's charming opener. 

Like a rifle-crack in the dark this perfect tranquility is shattered. Two men arrive at Mickey's door and briefly ask if “Mickey Phillips” lives there" (this is important). Mickey obligingly says yes and the two men immediately sap him. He's then handcuffed and strung up to watch the ultimate nightmare play out in front of him – the rape and murder of his beloved Kathy. Afterwards, one of the men frees Mickey from his bondage, shoots him, and then the two walk out of his life. 

Mickey survives the intended fatal shot. He's rushed to the hospital and spends weeks in rehabilitation from broken bones and painful surgery. When he's back on his feet Mickey resigns from the police force to pursue his own justice. But where does he go with no clue to the identity of the murderers?

Surprisingly, Dewey sidesteps the invitation to turn Hunter at Large into an action-packed novel bursting with energy. Instead, this is a methodical 250-page manhunt as Mickey drifts from city to city hoping to find the killers. It reminded me a little of The Fugitive's quest for the one-armed man in the old television show. Mickey befriends a prostitute, falls in love with a Mexican hotel worker, and works as a bartender. 

As much as I wanted this novel to intensify I was still very much intrigued on the direction Dewey was taking. Mickey's hunt is entertaining and is brimming over with the core mystery – who were these men? With no apparent ties to Mickey or Kathy's past, and no remarkable clues left behind, the search leads to some interesting places. There's no big twist here. Nothing convoluted that's paramount to the identity and discovery of the killer and motive. It's a slower narrative built with a sturdy framework of investigation and resolution while still retaining an intimate attention. Compelling, rewarding, and recommended!

Get your copy HERE.

Paperback Warrior Conversations - Brian G. Berry

Today, Paperback Warrior introduces an exciting new segment to its video and podcast programming called Conversations. In this inaugural episode, Eric sits down with horror author Brian G. Berry to discuss his action-adventure, horror, and science-fiction novels, his unique writing style inspired by cult cinema and trash VHS, and the recent controversy surrounding his novel's removal from store shelves and his dismissal from Encyclopocalypse Publications. Stream the audio portion only HERE. Watch the visual version HERE or stream below:

Conan - Conan the Valorous

Author John Maddox Roberts took his first swing at Tor's Conan pastiche novels in 1985 – Conan the Valorous. Many consider Roberts contributions to the Tor line as the most enjoyable, and thus far I would agree. I enjoyed his novel Conan the Bold and wanted to try his very first experience with the character. 

Conan the Valorous is stationed between the L. Sprague de Camp/REH story “The Blood-stained God” and “The Frost Giant's Daughter”. Conan is out of money and staying at an inn in northern Koth. A messenger comes to his room and asks that he meet a Stygian woman named Hathor-Ka. In that meeting Hathor-Ka, an aspiring Stygian sorcerer, offers Conan a great deal of money to carry a magical flask to Cimmeria. The goal is for Conan to pour this flask in the cave of Ben Morgh, the ancestral home of Conan's god Crom. Conan swears he will make the journey and perform the task in exchange for up-front money.

While Conan is on a road trip through Ophir, Nemedia, and the Border Kingdom, another aspiring sorcerer is doing the same, only a shortcut by river. Conan can't take this same route due to his Cimmerian heritage feuding with the Picts. This sorcerer, Jaganath, plans to ambush Conan in Cimmeria and steal this flask for himself. 

The book mostly works like one long road trip for the three-fourths of the narrative. The most entertaining portion of the novel is Conan's miniature adventure in a town called Cragsfell. Here, a chieftainess named Aelfrith is warring with a psychotic ruler living nearby. This part of the narrative explains the origins of the feud and how Conan can help. Initially, Conan declines his services to Aelfrith – despite her beautiful seduction – but once he learns that Aelfrith's daughter has been captured he changes his mind and leads a rescue by storming a castle and fighting off hordes of baddies. 

The book's last quarter features Conan aligning various Cimmerian clans to fight a sorcerer growing legions of followers, and a hideous creature, in the underground tunnels below Ben Morgh. 

The entertaining portions include the aforementioned rescue of Aelfrith's daughter (which could have been its own novel), Conan meeting various kinsmen from his boyhood, and the brief appearance of Conan villain-royalty in Thoth-Amon (from “The Phoenix on the Sword”). However, I feel that the last few scenes wrapped up the story too quickly with many promised fights evaporating like a silent fart. Jaganath has a killer in his ranks named Gopal and I was anticipating an epic fight with Conan. That never came to fruition. 

If you enjoy the very honorable, true good-guy boy-scout Conan character of Marvel's Conan the Barbarian comics or these pastiche novels, then this novel is certainly worth reading. I have a mindset when I read these types of Conan novels – this isn't the nihilistic gritty character created by Robert E. Howard, it's a re-imagining of Conan. If you can live with that then this book along with hundreds of other Conan works should be entertaining. Conan the Valorous is recommended. Buy it HERE. 

The Cassandra Crossing

Robert Katz (1933-2010), not to be confused with the film and television producer Robert A. Katz, was an author, screenwriter, and non-fiction writer from Brooklyn, New York. He authored numerous books and even faced criminal charges for his book Death in Rome (1967). The charge was defaming the memory of Pope Pius XII, which he was convicted and sentenced to 14 months in prison. The verdict was later overturned. 

My only experience with Katz is his 1977 novelization The Cassandra Crossing. Katz, along with three other writers, penned the screenplay for the movie in the early 1970s. The film was produced and released in 1976 with an all-star cast that included Sophia Loren, Martin Sheen, Ava Gardner, O.J. Simpson, and Richard Harris among others. Seeing that he already penned one-fourth of the screenplay, he chose to write the novelization, which was published in 1977 courtesy of Ballantine. I've never seen the movie because I'm a book guy.

The narrative begins in Europe as a Swedish duo attempt to break into a lab located at the International Health Organization (IHO). Oddly, only two U.S. Marines are there to stop any takeovers of the extremely deadly diseases housed in this facility. One of the two baddies, using a 357 Magnum with a silencer (which is mostly impossible), shoots the soldiers. But in the ruckus one of the Swedes is killed and the other manages to spill a deadly strain of the pneumonic plague (or something like that) all over himself. He then manages to escape the horde of U.S. Marines that are chasing him and boards a passenger train.

Katz then quickly introduces a ton of characters to readers in short paragraphs. As the narrative continues, the short paragraphs rotate around to present each of the characters' personal stories and situations. For example, the main character (if there really is one) is an acclaimed doctor named Chamberlain. His ex-wife (he divorced her twice) is on board as well and the two have a romantic fling while bickering about their prior marriages. It was an enjoyable and cute little shindig. Other characters include a hitman disguised as a priest, a small group of musicians and a groupie, a married couple, and the wife of a famed German businessman (or royalty). 

A group of doctors back at the IHO begin preparing for ways to re-route the train to a former Nazi concentration camp in Janov, Poland. To get there, they need to re-route the train through the Carpathian Mountains across a damaged and poorly constructed bridge – The Cassandra Crossing. As the passengers begin to get sick, the train is rerouted and the inevitable “ride or die” scenario comes to fruition as the train rolls on. 

There were four people writing this mess of a movie - keep that in mind. The film  earned the description “profoundly, offensively stupid” from the NY Times and “an unintentional parody of a disaster film” from Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune. While I enjoyed the overall plot design, I could never quite place what was happening on board the train with so many characters. Katz, anticipating the confusion, placed a checklist of characters at the beginning of the book with short descriptions – which kinda helped. But, there were so many aspects that just seemed pointless. 

Why even go to this former Nazi concentration camp in the first place? What's the point of possibly spilling a train and its diseased passengers into a ravine if the bridge may collapse? Why chance it? There were so many questions screaming in my brain as I was reading what should have been a high-octane thriller that burned up the pages on hot rails to Hell. 

The Cassandra Crossing isn't a terrible reading experience. As much as I was confused, I still found enjoyment in the overall concept. If you find the paperback affordable, it might be worth reading when you've had enough technically dense dives into Geoffrey Household's work to just need something less attentive. Lukewarm recommendation at best. Get it HERE.

Launch a Battle Rattle! It's a Used Bookstore Blitz!

It's a mission to unearth vintage paperbacks from the battlefields of history! We're launching a Book Blitz to uncover the most thrilling World War I, World War II, and Vietnam War vintage paperbacks. Don't miss a moment of this high-stakes literary operation! Here comes the Paperback Warrior! Watch below or stream on YT HERE.

Fools Walk In

Bruno Fischer (1908-1992) was a top-tier author of the pulp and paperback era. Stark House has re-released two of his Fawcett Gold Medal novels - Fools Walk In (1951) and So Wicked My Love (1954) - in one trade paperback with an informative introduction by Nicholas Littlefield. 

Fools Walk In

The novel begins with our narrator Larry Knight picking up a young, stranded woman named Jeanie at a rainy Virginia gas station and giving her a ride. They’re both headed for New York and the girl is sexy, vulnerable and flirty. But what’s in that travel bag she’s carrying?

Larry is a high school English teacher and never married. He’s totally gonna get laid with this enigmatic chick, right? To complicate matters, it seems Jeanie is running from the cops following a recent payroll holdup conducted by her now-dead boyfriend. The loot was never recovered and the cops think Jeanie is running with it. What’s in that bag, again?

The unlikely pair find themselves on a road trip to New Hampshire to a mobster hideaway where Jeanie can get some help with her problems from her dead ex-boyfriend’s heist crew. For unclear reasons, Larry tags along looking for an adventure and hopefully some erotic nights with this sexy young tart.

Together they hatch a pretty stupid plan to have Larry steal the identity of a reclusive California pimp to bolster his credibility with the gangsters at the hideout. It’s dumb and gets dumber. Thereafter, most of the novel involves the love triangles and interpersonal back-and-forths among the characters at the hideout with Larry the high school teacher playing the role of legendary California mobster.

Bruno Fischer is a fantastic author - one of the best from his era - but this novel is a real stinker. It started so promisingly with the erotic meet-cute with a woman-on-the-run, but the central premise of the book requires way too much suspension of disbelief. If you buy the Stark House reprint (and you should!), you can safely skip this one and enjoy So Wicked My Love.

So Wicked My Love 

Fischer’s 1954 novel, So Wicked My Love, originally appeared in a condensed form in the November, 1953 issue of Manhunt magazine. Crime-fiction scholars will often point to the novel as among Fischer's best.

When the reader first meets Ray, he's a dejected, emotional wreck laying on Coney Island's sandy beach. His girlfriend Florence rejected his marriage proposal and ring the night before, explaining to Ray that she may still be in love with another man. As Ray ponders his life post-Florence, he spots a woman he once knew walking along the shore. Ray re-introduces himself to a beautiful vixen named Cherry and almost immediately becomes an accomplice in armed robbery and murder. Wicked love, indeed.

After reading a brief newspaper headline about an armed car robbery, a mysterious woman and a band of criminals, Ray's one night out with Cherry proves to be a cornucopia of dark discoveries. He learns that Cherry has a car trunk filled with stolen cash and three violent men on her trail. Ray gives Cherry the engagement ring he bought Florence and the two decide to flee with the money together. But after a deadly, violent encounter with two of the three men, Ray drops the money at an abandoned farm house and anonymously calls the police to pick it up. Ray then reconvenes with Florence and the two become married and live happily ever after. Considering all of these riveting events happen in the book's opening pages, readers quickly sense that Bruno Fischer has an abundance of intrigue, suspense and violence left to explore.

Ray's lusty encounters with Cherry aren't explicit, but they're an enticing invitation for readers to take the journey with these ill-fated lovers. As Ray's average life becomes more complicated, readers can foresee the impending doom in Fisher's narrative. By its very definition, the idea of this average blue-collar man being trapped in a web of murder, robbery and blinding lust is crime-noir in its most rudimentary form. It's also the same ritualistic formula utilized by a mastermind crime-fiction veteran like Fischer to mesmerize readers, fans and literature scholars. From a reader's stance, it makes for a fantastic reading experience.

Bottom Line: So Wicked My Love is so wickedly good. Get this twofer from Stark House HERE.

Deer Hunt

Peter Lefcourt, a novelist, producer, and screen-writer, contributed to television shows like Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Cagney & Lacey, and Desperate Housewives. He has authored a number of books, but I was mostly interested in his 1976 Pyramid paperback Deer Hunt. It neatly slides into the “Deer Hunter Horror” niche. 

Deer Hunt stars two brothers, Sid and Dave, that live in a small northern Vermont town. Years ago two events transpired that drastically altered their relationship. The first was when Cora dumped her boyfriend Dave right after high school and chose Sid, who she married and has been with (kinda happily) ever since. The second event is that the two inherited their father's pharmacy.

Sid is the responsible small business operator that runs the store and the books. Dave mostly labors at the pharmacy and does just enough to warrant his role in the business. Sid is a fair man and still provides 50% of the profits to his bitter brother.  Sid has often asked his brother to sell his half, but Dave refuses and the relationship just gets worse every year. 

In a strange scenario Dave accuses Sid of stealing money from the pharmacy cash register, which is nuts. Sid has much easier ways of stealing money from under Dave's nose. Dave accuses Sid of being a thief and begins to treat Cora poorly. It is just a really bad situation.

Dave and Sid used to go on deer hunting trips together, but years ago Dave stopped going and now remains as an elusive weirdo that spends his time reading gun magazines. So, this new hunting trip that Sid is about to embark on this year runs afoul when Dave volunteers to go. Sid gets the feeling that Dave is wanting to go deer hunting with him so he can shoot and kill Sid in a revenge plot to get the pharmacy to himself and to somehow get Cora back. However, things get really wild when Dave outlines a hunting map with one side labeled Dave and one side labeled Sid. Dave explains that this hunting trip will be different because Dave and Sid will hunt and kill each other. Whoever wins and kills the other will explain to the police that it occurred by mistake while shooting at a deer. 

Of course Sid thinks this is all crazy. But, Dave warns him that if he doesn't participate in this hunt that he will come to Sid's house and just kill him in his sleep or at a time when he least expects it. Sid can't live with the fear and paranoia that his brother is going to murder him so he agrees to this macabre deer hunt so he can at least have a fighting chance and can finally clear his mind from the stress. 

Deer Hunt is a terrific book if you enjoy the slow burn. Three-fourths of the narrative is just leading up to the hunt. The relationship wrinkles, Cora and Sid's relationship, and how the small town perceives the brothers. The hunt itself is only about 25 pages, but I was perfectly satisfied with the development and finale.

 However, the author didn't understand firearms when he wrote the novel. He has Sid carrying a .22 rifle to go deer hunting and to participate in the hunt for Dave. He then describes how the .22 “slug” would punch through one of the hunter's vests and completely turn him around. In reality, I've seen people dig a .22 bullet out with a pocket knife. You typically don't kill deer or people with a .22 rifle. It is ridiculous. But, other than that this was an entertaining novel. 

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. 

Sherlock Holmes - A Study in Scarlet

The canon of Sherlock Holmes includes 56 short stories and four novels authored by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The character first appeared in the 1887 novel A Study in Scarlet, first published in Beeton's Christmas Annual and then in book format a year later. Thanks to my friend and Sherlockian expert Paul Bishop, an author/blogger/podcaster, I've taken my first plunge into the literary escapism of the Victorian detective era.

A Study in Scarlet begins by way of an introduction between Dr. John Watson, who narrates in first-person, and the enigma himself, Sherlock Holmes. Readers learn of Watson's experience in the Anglo-Afghan War, his service as a surgeon with the Army Medical Department, and his education at University of London, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and Edinburgh University. As the book begins Watson is searching for room and board and is urged to meet with Holmes, an eccentric in need of a roommate to offset rent.

Holmes is described as having a profound knowledge of chemistry, sensational literature, and British law. He has a feeble knowledge of politics, an accurate understanding of anatomy, and variable degrees of knowledge in botany. Holmes is an expert boxer and swordsman, plays the violin, and, most importantly, is a consulting detective.

A telegram arrives requesting assistance in a murder case. A body has been discovered in an abandoned house on Brixton Road. Watson joins Holmes in the investigation. At the crime scene Holmes shows up Scotland Yard by deducing that the murderer used poison. The German word for “revenge” is scrawled on the wall and a ring is discovered that may lead to the murderer's identity. Eventually, Holmes locates the killer and the mystery is solved. All of this takes place in Part I, titled “The Reminiscences of Watson”. 

Reading the murder investigation as closed, I was surprised that half of the book remained unread. Part II is “The Country of the Saints”, a detailed explanation of what kickstarted the victim pursuit, motive, and the murderer's ultimate goal. Surprisingly, Holmes and Watson have no participation in this part of the book. Instead, this portion of the narrative takes place in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah years before the Brixton Road murder. In this account, a man named John Ferrier and a young girl named Lucy are rescued from the desert by Brigham Young's Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). Ferrier is forced into a Mormon faith and becomes a prisoner to the religion. Despite his reluctance, Ferrier becomes wealthy and gains a great swath of land. However two of the Mormon leaders vow to make Lucy their bride. Ferrier is provided a deadline to turn Lucy over to one of them for adoption into their harem. Lucy is adamant in her intentions to never marry either of them and Ferrier is left between a rock and a very hard place – both being killed or giving up Lucy.

I found both parts of Doyle's novel riveting in different ways. The first adventure of the famed Watson/Holmes crime-solving duo was just so enjoyable. There's a touch of dry humor and an ebb and flow between the two as they pounced on the details of the case and the list of suspects and motives. It was easy to follow the investigation (a lesson some writers today should adhere to) and see the case through to the conclusion. Thankfully, Doyle spends an equal amount of time instilling in the reader the reasons and motive for the murder. I found this portion of the book to be slightly more superior. This was an exceptional western-style novella complete with a “long-rifle hero” attempting to save a homesteader and his daughter from land barons. It is the classic western tale that ascends into a crescendo of violence, death, and revenge.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Sherlock Holmes book and I'm looking forward to devouring the remaining novels and short-story collections. A Study in Scarlet is my highest possible recommendation. Get it HERE.

Ranking December Reads

In this video Eric counts down his December reads from worst to first. It's a cover extravaganza of frightening pulp magazine covers from Weird Tales and Strange Stories as well as glorious artwork from Savage Sword of Conan. In addition, paperback covers from Signet, Baen, Lancer, and Ace. Stream the episode below or by visiting the channel HERE.

Nightmare Child

Author Ed Gorman (1941-2016) was a prolific author that wrote series titles like Jack Dwyer, Dev Conrad, Tobin, and Sam McCain. He also used pseudonyms like E.J. Gorman and Robert David Chase to pen stand-alone novels. My experience with the writer has mostly been his western contributions, but I found that he wrote many horror novels using the name Daniel Ransom. Books like Toys in the Attic, The Forsaken, and The Babysitter are genre fun published by paperback pushers like Zebra. My first sample of Gorman's horror novels is Nightmare Child. It was published in 1990 by St. Martin's Press. 

The book's opening paragraphs informs readers that a married couple named Jeff and Mindy are driving in an air-conditioned BMW on a hot August afternoon. In the car's trunk lies a dying nine -year old girl – Mindy's little sister Jenny. By the time the couple arrive in a secluded forest little Jenny has perished from heat and lack of oxygen...which was the plan all along. Mindy needs Jenny dead and buried so she can inherit her uncle's fortune. 

The next chapters occur three-months later. Jeff is banging a co-worker at his advertising firm and Mindy is busy eating Swiss Cake Rolls and working hard brainstorming about the intended exercise regiment she plans to achieve. Next door is the book's main character, a widowed woman named Diane. Diane loved Jenny and often cared for her. But, Jenny has been missing for months and the police fear she is dead. 

Everything changes one afternoon when Jenny appears at Diane's house and asks to come inside. Then Nightmare Child begins to live up to its name with a traditional creepy kid outing that features young Jenny attempting to enact vengeance upon the couple that killed her. Diane seeks help from the local sheriff, creating a romantic chemistry as the two struggle to learn who or what Jenny really is. 

Gorman can write just about anything so traditional horror isn't outside of his wheelhouse. But, I felt this book wasn't indicative of his storytelling prowess. The book's main activity is experiencing the weird things that happen next door as Jeff and Mindy accept Jenny's mysterious return. Diane is suspicious when the couple begin acting strange (like getting nude and prancing around in the snow) and begins to investigate all of this weirdness. I attempted to suspend disbelief and go with it, but logically the plot has holes that could swallow Nebraska. I felt like at some point police or a medical staff would check Jenny's pulse. But, that's my “minor” complaints of Nightmare Child. Read and enjoy, but don't expect a revelation.

Get the book for an astronomical amount of money HERE. 

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. 

Open Season

Open Season began life as the novel The All-Americans, authored by David Osborn. Osborn simultaneously wrote the book and the screenplay and it was purchased by Columbia Pictures. The title was changed to Open Season and the novel was published under that title in 1974 to coincide with the film release. The movie starred popular actor Peter Fonda. In other parts of the world the film was titled Recon Game. 

In Open Season, the book introduces three college buddies who take an annual trip into the Wisconsin forest to hunt deer...and people. So the deal is that these three guys, Art, Greg, and Ken, take this sabbatical hunting trip to drink beer, kill deer and other wildlife, and rape a woman. Here's how it works. 

These three men kidnap a man and woman each year, a couple of lovers, and take them into the wilderness to hunt. The victims are chosen at random and after they are hunted and killed they sink the bodies into a scummy lake. So, it is The Most Dangerous Game just changed slightly. However there is something a little different with this plot point. 

While these three men are out hunting deer as well as the two people they have captured as targets, another mysterious hunter is in the forest hunting the hunters. So, the niche is that deer hunters are being targeted and hunted which fits into a little niche I like to refer to as “Deer Hunter Horror”. 

In the book, three men capture a man and woman who are secretly having an affair away from their tranquil married life. They leave their spouses behind for a short vacation into the woods to do the nasty. But the two are targeted at a motel by Art, Greg, and Ken and hauled into the Wisconsin wilderness. There, they shackle the man in the kitchen and then convince the woman to consent to sex with all three men repeatedly. She goes along with it thinking they will befriend her and she can then escape whatever awful things they have planned for her. She even likes the whole ordeal when she gets going with the men. 

On day two the three hunters give each of the victims a 20 minute head start to run into the wilderness and commence to being chased. The three men of course have rifles and the victims have twigs and branches. Totally fair. Kinda like deer hunting, right? The fight is fixed. But, once the chase ensues another hunter unknown to the reader begins hunting the three hunters. 

Open Season is a savage and violent book at 267 paperback pages and definitely not for the squeamish. There is graphic sex with faces and heads being shot off. But, the book is really good at about page 120 and the pace never slows down. It is also double-pleasure as Open Season works as both a high-octane action novel but also as a mystery as readers guess who the hunter-killer may be. High recommendation.

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.