AMAZING News 7/21/2013

 CAUSES

100 Great SF Stories by Women
Don’t Travel to Texas
If You Do Go to Texas, Stand With Their Women
Scalzi on OSC Movie Boycott (Read through to the comments)

CRAFT

Food in Science Fiction
Exit Interview with Former SFWA President Scalzi

ENTERTAINMENT

Win A David A. Hardy Postcard
Daniel Kimmel Reviews Happy Accidents (BOFCA Video)
‘Monster High’ Dolls Scaring Barbie Away
Profile of Gahan Wilson
Sex in Space
Interview with Author Paul Levinson
Latest Issue of Weird Tales
Get Pulped!

SCIENCE

Got Science? Pushing Back Against Corporate ‘Counterfeit Science’
Send Poetry to Mars
Ground Control to Major Parmitano, Your Circuits Dead, There’s Something Wrong, Can You Hear Me Major Parmitano…?
Apollo 11 Rocket Engines Recovered
Confirmation for Standard Model of Particle Physics
3D Printed Rocket Engine Parts

GENRE

Awful Moments in Science Fiction
Speaking of Awful – Sharknado Buzz
Download Five Years of TOR Fiction – Free
German SF Translations at Project Gutenberg
Streets Renamed to H. P. Lovecraft Square
SF Hobby Games A First Survey Now Available
Quantum Shorts Flash Fiction Contest

AWARDS

Wyman Guin wins Cordwainer Smith Award
Shirley Jackson Award Winners
Endeavour Award Finalists
Prometheus Award Winners (See Press Releases)
SF/F/H Emmy Nominees
Scalzi’s Android’s Dream Wins Seiun Award

PRESS RELEASES & NEWSLETTERS

Prometheus Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 20, 2013

LFS announces 2013 Prometheus Award winners

* The Libertarian Futurist Society has announced the Prometheus Awards
winners for Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame), to be
presented Friday Aug. 30, 2013 at LoneStarCon3, the 71st Annual World
Science Fiction Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

* Cory Doctorow won for Best Novel for Pirate Cinema (TOR Books).
Doctorow also won the Best Novel award in 2009 for Little Brother.
Doctorow explores themes of artistic freedom, Internet freedom and
peaceful social change while shedding light on issues of copyright and
government surveillance in Pirate Cinema, an optimistic young-adult
novel about a young pirate filmmaker whose Internet activity threatens
his family with government reprisals and who learns to fight back
against outdated forms of control.

* Cryptonomicon, a 1999 novel by Neal Stephenson, has won the 2013
Prometheus Hall of Fame award for Best Classic Fiction. Set during World
War II and during the early 21st century, Stephenson’s novel explores
the implications for a free society in the development of computation
and cryptography.

* At its award ceremony to be held at the WorldCon in San Antonio, the
Libertarian Futurist Society will present a plaque and one-ounce gold
coin to Cory Doctorow. A smaller gold coin and a plaque will be
presented to Neal Stephenson. The specific time and location will be
available in the convention program.

* Also recognized as Best Novel finalists for the best pro-freedom novel
of the past year are Arctic Rising, by Tobias Buckell (TOR Books); The
Unincorporated Future, by Dani and Eytan Kollin (TOR Books); Darkship
Renegades, by Sarah Hoyt (Baen Books); and Kill Decision, by Daniel
Suarez (Dutton – Penguin).

* Also recognized as Hall of Fame finalists: “Sam Hall”, by Poul
Anderson (a short story, published 1953 in Astounding); Falling Free, by
Lois McMaster Bujold (a novel, published 1988); “‘Repent, Harlequin!’
Said the Ticktockman”, by Harlan Ellison (a short story, published 1965
in Galaxy); Courtship Rite, by Donald M. Kingsbury (a novel, published
1982); and “As Easy as A.B.C.”, by Rudyard Kipling (a short story,
published in London Magazine in 1912).

The Prometheus Award, sponsored by the Libertarian Futurist Society
(LFS), was established in 1979, making it one of the most enduring
awards after the Nebula and Hugo awards, and one of the oldest fan-based
awards currently in SF. Presented annually since 1982 at the World
Science Fiction Convention, the Prometheus Awards include a gold coin
and plaque for the winners. The Prometheus awards for Best Novel, Best
Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame), and (occasional) Special Awards honor
outstanding science fiction and fantasy that explores the possibilities
of a free future, champions human rights (including personal and
economic liberty), dramatizes the perennial conflict between individuals
and coercive governments, or critiques the tragic consequences of abuse
of power–especially by the State.

The LFS is announcing the winning works so that fans of the works and
the writers can begin to make plans for attending the awards ceremonies.
Anyone interested in more information about the awards ceremony or
other LFS activities at LoneStarCon3 can send email to programming@lfs.org.

For a full list of past Prometheus Award winners in three categories,
visit www.lfs.org. Membership in the Libertarian Futurist Society is
open to any science fiction fan interested in how fiction can promote an
appreciation of the value of liberty.

For more information, contact LFS Board President William H. Stoddard
(president@lfs.org); Best Novel awards coordinator Michael Grossberg
(BestNovel@lfs.org); or Programming coordinator Fran Van Cleave
(programming@lfs.org) or Publicity Chair Chris Hibbert
(publicity@lfs.org domain).

~~~

July 19, 2013

It’s the 80th Anniversary of Jack Armstrong

Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy was a radio adventure series which was very popular from 1933 to 1951. The program originated at WBBM in Chicago on July 31, 1933, and was later carried on CBS, then NBC and finally ABC. One reason for its longevity is its wonderful script writers including Talbot Mundy, author of the classic novel, King of the Khyber Rifles.

Radio Archives has some great Jack Armstrong products for you this year. You can order the first one, Jack Armstrong and the Secret of U-77 today!

Jack Armstrong and the Secret of U-77 Audiobook

by Jeff Deischer

Read by Nick Santa Maria

Created by Robert Hardy Andrews, Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy was one of the first and most memorable of the adventure radio serials. Running from 1933 to 1951, it featured the resourceful high school student on a dizzying collection of adventures that spanned the globe. He often accompanied Colonel Jim Fairfield, an aviation industrialist, and Fairfield’s brave niece and nephew Betty and Billy on their travels. Backing them up was two-fisted Vic Hardy, a brilliant scientist and sleuth.

Now, for the first time, one of the Jack Armstrong serials has been novelized and is now available from Radio Archives as a 12 hour audiobook. Noted author Jeff Deischer adapts Jack Armstrong and the Secret of U-77 from the 1946 James Jewell production — a serial for which none of the original recordings exist. Jeff is known for his strong narrative, which gives this story an authentic flavor.

In the post-war world, danger is not always so easy to see. But Jack Armstrong identifies it in the form of Dr. Romago, a unscrupulous scientist who abandoned his native United States before the war. After being mysteriously missing for several years, Romago has returned — and he is after the secret of U-77.

What is U-77, and why does Dr. Romago seek it? Jack can only guess. But he does know that if Romago wants it, he can’t be permitted to have it. Accompanied by his loyal friends, Uncle Jim, Betty and Billy Fairfield, Jack and Vic Hardy head down to the Sea Islands off the Southern Atlantic coast, where Romago has been driving away the local fishermen through his underling, Pachino the Eel, a gangster who has crossed paths with scientist Vic Hardy before.

Aboard his schooner, The Gray Ghost, Romago squats, a fat spider pulling on the strands of his web like the strings of a puppet, manipulating the fishermen of Thunderbolt, Georgia, his own henchmen — and even Jack Armstrong!

Jack Armstrong and the Secret of U-77 takes Jack and his friends from New York City to the coast of Georgia down to the bottom of the ocean in this exciting 12 hour long saga.

Douglas Klauba has painted a gorgeous wraparound cover for this special audiobook. Nick Santa Maria took a break from being the Spider to do the voice acting for Jack Armstrong and the Secret of U-77. Get your copy today! 12 hours $47.98 Audio CDs / $23.99 Download.

FREE Pulp Audiobook!

RadioArchives.com and Will Murray are giving away the downloadable version of the newly released Strange Detective Mysteries audiobook for FREE.

If you prefer the Audio CDs to play in your car or home CD player, the coupon code will subtract the $11.99 price of the download version from the Audio CDs. That makes the Audio CDs half price.

Add Strange Detective Mysteries to the shopping cart and use the Coupon Code AUDIOBOOK.

“Strange Detective Mysteries #1 is one of my favorite pulps and I am excited to produce it as an audiobook with my good friends at Radio Archives. It leads off with Norvell W. Page’s bizarre novelette, “When the Death-Bat Flies,” and includes thrilling stories by Norbert Davis, Paul Ernst, Arthur Leo Zagat, Wayne Rogers and others. Popular Publications went all-out to make this 1937 debut issue a winner. And they succeeded!”

Happy listening,

Will Murray

The Jack Carson Show

The Jack Carson Show was a radio situation comedy that ran from 1943 until 1947, with popular Hollywood character actor Jack Carson playing a fictionalized version of himself as a none-too-bright movie star. Every week, he dealt with strange friends, neighbors and relatives in his hectic life in Hollywood. Dave Willock, Carson’s old vaudeville partner, played Jack’s nephew who often took his uncle down a peg or two, while comedian Eddie Marr played Jack’s press agent and Arthur Treacher played Jack’s butler, a part he was well-accustomed to playing. Irene Ryan, best known for her role as “Granny” on The Beverly Hillbillies, was also a cast member. Sponsored by Campbell’s Soup, the show was a big budget production and was given a prime time slot.

Jack Carson was best known and most remembered as a character actor who played supporting roles for comic relief, often wisecracking know-it-alls who were undone by their own overconfidence. He played this type of role in movies such as Bringing Up Baby (1938), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). Occasionally, he was able to show his dramatic skills, in films such as Mildred Pierce (1945) – a performance critics generally agree was his best – Cat On a Hot Tin Roof (1962) and the James Mason-Judy Garland version of A Star Is Born (1954).

An appearance on Kraft Music Hall in 1938 led to a lucrative film career for Jack, beginning with a standout role in Enemy Agent (1940). These parts eventually led to his own radio program, which Jack created with his former vaudeville partner, Dave Willock. Dave and Jack had been college friends, and when Jack inadvertently destroyed the set in a stage play to big laughs, Dave recruited him for a vaudeville act, which set the tone for characters that Jack would later play in films. When vaudeville began to wane, Jack relocated to Hollywood to find his fortune in film.

This hilarious collection contains twenty half hour shows, primarily from 1947, the final season of the program and features a rare 1954 audition show. This overlooked gem is a comedy show that you are sure to enjoy. 10 hours $29.98 Audio CDs / $14.99 Download.

Special 50% discount Offer

Calling All Cars

Volume 1

“Crime does not pay…”

Those four simple words sum up the basic philosophy behind “Calling All Cars”, a popular crime drama heard over CBS Pacific Network stations from November 29, 1933 to September 8, 1939. In these dramatizations, the point was driven home time and time again that a life of a crime was a life wasted — and anyone venturing off the straight-and-narrow was fated to meet a sad and sorry end.

Radio, played a part in stemming the tide against crime – and never more so than in “Calling All Cars”, one of the earliest and most durable police procedural shows. Dramatizing true crime exploits, and introduced by real-life law enforcement officials, “Calling All Cars” offered listeners the gritty details of criminal activities in true “ripped from the headlines” style. Led by writer/director William N. Robson – later to become the well-respected director of such series as “Big Town”, “The Man Behind the Gun”, and “Escape” – “Cars” offered listeners the audio equivalent of a Warner Brothers crime drama, complete with driving musical themes, car chases, low-life gunsels, high-crime bosses, gum-chewing molls, frightened victims, and criminal cases that often hit close to home, particularly if you lived in Los Angeles where the series was produced. Kidnappings, petty thefts, prison breaks, bunco schemes…all were raw materials for the creators of each show and details of all these crimes and more were used as the basis for the realistic dramas being presented.

The program’s long-time sponsor was the Rio Grande Oil Company and, in fact, the show itself ran only in those areas where their patented brand of “cracked” gasoline and “Pennsylvania” lube was sold. To promote the series, in the mid-1930s, Rio Grande service stations offered a much-in-demand free premium: a monthly periodical entitled “Calling All Cars News,” which spotlighted stories that would soon be aired on the program. But because the program was also sent via transcription to Southwestern markets served by Rio Grande but beyond the reach of CBS’ West Coast stations, a whopping 299 of the 302 programs that were originally broadcast have more or less survived the ravages of time and are extant today – including the twenty half-hour episodes in this collection, newly restored and remastered from the original transcription recordings by Radio Archives. 10 hours. Regular Price $29.98 – Specially priced until August 1 for $14.99 Audio CDs / $7.49 Download.

New Will Murray’s Pulp Classics eBooks

The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge eBooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your eReader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator #5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like the Octopus and Captain Satan. Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!

The Spider #73 October 1939 The Spider and the Eyeless Legion

One minute the police had been valiantly charging the looters… the next, they were stumbling backward, groping wildly in complete blindness! That was the coming of the Eyeless Terror to New York! For a monster ruled the quaking city, building a fortune out of people deliberately blinded! Can the Spider, shackled and blinded, himself, free a city gone mad with darkness? Total Pulp Experience. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine. $2.99.

The Secret 6 #4 January 1935 The Golden Aligator

Rasp-rasp-rasp! It was a queer sound, ghostly, hearing it in the open country after midnight. Chills gripped King as he set out to investigate, but he forgot about them when he found — a man buried alive! And when he heard the man’s strange story, he knew that the Secret Six was going to tackle its most exciting and dangerous case, gambling for fabulous stakes in a game of golden death. Criminals quaked at the name The Secret Six. And for four glorious issues, this team of six crimefighters took on some of the weirdest and most fantastic antagonists that ever reared their heads in the pulp magazines. It was where weird menace met six normal men with no strange gadgets or outlandish skills. The utterly amazing stories were written by Robert J. Hogan, better known for writing the G-8 and his Battle Aces stories. But after four issues, the over-the-top action came to an end and Popular Publications pulled the plug on the series. These vintage pulp tales are now reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.

Terror Tales James A Goldthwaite

In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Terror Tales magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, all written by James A Goldthwaite, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.

Dime Mystery Magazine Arthur J Burks and Nat Schachner

In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a collection of stories from the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, all written by Arthur J Burks and Nat Schachner, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.

99 cent eBook Singles

Each 99 cent eBook Single contains a single short story, one of the many amazing tales selected from the pages of Terror Tales and Rangeland Romances. These short stories are not included in any of our other eBooks.

Dime Mystery Magazine Beyond Deaths Thin Veil by Bruce Bryan

In that dank tomb Forsythe found living beauty — and the ugly, gibbering spawn of Hell! In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.

Dime Mystery Magazine Curse of the Golden Cobra by Mindret Lord

Not Alan Bruce, alone, but also the girl he really loved, were to pay in anguish and terror for his unholy union with hell’s mistress! In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird menace is the sub-genre term that has survived today. Dime Mystery Magazine was one of the most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story the pages of Dime Mystery Magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.

Terror Tales The Corpse Carver by Laurence Donovan

Bloody footsteps led Mark Conrad on to undreamed horrors. In 1934 a new type of magazine was born. Known by various names — the shudder pulps, mystery-terror magazines, horror-terror magazines — weird me most popular. It came from Popular Publications, whose publisher Harry Steeger was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of Paris. This breed of pulp story survived less than ten years, but in that time, they became infamous, even to this day. This ebook contains a classic story from the pages of Terror Tales magazine, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $0.99.

Rangeland Romances #19 I’m Claiming That Guy by Thelma Knoles

Entrancing Rubie tried all her lovable tricks to hold ranchman Guy spellbound — but all she did was smother his ardor. She had her hombre cut out of the herd — till Guy stampeded. One of the most popular settings for romance stories was the old west, where men were men and women were women. As many a swooning damsel could attest, “There’s something about a cowboy.” The western romance became one of the most popular types of magazines sold during the early and mid-twentieth century. $0.99.

All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.

Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available at:

Search for RadioArchives.com in iTunes.

FREE Spider eBook!

Receive an exciting original Spider adventure FREE! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers.

For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps, this is a perfect chance to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp’s most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page’s stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.

Even today Page’s scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you get a copy of this classic.

See what the Total Pulp Experience is for yourself. These exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading as an eBook and features every story, every editorial, and every column of the original pulp magazine.

Send an eMail to eBooks@RadioArchives.com and start reading your FREE copy of the Spider #11 within seconds! Experience The Best Pulps the Past has to offer in the most modern way possible!

The Spider, Volume 15

Pulp fiction’s Master of Men returns in two classic stories from one of the pulp era’s best selling magazines. In the first story — could it be? Is The Spider dead? So it would seem, which forces Richard Wentworth to adopt the guise of Corporal Death in his battle with “The Mayor of Hell” (1936). Then, in “Fangs of the Dragon” (1942), The Spider visits the town of Bethbury, where the bite of flying dragons drives the populace to insanity and murder! This instant collectible contains two exciting pulp adventures that have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and features both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. On sale for $12.95, save $2.00

The Shadow, Volume 73

The Knight of Darkness proves that crime does not pay in two pulp classics by Walter B. Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, The Shadow follows a trail of murder to retrieve the priceless rubies known as “The Seven Drops of Blood.” Then, to prove the innocence of a man accused of an impossible crime, the Dark Avenger must uncover the strange secret behind “Death from Nowhere.” BONUS: The Whisperer brings true sight to “The Eye of Zion” in a thriller by Alan Hathway writing as “Clifford Goodrich.” This instant collector’s item features the classic color pulp covers by Graves Gladney and George Rozen, the original interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and Edd Cartier, and commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray. $14.95.

The Avenger, Volume 10

The pulps’ original “Man of Steel” returns in three action-packed pulp thrillers by Paul Ernst and Emile Tepperman writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, smuggled “Pictures of Death” are only the sinister prelude to deadly sabotage and mass destruction. Then, Justice Inc. hunts for the antidote to a deadly malady that transforms men into apelike monstrosities in “The Green Killer.” Will the cure bring death to The Avenger? PLUS “Calling Justice Inc.,” a bonus Avenger thriller by Spider-scribe Emile Tepperman! This classic pulp reprint showcases the classic color pulp covers by Lenosci and William Timmons, Paul Orban’s interior illustrations and commentary by pulp historian Will Murray. $14.95.

Doc Savage, Volume 67

The Man of Bronze and his daredevil cousin Pat Savage return in two classic pulp novels by Lester Dent and William Bogart writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, Doc Savage is accused of serial murders and jailed. Can Pat and Doc’s aides help unearth the strange secret of “The Invisible-Box Murders” and prove the Man of Bronze’s innocence? Then, Doc journeys to Honolulu after a strange letter makes Pat’s friend, Sally Trent, a “Target for Death.” BONUS: “The Hang String,” a rare 1933 tale by Lester Dent from the back pages of The Shadow Magazine. This double-novel collector’s edition leads off with a classic color cover by Emery Clarke, and showcases all of Paul Orban’s original interior illustrations and new historical commentary by Will Murray, writer of eleven Doc Savage novels. $14.95.

Featured Girasol Replica: Spicy Detective Stories #18 October 1935 [Pulp Replica]

This is an authentic replica of an original pulp magazine published by Girasol Collectables. This edition is designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp magazine was like when it was first issued – but without the frailty or expense of trying to find a decades-old collectable to enjoy. The outer covers, the interior pages, and the advertisements are reprinted just as they appeared in the original magazine, left intact to give the reader the true feel of the original as well as an appreciation for the way in which these publications were first offered to their avid readers. To further enhance the “pulp experience”, this edition is printed on off-white bond paper intended to simulate the original look while, at the same time, assuring that this edition will last far longer than the original upon which it is based. The overall construction and appearance of this reprint is designed to be as faithful to the original magazine as is reasonably possible, given the unavoidable changes in production methods and materials. $25.00.

Continuing to Celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Doc Savage and King Kong

Radio Archives continues to offers new King Kong and Doc Savage products. We are proud to offer high-quality limited edition Joe DeVito posters. Click here to take a look at these four gorgeous paintings by this award winning artist.

Doc Savage: Skull Island Series 1, wraparound cover
Doc Savage: Skull Island Series 2, front cover
KONG: King of Skull Island, full montage
KING KONG

Will Murray’s Monumental New Novel

Doc Savage: Skull Island

Doc Savage vs. King Kong!

Eighty years ago in February, 1933 the Street & Smith company released the first issue of Doc Savage Magazine, introducing one of the most popular and influential pulp superheroes ever to hit the American scene. Doc Savage was the greatest adventurer and scientist of his era, and while his magazine ended in 1949, he influenced the creators of Superman, Batman, Star Trek, The Man from UNCLE and the Marvel Universe—to name only a few.

While that first issue of Doc Savage was fresh on Depression newsstands, RKO Radio Pictures released one of the most important fantasy films of all time. Everyone knows the story of how King Kong was discovered on Skull Island and hauled back to New York in chains, only to perish tragically atop the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Empire State Building.

As it happened, that was where Doc Savage had his world headquarters. For decades, fans have wondered: Where was Doc the day Kong fell?

On the eightieth anniversary of these fictional giants, Altus Press is proud to release the first authorized clash between The Man of Bronze and the Eighth Wonder of the World—Doc Savage: Skull Island. Written by Will Murray in collaboration with Joe DeVito, creator of KONG: King of Skull Island, Doc Savage: Skull Island is a new pulp epic.

The story opens when Doc returns from his secret retreat in the North Pole to discover the cold corpse of Kong lying on his doorstep.

“I know this creature,” Doc tells his dumbfounded men.

Tasked to dispose of the remains, the Man of Bronze then relates the untold story of his epic encounter with Kong back in 1920, after Doc returns from service in World War I, long before Kong became known to the civilized world as “King” Kong.

Doc Savage: Skull Island is a multi-generational story in which Doc and his father—the man who placed him in the hands of scientists who made him into a superman—sail to the Indian Ocean in search of Doc’s grandfather, the legendary Stormalong Savage, whose famous clipper ship has been discovered floating, deserted, her masts snapped by some incredible force.

The quest for Stormalong Savage leads to the fog-shrouded Indian Ocean and—Skull Island! There, Doc Savage faces his first great test as he encounters its prehistoric dangers and tangles with the towering, unstoppable Kong.

“When Joe DeVito brought this idea to me,” says Will Murray, “I knew it had to be written with reverence for both of these immortal characters. So I used the locale of Skull Island to tell a larger story, an untold origin for Doc Savage. It all started back on Skull Island….”

“Pulling off the first ever face-off between Doc Savage and King Kong was both challenging and exhilarating,” adds DeVito. “Will’s unique take on the tale scatters the primordial mists surrounding Skull Island long enough to reveal secrets of both classic characters hidden since their creation.”

Doc Savage: Skull Island has already been hailed as “The Doc Savage novel that Doc fans have been waiting on for 80 years!”

Doc Savage: Skull Island is the fifth entry in Altus Press’ popular Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series. Cover by Joe DeVito. $24.95.

Review of The Mayor of Hell from The Spider, Volume 15

By Andrew Salmon

How often has it been said of a story that is ‘starts with a bang?’ Well, Spider novels are just one, prolonged bang! Fans wouldn’t want it any other way. If you look up the word ‘intensity’ in the dictionary you’ll see the sigil of the Spider.

 

The Mayor of Hell is no exception. Heck, the novel personifies everything one can expect from a Spider adventure. Richard Wentworth (alias the Spider) begins the tale doing his best Sherlock Holmes imitation of fiddling away a peaceful evening – until gunmen start blasting at him from every angle! Glass shatters, plaster cracks, blood spills and chaos reigns – yes, it’s another great Spider novel.

 

Forced to fake his own death, separated from his associates and the woman he loves, the Spider ventures into Operator #5 territory in this tale of a political coup giving rise to a police state. Taking on the guise of the Corporal of Death, Wentworth has to fight the oppression from within while every hand is turned against him.

 

Sure, it would be easy for me to say that The Mayor of Hell is just another rollicking Spider adventure and leave it at that. Except that it isn’t. For one thing, the Spider does not even appear in the novel. Not once. Wentworth is the Corporal of Death throughout as most believe him dead and he hides from the factions that know better. Finishing the novel, and experiencing the body count, I couldn’t help but think Wentworth should have taken on the identity of the Brigadier General of Death, not Corporal.

 

What sets this novel apart, for me, was the visceral, gritty quality to the violence – the likes of which I’d be hard-pressed to cite examples of outside the Spider tales in general and The Mayor of Hell in particular. Wentworth is startlingly grim in this tale from 1936 and it reads as if it were written for today’s audience. The last line alone would not be out of place at the end of a classic Mike Hammer novel.

 

The Mayor of Hell is everything you could hope for in a Spider adventure. The more of these I read, the more impressed I am with Page’s ability to ratchet up the tension and intensity while keeping the plot moving. I couldn’t put the book down and had to shake my head in wonder numerous times at how he pushes the envelope of pulp action to dizzying heights. I can’t recommend it enough.

Girasol Replica #GC182 $35.00 / eBook #RE028 $2.99 / Double Novel reprint #15 #5515 $14.95 On sale for $12.95, save $2.00

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