Six Scarlet Scorpions

When a man so anemic that he could be a vampire’s victim comes to Patricia Savage for rescue, the impetuous girl can’t say no. Excitement is her meat and danger her dessert. Accompanied by Doc Savage aide, Monk Mayfair, Pat finds herself in the worst danger of her life. Wanted for murder, hounded by the minions of a weird mystery figure calling himself Chief Standing Scorpion, narrowly evading the hordes of the Vinegarroon tribe, the bronze-skinned golden girl battles her way to a sinister secret cached in an ancient ruin. From the oilfields of Oklahoma to the forbidding Ozark Mountains, the trail of scorpionic doom winds. Will Pat Savage’s first great adventure also be her last?

Six Scarlet Scorpions (Mystery/Adventure)

Wild Adventures of Pat Savage #1

By Kenneth Robeson (Will Murray)

Altus Press www.altuspress.com

ISBN #978-1618272744

Price $24.41

358 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“A Topnotch Premiere Adventure.”

Monk Mayfair is with Pat Savage in Oklahoma, where he’s helping the bronzed beauty lay claim to oil leases. They start out in trouble when a crook sabotages her rented plane while trying to beat her to a lease. They survive the crash, and then Monk pulls a stunt on the crooks, allowing Pat to make the lease first. But their troubles aren’t over. When they reach town they run into a man almost dead from lack of blood. While rushing him to the hospital a gang waylays them and a cop is killed at the scene. But now Pat and Monk are on the investigation of this weird mystery. A mystery that involves the Vinegarroon whip scorpions and a tribe of Osage Indians led by Tall Turkey and the mysterious robed leader, Standing Scorpion.

Readers and fans of the Doc Savage adventures have been waiting for this book since Will Murray took over the series. Patricia Savage, the bronzed cousin of Doc Savage, was always a favorite of the fans, having been introduced in Brand of The Werewolf. Mr. Murray found notes Lester Dent had proposed for a 1931 pulp adventure story, and turned it into a Pat Savage yarn instead, and the result might outshine Doc himself.

As a fan of Doc Savage I’ve always worried that Doc would run it course and cease to interest fans; after all, the original series ran for 181 (plus the unpublished RED SPIDER) stories in the pulps, and readers have wondered if new adventures would even be possible, and how long could new stories sustain the series? Well, I don’t think the interest will really fade, but if it should, I think Pat Savage will quickly revive the series. The Six Scarlet Scorpions is a topnotch tale that will insure success, and I’m sure we will see many more adventures of The Wild Adventures of Pat Savage in the future. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of THE BLACK BAT COMPANION

Phantom Patrol

The Phantom Patrol (Action/Adventure)

By L. Ron Hubbard

Galaxy Press www.goldenagestories.com

ISBN #978-1592123278

Price $9.95

148 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“Thrilling Pulp Adventure.”

Johnny Trescott is CPO of the Coast Guard Patrol boat CG 1004. Johnny is hoping to run down Georges Coquelin, captain of the notorious Phantom Patrol. Coquelin is transporting drugs to the US, and anything else he can get his hands on. When Trescott receives a radio alert about a plane in the water, he turns the boat towards the sinking plane. It’s carrying millionaire businessman James Ferguson, two pilots and a stewardess. They reach it barely in time to rescue the crew and Ferguson, but Coquelin and his pirate crew have sneaked up in the storm and all disappear for three months. Although CG 1004 is reported attacking and robbing ships and killing passengers, and the captain of the boat looks a lot like Trescott. The Coast Guard believes Trescott has turned crook, and is holding Ferguson for ransom. Meanwhile, Truscott and his crew, as well as the plane crew and Ferguson, are all prisoners of Coquelin on an island. It’s up to Truscott to escape somehow and bring help to capture the Coquelin and rescue the prisoners. This short novel was originally published in the January 1935 issue of FIVE NOVELS. As with all of Hubbard’s early pulp writing, there is plenty of action to go with a good plot and interesting characters.  These old stories were some of his best writing during the heyday of the pulp magazines. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of TREASURE OF JUR

Mystery Men

Mystery Men contains three interrelated short stories, as the Crimson Crusader (a vigilante), Karma (a martial artist) and Dr. Stellar (a scientist) each face a different aspect of a deadly threat to mankind. These heroes bridge the gap between pulp vigilantes and superheroes, operating in the 1936 Argentverse.

Mystery Men (Superhero Fiction)

By Jeff Deischer

Westerntainment Publication

ISBN #978-1537500003

152 Pages

$13.00

Rating 5-Stars

“A Fun Read”

From the Argent universe, the author brings us three entertaining stories featuring three different heroes in connecting stories. The time is the mid 1930s, and otherworldly aliens are on Earth. They are using higher technology to force humans to work for them. The stories reminded me of Saturday Matinee serials and over-the-top pulp heroic tales of the Thirties, as well as the super heroes of the comic books from the same period; great characters, and lots of action. The author spins tales of daring-do, with heroes facing great odds, yet overcoming in the end, and we know that good will triumph over evil when we turn to the last page. The Crimson Crusader, Karma, and Dr. Stellar are thrown into the war in separate tales, stopping space aliens from conquering our planet.  A quick and fun read, not to be missed. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of WORLDS OF TOMORROW