The Pulp Den Awards for 2017

The 2017 PULP DEN AWARD for the best stand-alone one-shot SF book Pulp Den reviewed in 2017 goes to John Paul Cater for his novel, NEAR-EARTH OBJECT 2017AP. I read many great science fiction novels in 2017, but John Cater’s novel of discovery of an abandoned alien base on the moon took this novel above all the others. Congratulations, John. Keep them coming.

The 2017 PULP DEN AWARD for the best New Pulp novel reviewed in 2017 goes to Michael Howard for his novel, MANHATTAN MASQUERADE. I read many New Pulp stories and novels in 2017, but Michael Howard’s novel outshined them all. Congratulations, Michael. Keep them coming.

The 2017 PULP DEN AWARD for the best SF/Horror novel reviewed in 2017 goes to Chris Botragyi for his novel, BLURRED VISION. I only read a few Horror stories in 2017, but this one left a lasting impression on me. Congratulations, Chris. Keep them coming.

The 2017 PULP DEN AWARD for the best Spy series I read in 2017 is the Tana Standish female psychic spy from Britain. There is good action in this well written series, and the stories flow smoothly. This is a great new series for spy fiction fans.

The 2017 PULP DEN AWARD for the best Mystery/Thriller/Suspense novel I read in 2017 is Maggie Thom’s SPLIT SECONDS. There is good action and writing in this awesome yarn of hidden secrets and the mystery of twins separated when young. The book kept me turning the pages.

The 2017 PULP DEN AWARD for the best Fantasy novel I read in 2017 is DS Johnson’s REALMS OF ENDENOUCHT. Although Fantasy isn’t one of my favorite genres, this story kept me interested and turning the pages. A great read.

Mission: Tehran

1978. Iran is in ferment and the British Intelligence Service wants Tana Standish’s assessment. It appears that CIA agents are painting too rosy a picture, perhaps because they’re colluding with the state torturers… Allegiances and loyalties are strained as Tana’s mission becomes deadly and personal. Old friends are snatched, tortured and killed by SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police. She has to use all her skills as a secret agent and psychic to stay one step ahead of the oppressors and traitors.
As the country stumbles towards the Islamic Revolution, the Shah’s grip on power weakens. There’s real concern for the MI6 listening post near the Afghan border. Only Tana Standish is available to investigate; yet it’s possible she could be walking into a trap, as the deadly female Spetsnaz fighter Aksakov has been sent to abduct Tana. Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, the sympathetic Yakunin, the psychic spy tracking Tana, is being side-lined by a killer psychic, capable of weakening Tana at the critical moment in combat with Aksakov. Can Yakunin save Tana without being discovered?
In the troubled streets of Iran’s ancient cities and amidst the frozen wastes on the Afghan border, Tana makes new friends and new enemies...

Mission: Tehran: (Thriller)

Tana Standish #2

By Nik Morton

Manatee Books

ISBN # 978-1544028521

Price $10.75 (Paperback)

Price $3.50 (Kindle)

285 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“Topnotch British Spy Series”

Tana Standish is in Tehran working with some revolutionary women while monitoring the tense situation. The people are tired of the Shah’s rule, plus we see the Shah’s secret police arresting and torturing their own people. The CIA station chief is working hand-in-glove with the secret police, and stealing Iran’s treasure, so Tana can expect no help from him with her co-workers are arrested and tortured. She is also watching the Afghanistan and Iran border for Russian troop movement. Meanwhile, the Russian psychics are homing in on Tana while leading their Spetsnaz assassin after her.

We watch as America loses control on their hold of Iran when the Shah’s is deposed and forced to leave, while the revolution brings in their religious leader and a new regime of terror.

Although I read books 3 & 2 out of order, it didn’t matter, as each book is a standalone entity, although some things are revealed ahead of time in this case. Still, the reader is pulled into the story and nothing else matters. I was hard put to remember who was who in this tale, with so many names involved, not knowing the difference in female and male names, and keeping up with everyone. The author weaves his story around real events that were happening in 1978 in Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan. This is a top British spy series, and highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of ASSIGNMENT: NINA FONTAYNE

Mission: Khyber

In the aftermath of Mission: Tehran, psychic spy Tana Standish crossed into Afghanistan, accompanied by agent Alan Swann. Their rendezvous with Mike Clayton was delayed and while they waited for him in Herat, Tana befriends a Soviet forces family, intent on discovering details about the presence of General Pavlovsky. They’re then caught in a devastating civil uprising.... Inexorably, the Soviets are being drawn into the politics of Afghanistan. And Clayton, Swann and Tana are linked with the heroic Massoud, the tyrant President Amin and the mujahedeen. Tana makes new friends and new enemies in her constant fight against injustice. Professor Bublyk is still trying to locate Tana – and the missing Spetsnaz agent Aksakov. Distrustful of the psychic Yakunin, he recruits killer Klimov. Together, they imprison Yakunin in order to draw Tana out to rescue him. Tana is aware that it must be a trap. But she owes her life to Yakunin, even though they have not met… A tense cat-and-mouse battle of wits stretches the length and breadth of the country – to the far reaches of the Wakhan corridor, the Special Psychiatric Hospital in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and ultimately to the Khyber Pass.

Mission: Khyber (Historical Thriller)

Tana Standish Book #3

By Nik Morton

Manatee Press

ISBN # 978-1544094342

Price $11.70 (Paperback)

Price $2.99 (Kindle)

318 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

I think I jumped ahead to the third volume by mistake, thinking it was Book #2 in the series, so some of the references made in the story to a previous action by Tana Standish left me somewhat confused. Still, you don’t need to read the books in order to enjoy each novel. In this story Tana is in Afghanistan with Alan Swann. It’s 1979, and British intelligence wants to know if Russia plans to send more military into the country. There is a lot going on, and the author knows the history quite well. So we see history in the making as Tana investigates the situation, joining the mujahedeen (remember Rambo #3?) to fight against both Russia and those supporting the takeover by Russian troops. In the meantime, the assassin, Aksakov, and Russia’s psychic team, led by Professor Bublyk is also after Tana.

I loved all the history presented here, and the way it’s woven in with the story of Tana Standish gives it a touch of reality. Even though the sex is really kept off scene, Tana appears to be a female version of James Bond, bedding whomever she wishes. However, I wonder how all that sex with different men doesn’t cause some medically debilitating STDs for our heroine? It wouldn’t hurt to drop some of the sex, in my opinion. Still, this is a great new series, and highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of THE MAN IN THE BLACK FEDORA