21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Return of the pulp heroes, May 31, 2006
In the 1930s, the heyday of the pulp era, magazines like "Thrilling Detective," "Amazing Stories" and the like kicked [...], took names, and shaped the morals of millions of American readers. At its height, as a pre-Scientology L. Ron Hubbard reminds us in "The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril," 30,000,000 pulps were bought every month. It took the paper shortages of World War II to knock them down, and they were finished off by television in the `50s, but they left us a legacy of heroes that include Doc Savage, The Shadow, Conan and Tarzan, cult favorite H.P. Lovecraft, and provided the seed that spawned science-fiction and fantasy.
Return with me, now, to those thrilling days of yesteryear, with the help of Paul Malmont, who, according to his bio, works in advertising and lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two kids.
I'm firmly convinced that, at night, he slips out of his brownstone in Park Slope and roams the wilds of Manhattan, battling the forces of evil with mad crimefighting skillz he learned in the mountain fastnesses of Bhutan.
Either that, or he's a pulp fiction fan who did a wonderful job of researching the era, and clever enough to cast as his heroes the writers Walter Gibson, Lester Dent, Hubbard (known as "The Flash" because he was quick at the typewriter), with guest appearances by Lovecraft (oh, how I want to tell you how he appears. It's so appropriate!), E.E. "Doc" Smith and Orson Welles.
As for the story, I'm not going to say more. If you're going to read this, it would just spoil the fun. But if you're still on the bubble, I'll say this:
* Malmont writes about the pulp fiction world, but the story is told straight. Neat. No purple prose.
* The plot makes sense. It's creepy and scary, but doesn't rely on the supernatural.
* The writers may have created two-fisted heroes, but they aren't. They throw a punch, they get hurt. They aren't perfect. That's part of the fun.
* Malmont plays fair with Hubbard. I'm no fan of Scientology, but I was glad that Hubbard is presented just as you would expect him to be at the beginning of his career. He's ambitious, proud, something of a blowhard, but great sidekick material.
To say more would give away the fun. If you have any affection for the pulp era, if you smile at the thought of a "GalaxyQuest"-type story set in New York of the Depression-era, or just want a rousing tale without the literary baggage, check out "The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril."
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What's not to like?, May 25, 2006
How could you NOT like a novel featuring the likes of Walter Gibson and Lester Dent (chief scribes of The Shadow and Doc Savage, respectively), a pre-Dianetics L. Ron Hubbard, Robert Heinlein, Louis L'Amour, Chester Himes and the re-animated corpse of H. P. Lovecraft? The answer is, you CAN'T. An affectionate, well-crafted tribute to these masters of pulp fiction, The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril is a book that wears its heart on its sleeve, a crackling good yarn brimming with non-stop action, warm humor and casual mayhem.
The year is 1937. The aforementioned authors travel to Providence, RI, to attend the funeral of fellow writer Howard Philip Lovecraft. Their presence at that somber affair marks the beginning of a perilous adventure for the group, as they become embroiled in a deadly scheme that involves Chinese warlords and a mysterious toxic gas, developed by the United States at the end of World War I. Exhibiting many of the traits they attribute to their heroes, they risk their lives to prevent tragedy, simultaneously gathering useful fodder for future stories.
You don't need to be a fan of the pulps to enjoy this one, but it sure enhances the experience. Fans of high adventure will also delight in cameos by, among others, the fictional Joe Kavelier, and the very real Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Malmont expertly blends fact with fiction, recalling the outstanding work that Max Allan Collins has done recently in his series of historical disaster novels, one of which, The War of the Worlds Murder, also featured Walter Gibson.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For all fans of the pulps, June 9, 2009
I grew up reading the Doc Savage paperbacks and loving them. Imagine my surprise to find a book where the author of the Doc Savage books teams up with the author of The Shadow novels to fight a neafarious plot to enslave mankind.
There is more pulp in this book than in a forest of orange trees. The author throws in personal asides about characters, some real and some well made up on almost every page. Prominent authors from both the pulps and the Golden Age of Science fiction make frequent cameo appearance (e.g., van Gogt, Heinlein.)
The plot ranges wide in both time and place. Watching new angles spring from the author's mind is like watching a Roman candle. There are just so many sparks the reader can't keep track of them all.
The plotting is fast; action shifts from venue to venue quickly, and all of it is done at the feverish pitch the pulps caught so well.
This is truly a guilty pleasure read. it is not great art, but it is a great read.
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