Customer Reviews

Spy Killer (Stories from the Golden Age) (English and English Edition)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a fan of modern day murder mysteries and thrillers, I have become accustomed to the writings of James Patterson, Clive Cussler, Agatha Christie, and Stephen King. Imagine my surprise after reading a most unpredictable, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat pulp fiction account by no other than L. Ron Hubbard of "Dianetics" fame! The author delivers in this fine example of American Pulp Fiction, where there are twists and turns at every corner, and nothing is what it seems. The hero, Kurt Reid, takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of an adventure, where he confronts danger, sinister forces, beautiful women, and even death. His journey is complicated by enemies from everywhere, and the beautiful but dangerous Varinka, a Russian vamp with questionable cohorts, and a secret agenda of her own. I recommend this book as a must read for anyone who longs for the suspense of a true spy thriller, where the plot twists several times, and the ending is anything but predictable.

"Spy Killer" is a classic L. Ron Hubbard story from 1936. Published prior to the wave of espionage novels inspired by Eric Ambler's "A Coffin for Dimitrios" in 1939, Hubbard had anticipated the espionage genre's popularity with this startling tale. "Spy Killer" is a well-written thriller, and readers will encounter the mysterious Russian woman Varinka Savischna. Hubbard's blazing talent is evident in beautiful lines like this: "The steam that rose from her cup of tea was not less elusive than the quality of her eyes." The audio book is outstanding. Each audio book features a multicast performance with music and sound effects reminiscent of radio's golden age. Starring the voice talent of Lori Jablons and featuring R. F. Daley, Shane Johnson, Jim Meskimen, and Tait Ruppert, "Spy Killer" is the perfect audio adventure when your driving long distance.

L. Ron Hubbard is probably best known as the founder of Scientology and creator of Dianetics. These days, his name is largely connected with the antics of the some of the more "outspoken" members of the religion, overshadowing the fact that the man really knew how to tell an entertaining story. All 150 of the stories Hubbard wrote for the pulp magazines of the 1930s and '40s are being rereleased in paperback and audio under the evocative title Stories from the Golden Age.

The recordings I've tried so far are just terrific. They are a professionally produced combination of traditional narrated audiobooks (with narration deftly handled by R.F. Daley) and old-time radio, with skilled actors playing the characters (often multiple roles) and genre-specific music and sound effects rounding out the experience.

When bucko mate Kurt Reid escapes the ship Rangoon (with help, it turns out), he has two choices: go into hiding as a fugitive of the Chinese government, or assist Russian beauty Varinka Sevischna in her project against Chinese intelligence. Since hiding in unlikely, and Kurt is always "spoiling for a fight," he accepts her offer -- and soon finds himself in over his head, hot least of which when Varinka's friend (and Kurt's ex-fiancée) Anne Carsten resurfaces with an equally enticing offer.

Soon the two women disappear, however, and Reid is faced with Chinese warlord Lin Wang, who offers freedom from pursuit. In a delicious ironic twist, in order to avoid punishment for the murder he did not commit (and the reason he was a prisoner in the first place), Reid must murder someone else, namely a Japanese spy named Takeki ("the courageous"). But when Reid gets there, he recognizes Takeki and has to make a difficult choice.

Author L. Ron Hubbard fills Spy Killer with action and suspense in a land where death waits as a consequence for nearly every decision -- especially inaction. But he also offers up a love story (however implausible) that adds an extra layer to events to this wonderful example of the "yellow peril" genre.

Lin Wang is a great villain -- deformed physically and mentally -- and Tait Ruppert plays him with gusto. Likewise, Lori Jablons is terrific in her dual role of Varinka and Anne, underscoring the fact that the two women embody separate halves of Reid's ideal.

Anyone who pays attention to things like dialogue that makes no sense unless something unspoken is true, will figure out the big twist early on. (Those who solve TV mysteries by assuming that the guest star with the least amount of air time must be the murderer, will also have an advantage.) Despite this flaw (if it is one), and its slight overlength for the breadth of its story, Spy Killer is still a pretty good adventure tale of Oriental espionage, provided you don't mind overlooking implausibilities and suspending a certain amount of disbelief. But, then, many pulp fiction enthusiasts merely consider that all part of the experience.

I picked this up as well as the other free L. Ron Hubbard ebooks and have gotten hooked. These are really fun reads. They are very well written and contain a surprising amount of detail and twists. If you are looking for something light and entertaining you cannot go wrong.

I read the Spy Killer and really enjoyed the story. Then when I listened to the audio book, I was there listening to radio theater, reminded of when I used to listen other dramas on the radio as I would drive to or from work. Only this time, the quality of production brought it to a new level. I could hear Kurt as he dived off the Rangoon seeking to escape an obvious set up. Then the waves lapping around the boat as he climbed aboard. The rest of the story was no different - I was there and only needed my own vision of what was occuring to complete the story as it was being rolled out.

My favorite genre is mystery and I'm a huge James Patterson fan. So, I saw this mystery and I thought, pulp fiction, not something I've ever tried. WOW! What fun! I read the book in one day and I literally couldn't put it down. The twist in the story with Varnika was quite brilliant and had me wondering the whole time if she was going to turn out good or bad! What a shocker ending. I do recommend this book to anyone who loves a real good, honest to goodness mystery story. I also recommend the series. I've read all of them so far, there are 5 out and no matter what genre it is, Hubbard just keeps me wanting to come back for more stories!

Take the non-stop action of Indiana Jones, the have-to-find-out what happens next intrigue of Clive Cussler, the Bondesque "super-spy" of Ian Fleming's entire James Bond series, roll it all into one and add a larger-than-life femme-fatal that could only otherwise be found in movies like Angelina Jolie's "Salt" and you have, rolled together in one rollicking pulp adventure, Spy Killer by L. Ron Hubbard. I only wish they had more clean fun available today instead of the cookie-cutter quote unquote action movies they crank out of today's box offices which oftentimes seem to feature more gratuitous sex and violence than just a good story, and wind up covering up an otherwise poor writing job. Hubbard didn't seem to need any of that to write a darn good yarn which I would recommend to readers everywhere.

"Spy Killer"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
approx 2 hours

Once again I dive into a Story from the Golden Age, with another pulp fiction classic from the master Storyteller, L. Ron Hubbard. This time we go on another adventure with at tale from the Orient.

Each one of these stories by Hubbard from the Mid-20th century launch me into a new adventure. Galaxy Audio makes these stories transition to audio books in a phenomenal way. Each one of these books is transformed into an audio drama that closely resembles an old fashioned radio drama. With great music, perfect sound effects and vocal acting that not only blows away the listener but makes the over the top characters created by Hubbard come to life.

Originally published in the April 1936 issue of "Five Novels Monthly," "Spy Killer" is one of the most violent and darker stories from this era of Hubbard's book. Kurt Reid has just escaped from the S.S. Rangoon and is on the run from those that want to charge him with murder. He flees to pre-Communist Shanghai, China and finds himself hunted by the most vile of persons, Lin Wang. Wang, a vile disgusting figure, wants Reid to kill a spy, in return he will give Wang a written confession to the murder Reid is being charged with. The confession is from another member of the crew of the Rangoon who Reid watched Wang torture the confession from.

Reid finds a woman from his past, Anne Carsten, is friends with a White Russian Spy, Varinka Savischna and both are in Shanghai. Reid seeks out the spy he is ordered to kill and it turns out to be Varinka. They then both conspire to kill Wang and try to escape with their lives.

In a story that is non-stop twists and turns, and secret identities as well as identity changes, Hubbard keeps you wondering what will happen next in this constant thriller.
[...]

This Story is one of my favourites of the whole pulp fiction era. It's a truly exciting story of an American sailor getting into all sorts of trouble in pre-WWII China, involving espionage and two beautiful women. This fiction smacks of the same DNA that Spielberg created Indiana Jones from 40 years later. A gripping tale told by a brilliant author who was personally very familiar with the Orient. And a beautifully presented reissue. Check this out and then move on to the whole of the "Stories From the Golden Age" series!

Spy Killer (Stories from the Golden Age) (English and English Edition)

The characters are so well defined and really represent the era of the pulp novel. The descriptions and detail assist the reader in creating vivid images to help carry them along on this literary ride.It also gives one a stylized heightened reality of the way things were, which adds to the fun of it. It's like watching an old movie written by the author and directed by the reader.