Tales of the Shadowmen 5: The Vampires of Paris [Paperback]

Jean-Marc Lofficier (Editor), Randy Lofficier (Editor), Matthew Baugh (Contributor), Christopher Paul Carey (Contributor), Win Scott Eckert (Contributor), Micah Harris (Contributor), Rick Lai (Contributor), Jess Nevins (Contributor), John Peel (Contributor), Brian Stableford (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Tales of the Shadowmen | Publication Date: January 1, 2009

Once upon a time, the world was but a stage for the exploits of the Shadowmen... The Vampires haunted the rooftops of Paris... Count Zaroff hunted the Serpent Men in the streets of New York... The Queen of Atlantis killed to save her mythical Kingdom... Arsene Lupin prowled the back alleys of Saigon... While in outer space, Doctor Omega and Professor Moriarty finally set foot upon an asteroid... This fifth anthology of pastiches features some of the most amazing encounters between the legendary heroes and villains of popular literature: Count Dracula and Joséphine Balsamo, Lord Ruthven and the Count of Monte Cristo, the Nyctalope and Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Arsène Lupin and Hanoi Shan, Irma Vep and Fascinax, Monsieur Lecoq and Dr. Loveless... and even Sherlock Holmes and Tevye the Milkman!

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Hollywood Comics (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934543500
• ISBN-13: 978-1934543504
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,481,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most consistently quality anthology series today, December 25, 2008

By 

Sean Levin (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of the Shadowmen 5: The Vampires of Paris (Paperback)

I am a fan of pulp and adventure fiction, as well as crossover stories such as Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN and especially Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton family writing. Thus, I could not help but be drawn to the TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN series of anthologies released by Black Coat Press, the premiere reprinter of classic French pulp fiction. Indeed, nearly every story features characters from that country's prodigious fictional oeuvre interacting with characters from other countries, including (but most emphatically not limited to) the United States and Kingdom respectively. Each story is unique and well-written, and this latest volume is no exception. Alan Weiss and Lovern Kindzierski's cover is stunning as well, featuring virtual superman Fascinax battling Irma Vep, the archvillainess of Louis Feuillade's classic serial LES VAMPIRES. All the stories contained herein are excellent, and I'll give a quick run-through of the cream of the crop.

Matthew Baugh's "The Way of the Crane" is a short but sweet (in its effectiveness, at least) tale of Japanese supervillain Madame Atomos' (the creation of Andre Caroff) encounter with Hayashi Kato (a name old time radio and '60s TV fans might find very familiar) on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. Baugh does masterful job of highlighting the differing morals of the two protagonists and their views on an event still poignant today.

Michelle Bigot's "The Tarot of the Shadowmen" casts many literary heroes as cards of the tarot. The choice of characters is inventive and the illustrations are lush. This series has often provided artwork along with prose and this tradition is upheld wonderfully here.

Christopher Paul Carey and Win Scott Eckert's "Iron and Bronze" is an exciting tale of Hareton Ironcastle (the protagonist of a novel by French science-fiction pioneer J.H. Rosny) and Doctor Francis Ardan (of Guy D'Armen's novel THE CITY OF GOLD AND LEPERS, translated by the same publisher) battling the villainous Harry Killer of Jules Verne's THE BARSAC MISSION in the Atlantean remains seen in Pierre Benoit's L'ATLANTIDE. Readers may also recognize several parallels between Ardan and a more well-known "Man of Bronze". I have corresponded with Win (the most prominent member of the New Wold Newton Meteoritic Society, the main carriers of Farmer's torch) several times, and I can testify to the fact that I have enjoyed everything of his I've read. This is no exception.

Rick Lai is also a contributor to Woldnewtonry, and "All Predators Great and Small" proves once again that his fiction is just as fascinating and well-crafted as his speculative articles. This story manages to tie together Count Dracula, Josephine Balsamo (the most prominent villainess in the Arsene Lupin books of Maurice Leblanc), and the vampires (and vampire-hunters) of a pair of Mexican horror films. Lai handily includes a list of character sources at the end of the story, which serves to richen it even further.

Roman Leary's contribution to this volume, "The Heart of a Man" is just as strong as his tale in the previous book. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (James Bond's archenemy) consults ex-Surete inspector Giraud (of Agatha Christie's Poirot novel MURDER ON THE LINKS) on a murder, but the Nyctalope (a proto-superhero created by Jean de la Hire whose alliance with the Vichy in the final novel plays a prominent part in this story). This tale provides a fascinating portrait of the Nyctalope, who is demonized for doing what he mistakenly believed right, and Giraud, who can't help but hear the Belgian in his head criticizing him.

Alain le Bussy's "A Matter Without Gravity" is a charming and clever tale of Sherlock Holmes' and Dr. Watson's encounter with the Time Traveller, Cavor and Bedford, and the man who made them famous, Herbert George Wells.

Stuart Shiffman's "The Milkman Cometh" is a delightful tale, none the less so for the offbeat idea of having the Great Detective encounter Sholem Aleichem's milkman protagonist Reb Tevye (best known in the west through the musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF). This story is tremendously entertaining, with clever references that will make astute readers chuckle.

These and other sagas make THE VAMPIRES OF PARIS a wonderful read for fans of pulp fiction, Wold Newtonites, and anyone looking for a diverse range of quality stories. Pick up a copy, and see greatness at work.