Thunder Jim Wade: The Complete Series [Paperback]

Henry Kuttner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2008

Available for the first time... the complete saga of Thunder Jim Wade! Written by fantasy legend Henry Kuttner, this collection reprints all five adventures of Thunder Jim Wade from 1941. Long discounted as a Doc Savage clone, THUNDER JIM WADE: THE COMPLETE SERIES brings to life this classic pulp hero and shows him to be much more than a knock-off! Includes an all-new introduction by pulp historian Will Murray!

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 143484496X
• ISBN-13: 978-1434844965
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,567,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complete reprint of this short-lived pulp hero, May 23, 2010

By 

Michael R. Brown (Tamarac, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thunder Jim Wade: The Complete Series (Paperback)

We have another great hero pulp collection from Altus Press.

This short-lived hero pulp series is collected completely for the first time. Written by the well-known sf author Henry Kuttner, who married another well-known sf author, CL Moore, these stories were published under the house name of "Charles Stoddard". Obviously, this meant the character was owned by the publisher (who is now defunct, so the character is apparently public domain).

The stories reprinted are: "Thunder Jim Wade", "The Hills of Gold", "The Poison People", "The Devil's Glacier", and "Waters of Death", all published in 1941 in 5 successive issues of "Thrilling Adventure".

Thunder Jim Wade is usually written off as a Doc Savage clone. He was raised by a lost civilization (Minos, a lost colony of Crete in Africa) after his explorer father died, and left when another explorer found the hidden land. He has various mental and physical abilities, most due to his upbringing. Afterwards, he became a sort of roving troubleshooter, operating out of a secret island in the south Pacific, alerted to trouble by agents scattered around in major cities. He created a unique vehicle called the Thunderbug (a combination tank, submarine, airplane). Its built using a special alloy (you'll learn more about this in the first story), and its hinted in a later story that the motor(s) may be atomic.

He has 2 two aides: "Red" Argyle" & "Dirk" Marat. Henry Kuttner described "Red" Argyle as "a burly giant with knarled hands ... and ... deft fingers". Sort of a "Monk" Mayfair type. Kuttner described "Dirk" Marat as "small, innocent-looking chap with blond hair and black eyebrows, and one great passion. That was for cold steel. He could handle guns, but preferred to work with knives." It seems that many of the other pulp heroes only had 2 sidekicks/assistants. Prehaps dealing with 5 or 6 was too many for some authors. :)

The first story introduces the reader to TJW, tho its clear he's been operating for awhile, when he has to return to the hidden land when criminal elements learn of it and invade it. TJW also tells his associates about his background (kind of an origin), which they hadn't previously learn. The second story deals with a group of criminals who try to create a jihad in the middle east, as a cover to rob several banks in the area. The third story deals with a hidden gold mine in the Andes, taken over by a criminal (with apparent Nazi connections, the first real mention of the WWII), and besieged by the local natives. The fourth story deals with two lost cities in Alaska, one of Norseman, the other of Russians who left during the period of Catharine the Great. A criminal is trying to stir up trouble over a chinese statue of gold. The fifth is considered the best story, dealing with a lost city in Burma, a gold-making machine, and the attempt to takeover this hidden land.

Overall, the stories aren't as good as I would have hoped. Not sure the cause. The length forces the author to wrap things up quickly. The format of the magazine they ran in may have been part of the problem, as it focuses on adventure stories, so the sciencefictional/fantastical aspects are downplayed. How much was the author constrained by editorial fiat. Who knows. There is great potential with these characters that I think wasn't fully utilized.

TJW is similiar to other pulp heroes: a physical marvel with a mysterious past, very smart/inventive. I was surprised by him smoking in the first story, as I don't recall any other pulp hero smoking. And he drinks in a few.

The book also has the original illustrations, and reprints the 5 covers of the issues of "Thrilling Adventures" he appeared in on the back cover, but he only appears on 2 covers, in a sort of Flash Gordon type outfits.