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Damballa Paperback – June 17, 2011

by Charles Saunders (Author)

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The first ever African American 1930s avenger sets out to stop a Nazi plot to subvert a championship fight. From deepest Africa to the streets of 1930s Harlem, the action is none stop. Written by famed novelist Charles Saunders, with interior illos by Clayton Hinkle and a cover by Charles Fetherolf, this is a history making pulp adventure fans do not want to miss.

Print length

212 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Cornerstone Book Publishers
Publication date

June 17, 2011
Dimensions

5.98 x 0.48 x 9.02 inches
ISBN-10

1613420129
ISBN-13

978-1613420126
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cornerstone Book Publishers (June 17, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1613420129
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1613420126
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.48 x 9.02 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #11,475,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,439 in Black & African American Fantasy Fiction (Books)
- #5,217 in Black & African American Mystery, Thriller and Suspense
- #29,321 in Historical Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
14 ratings

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4 star		21%
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LEE WRONKE

it is SAUNDERS

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020

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this book was enjoyable from the first page....there was not any hesitation where the story was progresses. the only flaw is the last chapter and epilogue these seemed to be afterthoughts.
considering this was written in 2013(?) i am fearful there will not be a sequel.

especially, since MR. SAUNDERS has returned to his first creation IMARO and his new female creation DOSSOUYE that the impulse to continue DAMBALLA is gone.

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Dale

Saunders Lives Up To His Legacy!

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2012

Verified Purchase

Organized crime! Beautiful women! Boxing! Nazis in 1930s America! A mysterious hero/anti-hero who hails from Africa!

I have been a fan of Charles Saunders' work since the mid 70s. "Damballa," is a radical departure from his sword and sorcery fantasies set in the mythology of a fictional Africa, and showcases Saunders' mastery of his craft as he moves effortlessly from that world into the world of pulp fiction.

Saunders takes us on a twisting, turning journey from an innocuous upscale social gathering in Harlem to an epic battle in the boxing ring between the black American champion, "Jackhammer" Jackson and Wolfgang Krieger, the "Aryan Adonis" of Nazi Germany, that pays homage to the classic match between Joe Louis and Max Schmelling with the same black vs. white; American vs. Nazi overtones of the original. This fight, however, has far more than mere racial and political ramifications as Saunders' roller-coaster ride delves into the well-documented world of secret Nazi experimentation that horrifies the reader, and yet, is completely believable from what we know of the Nazis and their gruesome past.

Entwined in this maelstrom is Damballa. A Batman-type figure of unknown origin, he is a hero to the everyday blacks of Harlem, but is reviled by the New York City police department as a vigilante, or worse. He appears where he is not expected and vanishes without a trace, sometimes leaving corpses in his wake. Do his powers come from voodoo, or magic, or science, all of the above, or somewhere else?

Like Saunders' fictional African tales, the "Imaro" and "Dossouye" series of novels, it is impossible for the reader to see what lies beyond the next bend in the road of "Damballa." The only thing you can expect is the unexpected, and that's exactly what you get. Hopefully, we'll get another "Damballa" novel, and soon.

One person found this helpful

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dalethepaleone

Damballa rocks!

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2013

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In DAMBALLA, Charles Saunders has created a pulp hero for the modern era that would have been right at home in pulp's Golden Age: a shadowy African-American avenger using martial prowess, scientific know-how, and a little tribal theatricality to defend Harlem from gutsy gangsters and nefarious Nazis. Not only is author Charles Saunders' DAMBALLA a tight, fast, furious read--everything a fan of pulp could ask for, really--it's also a showcase for Saunders' trademark muscular prose, fantastic imagination, and his oft-revisited themes of racism and absent fathers. Far from being pedantic or didactic, though, Charles Saunders knows how to imbue his pulpy, propulsive narrative with depth and texture while never slowing down the momentum or getting bogged down in ham-handed preachiness (this is nothing new: these have always been his gifts). He understands that pulp fiction is, first and foremost, about engaging and entertaining the reader, and that all other concerns should simply enrich and support the primary entertainment. By maintaining that delicate balance, he manages to create a slam-bang action thriller that's also got a beating heart and a humane soul.

One person found this helpful

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Fofoye

Awesomely Captivating!!

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2016

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Absolutely awesome. Captivating from the very first page. I can't wait for a sequel! You will thoroughly enjoy this Saunders masterpiece.

2 people found this helpful

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A Hero for Harlem

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2013

I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of this book, and believe me, it was well worth the wait.

Set in Harlem in the 1930's,it tells the story of a different kind of pulp hero. Walter Horace Shropshire, Jr.is the son of an American Missionary and a woman of the mysterious Bakosi tribe of the Belgian Free Congo. He also hides a secret known to very few: He is the mysterious crime fighter known as Damballa.

It is a great event in New York City. Boxing Champion Junius Jackhammer Johnson has been challenged by Nazi superman Wolfgang Krieger, a fight that has not only racial, but international overtones, The Nazis, still stinging from defeats by black athletes at the Munich Olympics, make no effort to disguise their contempt for the World Champion.

Wolf Krieger finds himself no longer master of his own destiny. Even his trainer Franz Kohlbreche has little leeway when it comes to the training for the fight. Instead evil Nazi Herr Dokter Von Dunkel has control of the fighter. The evil Dokter is not about to let this be a fair fight. To that end he has developed a serum called Starkenflessig. He expects the fight to be short and to be a slaughter.

Nazis meanwhile are making trouble in Harlem, from Sugar Row to the Darkside. The men are stopped by the mysterious Damballa. After one battle with the Nazis, Damballa gains insight into what is really planned for the boxing match. With damage already done, it becomes a race to somehow salvage the boxing match, and to safeguard the life of the world champion.

Fast paced and exciting, the plot travels from upscale mansions on Sugar Row to underground lairs; from the Nazi camp in an abandoned prison to ringside at the battle of the century. And through it all winds the trail of Harlem's avenging angel, Damballa

I for one would like to see more on this new and exciting character! Encore! Encore!

Quote the Raven...

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Jonathan K. Stephens

Hit of The Good Stuff

Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2016

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Really, ‘Damballa’ should really get 6 Stars out of 5 just for the pure “fun” quotient of the book alone.

And to think I momentarily hesitated before purchasing, however I had just finished Saunders’ non-fiction book ‘Black and Bluenose’ (also recommended), have fond memories of ‘Imaro’ (ibid), and there was no other recent Saunders conveniently (read: immediately), available so I heroically thrust any qualms aside and bellied up to the bar.

Silly Boy. I needn’t have worried in the slightest. By a couple of chapters in, my inner-critic was happy to nap, fully assured that I was indeed safe in the hands of a Master Storyteller, so my inner-child could gleefully come out and play in the pulps – figuratively bouncing in his seat and giggling at all the nifty happenings in the book, of which there are plenty! One can almost imagine Saunders manically cackling pulp conventions to himself as he plotted out the book:

“Right, start with a crime-fighter all The Shadow and Doc Savage-y, check, update Heroic Men-of-Iron/Beautiful Babes types from Fight Stories, check, mysterious Lost African Civilization (Triple Bonus Points!!), check, add a soupcon of Voodoo, heh heh, check, and NAZIS!!! Lots and lots of evil, evil Nazis! Ha Ha!”

Needless to say, the book held me enthralled throughout each nifty twist and quirky turn and I finished it off far, far too quickly.

On a more somber note, of course any novel set in early 20th century Harlem is bound to have some serious human undertones. It’s a measure of Saunders’ skill as a writer, or maybe it’s his literary chops as a human being, that his realistic portrayal of the various character’s negotiation of these (hopefully) historical human minefields, in a way that I can only call ‘courageously tactful’, gives just a simple pulp novel depth and heart to a modern reader. As Saunders’ revealingly relates in his Afterward: “Racism was one of those undertones. These days, most rational people reject the belief that one race is inherently superior to another (or all others). In the 1920s-1940s heyday of the pulps, however racism… was part and parcel of popular culture, not just the pulps. The barrage of slurs and stereotypes was constant, and applied not only to blacks, but people of many ethnic derivations, including whites such as the Irish, Italians and Russians – and also to women of all backgrounds”. Also indicative of the manner of his literary grace is the following: “Concerning nomenclature, the “n-word” was certainly common coin during the 1930s, and I had no intention of shying away from it. In Damballa [italics], I use the term sparingly, not gratuitously.”

I wasn’t particularly surprised to learn that ‘Damballa’ was an award winner: The Pulp Factory Award for Best Pulp Novel of 2011.

Finally, really have to give a shout-out to Clayton Hinkle’s wonderful interior illustrations, which were somehow completely modern while remaining true to original pulp imaginings (Hmm, I think that parses).

Anyway, with any luck ‘Damballa’ is only the first of a series – I’d buy a sequel like a shot. This time I won’t hesitate a second.

One person found this helpful

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