recent read; Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

Over the past few years, I've been adding the original TARZAN novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs to my reading diet. TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR was next on my list;

Albert Werper is a murderer and deserter of the Belgian army in the Congo. Fleeing into the jungle, he is captured by gang of slavers led by the Arab Achmet Zek. Werper convinces Zek of his fugitive status, and joins the troop of cutthroats. Tarzan has been running afoul of Zek, ruining his slave trade. Zek and Werper hatch a plan to kidnap Tarzan's wife, Jane (of course,) and hold her for ransom. Werper decides to pose as a lost French gentleman, separated from his safari, to gain access to the Greystoke compound and home.

Tarzan - John Clayton, Lord Greystoke - has a reversal of fortune before the kidnapper can strike. Suspected unscrupulous business dealings have wiped out Greystoke's capital back in England. But the loss doesn't cause Clayton too much concern. He will return to the lost city of Opar. (His first visit was during THE RETURN OF TARZAN.) He knows where the city's great treasure room is hidden. Even the degenerated descendants of Opar who still stalk the stone corridors don't know that. He assures Jane he will be safe and vows to return with gold.

Werper has eavesdropped on their conversation. Realizing there is no ransom to be had from a destitute man, Werper takes his leave and stalks Tarzan's safari through the jungle to trail him to the treasure and steal his own portion.

While both men are in Opar, an earthquake traps them. Clayton takes a hard blow on the head. He awakens an amnesiac. He can only remember his primitive existence as the ape-man. Eventually, he learns his name is Tarzan, but his more recent memories refuse to return. Manipulated by Werper, Tarzan helps him to escape from Opar, and Tarzan acquires a pouch of "pretty pebbles" from another treasure room - the Jewels of Opar.

The avaricious Werper has designs on the jewels, and Tarzan feels the pull of the jungle, unaware that Achmet Zek and his bloodthirsty horde are descending on the Greystoke bungalow...

Adventure and action follow in large doses. Combat, death, lions, apes, Queen La and her subhuman worshipers. Escapes and recaptures, reversals of fortune, double-crosses. The list goes on - in a good, adventurous way.

I enjoyed this story, a lot.

Right out of the gate, Burroughs drops a "civilization vs. barbarism" quote that surely must have caught the attention of Robert E. Howard.

To Tarzan of the Apes the expedition was in the nature of a holiday outing. His civilization was at best but an outward veneer which he gladly peeled off with his uncomfortable European clothes whenever any reasonable pretext presented itself. It was a woman's love which kept Tarzan even to the semblance of civilization—a condition for which familiarity had bred contempt. He hated the shams and the hypocrisies of it and with the clear vision of an unspoiled mind he had penetrated to the rotten core of the heart of the thing—the cowardly greed for peace and ease and the safe-guarding of property rights. That the fine things of life—art, music and literature—had thriven upon such enervating ideals he strenuously denied, insisting, rather, that they had endured in spite of civilization.

Forgetting his existence as John Clayton, Tarzan is feral, unpredictable, and dangerous. He is - perhaps - more of the barbaric savage than he has been since the first half of TARZAN OF THE APES.

The only plot points I had an issue with were the overuse of lion attacks. While it wouldn't have changed the story a whit, I think exchanging at least one of the attacks for a leopard attack would have been welcome change up.

Despite the plot cliche of "the hero has amnesia," I enjoyed TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR. I think it is my favorite of the series so far.

recent read; Return to the Lost Level

RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL by Brian Keene

Keene returns to THE LOST LEVEL with a worthy sequel!

Picking up where THE LOST LEVEL left off, Aaron Pace's adopted tribe has been raided by Anunnaki snake-men. Pace and the surviving villagers set off on a rescue mission, enduring hazards, danger, and hardship all along the way. Pterodactyls, Anunnaki, deadly flora, and other lost world features all hinder their efforts. Along the way they adopt a baby triceratops, and encounter Ambrose Bierce, too.

Keene sprinkles tantalizing bits of his own mythos throughout the story. The framing device also leaves a reader wondering about Pace's final fate in the Lost Level.

RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL leaves the reader on a tantalizing cliffhanger promising more. I eagerly anticipate the next entry in the saga of Aaron Pace in the Lost Level.

recent read; MARROW DUST

MARROW DUST by Steve Van Samson

MARROW DUST is the sequel to THE BONE EATER KING, which was one of my favorite reads last year.

Van Samson weaves an intriguing story from the opening pages. Time has passed since the events of THE BONE EATER KING and, clearly, things have gone very bad. Somewhere, somehow, Re, the heroine of the previous novel, has succumb to the curse of the matsatsaku maza - the vampires of near-future Africa who have laid waste to the world.

But Re fights on to retain herself to execute a mission of revenge. Along the journey through post-apocalyptic Africa, we meet a cast of characters - all well fleshed-out and interesting. The action is pulse pounding, and the reveals and turns keep coming through the very last page. The near-future African setting continues to entice and to fascinate and hums with veracity.

As with THE BONE EATER KING, Van Samson delivers the story in a non-linear fashion that is extremely satisfying. The hooks of the current narrative combined with the puzzle pieces of flashbacks all lock together in step until all is revealed but you've got stay for the entire ride.

And believe me, MARROW DUST is a ride you want to take.

5 out of 5.

recent read; The Outpost

I recently read Jake Tapper's The Outpost, a non-fiction book about an American military outpost in Afghanistan. (I am trying to read a little more history and non-fiction this year.)

I thought - given the terrain and operations involved - it would be a fitting post over at Frontier Partisans.  (Jim Cornelius graciously agreed.)

Nuristan province in northern Afghanistan is historically some of the most difficult terrain in which to conduct warfare. It is the land of Rudyard Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King. The mountains chewed up the forces of Alexander the Great, the British Empire, and the Soviets. In the early 2000s, it was the United States turn.

You can read my review over there.

recent read; StoryHack #1

StoryHack, Issue #1, edited by Bryce Beattie.

StoryHack continues on with its pulp mission to provide action adventure tales of derring-do, regardless of genre. Issue #1 provides a mix of science fiction, fantasy, westerns and even a few touches of horror and urban fantasy. Heck, there are also steampunk and supernatural detective stories, too!

In addition to story content, I have a print copy and it's very good production quality.

I enjoyed some stories more than others but that is to be expected. They are all quality tales. There's enough in this issue to satisfy anyone's pulp sweet tooth.

Give it a read!

recent read; The Secret Files of Solar Pons

THE SECRET FILES OF SOLAR PONS by Basil Copper

Pons finds himself dealing with four separate mysteries in this collection - "The Adventure of the Crawling Horror," "The Adventure of the Anguished Actor," "The Adventure of the Ignored Idols"
and "The Adventure of the Horrified Heiress."

I admit to sometimes being too easily entertained. I am still new to original Sherlock Holmes tales and the tales of Solar Pons.  I thought these tales were enjoyable, at least.

In "The Adventure of the Crawling Horror," Pons must solve the mystery of a ghostly monster in the marsh lands. "The Adventure of the Anguished Actor" features a tale of theater as Pons and Parker race to save an actor from assassination. In "The Adventure of the Ignored Idols," a brazen thief challenges a museum to stop his imminent procurement of exhibits. And "The Adventure of the Horrified Heiress" is a tale of murder and inheritance.

I found the last story surprisingly predictable.  "Ignored Idols" seemed to have an odd central conceit - the museum thief is initially introduced as known forger. So, why turn to thieving? I was expecting an artifact forgery swap somewhere in the story but it is also a straightforward tale of burglary and Pons's attempt to stop the thief.

So, I'd say the first two stories were the better of the collection.

Copper favored novella length adventures for Pons and his stalwart companion, Parker. I enjoyed settling into all of these longer stories, soaking up some atmosphere and spending more time with the mainstay characters of the series.

(The original Basil Copper stories came in the series of books published by Pinnacle Books back in the day and included Derleth's run. Hence, the first edition of SECRET FILES was numbered 10, not 3. Story content is the same.)

 

recent read; THE LAST SACRIFICE

THE LAST SACRIFICE by James A. Moore

THE LAST SACRIFICE is the first novel of a (new) grimdark trilogy from James A. Moore. Moore again displays the chops that make his writing a standout. Dripping with blood, horror, and an array of moral gray, we are plunged into a world where dark gods demand human sacrifice. When mercenary Brogan McTyre decides the price of losing his entire family is too high, the world is plunged into Armageddon as Brogan battles the monstrous servants of the gods and sets his sights on killing the gods themselves, if no other options are available.

Not any easy mission. Certainly not any easier when Five Kingdoms have put a price on your head to stop the end of the world.

This series, The Tides of War, is apart from Moore's previous Seven Forges series. Once again, Moore's creativity shines through with a new world, new pantheon, new monsters, new nations and continents. The characters live and breathe and pop from the page - often with swords swinging.

The sequel, FALLEN GODS, was just recently released and I cannot wait to dive into the dark - again.