TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Book Reviews by Tommy Hancock

The Evil in Pemberley HouseBy Philip Jose Farmer and Win Scott Eckert
Dust jacket by Glenn Orbik
Published by Subterranean Press
Length: 216 pages

If you’re a reader of All Pulp, especially recently, then you’re familiar with the concept of the Wold-Newton Family and Universe as well as knowing a bit about pulp and science fiction icon Philip Jose Farmer.  Although Farmer left this world in the last few years, a vast body of notes, ideas, completed and unfinished works remain in his fantastic wake.  THE EVIL IN PEMBERLEY HOUSE was, until recently, on the unfinished list.  Fortunately, writer and PJF expert/researcher Win Scott Eckert picked up the gauntlet unintentionally left by Farmer’s passing and THE EVIL IN PEMBERLEY HOUSE is now complete.

And, oh boy, that is a good thing.

The basic plot is that young Patricia Wildman, daughter of famed crimefigher, scientist, and general all around genius Doctor James Clarke Wildman, finds out she has inherited an estate, the Pemberley House of the title, and all the wealth and possibly titles that go with it.  Recently widowed and having lost her parents as well, Patricia welcomes the distraction of going abroad and sorting out this inheritance.  Mayhem instantly ensues with attempts on her life, introductions to rather repulsive family members and Pemberley residents, kidnapping, and rape.  Oh, wait, then there’s the curse that a ghost of long dead relative revisits for three nights on the anniversary of her death to a person in her direct lineage.  And, yes, that would be our young heroine.

Farmer and Eckert weave a gothic tale that is punctuated throughout with pulpy goodness.  Patricia Wildman is actually a thin, almost transparent mask worn by the main character who is actually the daughter of Doc Savage.  Inherent in this character is all the strength, description, and vitality that comes through in tales of Doc, tempered by a rather human fallibility, one of which I’ll speak more of in a bit.  The characters around Patricia, though most of them are repugnant and dare we say irredeemable, add gaudy, fascinating color to this tale of intrigue, family secrets, conspiracies, murder, and even on some level vengeance.  Throw in the fact that this is Wold-Newtonry at its best and you get Sherlock Holmes, Sexton Blake, Jane Austen characters, and Tarzan, among many others salted and peppered from beginning to end.  The phrasing and structure is definitely Farmer and there is mostly a seamless line between Farmer ends and Eckert begins.

The only drawback I encountered with THE EVIL IN PEMBERLEY HOUSE related to the focus on sex, especially early in the book. Now, I know that there has been and will likely always be much discussion of Farmer’s use of sexual activity and connotations in his books, starting with ‘The Lovers’ and filtering through various other works.  Patricia’s human fallibility relates to sexual issues and this is made glaringly apparent through almost the first half of the story and although reinforcement is necessary in a novel, this felt heavy handed and forced on the reader at times.   This definitely improved as the book went on and the resolution that the end brought to these issues was complete and satisfying, but there is some concern that readers who might be turned off by sexual descriptions and such would stop reading too soon.  DON’T! There is tons of action, adventure, character interaction, and dramatic tension still to come!!

All in all, THE EVIL IN PEMBERLEY HOUSE stands out as a fantastic addition to the works of Farmer.  Eckert deftly delivered a complete tale with enough dangles to have another tale or two yet to tell. 

FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-Definitely one worth reading and rereading, even if the sexual references get a bit heavy early on.

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Book Reviews by Tommy Hancock

TALES OF THE RED PANDA-THE ANDROID ASSASSINS
by Gregg Taylor
Published by Autogyro
148 Pages

A series of novels in any field is only as good as its basic components-Its writer, its characters, and the fact that it’s not a retread of the books that have come before in plot.   By those standards, the third novel in the TALES OF THE RED PANDA series, THE ANDROID ASSASSINS, is really good. 

Let’s take the last point first, at least in part.  Here’s the plot in short-Millionaires are being threatened and essentially blackmailed by an unseen villain.  At the same time, Toronto is beset by robotic roustabouts credited to a mechanical, maniacal madman familiar to the city.  And there to bridge the gap in both of his identities and with the Flying Squirrel at his side stands ready-THE RED PANDA!

Once more Gregg Taylor brings the stalwart pulp masked man and his spunky partner to the written page in grand style.  There is more than enough fighting, arguing, and sparring within these pages to satisfy any Decoder Ring Theatre fan and that’s just between the Panda and the Squirrel!  Taylor does a wonderful job of balancing these over the top characters with more realistic supporting cast, particularly when dealing with Red Panda’s many agents.  There are plenty of heroics to go around in this tale of justice and robots and Taylor is excellent at making sure everyone gets a chance to be either as good or as bad as they choose to be.

Taylor almost paints pictures as he constructs characters in this book.   The Panda and the Squirrel spring from the page fully realized, but this is no surprise if you’ve read the previous two books and/or listened to DRT’s shows.  What is even more stunning is how the characters that we aren’t very familiar with take on a life of their own.  There’s some ‘spoilers’ in this book on things that will take place in the Panda’s future that DRT listeners will pick up on and those hints don’t lie in the plot, but in the characters that Taylor applies liberally and lastingly to his own special canvas.

Speaking of art, although the covers on the last two TALES books were good and eye catching, the cover of ANDROID ASSASSINS by Thomas Perkins is simply…wow.  It evokes a comic book like feel, yet has something about it that reminds me of classic pulp covers.  The emotions apparent in the Panda’s face, the grace of the Squirrel’s combat, and even the raw electricity of the androids pop and live on this cover.  Well done, Mr. Perkins.

THE ANDROID ASSASSINS fell slightly short, however, of its two predecessors.  Without saying enough to spoil it, the introduction of and build up of the mystery at the center of the entire plot was a bit clunky.  Taylor’s transitions and exposition, especially in the first half of the book, lacked a touch of the smoothness of execution so evident in the first two entries in the series.  By the middle of the story, however, Taylor was in fine form once more, making the story flow like fine wine.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-Even if it doesn’t quite pass the bar set by Taylor already, this one definitely leans hard on said bar and is one heckuva fun read.   The Panda and Squirrel are old friends to the reader that has followed them through all three books by this point.  And it feels good to read an old friend.

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Book Reviews by Tommy Hancock

TALES OF THE RED PANDA-THE MIND MASTER
By Gregg Taylor
Published by Autogyro
162 pages

I think readers and reviewers alike have certain expectations about the second book in a novel series.  We, because I am one of each, always hope that the book following the debut of a series will at least equal its predecessor in quality, if the debut book was indeed good, yet we are often disappointed, not always greatly so, but usually disappointed that the follow up book just doesn’t quite stand up to what came before it.

Not this time. 

TALES OF THE RED PANDA-THE MIND MASTER is the second in the TALES series from Taylor starring his Decoder Ring Theatre character, The Red Panda, and his unflappable sidekick and chauffeur, the Flying Squirrel.   This book not only adds on what has already been established both via the audio programs and the first novel in the series ,but it pulls back curtains and allows readers sneak peeks into the Panda’s past, letting us know a little bit of what made the man behind the mask the hero we know and cheer today.

Like the first novel, this plot is pretty simple.  A new criminal force has moved into Toronto and has two goals-to charm and work his way into control of the city through the rich and mighty as well as the criminal element; and to find the one individual who may equal his very own mind centered abilities and could be the only person who might stop him.  That person turns out to be The Red Panda!

THE MIND MASTER delivers action, adventure, revelations, and the great banter back and forth between the Panda and the Squirrel, the Panda and the bad guy, the Panda and…everyone else in it that has become a trademark of DRT’s work thus far.  Something that stands out about this book, though, is the villain himself.  Not only does this character stand as a near equal to our hero throughout the novel, but he’s also a good foil, a twisted mirror image of what the Panda might be should he ever make the wrong decisions.  Seeing this sort of confrontation adds a depth to the Panda that makes the conclusion of the book that much more satisfying.   Also, the glimpses into how Panda went from pampered playboy to pulp hero were great trimming around an all in all complete adventure.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF HANCOCK’S HAT-Pulpy goodness again.  This stands up alongside its parent book and stands there very well.

TIPPIN’ HANCOCK’S HAT-Reviews by Tommy Hancock

TALES OF THE RED PANDA: THE CRIME CABAL
by Gregg Taylor
Published by Autogyro
167 pages

Pulp is such a wonderful field.  It reaches into so many genres, mediums, and individual lives.  And many times those things cross over, in this case mediums.

For those that don’t know, a group of stalwart, brave writers and actors have been hard at work the last few years producing top pulp audio for free out here on the wild, wooly internet.  These Canada based combination of great voices, keen storytelling skills, and overall action and adventure tinged with a bit of hilarity, is known by the nomenclature DECODER RING THEATRE!  The driving force creatively behind DRT is an actor/director/writer by the name of Gregg Taylor.  Gregg has provided DRT with their flagship character, one who screams pulp first by his name and then with your first listen of any of his DRT episodes.  That’s right, Gregg Taylor is the man behind Canada’s greatest mysteryman in the pulp tradition today- THE RED PANDA!

If you’ve ever heard the audio adventures of the Red Panda and his high kickin’, high glidin’ female sidekick, the Flying Squirrel, then you will know that translation from the art of the ear to the art of the eye was only a matter of time.  That time came in 2009 with the release of the first TALES OF THE RED PANDA novel-THE CRIME CABAL!

Let me get the synopsis out of the way first-The Red Panda and The Flying Squirrel have very nearly eliminated the organized crime element in Toronto in the 1930s.   With their last collective breath, the few remaining gangsters decide to cross villain lines of a sort and team up with two supervillains to form a crime cabal that even the Red Panda cannot stand against.  Or so they think….

OK, that’s it, that’s the walnut version of what the book is about.  And that is one of its greatest strengths as a pulp novel.  Its storyline is simple, to the point, and easily explained and understood.  Major points there.  Of course, some would say it sounds like a dozen other pulp tales.  Therein enters the proof that Taylor fills the pudding with.  The unbelievable characterizations that abound in these pages boggle the mind.  The Panda and the Squirrel come to life, both in and out of masks, and jump off the page.  Not only that, but the supporting characters, good and evil, do just what they are meant to-flesh out the story, add color where it is needed, and make this rollicking adventure roll even harder and hit even faster.  Plus, if you’re a fan of the DRT episodes before you read this, a great little ‘first meeting’ of the Panda and one of his best allies is at the center of this tale.

You want fisticuffs?  Snappy repartee?  Gangsters?  Maniacal madpeople?  And a hero who messes with minds, walks on walls, and generally can be where he isn’t when you look there?  Then Gregg Taylor deftly delivers above and beyond with this first of his TALES OF THE RED PANDA books.  Go today and find THE CRIME CABAL and get your pulp on!

FIVE OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-This book climbs to that rare pinnacle shared by a few other works as being one of the best executed examples of modern pulp produced today.

Sad to say, Dirk Deppey has been laid off from The Comics Journal, leading to the end of the truly amazing ¡Journalista! His last column was today, and we’re honored to be mentioned.

I can think of no better compliment for his work than acknowledging the number of times I have shamelessly plundered his daily link fest for articles, and he will be badly missed for however long he stays away.

What worries me is what he’ll be doing now. The image at the right is taken straight from the front page of his website, and it links through to the song “Shouldn’t Have Given Him A Gun For Christmas” by Wall Of Voodoo.

Please, can we just leave the mayhem and physical injuries to Broadway?

Although its an area of pulp not fully explored on ALL PULP…yet, old time radio, as well as modern radio drama has a strong place within the pulp field.   ALL PULP’s Tommy Hancock is working on a series of columns, reviews, and interviews that will open up OTR to ALL PULP’s readers.  The following reposting from the Associated Press via the New York Times website, is of import to OTR and Pulp fans alike…another great has gone.

Fred Foy, Famous for Lone Ranger Intro, Dies at 89

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: December 22, 2010

Filed at 2:53 p.m. EST

BOSTON (AP) — Fred Foy, the radio announcer best-known for calling out “Hi-Yo, Silver!” in his passionate lead-in to “The Lone Ranger,” has died at his Massachusetts home.
His daughter, Nancy Foy, says her father died Wednesday of natural causes. He was 89.
Nancy Foy says her father worked as an actor before landing the job as the announcer on “The Lone Ranger” in 1948. Radio historian Jim Harson said Foy’s dramatic introduction, performed over and over for the live program, was so good it “made many people forget there were others before him.”
Nancy Foy says that to the end of his life, her father never tired of repeating the intro to anyone who would ask.
Fred Foy is survived by his wife of 63 years, Frances Foy, and their three children.

Some days are like-
A Week in Hell

A young flatfoot gets more than he bargained for when called to shake out a brawl. The fight was long gone, but the barmaid was there, cooling. She was coming on like the bedroom flu, he got her digits. She had his number.

Acclaimed author J. Walt Layne kicks off his Champion City series with A Week in Hell (113 pp., tpb, $6.99), an introductory thrill ride across the tracks into the seedy, hardboiled side of a dying blue collar city. Layne first charmed readers in 2006 with Frank Testimony, his deeply effective legal thriller. His small but loyal following tantalized with the promise of the forthcoming series, shall wait no longer.

J.T. O’Connor, author of The Coming of T’Loal, says, “J. Walt Layne is an apt student of the hardboiled style: a bit more literary than Chandler but every bit as hard hitting as Cain and Spillane. He has moved out of literary shadow land and onto the mean streets of Champion City. A Week in Hell will hit you right in the mouth!”
A Week in Hell (Champion City Series #1) hits the ground running.. Beat cop Thurman Dicke makes rounds by day during the hottest July on record. A routine call to sort out a brawl will change his life and what he thinks he knows about the rackets forever.

Editor Shell Wilbye says of Layne’s hardboiled debut: “This is a cracking story. Congrats on writing your best so far. An EXCELLENT job…”
J. Walt Layne works as a Substitute Teacher and Home Economist in Springfield, OH. He studied Business and Human Services at Urbana University. He is currently marketing several books and working on his current series. Layne maintains a presence on Facebook and is re-launching his blog at http://championcityontheweb.blogspot.com/.

ISBN 145647958X

To place orders for the book, contact: www.amazon.com

To arrange a book signing or interview, contact James Layne at 937.346.5320 or jwaltlayne@gmail.com