- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Vintage (1 Mar 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0099507331
- ISBN-13: 978-0099507338
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 392,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
"The very definition of a ripping yarn with infamous villains, nefarious plots, and hair-breadth escapes. That the square-jawed heroes are also writers -- pulpateers -- makes the game a whole new kind of thrill ride. Pulp fiction at its best."
-- Glen David Gold, author of "Carter Beats the Devil"
Book Description
An astounding literary debut that brings a beloved genre of the past roaring into the twenty first century
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fairly Entertaining Romp,
By
This review is from: The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril (Paperback)
Set in 1937 New York, this debut novel is both history of and homage to the classic pulp fiction of that era -- sort of. I say sort of because unlike a proper pulp, the story takes a long time to get rolling and it lacks the direct simplicity that characterizes most pulp. The first third of the book is occupied with the backstories of the major characters, and it's difficult to see how the chapters detailing the life of a poor Chinese boy adopted into a warlord's family are going to tie in with the romantic trials of two rival New York pulp writers. These two real-life figures -- William Gibson (creator of "The Shadow") and Lester Dent (creator of "Doc Savage") -- are superstars of the genre who had a falling out years ago, but are brought together by the strange events of the story. In this opening section Malmont does a good job of introducing the reader to the demimonde of pulp writers and how the industry that published them worked.The story gets rolling with the death of Howard Lovecraft (aka H.P. Lovecraft, legendary creator of the "Cthulu" stories). Gibson goes to his pathetic funeral in Providence, accompanied by eager-beaver scribe Ron Hubbard (aka L. Ron Hubbard of Scientology fame). There, he learns that Lovecraft may have been murdered, possibly in connection with something he knew about a long lost Army nerve gas. Meanwhile, Dent is investigating an old Chinatown tong murder so that he can rewrite it as a great pulp. Meanwhile, there are chapters which take the reader away from all this and into machinations concerning the Civil War between Chinese Nationalists, Communists, and the looming Japanese invasion. Naturally, all three storylines end up converging in a series of action-packed climaxes full of treasure maps, fisticuffs, guns, and quasi-zombies. Along the way Gibson and Dent encounter and are aided by various other real-life literary figures, such as Robert Heinlein (of science fiction fame), Louis L'Amour (of Western fame), and Chester Himes (aka the Raymond Chandler of Harlem), not to mention Orson Welles. It's all pretty good fun (more so if you're familiar with the writers involveds and their work), and despite scenes in an opium den and insinuations of steamy sex, Malmont keeps it all well within PG-13 boundaries. Overall, a fairly entertaining romp which may spark some interest in the genre.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A gripping read!,
By
This review is from: The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril (Paperback)
I hate to use cliches, but this book is so intruging and well written there's just no other way to describe it!I picked it up while shopping for new books, partly because it was eligable for a 3 for 2 offer, but mainly because I really like the vintage-looking cover (I know you shouldn't do that!) I'm only 19 so can't relate to anything from that era, and the only thing I know about pulp is...nothing really, but I've seen Pulp Fiction a few times! All (or most) of the characters in this book are famous pulp writers (or other famous people from the same era, e.g Orson Welles) who I'd never heard of, but it didn't matter because they are introduced in a way that lets you get to know who they are and what kind of person they are very easily. The plot is very well thought through (I doubt it's based on a true story, but that's why it's pulp!) and keeps you guessing throughout and the characters are all believable and well rounded. You can see a synopsis further up this page or in other people's reviews so I won't give you one, I'll simply say that irrelevant of how much you know about the pulp world, this is just a really enjoyable and well-written book. The only thing that prevented it from having 5 stars was the fact that the author calls his characters by about 4 different names each and randomly changes between calling them by their first name, last name, writers name, nickname etc, and it's a bit confusing if you haven't read it for a day and then go back to it, takes a while to remember who's who!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pulp about pulp,
By
This review is from: The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril (Paperback)
Walter Gibson, L Ron Hubbard, Lester Dent - the great pulp writers of the American depression, become embroiled in an adventure greater than any of their works - as a mysterious figure from the Orient tries to hold the world to ransom.This is pulp, pure and simple, but on a grand modern scale. Whilst the plot has a political edge, and the characters an interesting historical basis, this is a book predominantly about writers and writing, and going to the edge to find a great story. This is what sets it above a traditional pulpy thriller, as Dent and Gibson compete and then unite in ever more elaborate ways, creating the plot as they go along trying to form excitement and suspense as they go - all the time followed by their assiduous companion Hubbard. Its pulp creating itself as it goes. Malmont is reflecting how the great writers of the twenties and thirties worked, in a blur between fictional hyperbole and the reality of the Great Depression, to the point where they became mythological characters themselves. The question is what is this book for - pulp writing about pulp? I was left wanting a bit less pulp and a bit more thought, but maybe that was what this world was all about. If it wasn't for the pulp, what else was there, just poverty and an uncertain future? This was how the writers lived, as pulpy parodies of themselves, and Hubbard is the natural conclusion of it all - letting it take over his life to become more than just fiction - a religion - the seeds of which are sown in the novel as Gibson is followed around by his own character, the Shadow, to the extent where he feels he may becoming him more than himself. Perhaps pulp got lost in its own preposterousness, and in stages this book does as well, but then again isn't that the whole point? Either way it was always an entertaining ride on the way.
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