Stories from the Golden Age
101 total works
Captain Spar is wrongfully imprisoned on Devil's Island but makes a daring escape to the small island of Martinique - hot on the trail of the man who framed him, his nemesis, the infamous Saint.
American engineer Dan Courtney attempts to survey a railway route through the jungles of central Africa only to be sidetracked when he discovers that an alluring American woman has been kidnapped by the fearsome Dinka warrior tribe. But the plot thickens when he attempts to rescue her and stumbles headlong into a diamond smuggling operation, and the perpetrators want Courtney out of the picture permanently.
Stop the presses! One hundred thousand dollar reward offered for the return of George Harley Rockham! That's more than enough to turn Shanghai newspaperman Jimmy Vance's head. Throw in the gorgeous dame who's offering the reward-Rockham's daughter Virginia-and he might lose his head altogether. As fast-talking as Jimmy Stewart in The Philadelphia Story, Vance jumps at the chance . . . the money . . . and the girl. But as Jimmy quickly discovers, there are several billion reasons to watch his back. Because that's how much Rockham is worth, and there are some very hard cases out there willing to kill to separate the old man from his money. Next thing Jimmy knows, Virginia's tied to a chair, and he's got a couple of guns pointed at his head. But it'll take more than a little rope and a couple of firearms to keep this reporter down. The truth is tied to the mysterious fate of a steamship named Shanung-and what Jimmy finds could be the biggest story of his life . . . if he lives to tell it. In the issue of Smashing Novels where this story first appeared the editor wrote: "Loot of the Shanung is a soul-stirring tale of the China Sea, a story of modern piracy set in the Far East. L. Ron Hubbard wrote it. He knows China. He has been there. He traveled through the country and met the people and observed their customs. Smashing Novels will have other stories from him-stories of far-off places and little known people. He knows of what he writes."
Meet Eddie Moran, a slightly disreputable American cooling his heels in French Morocco. And don't be surprised if the young Cary Grant comes to mind, because Eddie's as smooth as they come, one step ahead of the game...and of the police. Who's after him? Just about everybody. What's he done? A bit of everything-smuggler, revolutionary, whatever crooked little scheme will pay for his next meal or next drink. But Eddie's latest caper is one he may not be able to escape...even if he wants to. Stumbling into a fight between a couple of Berber chieftains, Eddie lands in a prison run by The Black Sultan. He may be a captive of the Sultan, but he's captivated by a stunning young woman the Sultan means to add to his harem. For her, Eddie might just go straight-if he can get them out of this hellhole alive. When The Black Sultan was originally published, Hubbard said that writers too often "forget a great deal of the languorous quality which made the Arabian Nights so pleasing. Jewels, beautiful women, towering cities filled with mysterious shadows, sultans equally handy with robes of honor and the beheading sword.... These things still exist, undimmed, losing no luster to the permeating Occidental flavor which reaches even the far corners of the earth today." Hubbard brings this unique insight to his stories of North Africa and the Legionnaires, investing them with an authenticity of time, place and character that kept his readers asking for more. Also includes the adventure story, "Escape for Three," in which a bold trio of French Legionnaires come to the rescue of their great leader-only to decide he may not be so great after all. "Action, strong characters, suspense, snappy dialogue, and titillating romance." -Publishers Weekly
The ancient jungles of the Yucatan hide a world of secrets... the secrets of wealth, love, and fate. Now daredevil pilot Kurt Reid is about to tempt fate and fly into the heart of that jungle in search of his destiny-an adventure as daring and dangerous as any undertaken by Indiana Jones. He's looking for gold, but not just any. He's after one particular nugget-flying blind into a tropical haystack in search of a very valuable needle. Thanks to his grandfather's vexing dying wish, his entire inheritance-as well as the shape of his future-hangs on the success of his journey. As if that weren't bad enough, Kurt soon finds that his family legacy runs deep and dark in the Yucatan. The Mayans mistake Kurt for his grandfather, and they've got fifty-years worth of revenge to serve up. Whether he lands on the sacrificial altar or in the arms of his sexy co-pilot Joy, things are bound to heat up fast in pursuit of Forbidden Gold. In 1931, as a student at George Washington University, Hubbard founded the college Glider Club and within a few months a respected columnist said "he is recognized as one of the outstanding glider pilots in the country." Later he wrote as the aviation correspondent for the prestigious flying magazine Sportsman Pilot. His combined writing and flying expertise comprised the perfect recipe to give stories like Forbidden Gold their authentic flavor.
Lucky Martin is a daredevil of the skies-a test pilot who lives to break the rules and push the envelope. Sound like a perfect role for Errol Flynn? It did to Hollywood, as Flynn was cast in the movie of the same name. Lucky's a trailblazer-flying higher and faster than any pilot out there. His latest invention could change the face of air warfare and alter the balance of world power. It's The Dive Bomber-a perfectly designed aircraft for the U.S. Navy. There's only one problem-up to now every test flight has ended in disaster. The reason: sabotage. America's enemies will go to any length to get their hands on his design-from savage attacks to kidnapping his fiancee. Lucky'll have to push his luck to the very limit to save his plane, save his girl . . . and save his country. As a barnstorming pilot in the early days of aviation, Hubbard was dubbed "Flash" Hubbard by the aviation magazines of the day. Expanding his knowledge even more, he visited Boeing in Seattle where the president and chief engineer gave him an inside look at their test pilot program. His unique and pioneering insight of flight streaks across the page in novels like The Dive Bomber. "Hubbard grounds his cliffhanger adventure firmly in aeronautical details that make it thrilling." -Publishers Weekly
The story of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Johnny Trescott. A man as smart, tough, and fearless as they come. But he's about to lose everything-his boat, his freedom, and his identity. Long before Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips fell into the hands of modern-day pirates, Johnny faced the same high-stakes action on the high seas. He's cunning has always outwitted his antagonists, but now the odds have turned and he must pull off the ultimate drug bust. An adversary that has emerged from the deep blue. Johnny has met his match. The Phantom Patrol marked a turning point in L. Ron Hubbard's fiction. In writing this story he recognized the vital importance of research and realism. To that end, Hubbard toured Coast Guard vessels and interviewed officers who were actually involved in chasing down drug smugglers. The resulting authenticity and success of the tale was a sign of things to come. Read The Phantom Patrol and experience the development of a unique voice in storytelling. "Nonstop action and a hero to root for." -Publishers Weekly * An International Book Awards Finalists
When it comes to big dreams and schemes, young Chuck Lambert would give Walter Mitty a run for his money. In fact, Chuck's biggest dream of all is really out of this world. Because he's got his eyes on a prize in the sky. Chuck wants to buy a planet of his own.... Madman Murphy, the King of Planetary Realtors, is more than happy to oblige. He's got a whole galaxy of planets for sale. All Chuck needs is money ... and a lot of it. Eleven years later, saving every penny he can scrape up, Chuck's dream comes true. He takes possession and takes off for Planet 19453X..... One problem: Madman Murphy has sold Chuck a world of trouble. Because on Planet 19453X the water is undrinkable, the air is unbreathable, and the laws of physics don't apply. Has Chuck's dream turned into a nightmare? Not quite. As he's about to discover, sometimes, to fulfill your true desire, it's simply a matter of digging a little deeper. By the time A Matter of Matter appeared in 1949, L. Ron Hubbard's stature as a writer was well established. As author and critic Robert Silverberg puts it: he had become a "master of the art of narrative." Hubbard's editors urged him to apply his gift for succinct characterization, original plot, deft pacing and imaginative action to the genre of science fiction and fantasy. The rest is Sci-Fi history. Also includes the science fiction adventures, "The Conroy Diary," in which the man who opens up the universe to mankind also opens himself to charges of fraud and tax evasion; "The Obsolete Weapon," the story of an American GI involved in the 1943 invasion of Italy who slips back in time and finds himself fighting a different kind of battle-as a gladiator in ancient Rome; and "The Planet Makers," in which a great deal is at stake for the engineers who make planets habitable, but one of them has a surprising plan all his own. *An International Book Awards Finalist
Penniless, homeless and virtually lifeless, the vagrant "Doughface" Jack is about to discover that where medical marvels meet the mysteries of the human mind, amazing things happen. Like one of the comic book X-Men mutants, The Tramp acquires a capability beyond his imagination and without equal on Earth. Riding the rails, Jack runs afoul of a local sheriff and ends up with a crushed skull. He's as good as dead until a savvy country doctor performs a bit of medical magic. Jack wakes up to find that his brain has been drastically altered. He has the power to save lives-and destroy them-with a single glance. Will Jack use his astounding power for good ... or for evil? His journey of discovery takes him to New York and into the arms of a woman, who has a plan of her own. Together they're bound for Washington, D.C., and a psychic adventure that could change the shape of history. The Tramp was originally serialized in 1938 in three issues of Astounding Science Fiction. Its respected editor, John W. Campbell, wrote: "Hubbard is a very highly experienced writer, an author with a tremendous background of writing in every field. He's one of the few professional writers I know of who gets a genuine kick out of the story he's writing. In The Tramp, the suspense is intensified step by step, because every step points the same way. There are no backward slips, no scattered accidents that tend in any direction other than the one toward which Hubbard is driving." "...a series not to be missed by any true pulp-fiction fan." -Comics Buyers Guide
Pilot Pete England used to think there was nothing more exciting in the world than flying off into the wild blue yonder. But lately the blue yonder hasn't been wild at all . . . it's been downright dull. Pete's like a jaded Clark Gable who's hungry for adventure-and he's about to get his fill. Pete has fallen into a rut, flying the same route-New York to D.C.-with the same passengers, day after day after day. He might as well be driving a bus... until "her highness" climbs aboard. Apparently a princess, she's the Carole Lombard to Pete's Clark Gable, and for one flight, she's bought up every ticket on the plane. Once Pete gets her into the air, the action heats up fast. He learns that the lady is at the center of some international intrigue that could turn the tide of war ... and now a mysterious plane is on their tail, bent on shooting them out of the sky. But that's the least of Pete's concerns. There's more to this princess than meets the eye, and falling in love with her could turn out to be the greatest flight risk of all. As a barnstorming pilot in the early days of aviation, Hubbard was dubbed "Flash" Hubbard by the aviation magazines of the day. Expanding his knowledge even more, he visited Boeing in Seattle where the president and chief engineer gave him an inside look at their test pilot program. His unique and pioneering insight of flight streaks across the page in novels like The Battling Pilot.
They don't call him Caution Jones for nothing. An ace pilot, ever since his barnstorming father was killed in an air stunt, Jones has stuck strictly to business-as the no-nonsense general manager of Trans-Continental Airlines. But, like Robert Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper, he's about to find that, sometimes, if you want to get anywhere, you have to throw caution to the wind. The race is on for a monster contract: the U.S. Postal Service. But to get it, Trans-Continental will have to circle the globe and beat its top competitor to the prize. And there's only one pilot with the skill to do it: Caution Jones. He'll have to dust off his wings and soar to heights even his father never dreamed of. The wild blue yonder has never been wilder as Jones discovers that the competition will go to any length to bring his plane down. But an even greater challenge sits in his own cockpit-his co-pilot. She's blonde, she's brazen, and she just might get Caution Jones to take the biggest risk of all. . . . L. Ron Hubbard, the pilot, was a sensation in his flying days. As an article in the July 1934 issue of The Pilot magazine said, "Wherever two or three pilots are gathered together around the Nation's Capital, whether it be a Congressional hearing, or just in the back of some hangar, you'll probably hear the name of Ron Hubbard mentioned . . . for the flaming haired pilot hit the city like a tornado a few years ago and made women scream and strong men weep by his aerial antics. He just dared the ground to come up and hit him." And straight from the cockpit to the typewriter, Hubbard brought all the thrills and chills of his flight experience to his stories. Includes the aviation adventure Boomerang Bomber, in which a former U.S. Army officer undertakes a mission for the Chinese only to end up in the crosshairs of Japan's Imperial military. In a world of double- and triple-crosses, this is one conflict that can only be settled in battle . . . in the sky. "Wild adventure." -The Midwest Book Review
When it comes to flying gliders, ace pilot Breeze Callaghan is as smooth as they come. He perfects a skill that will prove vitally important for decades to come-even into the jet age, as demonstrated by Captain Sully Sullenberger, who famously landed his disabled passenger plane on the Hudson River. Sully's jet was brought down by a flock of geese, while Breeze is going up against a vulture named Badger O'Dowell. Both pilots are vying for a Navy contract, and Badger would love to shoot the Breeze ... literally. Short of that he'll do everything he can to sabotage Breeze in flight. It's game on, and as Breeze is about to discover, Badger's an expert at playing dirty. And there's much more than money at stake: there's his reputation, his life, and his love of a beautiful woman. A storm is brewing, and as for danger, the sky's the limit when Sky Birds Dare! During his undergraduate days, L. Ron Hubbard served as the president of the George Washington Glider Club. He held numerous records for sustained powerless flight and was renowned for his wild aerial antics that, according to an eyewitness, "made women scream and strong men weep." In short, there wasn't a single flying feat in Sky Birds Dare! that Hubbard himself hadn't dared to do on his own. "Highly recommended for aviation action/adventure pulp fiction fans." -Midwest Book Review
The doomed Chinese city of Shunkien was being systematically destroyed. Japan's war machine was pounding wreckage into ashes-wiping out a city that had thrived since the time of Genghis Khan. One of the few buildings still standing is the American consulate where one hundred and sixteen US refugees are facing almost certain death, either from high explosives, the ravages of starvation or Asiatic cholera. Unbeknownst to the refugees, their fate rests in the hands of two US Marines-Gunnery Sergeant James Mitchell and Private Spivits-and their ability to negotiate two hundred miles of occupied territory in order to bring desperately needed gold and medicine, while overcoming bullets, dive bombers, butchery and Mitchell's own personal nemesis and deadly vice-alcohol. Add to these seemingly insurmountable odds, a seductive American fan-dancer who hitches along for the ride and saving the lives of the hostages is far from a fait accompli. As a young man, Hubbard visited Manchuria, where his closest friend headed up British intelligence in northern China. Hubbard gained a unique insight into the hostile political climate between China and Japan-a knowledge that informs stories like Orders Is Orders. In addition, he served as a First Sergeant with the 20th United States Marine Corps Reserve-giving him first-hand knowledge of what it means to be a Marine. "Demonstrating his unique ability to relate even to the most complicated story with a keen eye for detail and realism, Hubbard's stunning writing ability and creative imagination set him apart as one of the greatest literary figures of the 20th century." -Publishers Weekly
The Empire State Building has vanished into thin air! Gone, too, are Grant's Tomb and Grand Central Station, and all hell is breaking loose in New York City! One grizzled old newspaper reporter known simply as Pop-a role made for Walter Matthau-is on top of it . . . and better stay there, because his livelihood is on the line. If Pop fails to get to the bottom of the vanishing landmarks, his job will disappear as well, not to mention the fate of Earth's remaining landmarks and the missing people within. Battle of the Wizards: When the natives of planet Deltoid refuse to grant mining rights to the Galactic Council, and invasion by force is impossible, a Battle of Wizards is the only option. An epic battle between science and magic unfolds with an entire planet hanging in the balance. "A biting sci-fi satire." -JG Dangerous Dimension: A mathematics professor who discovers an equation that enables him to teleport anywhere he can imagine ... even if he doesn't want to go. By the spring of 1938, L. Ron Hubbard's stature as a writer was well established. As author and critic Robert Silverberg puts it: he had become a "master of the art of narrative." Hubbard's editors urged him to apply his gift for succinct characterization, original plot, deft pacing and imaginative action to a genre that was new, and essentially foreign, to him-science fiction and fantasy. The rest is Sci-Fi history.
Bob Sherman has a strength of character and purpose that would make Spencer Tracy. But signing on to the crew of the yacht Bonito, he'll need every ounce of his strength and courage to overcome the forces arrayed against him in Sea Fangs. He'll take on the forces of nature-a hurricane smashing into the boat off the Venezuelan coast. He'll stand up to the forces of ignorance-Bonito's incompetent captain. He'll defy the forces of corruption-the boat's owner, who stripped him of his land years ago. And he'll fight the forces of evil-a ruthless band of pirates who take all aboard, including the owner's daughter, to the uncharted Island of Death. His fate intertwined with a woman whose father stole everything he valued, Sherman is about to discover that there's one force as powerful, unpredictable and dangerous as the sea itself ... the force of a beautiful woman's love. Hubbard had vast experience at sea. By the time he'd written this story, he had traveled twice to China on Naval vessels, had signed on a twin-masted schooner plying the Chinese coast, and had organized a five-thousand-mile expedition aboard a four-masted schooner. He had first-hand experience of the violence of the sea-and of the men who ply it-as he depicts in Sea Fangs. "A must for his legions of fans and an impressive tribute to his storytelling skills." -The Midwest
When former captain of this army and that, Phil Sheridan, lands on the shore of the forgotten Indonesian island of Kamling-jewel of the Banda Sea-he's captured instead of welcomed by warriors of a primitive and bloodthirsty tribe. Marched to the natives' camp, he meets Jose Emanuel Batista-one-time slave trafficker, long-time murderer, and now self-appointed tyrant.Using his smooth-talking tongue and shooting skills to escape, Sheridan finds temporary shelter at the lodgings of a miner and his beautiful daughter. With limited arms and supplies to hold off Batista and his men, Sheridan must take a desperate chance and journey ever deeper into the jungle. His plan? Enlist the help of headhunters who may be more interested in his head than in driving out Batista's regime and ending its tyrannical reign.
After Billy Newman strikes gold while mining in the Phillipines, he believes Lady Luck favors him so much that he buys his own South Seas island for a bargain price ...or so he thinks. But when the natives fall ill from plague and crops start failing, the tribal chiefs blame Billy for angering the local god Tadamona. Their solution: sacrifice a beautiful young girl before the 75-foot god. Appalled, Billy argues to stop the ritual, but the chiefs demand he cure their ills in just one day or allow the killing to go forward. Desperate, he denies that the deity even exists and dares Tadamona to show himself. Not only does Billy get his wish, he draws a beastly wrath upon the entire island.
The detective is deep undercover at Shreve's Mammoth Carnival, when he discovers first one and then another headless body. While others believe the gruesome murders are solved after four tribal headhunters working for the show suddenly disappear, Bob Clark suspects someone else is the real killer. When he finds himself seized by the very same headhunters, Clark sincerely hopes his hunch is right, since the point of a very sharp knife is aimed at his neck! The Death Flyer: Can history be reversed to save a beautiful girl on the ghost train? Long before the Source Code movie with Jake Gyllenhaal, Jim Bellamy boards a ghost train, screaming through the night as he tries to save the life of a young lady who died in its wreckage ten years ago. A love story of an impossible nature, Jim tries to reverse time, on a train of phantoms long forgotten, yet stuck in time. "...consistently engaging, over-the-top performances that complement the colorful characters and equally vibrant carnival setting. Particularly entertaining are occasional screams of horror (from the women actors), a nice contrast to Meskimen's interpretation of the solid federal agent. For pulp-fiction fans." -Booklist