Golden Age Stories
23 total works
As daring and defiant as Kirk Douglas journeying 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, there's no stopping diver Hawk Ridley as he takes the plunge into a briny world of untold riches and danger. The Caribbean is a fortune hunter's dream, salted with the gold of galleons long ago claimed by the deep. Now Hawk's headed for the Windward Passage of Haiti to stake his claim. But a rival team has also picked up the scent, and they're willing to turn the sea red with blood to get to the gold first. Fighting off ruthless competitors is nothing new to Hawk ...but fighting off a beautiful woman is a different story. Is she an innocent stowaway or a seductive saboteur? Between the cool millions lying on the bottom of the ocean, and the boiling - hot race to grab it, Hawk's about to find the answer and make a discovery Twenty Fathoms Down that will blow you out of the water. When it came to research, Hubbard was not one to head for the library. He always went to the source - in this case a U.S. navy deep - sea diver who agreed to show him the ropes and the danger.
Hubbard admits it was daunting - even frightening - but he returned from the experience with all the first - hand knowledge he needed to fathom the true nature of life and death underwater. "Primo pulp fiction." - Booklist
Hubbard admits it was daunting - even frightening - but he returned from the experience with all the first - hand knowledge he needed to fathom the true nature of life and death underwater. "Primo pulp fiction." - Booklist
Sheriff Kyle of Deadeye, Nevada, is headed east to the nation's capital. Like Dennis Weaver in the television series McCloud, Kyle's about to discover that the law can be even wilder in the big city than in the Wild West. It's a fact that hits home when he's the one accused . . . of murder. Kyle's come to the city to give a report to his senator on the misdeeds of Nevada's filthy rich copper kings. But before he has a chance, he's knocked unconscious, later coming to alongside his senator-now dead, with Kyle's knife imbedded in the corpse. Welcome to Washington D.C., where corruption, intrigue and murder are all in a day's work. Kyle's got no alibi, no memory, and apparently doesn't have a prayer ... unless he can find a way to outwit, outfox and outmaneuver the masters of deception and double-crosses in this police procedural thriller. Much like Kyle, L. Ron Hubbard was born and bred on the western frontier and made his way east to explore and experience life in Washington, D.C. But unlike the sheriff, Hubbard enjoyed his time in the capital, where he went to college at Georgetown. He came to know the ins and outs of the city as well as he knew the arroyos and canyons of the west, giving him the kind of insights he needed to write stories like Killers Law. "...some of the most carefully and beautifully crafted trade paperbacks of our time." -Mystery Scene
Discover intrigue. Brent Calloway is hired by an insurance firm to board a cargo vessel undercover and ensure it makes its way to San Diego in one piece. Once the voyage is underway, Calloway finds fraud, a pattern of organized scuttlings and the true fate of another vessel captained by an old friend. But when Calloway's true identity is revealed, he must fight for his life - and the real danger begins. ALSO INCLUDES THE ADVENTURE STORY "GROUNDED" "...one of the great pulp writers, with colorful prose, lively action writing, exotic locales, fresh variations on standard characters and situations, and well - constructed plots." - Ellery Queen
Meet Lieutenant Flint: hard-edged and muscle-bound, radiating machismo-a bull of a soldier. In the opposite corner stands Captain Turner: with his pencil mustache and tailored shirts, he's a Trick Soldier-smart, crisply-dressed, and always at attention. They're fire and ice, oil and water... Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox in Casualties of War. Ten years ago and a thousand miles away, they attended boot camp together. They didn't get along then . . . and they don't get along now. Reunited in the Haitian jungles, in the midst of a fierce rebel uprising, they confront the most dangerous enemy of all-each other. It's time for heroes to rise and cowards to fall, and in the case of Lieutenant Flint and Captain Turner, bravery runs deep. When brute strength confronts military honor, the true measure of a man is not in his fists, but in his heart. A First Sergeant with the 20th United States Marine Corps Reserve, Hubbard knew exactly what it meant to be a Marine. As he wrote in 1935: "Most of the fiction written about [Marines] is of an intensely dramatic type, all do-or-die and Semper Fidelis." But the reality, he said, was far different. "I've known the Corps from Quantico to Peiping, from the South Pacific to the West Indies, and I've never seen any flag-waving. The most refreshing part of the U.S.M.C. is that they get their orders ... and do the job and that's that." It's that kind of unique and pointed insight that he brings to stories like Trick Soldier. Also includes the military adventures He Walked to War, in which Marine Sergeant E.Z. Go appears to take it easy, but always gets the job done ... even if it's hard as nails or dangerous as hell-in the end E.Z. does it; and Machine Gun 21,000, the story of a soldier who loses a gun and faces a court martial, but finds a way to save the day.
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Tex Larimee is a grizzled Arizona sheriff who's leaving the deserts of Cactus County behind, blazing a trail east to mix it up with The Slickers in the canyons of Manhattan. Years later Clint Eastwood would follow the exact same trail in Coogan's Bluff-a western lawman on the loose in New York City. Tex's welcome to New York is a rude one. Robbed of his cash, gun and badge, he's locked in a room in back of a run-down bar. Breaking out of the bar, he goes looking for his best friend ... only to find him dead, his throat cut. And the cops accuse Tex of committing the murder.... But none of that's going to keep a good Arizona lawman down. Discovering he's been the subject of an elaborate frame-up job, Tex has got a few tricks of his own up his sleeve-and in his recovered Colt .45-to make even the toughest of city birds sing a different tune. Much like Tex, L. Ron Hubbard was born and bred on the western frontier and made his way east to explore and experience life in New York City. But unlike the sheriff, Hubbard enjoyed his time in the city, where his writing career took off as he became a leading figure in its literary world. He came to know the streets and haunts of Manhattan as well as he knew the arroyos and canyons of the west, giving him the kind of insights he needed to write stories like The Slickers. Also includes the mysteries Killer Ape , in which a man frees a mistreated orangutan, only to end up with a monkey on his back, as he's accused of aiding and abetting the ape in a case of murder, and Murder Afloat , the story of a top narcotics cop in the U.S. Secret Service who's pursuit of a million-dollar score could land him in some hot-and deadly-water.
As brash and bold and daring as Steve McQueen, Lieutenant Lee Briscoe will never back away from a good cause or good fight. And when it comes to heroism, he and McQueen are in the same band of brothers. Briscoe's gone undercover to infiltrate a slave-labor camp on an island in Southeast Asia, knowing full well that once he goes in, he may never get out. Posing as a man on the run for murder, he may soon wish he had run in the opposite direction. His adversary on the island is Schwenk-a man who is not only a connoisseur of cruelty, but an expert at delivering it. And for Briscoe, the stakes have just shot up. An innocent young woman has landed on the island and fallen into Schwenk's clutches, sold to him to do with her as he pleases. Escape is the only option . . . or both Briscoe and the girl are sure to face a fate worse than death. L. Ron Hubbard once wrote in his journal: "There must be wide spaces in which to think, strange music to hear, odd costumes to see and the elements to battle against. Money, nice cars, good food and a -good job' mean nothing to me when compared to being able to possess the thought that there is a surprise over the horizon." Venturing toward that horizon, at age seventeen Ron set sail for the South Pacific in July 1927, and after spending time getting to know the local natives, he signed aboard a working schooner bound for China's coast. Along the way, Ron encountered many dangers lurking in the thick jungle mists-firsthand experience that contributed to stories like The Bold Dare All.
A perfect role for a young Robert Redford, saddle tramp Petey McGuire doesn't have much to live for. The trail in front of him stretches out long and hot, and there's no end in sight. He's been beaten down, beaten up, and kicked around so long, he'd run away from his own shadow if he could. But there's one fight he can't run from-the fight against hunger. Petey needs a job quick, before he drops dead in the dust. But the only way to get one is to act cool and talk tough-in other words, become the exact opposite of Petey McGuire. Putting on a performance worthy of a Shakespearean actor, he succeeds all too well-landing in the saddle with the Arizona Rangers. Talking tough is one thing, but backing it up is another. Because Petey's about to discover exactly what it takes-and how much he has to risk-to face the meanest outlaw, win the prettiest girl, and become The Toughest Ranger. Born and raised in the twilight of the Old West-from Nebraska plain to the mountains of Montana-L. Ron Hubbard grew up in the company of real cowboys and rugged frontiersmen, even becoming a blood brother to a Blackfoot medicine man. His firsthand knowledge allowed him to instill a grit and authenticity into his stories that made him one of the leading writers of Westerns, publishing a total of 34 of them by the 1950s. Also includes the Western adventures, Silent Pards, in which an old prospector takes on a couple of wicked enemies with the help of some surprising friends, and The Ranch That No One Would Buy, the story of a young stranger who's about to pull off a killer of a deception. "An exciting Western story filled with both action and adventure." -Mommy's Favorite Things
When it comes to boiling up a pot of coffee or stirring up a pot of stew, Old Laramie's about as good a man as you're going to find. But other than cooking three squares a day for the cowpunchers over at the Lazy G ranch, Laramie's not good for much. He's about as heroic as Walter Brennan on a bender. But Laramie's luck-and life-are about to take an amazing turn. Quite by accident, he somehow manages to save a family of Mexicans from bandits, and as a token of their gratitude they give him The Magic Quirt-a horsewhip that he's told will turn him into a new man. The transformation is indeed magical. Suddenly Laramie is performing feats of ingenuity and courage that would make even the Lone Ranger proud. But magic is a funny thing-and as Laramie's about to discover, sometimes it's all an illusion. L. Ron Hubbard wrote of his childhood: "The weather of Montana is, of course, brutal. The country is immense and swallows up men rather easily, hence they have to live bigger than life to survive. There were still Indians around living in forlorn and isolated tepees. Notable among them was Old Tom, a full-fledged Blackfoot medicine man." Hubbard and Old Tom became blood brothers, and the medicine man shared with him the kind of lore that make stories like The Magic Quirt as compelling as they are. Also includes the Western adventures, "Vengeance Is Mine!", the story of a young man who sets out to avenge his father's death only to commit an act beyond redemption, and "Stacked Bullets," in which a game of chance is fixed, a whole town is cheated, and nothing but a stack of bullets can make things right. "Pure entertainment from first page to last with that L. Ron Hubbard touch giving this tale an enduring reading engagement from beginning to end." -Midwest Book Review
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
Do you love a good whodunit? Detectives and mobsters, newshawks and murderers-all ingredients for disaster in this murder mystery collection. Whether it was sending a detective after zombie killers on the prowl or chasing down headhunters at a grisly carnival, Ron knew how to thrill readers and keep them guessing until the end. The 4-audiobook collection includes 10 short stories for 8 hours of immersive entertainment. All audiobooks are unabridged, full-cast productions with cinematic quality sound effects that bring the stories and characters to life. The titles and short stories in this collection are: False Cargo (includes:"Grounded"), Hurricane, Mouthpiece (includes: "Flame City," "Calling Squad Cars!" and "The Grease Spot") and The Slickers (includes: "Killer Ape" and "MurderAfloat"). "One of the great pulp writers, with colorful prose, lively action writing, exotic locales, fresh variations on standard characters and situations, and well-constructed plots." - Ellery Queen
For SF and fantasy enthusiasts who love to escape to unknown worlds. As a master of the art of narrative and one of the leaders in the Golden Age of Science Fiction, L. Ron Hubbard's Sci-Fi and Fantasy stories helped reshape the future of speculative fiction. The universe is yours as you explore fabulous worlds of unfolding mystery and unlimited potential. Discover the herald of possibility in these out-of-this-world adventures. The 4-audiobook collection includes 10 short stories and 8 hours of immersive entertainment. The titles and short stories in this collection are: The Great Secret (includes: "Space Can," "The Beast" and "The Slaver"), If I Were You (includes: "The Last Drop"), One Was Stubborn (includes: "A Can of Vacuum" and "240,000 Miles Straight Up") and The Tramp. "A super-writer of the Golden Age of Science Fiction." -A. E. van Vogt
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.
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
Han Solo of Star Wars could learn a thing or two from Firsten Guide, the tough, wise-cracking rebel leader who's light years ahead of his time-and about to lead his crew into a battle that's Beyond All Weapons. Because the force is most assuredly with Firsten. He and his fellow colonizers of Mars have faced a brutal crackdown engineered by Earth's tyrannical government. But the resourceful Firsten has developed an extraordinary new fuel that enables him and his hardy band to escape into space-and time. Escape, however, is not enough. Firsten wants revenge. But the universe is full of unexpected twists and turns. Just as Prometheus flew too close to the sun, Firsten will soon discover that when you break the laws of physics, you can get burned. Hubbard was a pioneer in his use and development of Einstein's theories of space and time as a plot point in his fiction. In Beyond All Weapons, he explains: "As mass approaches the speed of light ... it approaches infinity. And, as mass approaches infinity, time approaches zero. It was only nine days back from Alpha. But in those nine days, six thousand years have passed by Earth." It stands as one of the earliest-and most succinct-descriptions of the theory. Also includes the science fiction adventures Strain, the story of a space war's brutality and one man's struggle to keep a secret under the pain of torture, and The Invaders, in which the distant crystal mines are under attack until a technician crystallizes a unique strategy to undermine the attackers. "A thrilling space adventure ... the terror and excitement builds through to the end." -Publishers Weekly
Imagine a young Laurence Olivier cast as a scholarly Oxford professor-an academic snatched out of his bookish world and pressed into service aboard Lord Nelson's legendary British fleet-in the position of schoolmaster. Such is the life of the land-loving, seafaring Mister Tidwell, Gunner. Thrust into service at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, Tidwell soon finds himself directly in the line of fire and way out of his depth. Fate has cast him into a terrible and terrifying spot-alone on deck to face the fearsome approach of a French man-o'-war. The professor is about to get an object lesson in war, self-reliance ... and survival. Overwhelmed by the smell of gunpowder, the sound of cannons, and the sight of death, he will either experience the sweet taste of victory ... or the bitter taste of his own blood. In an essay called Search for Research Hubbard wrote about how he came up with story ideas: "I want one slim, forgotten fact. From there a man can go anywhere.... In one old volume, for instance, I discovered that there was such a thing as a schoolmaster aboard Nelson's ships.... When did this occur? The Napoleonic Wars." Drawing on this single obscure discovery, Hubbard delved deeper into the history and let his remarkable imagination do the rest. "Complete after a few days of search, I had my Mister Tidwell, Gunner." Also includes the sea adventures The Drowned City, the story of two deep-sea divers who set out in search of a long-lost treasure only to find that the waters are full of treacherous currents and even more treacherous men; and Submarine, in which a young sailor on leave enjoys a quiet interlude with his girlfriend-only to have it interrupted by a call to duty and danger.
Launch into the action with this gritty tale. An American lieutenant in the French Foreign is caught in the middle of an ancient feud between the Jeppas of the Atlas Mountains and the bloodthirsty tribe of Perviz al Bahman.Tension mounts as a gorgeous female Jeppa warrior with golden red hair is drawn into the midst of the conflict and captured by Perviz's tribe. When the American lieutenant later finds her being sold on the slave market, he unthinkingly does what any man must: he rescues her. But while his actions may have saved a beauty, they have also just ignited all - out war. "...one of the best pulp writers of the 1940s." - Library Journal
Ride a trail of blazing guns and two-fisted action in the Wild West as L. Ron Hubbard brings American history to life. Growing up in Montana provided him with the first-hand experience that added a tone of authenticity to his western tales. Readers will feel the heat, taste the dust and hear the thunder of horses' hooves in these tales from a master storyteller of the genre. The 4-audiobook collection includes 10 short stories for 8 hours of immersive entertainment. All audiobooks are unabridged, full-cast productions with cinematic quality sound effects that bring the stories and characters to life. The titles and short stories in this collection are: King of the Gunmen (includes: "The No-Gun Gunhawk"), The Magic Quirt (includes: "Vengeance Is Mine!" and "Stacked Bullets"), The No-Gun Man (includes: "Man for Breakfast") and Shadows from Boot Hill (includes: "The Gunner from Gehenna" and "Gunman!"). "With the flair of a Louis L'Amour or Zane Grey." - True West Magazine
Mart Kincaid, a tall, ruggedly good-looking young man in the Clint Eastwood mold, may be the fastest gun in the state, but it does him no good-because his gun and his life are not his own. They belong to Gar Malone, the King of Concha Basin, a ruthless rancher driven by his thirst for power, wealth, and conquest. Now Gar has set his sights on the Singing Canyon spread-the richest land in the basin-and he commands Kincaid to run its true owners off. If not, he threatens to reveal a dark secret that could ruin Kincaid's brother. But there's more to the Singing Canyon ranch than Kincaid bargained for. There's the Drake family-specifically the lovely young Sally Drake. The last thing Kincaid wants to do is drive her away. Meaning he's got to get out from under Gar's thumb, and put his trigger finger to work. It's time to settle up, once and for all, with the blackmailing Malone. Most of the Westerns published in the all-fiction magazines of the first half of the twentieth century were written by authors more familiar with the streets of New York than the cattle trails of Texas. Hubbard bucked the trend, and in the process changed the face of the Western adventure. He grew up in a time and a place where the Old West, though fading, still lived. His unique knowledge of the frontier, of its ways and its people, made him an authentic voice of this unique American experience. Also includes the Western adventure Blood on His Spurs, in which two men have to find a way to end their feud ... or pay a high price in blood and money. "Heart-racing plot charges at the speed of thrumming horses' hooves." -Library Journal