Historical Fiction Short Stories Collection
6 total works
Bat Conroy-cut him and he'd bleed ink, he's a born newspaperman. Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Eric Sevareid-the greatest American journalists of the 20th century all made their names as war correspondents, but none of them would have beat out Bat Conroy to a good story. Which makes it that much more mystifying-and aggravating-when an unknown writer, filing under the byline Perry Lane, scoops Bat on every story that comes along. Bat's always been the go-to reporter covering the Japanese invasion of China ... until this Perry Lane person came along to steal his thunder and maybe even his job. Now, the biggest story of the war is about to hit the fan, and Bat's going to get to the source first if it kills him. But the most shocking news of all is the true identity of the elusive Perry Lane. 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 intelligence operations and spy-craft in the region as well as the hostile political climate between China and Japan-a knowledge that informs stories like Inky Odds.
Take a touch of Charles Lindbergh, mix in a dash of Evel Knievel, throw in one man-killing cat-and you've got a recipe for a rip-roaring adventure featuring the high-flying, hard-living Smoke Burnham. There's not a dare Smoke won't take, and there's not a wager he won't make. Now he's betting his life that he can fly his plane, Super Comet-with his pet cheetah Patty coming along for the ride-across the mountains and jungles of South America to a prize-winning payday. All he has to do is out-race the competition, out-maneuver a saboteur, and make out with his girl-who's determined to bring him down to earth. One thing you can count on-in the air, in a fight, or in his girlfriend's arms-he's a man who likes to turn up the heat. Because where there's Smoke, there's fire. 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 Man-Killers of the Air their authentic flavor. "Great adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat." -Gather.com
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
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.
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.
