Action Adventure Short Stories Collection
9 total works
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.
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.
Vic Kennedy is quick - witted and sharp - tongued with Nicholas Cage's maverick sense of adventure, Vic's flown out of trouble by the skin of his teeth ...and straight into the jaws of disaster. Racing away from a date with an executioner, he lands in a Saharan oasis, where things are looking up. A gorgeous princess mistakes Vic for a genie, and if he gets his wish, the Sky Devil will have his day. In 1933, when L. Ron Hubbard began his professional writing career, he entered a crowded and competitive field. But he very quickly separated from the pack, making a name for himself as a writer who was both good and fast. So good and fast, in fact, that in 1935 the three stories included in this volume were all published in the same issue of an all - fiction magazine. Fully a quarter of the issue had been written by Hubbard - though readers didn't know it, two of the stories appearing under two different pseudonyms. Also includes the adventures Buckley Plays a Hunch, in which an adventurer seeks to solve the mystery of three castaways who refuse to be rescued, and Medals for Mahoney, the story of man who journeys into the heart of darkness to thwart a murderous conspiracy.
Enjoy this triumphant tale. Flame - haired Michael Stuart's career as an officer in the US Marine Corps abruptly ended after a failed attempt to return the Chinese Imperial Dynasty to power in 1930s Asia. Abandoned by his country, he's unable to find safe passage out of China by land or sea. Now Stuart, also known as the "The Red Dragon," has a new occupation; he intervenes in matters for the good of the people. Despite the danger, Stuart agrees to help a beautiful young woman search for a mysterious black chest which her father hid in Manchuria before his murder. Their quest takes them from Peking north to the Great Wall of China and beyond. With enemies coming at him from every corner, Stuart finds he's playing a most deadly game of hide - and - seek. "Primo pulp fiction." - Booklist
When he learns that his partner's been murdered attempting to gather gold worth half a million dollars, Tom Christian sets off to the jungles of the Solomon Islands to retrace his partner's footsteps and finish the job. But Tom's gold fever makes him unaware that the notorious thief Punjo Charlie has laid a trap to snare the young man and collect the treasure himself. Christian's problems soon triple when a trio of Americans are taken hostage by the same bandit-and one of those hostages just happens to be the beautiful Diana Forsythe. What follows is an all-out war which pits Christian, his first mate Hihi and their contingent of coast men against a horde of bloodthirsty headhunters, all under the control of the man who killed his partner.
Drilling for oil is a dirty business, and for Bill Murphy, it's about to turn positively filthy. But Murphy's a man in the mold of a young John Wayne, and he's more than a match for everything Venezuela can throw at him. Everything, that is, except for Marcia Stewart. She's convinced Murphy killed her father, and she wants revenge. Murphy's drilling down for the truth, and it's his land, his love for Marcia - and his life - that are on the line. When Black Towers to Danger was first published in 1936, the editor wrote: "L. Ron Hubbard, as you know, is a pilot, a writer and an engineer. The one thing he doesn't work at is engineering. He was in China at 15 and has covered a lot of territory since then. If he's on a flying field - or anywhere else - you can't miss him - he's a tall, slender chap with very fair skin and bright red hair. Something picturesque about him as there should be about a flyer." And not only was he a man with a commanding presence, so too did he have command over his material, researching the entire oil drilling process for this story. 'Roars to life.' Publishers Weekly
The magical world of pulp fiction. Explore uncharted, larger-than-life and historically accurate tales from an author who lived his adventures. These are six award-winning titles by one of the world's most published authors, L. Ron Hubbard. Six books, 13 stories in all. "A 'must' for his legions of fans and an impressive tribute to his storytelling skills in the heyday of pulp magazine fiction!" -The Midwest Book Review This Collection includes: International Book Awards Winner: Devil's Manhunt, AudioFile Award Winners: The Iron Duke, Sea Fangs, Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead, and Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award Winners: Spy Killer and The Great Secret .
Fighter pilot Gary Forsythe is a man on fire. He's tough, steely-eyed, hunted by many and feared by all. He's British Secret Service-a striking predecessor to James Bond-with a chip on his shoulder and a .50 caliber machinegun in his flying killing machine. He is The Devil-With Wings. The Japanese have invaded Manchuria, and Forsythe has made it his mission to stop them. Japanese Military Intelligence has made it their mission to knock the Devil out of the skies. But a dogfight with the Imperial Japanese Air Force is child's play compared to the challenge that awaits him.... Her name is Patricia Weston. Japanese spies have falsely accused the British pilot of murdering her brother-and now she wants vengeance. And for once in his life, Forsythe is disarmed-by his love for a woman who has vowed to kill him. 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 The Devil-With Wings. "A rousing...adventure thriller...fast action." -Publishers Weekly
A pulse - pounding adventure that would put Indiana Jones on edge. Most copies of The Travels of Marco Polo leave out a great deal and are difficult to decipher. Yet when one original manuscript lands in the hands of Lieutenant Jonathan Daly, he's able to translate the tale well enough to discover the trail to a chest of fabulous red stones buried with the long - dead Emperor of China, Kubla Kahn. An offering to the gods to light the leader's way to heaven, the glittering stones are worth several million dollars, as they are diamonds. Recently recovered from a bout of malaria and two bullet holes collected in war - ravaged Gran Chaco, Lieutenant Daly sets out on his treasure travels, ignoring warnings from friends and doctors. He follows Marco Polo's words straight into a dark maze of betrayal, espionage and death - with more riding on each precious line of text than he ever imagined. ALSO INCLUDES THE ADVENTURE STORY "HURRICANE'S WAR. "...a very strong Indiana Jones feel to it, even though it predates Indy by nearly five decades...an exciting story that keeps readers glued to the page: Hubbard at his best." Booklist