Category Archives: Fantasy

Action, Fantasy, Reviews

The Giant’s Purse – a Review

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By Robert Victor Mills

Part 3 of a 6-Part Review Series by

~“Have you much experience in the fistic disciplines?” “A little,” said Rhoye, never one for vaunt. 

“Oh,” said Vica, crestfallen. “This may prove short.” “Aye, that it may.”~

 

The third tale in this collection once again finds Rohye accompanied by best friend and poet Astropho. It seems as though this joining of forces has been paying good dividends in the last few tales and the interactions of these two main characters is always fun and engaging.

 

PLOT:

This time our power duo finds itself crossing the river on a boat named the Chrysomal on their way to the city of Altamantia, after Avaya (an Assayer of Khelydos the God of Trade) asked them to deliver a miniature box of engraved rosewood to the High Marshall of the Great Temple of Erishala, from whom they would of course receive a generous recompense.

Other travelers and supporting characters will cross paths with our heroes on the boat, including a champion boxer whose name is well known for being undefeated in the region.

After the big burly fighter seemingly recognizes Astropho and accuses him of ‘stealing his woman’, it is to be expected that a fight will take place to ‘right a wrong’.

What happens next? Pick up a copy of The Girl with the Fire in Her Hair and find out!

THOUGHTS:

I thought overall this was a solid Wandered Lands tale, but I was left with a few questions unanswered. Whether that was intentional of the author I can’t say.

  1. Did Astropho indeed steal the woman of this other man? Even though we know by now that Astropho really ‘admires’ the opposite sex, he never comes off as the immoral type that would aid in adultery, at least not based on his code of ethics we’ve seen on display in the past.
  2. What was in the miniature box they were tasked to deliver? We never find out, which I found kind of odd. This seemed to have great importance and was entrusted to Astropho with the most regard.  Maybe this will be revealed in a later adventure? Or perhaps Mills decided to leave his audience hanging? No idea!

 

CONCLUSIONS:

The Giant’s Purse is another entertaining tale from the Wandered Lands with an awesome fistfight for the ages and exquisite prose that flows delightfully. However, I must add that it left me with a little feeling of dissatisfaction, hindsight. Something felt incomplete or perhaps somewhat ‘rushed’. If this was intentionally done, fine. Not all stories are supposed to offer all the explanations we expect, and perhaps some things are best left to the imagination!

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews, TEOTWAWKI

The Deepest Circle by Kevin G. Beckman

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THE WEIRD TALES OF SILAS FLINT

(THE FLINT ANTHOLOGIES BOOK 1):

Reviewed by

“This kind of Jazz isn’t exactly my style. Always makes me feel down, you know?” “Yes, I believe that is the intention behind this particular genre.”

 

When reviewing a collection of stories, we simply can’t expect every story to score 5 stars, but we hope that the average score will stay between 4 and 5 stars for quality consistency. 

However, when it comes to The Weird Tales of Silas Flint, I just wonder how long can Beckman keep this streak of 5-star gems!

 

The Deepest Circle is yet another success, by INFAMOUS🦀 standards at least. And here is why…

 

Plot Takes Front Seat:

Whereas our previous stories were more character and action-driven from beginning to end, this next story is more plot-oriented and more ‘cerebral’ if you will. Silas’ brother, Charles Flint, is planning BIG in order to gain power and defeat the Witch Hunters once and for all, this time with the aid of witch Lilian Turner (read The Gloom of the Grave for more info on this alliance). Meanwhile the Three Weird Sisters we’ve encountered in a previous tale (read Evil Never Rests for more info on the Proctor sisters) are once again establishing communication with both Silas and Ricardo with questionable motives. This is the second time our hero doesn’t know what to make of these three characters. Their intentions are foggy at best. Are they trying to aid Silas or just trick him in a very sophisticated fashion? What’s their agenda here, really?

 

New Characters:

We’re also introduced to new characters that will greatly affect the narrative, particularly Jennifer Edward aka Alice, a spy working for Charles Flint who is taking out Knight Templars in Fort Ingalls Chapter House at an increasing rate but eventually makes a few stupid mistakes which will help Silas Flint get ahead of his investigation.

Action:

We do see as much action, gun fights, and sword swinging later on in the story, but the pace is slowed down for the plot to build up properly. This was a bold move but in the end it worked out and the payoff was worth the wait.

 

Know Thyself:

This is the last story included in Book 1, and I walked away with the  strong opinion that this was a solid 5 stars from beginning to end. No, this is not groundbreaking fiction, but it does what it needs to provide a satisfying and enjoyable experience. This is due to the fact that Beckham clearly knows who he is as a writer and his transparency and candor are reflected throughout this book. He never tries to overreach or run too far off into the weeds in order to produce a better story, but instead capitalizes on what he knows best and builds on that. A lot of indie authors could learn a thing or two from him!

 

If you haven’t picked up a copy of The Weird Tales of Silas Flint, and you’ve been craving simple, wholesome, exciting pulp fiction, I strongly suggest you do so today, and let us know your thoughts on it!

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews, Sci-Fi

Bridgehouse by J. Sebastian King – a Review

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Reviewed by

Books like Bridgehouse by J. Sebastian King demonstrate that the indie scene can offer fiction literature that is as competent, as skillfully elaborated, and as professionally written as the best of them. 

This is a very ambitious project; it is vast, and complex, and it doesn’t hold back!

This is also not the type of story where everything gets spoon-fed to the reader. If you want a straightforward narrative, this might not be a good pick. If you want your mind to be stimulated and even challenged at times, pick up a copy today!

 

INITIAL DOUBTS:

Based on how the book is structured, I had my doubts that J.S. King would be able to pull it off, and this seemed (at first) like a house of cards about to crumble under its own weight. And here is why:

3 STORIES/1 BOOK:

Three separate storylines run parallel in this book, with three main characters each, for a whopping 700+ pages:

  • Captain Catherine A. Russo (classic sci-fi)
  • Lady Qona Itarte (space opera)
  • Pon er Lugal (sword and sorcery)

 

What I found annoying at first was how we keep getting thrown from one story to the next every few chapters, and with no apparent connections among all storylines. Obviously we know that these characters and locations must be all connected somehow but for quite a while we feel like we are reading three separate books, with the author dictating which one to read and when.

It’s only ¾ into the book that we start seeing clear links and connections, but the way it happens is so subtle that when it finally hits us we can’t help but be left in awe of what we are going to find out!

 

ATTENTION TO DETAIL:

King is very pragmatic in his approach to fiction writing and in some aspects he reminds me a lot of another author we have covered before, James Krake. These two are both very analytical writers who really stress all major and minor details of story writing. I was honestly waiting for King to slip at some point by trying to cover so much ground , but the guy doesn’t miss a thing; everything is accounted for, and no stones are left unturned. This can be particularly challenging given the scale of this vision–again showing that level of professionalism I mentioned earlier.

CHARACTERS/PROSE:

All main and supporting characters are well developed, they are all memorable and they feel ‘tangible’ to us because so much detail is revealed about them over the course of this story. 

The description of places, cities, buildings, mountains, rivers, and oceans is top notch, thanks to a prosaic style that comes off as seasoned and competent. Hard to believe this is King’s first publication!

 

MINOR ISSUES:

Only a few things I personally had minor issues with that are worth mentioning:

 

  1. Some of the language used in the ‘sword and sorcery’ story, with some F bombs and S bombs that at times felt out of place, especially on the lips of a character like Lilia (imagine LOTR’s Galadriel throwing S bombs if she got upset!)

 

  1. The military experience displayed by Qona Itarte in the ‘space opera’ story felt forced. Here is a woman with apparently 0 military experience; she is surrounded, outnumbered and yet always able to counter every move of the invaders on the battlefield.

 

  1. The English language used to create the native speech of some foreign tribes like the Nabadeans was hard to read at times, thus making some passages a chore to get through.

 

But again, these are just personal minor issues and pale in comparison to the awesome moments this sci-fi epic offers. They certainly don’t detract from the compelling aspects that make this a must-read work of fiction.

CONCLUSIONS:

What strikes me most about Bridgehouse is how professional it all comes across. It puts to shame not only a lot of indies but most tradpub as well. I look forward to book 2, but the real question is: is it going to be another 700+ pages with 3 books into 1? Just kidding of course! If King can capitalize on what he’s done here, I am convinced this could be one of the most epic fiction works of our times!

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews

THE SPHERAE OF ARKIMEDDON – a Review

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(Part 2 of a 6-Part Series)

Reviewed by

~I… I don’t think I can go any further,” she stammered as all turned back to her. “I’m sorry. I wish to remain here.” Rhoye strode back, holding his lantern close to her face, the panic in her eyes plain to behold. “She is terrified,” he said evenly, without judgement.~

 

Several reasons that I can mention as to why this second tale found in The Girl with The Fire in Her Hair is worth our praise:

 

ASTROPHO

First of all, this entire story originates from a mission accepted by Astopho–Rhoye’s best friend–from Crown Prince Antaxerces VI of Akhaemunsaar. Rhoye decides to tag along because he adverts his friend will need his help, or to at least keep him out of trouble. So in a sense we can say that Astropho is our main character while Rohye cordially takes up the role of supporting character. Which is great, given that the former possesses enough depth to carry on the leading role, which I pointed out ever since his appearance in The Isle of The Shrine of the Sick’ning Scarab.

SHIMEQA

A new character of particular interest is the Golemancer Shimeqa, a young and attractive girl ‘of ebony skin’ who joins team Astropho in their quest for the coveted Spherae of Arkimeddon. Here is where modern narrative would want us to somehow elevate this character among all others in the name of DEI based on gender and skin tone, but Mills takes the ‘sane’ approach instead, giving this girl a full spectrum of traits and emotions: tenderness, fear, doubt, courage. From the beginning to the end of the story we see her take her own path of growth and development in a way that feels organic and natural. This is character building at its best!

 

THE GOLEMS

These are more animated stones than humans, literally, and they can only come to life via the Golemancers, who have the superpower to control them. What the author accomplishes here is very interesting. He wants readers to acknowledge that these Golems are things devoid of human life, yet the situations he puts them through stir up emotions as for a beloved and loyal pet. We know they’re just ‘rocks that move’ yet we want them to make it through this adventure unscathed. Only a great writer like Mills could have pulled it off!

 

To wrap this up, The Shperae of Arkimeddon is vintage Wandered Lands action-packed adventure with a twist. Well thought-out characters, a traditional storyline, and sublime prose to tie it all up!

Another 5 stars for Mr Mills!

 Coming up in the next two weeks: The Giant’s Purse

Non-Fiction/Documentary, Sci-Fi, Superhero

One Detour from the Great American Novel

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I’ve mentioned before some of the reasons I took so long to finish the rough draft for Paradox. One interruption was what appeared to be an opportunity to write graphic novels:

 

For those who don’t know, I’m a novelist. I’ve had ideas for some comics & graphic novels for a long time—including many superhero stories which take place in a “world” I built as a boy and has evolved as I sporadically brainstormed about it in subsequent years.

My first creative efforts were pictures of superheroes, and later my own comics, panels drawn on whatever scrap paper I could find, plotting and character development handled on-the-fly, and assembled slapdash with staples, Elmer’s Glue, or whatever binding method I could improvise. My writing experience began as a necessary adjunct of those efforts.

My drawing was pretty good for somebody who was self-taught and seat-of-the-pants. I can honestly say I was a better freehand artist than anyone I ever met, until I went to college. I wasn’t in the same league as any comic artist from the Bronze Age on, but had I developed better habits and techniques, maybe I could have gotten there. I’ll probably elaborate in the future.

In my late teens, I drifted away from “kid stuff” (comic books) and began aspiring to more “serious” creative efforts (text-based fiction). I gradually quit drawing and began concentrating on writing–which, at the time, was a bigger challenge.

My shift to prose solidified over the years and the old sequential art ambitions collected layers of dust on the back shelf. Even so, the seeds of that superhero saga germinated in my mind and never completely faded away.

The old dream languished, increasingly resembling a pipe dream as the years stacked up and life took me further and further away from ever having the time to make a serious effort at that partially-developed idea on the shelf.

And then…

One day on Gab, a publisher who I’d never met or heard of (he was from Europe) DM’d me out of the blue. He said he liked my prose and asked if I’d ever considered writing a graphic novel before.

Little did he know the depth of my appreciation for the medium and my abandoned dream. The dream had never completely died, though my drawing ability had.

This would have been flattering, but at first I didn’t think the dude was serious; or I must have misunderstood him or something. But no: after exchanging messages for a while, it became clear he wanted me to write a graphic novel for him. He had published a couple (illustrated) based children’s books; which I checked out. Amazon banned one of them, which is a badge of honor in my view. I did buy and read one that survived.

Anyway, I dusted off another idea I’d been nursing for years (a sci-fi aviation adventure in another galaxy) and pounded out a rough draft. I had some experience writing screenplays, and comic scripts aren’t too terribly different.

The experience effectively gave me a jump-start. I got the bug to chase that old dream.

 

Read the whole article on Substack.
Feel free to comment here, there, or both.
Fantasy, Reviews, TEOTWAWKI

THE GLOOM OF THE GRAVE by Kevin G. Beckman

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THE WEIRD TALES OF SILAS FLINT (THE FLINT ANTHOLOGIES BOOK 1)

~ Review by

Here we are folks: once again we get to follow Knight Templar Captain Silas Flint and his associate Supernumerary Ricardo Navarro on yet another adventure! What’s ironic is that this was the perfect occasion for our heroes to finally take some time off as no cases needed particular attention. But of course that is not bound to happen!

When Flint receives a letter from Professor Johansson he decides to go visit Johansson at a newly found air force base from before the war that ended all civilization. Being a student of history himself, he decides to take Navarro and Ms. Fletcher (you might remember her from The Witch’s Repentance) along for the ride, all three looking forward to seeing an actual military base from the old world.

Without giving any spoilers, we quickly find out that evil forces lurk at the air force base, and our power trio (Fletcher included ) is tested to their limits!

Beckman once again treats us to a fun ride that has good pace and good characters that come off as likable and relatable. Particularly, Fletcher brings a breath of fresh air, being herself a former witch. She is not allowed to use magic but life and death situations will test her to the limit. Will she be able to refrain from using her magical powers and keep her word, even though she is tempted to use them for good? Pick up a copy of The Weird Tales of Silas Flint today and find out!

This tale is fun and suspenseful, and again, it’s a clear example that a writer doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel to write 5-star stories that we can all enjoy!

 

Join us in two weeks for the next tale: The Deepest Circle

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews

The Girl with the Fire in Her Hair

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Legends of the Wandered Lands: The Girl with the Fire in Her Hair by Robert Victor Mills

~ A 6-Part Review Series by

Note from INFAMOUS🦀: 

After breaking down Man of Swords in our previous 6-part series, and given how much we loved and enjoyed that first collection of Legends of the Wandered Lands, it was only natural to go ahead and tackle Mills’ second official book featuring our fierce hero Rohye of Kethaine. I’m curious and excited to see how Mills will manage to keep a narrative that is compelling yet not repetitive.

Writing good stories about the same character and the same world can only get more challenging, so it will be interesting to see how this new collection of legends was handled. 

I hope you will join us on this ride back into the Wandered Lands!

 

THE GIRL WITH FIRE IN HER HAIR (Part 1 of a 6-Part Series)

 

~The delicate profile of her nose, the alabaster of her cheek, and the rich raven ringlets of her hair, which tumbled wantonly about her shoulders, impressed of her singular beauty~

 

I’ve said this many times, but when writing multiple stories revolving around the same main character in the same world, there’s a fine balance to be established between writing something new without losing the essence of what made that main character and that world appealing in the first place. Write too much of the same stuff, and readers will say it’s gotten boring; write something too far departed from the original, and readers will say that it’s lost its original appeal. I think Mills understands that, based on this first opening tale, which is named after the book’s title: The Girl with Fire in Her Hair.

The Challenge:

Going back to my opening statement, keeping things fresh and exploring new realms is key when further expanding on an established character. And this is EXACTLY what we witness in this first tale. To begin with, I can tell you that-for the most part-not one single fist is thrown and not one single sword is swung. But instead, Mills focuses on dialogue that is rich, compelling, and enthralling. 

Plot & Characters:

Rohye finds work at a smithee in yet another town far away from his mother land of Kethaine. The well he goes to get water daily leads to a fence which divides the smithee’s property from the next, where a mansion with a luscious garden in blossom presides. And everyday, a beautiful woman is seen tending the garden. This is where Rohye and the beautiful woman strike a conversation and quickly the two grow feelings as they get to know each other from across the fence.Soon though, a harsh truth will  be revealed to Rohye, as things are not always what they seem.

This story also features faithful companion Astropho, a bard/poet/thrill-seeker whose lack of physical prowess he more than makes up for with cunningness and primal intuition. Astropho does not appear in Man of Swords but he does in The Isle of the Shrine of the Sick’ning Scarab which we already reviewed. Astropho is much more than a sidekick, in fact his character is complex enough to have his own series of stories written. 

 In a series of surprising revelations, Rohye is confronted with challenges that don’t necessarily require the use of his fists or a sword. Astropho plays a key role here when he tells his best friend: “perception of virtue oft bears little relation to truth. And, though she has doubtless earned your anger, perhaps she has not yet earned your hate”.

Conclusion:

In closing, I am excited to say that if this first story is any suggestion of what we can expect from the rest of the book, we’re in for a treat! It feels fresh but without losing the key elements that have made the Wandered Lands so special to us!

🦀

See you in two weeks for: The Spherae of Arkimeddon

Fantasy, Reviews

The Hunter by K. Aagard – a Review

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(The Hunter of Fareldin Series Book 1)

Reviewed by

~Her eyes watered with tears as she took the first bite. The mere taste of the food seemed to give her body strength. It was nothing like the fine dishes she was used to, but at the time it tasted better than anything she’d ever eaten~

What it’s About:

As I read and analyzed Book 1 of The Hunter of Fareldin, I couldn’t help but keep comparing it to another book we recently reviewed on Virtual Pulp based on certain similarities. Both stories revolve around two seemingly different and polar opposite characters-a young girl and a brooding ranger (or hunter)-caught up in a life and death situation that involves a long journey on foot and on horseback while being hunted by dangerous foes. The big difference is that in The Hunter of Fareldin the writer doesn’t bore us to death and doesn’t create incoherent character behavior as things unfold.

Flow:

Let’s face it, when most of the story consists of marching/setting up camp/building a fire/repeating, keeping things interesting can be quite the challenge. But I’m happy to say that Aagard manages to do so and in a very astounding fashion. Not only does the story hardly ever get boring, but we slowly start feeling invested in the two main characters just as they slowly start building strong emotional ties toward one another!

Plot:

Our adventure starts when a failed kidnapping attempt of young noblewoman Adeline of Fenforde (Addy) finds our young protagonist lost and alone in foreign land. When she tries to steal a sword from a strange man, she strikes a most unusual deal with Strider (aka The Hunter) and his giant wolf pet Greer. She promises that if he can deliver her back home to her family he’d be generously compensated for it by her father. Although Strider accepts the offer, little is he concerned with monetary compensation, but this mission rather gives his life some temporary meaning, which it had none left ever since his family was murdered.

This is a story of powerful but dangerous magic, of spies and inside jobs, but most importantly of lives being restored to hope.

Craft:

If I have to use a word to describe the work the author does here, that word would be BALANCE. Aagard always finds that perfect balance between character development, action scenes, compelling plot lines, and solid prose. And so, just when we feel like the story is getting too slow she gives it a boost with something that gains our attention right back, and when we feel that we should know more about a character she slows things down, taking the time to dig into their minds and hearts.

Although a Book 2 is in the making, the reader turning to the last page will feel satisfied knowing that they read a complete story whether or not they decide to pick up the next book. But given the quality of this first story, I don’t see how anybody wouldn’t want to read more of The Hunter of Fareldin!

🦀

Alternate HIstory, Fantasy, Reviews

The Dweller in Drury Lane by Paul Leone

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THE DWELLER IN DRURY LANE AND OTHER CURIOUS CHRONICLES

Reviewed by

“Above all, she remembered the first time she saw Him, the first time she heard His words. These were good memories, holy ones. Ya’el tried to bury the other memories this place carried with it beneath them. As ever, she failed.”

 

If you follow me on social media and/or are subscribed to the INFAMOUS🦀 YouTube channel, you would have noticed the ample use of terms such as ‘NEW LEGENDS’ or ‘LEGENDARY’. And that is simply due to the essence of what I (and Virtual Pulp) do on a daily basis: exhorting authors to write good stories that resonate through time and that have, for lack of better terms, no expiration date. 

There is a point when a good story is no longer just a good story but becomes a LEGEND. Paul Leone’s The Dweller In Drury Lane is all that, and then some! If there is a work of fiction literature today that encompasses everything I always ramble about, this book right here embodies all those elements to their fullest! 

Before we dive in, I want to officially welcome Paul to our elite group of Virtual Pulp LEGENDARY authors, and look forward to a very needed Q&A interview later on!

What it’s About:

But what is this book with such a long title really about? And what makes it so special? To answer that question we need to mention what author/youtuber Bonsart Bokel stated some time ago: fiction writers should focus more on history while applying new and exciting concepts to it. 

Regurgitating good content that has already been written only creates predictable and boring books. 

We covered a good few authors recently who have adopted the alternate history approach with excellent results. The Dweller in Drury Lane can be categorized as alternate history based on the fact that everything we read is historically accurate, and it’s within this historically accurate environment that Leone works his magic (pun intended!).

The book is a collection of short stories divided in two groups: the first group of stories follows the adventures of Immortal Champion Ya’el, circa 65 AD Jerusalem. The second group follows the adventures of Lady Renee De Launcey and her Puritan maid-servant Innocence circa XVII England.

Characters:

Make no mistake, even though both main characters are female, they are far removed from the modern image of ‘strong independent WAMEN’ portrayed in our modern western pop culture. In fact, Ya’el is constantly torn by two seemingly polar opposite commandments, whereas Renee and Innocence are aware that they need the aid of men when dealing with powerful and dangerous foes.

As soon as we flip to page 1 we are immediately transported to another world thanks to Leone’s prose. There are virtually no traces of modern euphemisms and in fact at times I had to wonder if the author was someone who lived centuries ago. Every chapter  in the first half of the book feels like reading an ancient manuscript translated from Hebrew, Roman, and Greek into old English: think of Homer, Virgil, and of course the Holy Bible itself.

Secondary characters are as rich and complex as the main characters. I particularly loved the character of Coem, a young girl from Hibernia (Ireland) in search of vengeance for the murder of her family by the hands of another Immortal Champion of Sheol. THIS is how you write characters that resonate with us hours and even days after we close the book. Young Coem wasn’t able to kill her family’s murderer because mortal weapons cannot kill a Champion of Sheol. Ya’el decides to aid Coem and tells her of a weapon that can harm a Champion called Aurichalcum-the alloy of Atlantis. To which Coem replies:  “Then will that slice her skin?” How can you not LOVE that delivery!

Prose:

When we move to Part 2 of the book, we are now in XVII England and I’m not kidding when I say that I haven’t been this enthralled ever since reading Jane Austen’s prose! The choice of verbs, adjectives, nouns, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, modifiers, syntax, the subtle expressions typical of the period, are all top notch here!

The attention to the historical aspect also deserves great praise. Whether we are walking through Jerusalem in 65 AD or we find ourselves in the countryside of Great Britain in 1665 AD, we keep getting fed captivating historical data as the narrative unfolds. 

In closing, I encourage you all to grab a copy of The Dweller. If this interview doesn’t motivate you to do so, maybe the fact that you can download the entire book for FREE will.

 

Note from INFAMOUS:

This review will be followed up by a Q&A with author where we will uncover even more about all this, and I will also mention how a few years ago I read another book by Leone and wasn’t at all impressed by it!

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews, Speculative

EVIL NEVER RESTS by Kevin G. Beckman

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The Weird Tales of Silas Flint (The Flint Anthologies Book 1)

-a Review by

This is the third story we find in the Weird Tales, and it seems like Beckman continues to pleasantly surprise us with outstanding storytelling that is well thought-out and well written.

Though each story is its own, there is also a bigger picture in this world and events that keeps opening wider as we go along. And so we find once again witch hunter Silas Flint and supernumerary Ricardo Navarro exactly where the last tale left them.

What it’s about:

When a messenger delivers an urgent message that their aid is needed at a town where supposedly ‘werewolf’ attacks have been reported, the choice for our duo is easy: go investigate and possibly kill some werewolves!

Along the way, we have the chance to briefly meet Charles, Flint’s evil brother, and three very enigmatic witch sisters who will play a major role in the unfolding of the following events. Who are the three sisters? And why do they seem to aid Flint in his mission? 

When our heroes deduct that the murders were not random but strictly connected to key names in the current local political circle,  the story takes on a sort of mystery/detective tone which, coupled with some very captivating characters like Mr Oglethorpe, propels the story to new heights of fun, action, and inspiration. Why do I mention inspiration? You might ask. Well if a character like Oglethorpe doesn’t inspire you at some level I don’t know what will. His faith, resolution, conviction, and toughness, despite his advanced age, is only matched by Silas Flint’s himself! Love the guy and he definitely steals the spotlight!

To conclude, I want to again point out how these tales fully embody the spirit of classic pulp fiction while taking on their own shape and form. Needless to say, see you in two weeks with the next tale: The Gloom of the Grave.

🦀