The Howling Man

Before a rare illness took his life at the young age of 38, Charles Beaumont (1929-1967) put his mark on the science-fiction, fantasy, and horror genres with his splendid short stories and screenplays. His short fiction tale “Black Country” was the first story selected by Playboy to be published in their magazine. Beaumont wrote 22 episodes for The Twilight Zone, many of which were adaptations of his own short stories. He also wrote scripts for films like Night of the Eagle (with Richard Matheson and George Baxt), Premature Burial, The Haunted Palace, and Queen of Outer Space. His fiction is compiled in several critically acclaimed collections including Night Ride, The Magic Man, and Perchance to Dream: Selected Stories. 

Based on a recent video by Michael Vaughan (watch HERE), I decided to read what many consider his finest story, “The Howling Man”. The story originally appeared in Rogue magazine in November 1959 and was filmed as a praised episode of the The Twilight Zone in 1960.

“The  Howling Man” is set in the years between WW1 and WW2. Young David Ellington is a Boston native that feels the tug for Paris. Fresh out of college, he desires mysterious beautiful women, profound discussions, and grand visions of the Tuileries, the Louvre, and the Arc de Triomphe. By bicycle, David embarks on a ride through Europe. After pedaling through France and Belgium, David finds himself becoming quite ill in the deep rural stretches of the Moselle Valley of Germany. With his arms and legs heavy, his head throbbing madly, he falls unconscious. 

He awakens in a room of gray stone with dirt flooring and a blanket laid on straw. Across the room a monk named Brother Christophorus introduces himself and explains that David was brought to the Abbey of St. Wulfran's to get better. Christophorus advises David to take his time healing. At night, David is plagued by horrific screams from somewhere inside the Abbey. The next day he asks Christophorus about these screams and is met with a puzzled expression. Christophorus explains that there is no screaming. As the days toll by David is maddened by these terrible screams of anguish. Each time he questions them he's met with the same answer – it's all in his head. There are no screams. Weird. 

Eventually, David wanders out into the hallways to source the screams. What he finds is shocking and I can't reveal any further details without ruining the surprise. 

“The Howling Man” is one unforgettable short story that left me pondering the grand reveal for hours after completion. The idea behind it is quite fascinating and conjures so many different elements that approach fantasy, horror, mystery, and folklore. In some ways the writing and dialogue reminded me of the best Robert E. Howard stories featuring his Puritan hero, Solomon Kane. While I haven't seen the Twilight Zone adaptation, this story is simply remarkable. Highly recommended reading! Get a collection of these stories including this one HERE. 

Peter Craig #01 - Twenty-Fourth Level

British writer Kenneth Benton (1909-1999) was employed as an MI6 officer in 1937, He served for 31 years in the position highlighted by two years in Madrid during WWII, an experience that led to the capture of 19 spies during that time. After his intelligence career ended, Benton wrote spy, crime, and historical fiction and served as president of the Crime Writer's Association in 1974. His most successful work is the espionage series starring an international police advisor, Peter Craig. There were six installments published during Benton's lifetime and an additional one posthumously. Spy Guys and Gals gave the series a B+ and I wanted to try it out. I began with the series debut, Twenty-Fourth Level, originally published by Collins in hardcover in 1969.

On page 35 of this 220 pager, readers learn that 35-year old Scottish man Peter Craig was educated at the University of Cambridge and entered a career in law-enforcement. In the late 1950s, Craig, now serving as a civil servant in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British government, held the position of Overseas Police Advisor in the West African British colony of Sierra Leone. Now, Craig works as an international Police Adviser for the Diplomatic Service as a specialist in counter-terrorism and guerrilla warfare. In the novel's beginning, Craig is on his way to Chile to provide lectures to a police academy. Upon an invite from his old friend Sir Wallace, a British Ambassador, Craig is asked to stay a few nights in Rio so they can catch up. 

Prior to his arrival in Rio, Craig promised a friend that he would look into some mysterious blue diamonds that appeared in London recently. Through a variety of interviews Craig tracks the source to a very bad guy named Graben. Previously, Craig was involved in Graben's capture and imprisonment on a variety of criminal charges. Graben escaped an African prison years ago and now works as a mining operator in town. Shortly after Graben's discovery Craig is nearly killed by an arrow while smoking on the Ambassador's veranda. Further, the people Craig interviewed regarding the diamonds are all mysteriously murdered. Graban is savagely covering his tracks and location. 

Normally, this type of “find the killer” tale is wrought with a lot of interviews, walking the beat, and fumbling through leads, some of which can prove to be boring literary exercises. However, Benton is a better storyteller and helps elevate the tension with a more direct approach. 

In a captivating bit of romanticism, Craig begins a relationship with a 19 year-old woman named Alcidia that is dating Graben. It's a unique beginning as this beautiful and sexy vixen refuses to believe Craig's testimony on Graben's criminal background. But, as the narrative unfolds, Alcidia's protective walls deteriorate as she begins to trust Craig. Together, the two seek Graben before more killings occur. 

Benton is a smart and entertaining storyteller with a striking flavor for dialogue and descriptions. His technical explanations of the diamond industry reminded me of Desmond Bagley, specifically his 1971 novel The Freedom Trap. I love how adventure authors incorporate flavorful history and technical nuances about a country's exports and Benton does this quite well without boring the audience. His narrative includes the aforementioned assassination attempt (an excellent opening scene!), a really fun dating angle for Craig, a suitable biography on the lead character, a mining expedition, a breakout, and the intriguing inner-workings of colonialism that separate the classes.

If Twenty-Fourth Level is any indication of the quality in the Peter Craig series then I'm in for a real treat. I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure and I think you will too. Get the vintage hardcover HERE and the poorly edited digital edition HERE.  

S.O.B.s #02 - The Plains of Fire

According to The Internet Speculative Fiction Database, Alan Philipson has authored 15 novels in the Deathlands series as James Axler. He also wrote installments in the Destroyer, Executioner, Stony Man, and Super Bolan series. As Jack Hild, he wrote eight novels in the S.O.B.s series including The Plains of Fire, the second installment. It was published by Gold Eagle in February 1984 with another incredible painted cover by Ron Lesser.

The book begins in Iran as the main villain, heinous Captain Mohamadi Razod and his Islamic Revolutionary Guards, lead a rocket scientist to a gas soaked pyre. The heroic scientist leaked details about an Iranian quest to build four antiquated atomic bombs. In this savage opening sequence the scientist is nailed to a seat through his...thatchy area...and then mercifully cuts his own throat as the flames soar up his legs. Philipson's descriptive narrative isn't for the squeamish. 

Walker Jessup, the CIA liaison for the S.O.B.s, is fed details about the Iranian bomb program. He is instructed by the high-ranking U.S. brass that an official American military unit can't risk destroying this Iranian installation. The mission demands incursion into the country's sovereign territory and would be viewed as an act of war. Instead, the government wants Jessup to get his S.O.B.s on the job based on their triumphant success in Kaluba (the series debut). The plan is to penetrate the base and destroy it from within. Jessup gets on the horn with team lead Nile Barrabas. 

The next few chapters resembles a Sam Durell novel as Barrabas pieces together a ten-person team of specialists that can bring the military's operation to fruition. Unlike the first novel, these chapters are brief as smaller biographies are presented with highlights of the characters. Philipson is a smart writer and incorporates the character's skill-set into the main portions of the novel. For example, five pages spent on Vince Biondi informs readers he can drive a race car super fast. This will prove crucial to the novel's finale.

Philpson proves to be an excellent storyteller as the narrative spills into the final 100 pages. The scenes alternate from the perspective of a handful of Iranian scientists working under intense pressure to complete the construction of the bombs. Razod is the one you love to hate, the sadistic barbarian leader that kills his own people for the unholy crusade. Each of Barrabas' team members have important roles and pieces of the narrative are solely dedicated to their participation in the mission. Some authors create abrasion or disjoint the plot when attempting to present multiple perspectives. Philpson is a pro and seamlessly delivers a smooth prose. I also enjoyed (I'm awful!) the fact that three of the team members die in the fight. Nobody is safe in an S.O.B.s book!

The Plains of Fire is an excellent men's action-adventure with enough violence and action to saturate 200 pages. As much as I enjoyed the series debut, written by Jack Canon, David Wade, and Robin Hardy, the narrative suffered from too many pages of character development. Philpson keeps it simple stupid when entrusting readers to consume character bios. Recommended. Get it HERE.

Paperback Warrior Primer - Harry Whittington

Back in 2022, Tom Simon, an alumni of Paperback Warrior, was asked to write an introduction for the Stark House Press twofer A Ticket to Hell and Hell Can Wait, both by the iconic crime-noir writer Harry Whittington. I wanted to share this write-up with the Paperback Warrior fans and readers that didn't have the opportunity to purchase the book. I hope you enjoy it. 

"Investigating Harry" 

“Have you ever heard of an author named Harry Whittington?” I asked the used bookstore lady.

I was in Ocala, Florida trying to dig up information that might be helpful for the introduction to this Harry Whittington twofer. Smarter guys than me have written introductions for previous Harry Whittington reprints. I needed an angle, so I was sniffing around Harry’s childhood hometown looking for leads.

I should probably explain that I’m a recently-retired FBI Special Agent who spent the last five years of the job investigating federal crimes in Northern Florida. I worked a handful of cases in Ocala, but this was my first time back since I retired and opened my own private eye firm. However, it wasn’t my sleuthing that landed me this writing gig. Stark House hit me up because of my side-hustle, a blog and podcast called Paperback Warrior where I cover pulp fiction with my buddy Eric. We host the largest collection of Harry Whittington book reviews on the internet, so Stark House figured I might have something to say about Harry’s work that hadn’t already been said - a tall order.

Facing the problem of what to write that hadn’t already been covered, I recalled a saying: “When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” I’m an investigator, so I drove down to Ocala to knock on some doors.

A Ticket to Hell was the first of Harry’s books I read and remains my favorite. I reviewed Hell Can Wait much later and enjoyed it quite a bit. I could go on and on about the stuff I liked about each paperback, but I don’t want to spoil either novel for you. I hate it when introductions do that, and I don’t want to be that guy. You should read both, and I promise you’ll like them. If you only have one week to live and must choose, go with A Ticket to Hell. It’s the stronger of the pair.

Ocala is pretty far inland, so erase from your mind images of the sandy beaches of Miami or Daytona. This is non-coastal Florida marshland. Harry clearly drew upon this lush and humid ecosystem for many of his swamp-noir novels - Cracker Girl, Swamp Kill, Backwoods Hussy, and Backwoods Shack among them. If that sub-genre is your jam, the best is Backwoods Tramp, also released as A Moment To Prey. Driving through the sand pines and magnolia trees of the Ocala National Forest, I understood why this setting was so alluring for many of Harry’s early paperbacks. It’s a vivid and earthy place thick with Spanish moss dripping from the branches - a perfect setting for a rural noir tale.

When Harry was growing up, Ocala was a one-horse town. Nowadays, there are thousands of horses. In fact, breeding and training horses is Ocala’s main industry. The city leaders call it “The Horse Capital of the World,” and Marion County hosts more than 600 thoroughbred farms. Back in Harry’s day, Ocala farmers were mostly raising citrus, cotton and tobacco.  

Fun Fact: The town’s only real celebrity today is John Travolta, who owns a giant compound in a subdivision with its own airfield. I wanted to ask him if he’s heard of Harry Whittington, so I drove out to his gated neighborhood to snoop. I made it through a haphazardly-opened gate and toured for about ten minutes marveling at the mansions - each with their own airplane hanger. There was no sign of Mr. Travolta when I was pulled over by neighborhood security and swiftly shown the exit gate.

I continued my field investigation at Ocala’s best used bookstore. There are only two remaining, and the other one is a lousy firetrap. The good one is called A Novel Idea, and it’s in a strip mall near a movie theater. I always made it a point to swing by the place whenever I was working a case in the area. I had long since bought all their vintage crime paperbacks, but I still liked visiting  - mostly to see the store’s two in-house cats: Lord Byron and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In my absence, Fitzy had died. Now there’s only Lord Byron on the lookout for paperback shoplifters.

The store’s proprietor is Lori. Her daughter is the owner, but Lori runs the joint. She’s from Ocala but admitted that she’d never heard of Harry Whittington.

“He was born and raised here as a kid,” I told her. “He later moved to St. Petersburg and authored over 170 novels during the mid-20th century. They called him The King of Paperbacks because he was so prolific. He wrote books in a bunch of different genres under his own name and a giant list of pseudonyms.”

She listened politely to my Wikipedia speech and acted about as interested as retail politeness would dictate. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Excitement? Tears? A discount?

I swung by the public library in Ocala and asked the same question with similar results. The lady at the information desk had never heard of Harry, and the library carried none of his books. I hadn’t struck out this much with women since I was dating. Small towns are supposed to lionize their native sons, but Harry had been seemingly wiped from everyone’s memory here.

I needed an informant with good intel, so I contacted the Marion County Genealogical Society and asked them to do some digging. A fellow named Arnold Davis turned up some good dirt using historical records.

Harry’s parents (Harry Sr. & Rosa Hardee) were married on June 12, 1912 at the home of Rosa’s parents on South Magnolia Street. The happy couple settled into a house on Pond Street, and Harry was born on February 4, 1915. His dad ran Staple & Fancy Groceries on Main Street, and the family was somewhat wealthy compared to the farmers residing in the area.

Arnold the Informant uncovered a mosaic of family stories from Harry’s childhood - family trips to the beach in Daytona and a wayward nail that almost blinded his mom. One foggy night in 1922, Harry Sr. crashed his truck into a “dummy cop” statue erected in the middle of Main Street. The city had strategically placed these dummies to slow traffic, and the accident resulted in a lofty fine of $11.10 to cover repairs to the inert lawman.  

I went by the locations of Harry’s three childhood homes in Ocala. I was pleased to find that there were many places in the Historical District remaining from Harry’s era, but none of his houses remained. I had lunch at an old fashioned diner that used to be Elliott’s Drive-In back in the day. The food was excellent, but the waitress never heard of Harry.

After World War I in 1918, Ocala was a hot spot for tourists from the north visiting by way of the Orange Blossom Trail, now Highway 27. This was before the development of America’s interstate highway system, and Model-T tourism sparked the golden age of roadside attractions. Ocala’s contribution to this culture was Silver Springs. It’s now a state park, and I paid two bucks to walk through the paths surrounding the waters. Signs warned me to beware of both alligators and monkeys (feed neither, please). When Harry was 14, a guy named Ross Allen used to wrestle alligators there to the delight of both locals and tourists. From 1958 to 1961, Lloyd Bridges filmed the underwater adventure scenes for Sea Hunt in the spring’s crystal clear waters. 

I hit up my friend Ben Boulden. He’s a great author living in Utah and a solid guy. I remembered his introduction to a Stark House double by Lionel White and how much I enjoyed it. Ben is a whiz at researching old census records, so I solicited his help.

Ben hooked me up with a good timeline of Harry’s life using census and other historical records that I overlaid with the intel from Arnold to create a coherent timeline. Sometime around 1924, the Whittington clan moved 100 miles away to Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico, and Harry’s dad landed a job as a salesman for C.B. Witt Company, a wholesale grocer. For unclear reasons, Harry returned to Ocala in September 1930 as a transfer student from St. Petersburg to complete his final two years of high school. I’m guessing he lived with grandparents or extended family until he graduated from Ocala High School on June 3, 1932. 

I wanted to head over to Harry’s alma mater to regale the students vaping in the parking lot with stories about “The King of Paperbacks.” It became Forest High School in 1969 and is now Marion Technical Institute, a place for kids looking to get into the trades. I went by the school but didn’t see the upside of hassling these future welders, cooks and first responders with dumb questions about a long-dead author.

Harry returned to the family home in St. Petersburg after graduating high school in Ocala. By 1935, Harry’s dad was employed as a driver for Florida Milk Company. I recalled that a milkman was the main character in Like Mink, Like Murder, a Whittington oddity also reprinted by Stark House. For his part, Harry landed a job as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service.

On February 6, 1936, 21 year-old Harry married Kathryn Odom, and the couple settled down in Saint Petersburg with Harry continuing his mailman gig until he was drafted in 1940. This military service was followed by a voluntary enlistment in the U.S. Navy from April 1945 to March 1946. 

Shortly after his release from the Navy, Harry sold his first novel, a western titled Vengeance Valley. In 1947, he sold a hardcover called Her Sin about a pleasure-loving girl named Iris. Demand for paperback original novels exploded in 1950, and Harry met that demand becoming one of the most prolific writers of paperback potboilers in the world. By 1957, Harry had 50 novels published under his own name and a cadre of pseudonyms. That same year, he was identified as a professional author in a St. Petersburg citizen’s directory uncovered by Informant Ben. 

In 1979, Harry settled in Indian Rocks Beach, a bit south of Clearwater. I saw his house, a modest ranch-style home built in 1951 two blocks from the gulf. Harry paid $45,000 for the place the same year he sold a mainstream flop called Sicilian Woman - the last novel published under his own name. It was in this house that he wrote six entries in the Longarm adult western series as Tabor Evans and twelve plantation gothic titles as Ashley Carter. Evidently, the market for paperbacks in the king’s own name had dried up by that point.

My manhunt concluded at Royal Palm South Cemetery in St. Petersburg where Harry was laid to rest in 1989 - later to be joined by his wife and daughter. His tombstone reads, “Master of the Roman Noir: One Of The Greats Among American Novelists.” An internet search explained that “Roman Noir” is a French term for a mystery or thriller, literally a “Dark Novel.”

Indeed, Harry’s best work was noir fiction, and you are holding in your hands two excellent examples of an American author at the top of his dark novel game. Still, I found his epigraph a bit reductive. Harry excelled at so many different genres: Westerns, Espionage, TV Tie-Ins, Historical Gothics, Erotica, Nursing Dramas and on and on. Some were good and others were not - but the guy’s cross-genre productivity was staggering and unmatched among his peers.

I left his gravesite thinking that even on his own tombstone, Harry didn’t get the credit he deserves. In any case, I’m glad you cared enough about his writing to pick up this Whittington double-shot. 

After all, Harry is a guy who deserves to be remembered. 

Conan the Usurper

Conan the Usurper was published in 1967 by Lancer with a painted cover by Frank Frazetta. It was later reprinted by Ace once Lancer ceased publishing operations. The book includes an introduction by L. Sprague de Camp and two short stories solely authored by Robert E. Howard. There are two additional stories included that were manuscripts by Howard that de Camp took it upon himself to edit and complete. 

According to L. Sprague de Camp's introduction in Conan the Usurper, de Camp discovered unpublished manuscripts written by Howard in 1951. With one of the manuscripts, “The Black Stranger”, de Camp took the liberty of editing and re-writing the story as an adaptation into the Conan saga, specifically Aquilonian revolution. Lester del Rey, editor of Fantasy Magazine, made further additions and deletions and published the manuscript as “The Black Stranger”. The story was re-titled to "The Treasure of Tranicos" and included the same year in a Gnome Press hardcover omnibus called King Conan. de Camp explained that the title change was a result of too many of Howard's Conan stories containing the word “black” in their titles. That story appears in this collection as "The Treasure of Tranicos".

In "The Treasure of Tranicos", the titular hero is running through the Pictish Wilderness, crossing Thunder River and brushing up against the Western Sea. Chased by Picts, Conan is shocked when the painted, savage warriors refuse to venture forward. Instead, as if scared of this part of the mountainous shoreline, they retreat. Conan, puzzled by the experience, finds a wooden door recessed into the mountain. Forcing it open, he discovers a dark cavern filled with preserved bodies and shiny piles of hidden treasure. But, he's quickly choked by hands that appear out of a dark mist. Then, Conan disappears for the bulk of the narrative's first half. 

In the next chapters, readers learn that this shoreline is a residence inhabited by Count Valenso. The Count, and his people, became shipwrecked and trapped on the shore months ago. Caught between the ocean and the savage Picts, the Count built a fort and has defended it since. Two rivals appear before the Count's fort, both greedy, savage pirates with a multitude of nefarious crewmen. It turns out that they have read pieces of a treasure map that points to the shoreline's location as home to hordes of precious loot. But, as Conan learned, it might come with a deadly price.

I can see that Howard's original manuscript was borderline Conan material. The Cimmerian isn't necessarily integral to the story, but by adding in a few descriptive details, and a brief mention of Aquilonian history, it works as another installment of the Conan mythos.

The next story in the book is "Wolves Beyond the Border", authored by both Howard and de Camp. Technically, it's in the same fictional universe and mentions the hero, but Conan doesn't actually appear in the story. It takes place along the Pictish border. For Hyborian Age rookies, the Picts are similar to the Native American tribes of the North American continent in the 1500-1800s. If you read early frontier novels by the likes of James Fenimore Cooper (Leatherstocking Tales) or later, traditional westerns by Zane Grey (his Border Trilogy for example), the narratives mostly consist of early settlers and pioneers struggling to live in the same territorial regions as Native American tribes. So, Robert E. Howard used this as a blueprint when creating Conan stories like “The Treasure of Tranicos” and “Wolves Beyond the Border”. The Pictish borders are similar to the surrounding areas of North America's early Ohio River Valley.

This story is told in first-person narrative by a border ranger. In the early pages, this ranger (unnamed and referred to as Gault Hagar's son) witnesses a bizarre ritual by the Picts, where they torture a man and then magically place him in the body of a snake. It is a disturbing, horrific passage that surpasses even the mad-scientist terrors lurking in “The Scarlet Citadel”. This ranger sees that an Aquilonian named Lord Valerian is conspiring to secretly ally with the Picts. This is important because the story is set during a time when Conan was attempting to overthrow Aquilonia's leaders and become the new king. An alliance of Picts and Aquilonian noblemen doesn't promise success for Conan. 

At nearly 60 paperback pages, the story becomes bogged down and convoluted in the middle. The ranger hero confronts Lord Valerian and Pictish leaders at a swamp cabin and there's a fight and a capture. The beginning and end are exciting skirmishes and chase sequences, but overall I found the story to be of middling quality.

"The Phoenix on the Sword" follows. In 1929, Robert E. Howard submitted a story called "By This Axe I Rule" to magazines like Argosy, Weird Tales, and Adventure. The story starred King Kull, the hero of Howard's published story, "The Shadow Kingdom", which is arguably the grandfather of the sword-and-sorcery genre. "By This Axe I Rule" received the same cold shoulder as 10 of Howard's other Kull manuscripts. Instead of giving up on the story, Howard modified the manuscript to include a different king, a dark haired barbarian called Conan. The story was re-titled as "The Phoenix on the Sword" and published by Weird Tales in December, 1932.

The story begins with an outlaw named Ascalante formulating a plot to assassinate King Conan of Aquilonia, a country that has turned against their king due to his foreign heritage. The Rebel Four (Volmana, Gromel, Dion, Rinaldo) all feel as though they are employing Ascalante's services. In reality, Ascalante plans on betraying the killers so he can seize the crown for himself. Ascalante's ace-in-the-hole is Thoth-Amon, an evil wizard he has enslaved to do his bidding.

A number of events occur that aid King Conan in escaping the assassination. A dead sage (ghost?) appears before Conan and warns him of the plot, allowing the barbarian king to prepare for their arrival. Additionally, this dead sage singes Conan's sword with the symbol of the phoenix, a tribute to a God named Mitra. At the same time, Thoth-Amon gains back a magical ring he lost years ago. To exact revenge on Ascalate for enslaving him, he conjures a large ape-like creature to venture out to hunt and kill Ascalante. All of this culminates in a bloody and vicious fight in Conan's throne room as he battles the Rebel Four, Ascalante, and sixteen of his rogue warriors. 

Obviously, there's a lot to digest over the course of this 9,000 word short story. In the manuscript's original form as "By This Axe I Rule", the magic element is absent, replaced with a simpler approach of Kull being warned of the assassination plot by a slave girl. Perhaps the story was too simple for Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright. Thus, Howard injects a magical pageantry to the tale, mystifying readers with political intrigue, monstrous mayhem, and a violent hero to cheer. The story is beautifully constructed with all of these moving, intricate parts blended together to create an artistic apex. This is Howard in brilliant form.

The last story is "The Scarlet Citadel" written solely by Howard. It was originally published in the January 1933 issue of Weird Tales. It was later included in the King Conan (1953) omnibus. The story was published more recently in The Conan Chronicles Vol. 2 (2001) and Conan of Cimmeria Vol. 1 (2003).

“The Scarlet Citadel” features Howard's famed Conan the Cimmerian in a much later period of his life. Readers discover that Conan is now an older, wiser warrior that has taken the crown of Aquilonia. King Conan receives a message from the king of Ophir claiming that the emperor of the nearby region Koth is threatening his kingdom. Ophir needs Aquilonia's assistance, so King Conan generously leads an army of 5,000 knights to fight Koth's invasion. 

Upon arrival, Conan discovers that it was a trap. Both Ophir and Koth's leaders were working together to ensnare the hero. Their secret weapon is Tsotha-Lanti, an evil sorcerer that captures Conan and places him in a deep, multi-chambered dungeon in a high tower. It is here that Conan experiences horrifying creatures that have been created or altered by the “mad scientist” Tsotha-Lanti. His biggest rival is a giant, slithering serpent that seems to guard the dungeon's cavernous hallways. 

In an attempt to escape, Conan frees a powerful wizard named Pelias. In a short backstory, Pelias explains to Conan that he was a rival of Tsotha-Lanti before being captured and imprisoned for ten years by the mad sorcerer. As the story continues, there's a prison escape, Conan riding a flying dragon (?), and an epic showdown as Conan and Pelias extract their revenge.

This story is on par with “The Tower of the Elephant” and “Rogues in the House” in terms of pure storytelling excellence. The escapism, extraordinary sense of adventure, and suspenseful dungeon horror are key elements that catapult the story into the higher echelons of Howard's literary showcase. His attention to detail grips the reader with an ominous overtone that promises nothing short of death and bloody destruction. Howard's lengthy paragraph describing Tsotha's castle overlooking the city, its lone road with steep, daunting hills on each side, makes for an impregnable tomb. This description makes Conan's dazzling, unorthodox escape more powerful and entertaining. 

Overall, the quality of both "The Phoenix on the Sword" and "The Scarlet Citadel" make Conan the Usurper a must-have book. However, at this point in time you can easily obtain these two stories in other editions, including the fantastic collections published by Del Rey. The other two stories aren't mandatory reads and serve as filler to pad out the page count. If you are a Conan completist you probably need this book just for Frazetta's painted cover alone. Recommended. Get the book HERE.

Ranking May Reads

In the video, Eric counts down his top book reads from May, ranking them from worst to best. He shares brief reviews, shows the book covers, and provides publication history and reprint details for each vintage paperback. Stream below or watch on YouTube HERE.

The Terminator #03 - The Kill Squad

Dennis Rodriguez wrote the six-book series The Terminator using the name John Quinn. The series was published by Pinnacle between 1983-1984. Thus far, I'm batting .1000 with hits in all three series installments I've read – Mercenary Kill, Silicon Valley Slaughter, and Crystal Kill. I was glad I found the third book, The Kill Squad. It was published in September 1983 with cover art by series regular Bruce Minney. 

The villains in The Kill Squad are international political assassins that live in the U.S. Under the disguise of being “weekend warriors”, these killers live in a camp in rural Arkansas. It's here they have recruited rednecks from town to join them in this survivalist dream of planning for an inevitable U.S. invasion from the bad commies. It's funny – the baddies HAVE invaded and living under the noses of the paranoid small town America. They even threaten the local hick sheriff to allow them free reign.

Rodriguez has a number of characters thrown into his violent narrative. First, a rogue town resident has spilled the beans to a friend in New York, a D.A. who wants to expose the survivalist camp. The killers, led by a crazed lunatic named Max, find the townie and the D.A. and ice them both. Next, they track down the townie's sister and girlfriend and kill them. This is the long way of how The Terminator, Gavin, gets involved. Remember, Gavin is a retired C.I.A. assassin that wants to pursue easy living in the mountains reading books and banging his girlfriend. Terminating the bad guys isn't something he sets out to do in these books. 

Gavin heads to New York first and gets into an amazingly (read that as savagely violent) well-written fight with the two killers in an apartment. I'll never look at my kitchen knives the same. Next, he heads to Arkansas and gets in the fight through a woman named Pam. She was raped by the bad guys and, to add lime juice to wound, they murder her father. This plot and takeoff was just fantastic. Unfortunately, Rodriguez doesn't stick the landing.

Gavin's placement in Arkansas is wasted. He doesn't do much to protect Pam, all these innocent characters pretty much become raped or killed, and the excitement of breaking into the camp and bashing brains takes place on pages 190 through 194. The problem? There are 199 total pages in the book. I was expecting so much more after this 190 page set-up and it was all just a big waste of time. I can't completely obliterate the book or Rodriguez's writing because it mostly worked. This was just terrible execution. The Kill Squad was The Kill Flop. Read at your own risk.