I recently had the opportunity to review a couple of books.
However, before I begin this review, I should disclose that although I love to read,
this is an area of fictional novels I was very unfamiliar with!
They call them "Stories from the Golden Age" and I learned that "pulp fiction"
is a lot more than just a John Travolta movie.
For those who are as clueless as I am, American pulp magazines were collections of fictional
stories published from the late 1800's all the way to the 1950's. They were known for
their eye-catching illustrations and dramatic tales with genres such as western and romance.
One author who found much success during this time was L. Ron Hubbard.
Between 1934 and 1940, Hubbard had somewhere around 140 titles published in the pulps.
As an avid researcher, traveler and military serviceman, people were drawn to Hubbard's
writings by his real-life experiences.
"He writes the way he does, brothers, because he’s been there, seen it and done it!"
The two books I had the pleasure of reading were Red Dragon and On Blazing Wings.
Some of my favorite things about reading is escaping to another world, exploring the
unfamiliar and learning about a different way of life.
These stories were written in 1935 and 1940 and allowed me the opportunity to go back to
that time and experience a little bit of what the world was like.
Red Dragon is full of adventure and suspense with a romantic twist. The main characters,
Michael Stuart and Betty Sheldon, are on a daring quest around Asia in search of a mysterious
black chest. Stuart, who is also known as "The Red Dragon", is a former lieutenent in the US
Marines and is now known as a renegade, traitor and thief. Their search is compromised by his
reputation and the people who are out to get him.
Inspired by real-life events: "It was on Hubbard’s second journey to East Asia that he met British Secret Service agent, Major Ian MacBean, who introduced him to “The Great Game,” the geopolitical tug-of-war between China, Japan, and Britain. Hubbard also learned of the trade in stolen Chinese treasures, and was exposed to the secret criminal society known as The Red Dragon—inspiring this story of the same name. He has captured a singular time in this storied land."
~~~~~
On Blazing Wings is a thrilling tale about an American fighter pilot, David Duane, who leaves
for war with nothing to lose. Finding himself fighting in Finland against the Russians, his plane is shot down and Duane finds himself in enemy territory. A mix of politics, romance, and adventure, this story makes you think about how much control we really have over our own destiny.
Inspiration: "As a barnstorming pilot in the early days of aviation, Hubbard was
dubbed “Flash” Hubbard by the aviation magazines of the day. His unique
personal and pioneering knowledge of flight streaks across the page in
novels like On Blazing Wings."
Reading these books were wonderful, but after watching this video, I think I want to check out
the audio books as well! They sound like quite an experience...
Need some new reading material?
Would you like a chance to win a copy of "The Red Dragon" or "On Blazing Wings"?
Enter here...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
For more information about these books and more by L. Ron Hubbard, please visit
http://www.goldenagestories.com/
