This was the first Spider pulp adventure written by Norvell Page, the incredibly prolific man who wrote more installments in the pulp series than anyoThis was the first Spider pulp adventure written by Norvell Page, the incredibly prolific man who wrote more installments in the pulp series than anyone else, and it shows him in fine form. Page wasn't afraid to "go big," and nearly every one of his Spider stories involves the threat of citywide destruction at the bare minimum.
In "Wings of the Black Death" a mysterious super-criminal who calls himself The Black Death threatens to loose the plague throughout New York City if he is not paid $1 billion. Yes, that's THE plague, and yes, he wants one billion dollars, decades before Dr. Evil made similar demands.
Incidentally, I listened to this as an unabridged audiobook from Radio Archives (). The narrator, Nick Santa Maria, has the perfect, almost breathless delivery for this type of material, and the music and sound effects are well done, and never overwhelm the narrative. Highly recommended for pulp fans....more
R.T.M Scott's second Spider pulp novel has a less madcap plot than his first, but it's just as good. In The Wheel of Death, Richard Wentworth (the "SpR.T.M Scott's second Spider pulp novel has a less madcap plot than his first, but it's just as good. In The Wheel of Death, Richard Wentworth (the "Spider") goes undercover as a hood and meets a young woman whose father is slated to be executed, but who is--of course--innocent of the crime. Wentworth discovers a nightclub and casino that is only open to New York's wealthy and powerful, and which is run by a criminal mastermind intent on taking over political power in the city through intimidation and blackmail. Would it be a spoiler to say that he saves the day?...more
Norvell Page gets a lot of praise from fans of "The Spider," since he wrote the majority of the books in the series and maintained a fairly consistentNorvell Page gets a lot of praise from fans of "The Spider," since he wrote the majority of the books in the series and maintained a fairly consistent level of quality, but after reading the first Spider novel, I have to give a lot of credit to R.T.M. Scott. He set the tone of the series perfectly, creating a swashbuckling gentleman criminologist vigilante hero named Richard Wentworth and setting him loose in a wild plot that includes a mass poisoning attempt, a masked master-criminal who is just as much a master of disguise as Wentworth, and a treacherous femme fatale, as well as the cast of characters who surround Wentworth, Nita van Sloan, the woman who loves him, Stanley Kirkpatrick, the New York police commissioner, and Ram Singh, Wentworth's faithful Hindu servant.
A great start to the series, and an utterly enjoyable Depression-era pulp novel....more
Here's a passage from this book that, in a nutshell, is everything I love about The Spider series, as well as everything that makes it sublimely ridicHere's a passage from this book that, in a nutshell, is everything I love about The Spider series, as well as everything that makes it sublimely ridiculous:
"Good God!" the man screeched beside him. "You killed him."
"Certainly," Wentworth said. "This boat was wrecked on purpose. The crew are murderers, the same ones who sank the other boats. Any man in a lifebelt that works is a murderer."
"Do you mean it?" the man gasped. "Who are you?"
"The police," snapped Wentworth. "Do you want a gun?"
For a moment the man was silent while panic swirled past, then he cursed roughly. "Do I want a gun? I'll kill every damned sailor I see!"
Wentworth gave the man two guns and ammunition. "If you find another man who feels the way you do, let him have the second gun," he ordered.
I should point out, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, that Richard Wentworth is not a police officer. He's just your run-of-the-mill Depression-era millionaire playboy who fights crime on the side and has a secret identity. Consequently, in a few short lines, he not only illegally impersonates a police officer, he deputizes a complete stranger, gives him a loaded weapon to kill with, and another loaded weapon to pass out as he sees fit.
Mayhem. Absolute mayhem. And a heck of a lot of fun....more
Chris Kalb, who runs the excellent Web site , said that if he were pitching The Spider franchise in Hollywood, he might say, "He's aChris Kalb, who runs the excellent Web site , said that if he were pitching The Spider franchise in Hollywood, he might say, "He's a superhero. Trapped in a horror film. Directed by John Woo." After reading The City Destroyer, I think that's a great description. The Spider is a contemporary of iconic '30s pulp superheroes and vigilantes like Doc Savage and The Shadow, there are a lot of macabre undertones and a pervading sense of doom, and the frequent gunplay defies both logic and physics.
If I were specifically pitching The City Destroyer to Hollywood, I'd say, "Richard Wentworth, a.k.a. 'The Spider,' is a 1930s version of Jack Bauer from 24, except that he operates independently and is also a master of disguise." The villain in The City Destroyer, "The Master," has created a "steel eater" that can bring down even the mightiest skyscraper, as well as ocean liners, trains, automobiles, firearms, and bank vaults. This novel takes place in New York, and a lot of scenes are difficult to read in the 21st century without thinking back to September 11, 2001. The Master's gangland cronies use the steel eater to collapse not only the "Sky Building" (a thinly disguised Empire State Building), but also the "Plymouth Building" (the Chrysler Building), Grand Central Station, and the Brooklyn Bridge. (Those last two apparently didn't need pseudonyms.) Needless to say, The Spider goes after The Master with the kind of ruthless determination any pulp superhero would when faced with villainy that thinks nothing of murdering thousands to make a profit.
Norvell Page, who wrote more Spider novels than anyone else did under the name "Grant Stockbridge," is a master of action and atmosphere, if not internal consistency. This is hack and slash, penny-a-word writing, but it's consistently fun and action-packed....more
Loading...
