I have always had a fascination for the pulp magazines of the 1920's and 1930's with their hard boiled stories of detectives, mobsters, and heroes that delivered justice roughly and bluntly. One of the ones that really struck a chord with me was The Shadow.
When I found out that there were novels of his stories, I began a search for them, so I could read them and bask in the outlandish and gritty glory they held.
When an innocent man is murdered under strange circumstances and a crack police detective is lured to his death, The Shadow sees the signs of a vicious plot. He uncovers a ruthless gang of counterfeiters led by the most powerful and diabolical man in New York's underworld...
The story is not deep by any stretch of the imagination. It is meant to distract you, and let you escape from your troubles, and the troubles of the world. It succeeded for me in that goal. While the style certainly feels a little corny and stilted by today's standards, it really evoked the feel of the era, and the pulp genre. It rolled along fairly smoothly- if not predictably, but still managed to entertain me.
Like the story, the characters are not deep, nor are they really developed. They are interesting though, and it was fun to follow them on this hard boiled adventure into the shadowy world of 1930's New York.
"The Shadow Laughs" is not a very long book- typical of those in the pulp genre. It's the perfect length for enjoying a couple of beers at the pub, or while sitting on a bench at the park- or while waiting for the doctor. It's not meant to inspire, or provoke deep thoughts. It's meant to let you drift away for a few minutes to another time and place. It was successful in that. Would I read it again? Yes, I would. Would I recommend it? Only if you're into the old pulp magazines with stories that helped shape the superhero comic industry. Because of the niche crowd it would appeal to, I'm going to have to give it a "Bad".
Comments
Post a Comment