The Phantom Patrol by L. Ron Hubbard

 

To pirate part of a quote “let’s return to the thrilling days of yesteryear...”.  And the series of books that bring L. Ron Hubbard back from the golden age of pulp fiction certainly do that.  Pulp fiction in the days when I was growing up was our escape from the humdrum, provided us with heroes who were both dashing and moral, and best of all, the books were cheap.  

 

But the writing was not.  And L. Ron Hubbard was one of the best.  He wrote in almost every genre of adventure there was, from westerns to mysteries to scifi & fantasy and military.  Threw in the occasional novel as well. Because his tastes were very eclectic combined with an inquiring mind, he roamed the world seeking and finding characters and situations he wove into these thrilling tales.

 

The Phantom Patrol is an excellent example of the pulp genre and his researches, in this case centered around the US Coast Guard. A Cutter commanded by CPO Jimmy Trescott is tracking an infamous drug runner named Georges Coquelin (interesting to note that drug runners were as prevalent then as now, and with the removal of Prohibition, were of a major concern to the Coast Guard) only to receive an SOS from an aircraft that had crashed but was still afloat.  Giving up on the drug runner’s trail, Jimmy rushes to the rescue only to have Coquelin arrive at the same time.  Results include a damsel in distress, a wealthy man in need, armed combat and eventually a bad case of mistaken identity.  

 

Join me in enjoying this thriller from yesteryear as L. Ron Hubbard builds the tension to an exciting climax.  Remember what is was like to curl up with a rousing good tale.

 

 

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A review of the novel "South by Java Head"

I was woolgathering in my library the other day and my glance fell on an old book, on the shelves for a long time it had been gathering dust and had about it a film of neglect. And such a shame for it to have been so neglected. Written by Alistair MacLean and published in 1958, the story is set in February 1942, in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Singapore. As the British stronghold of Singapore falls to the invading Imperial Japanese Army, a mixed collection of soldiers, nurses, fleeing civilians, a small boy, and at least one spy attempt to escape the burning city aboard the Kerry Dancer, a battered freighter manned by a disreputable captain and crew. The Kerry Dancer is crippled by Japanese aircraft, and the refugees are rescued by the Viroma, a tanker also fleeing Singapore; however, the Viroma is also sunk by the Japanese, and the survivors take to open boats open sea. Led by stalwart First Officer Nicholson, they attempt to flee to safety across the South China Sea, facing death by thirst and exposure, typhoons, and pursuit by the relentless Japanese. As tension amount in the small boat, Nicholson realizes that they are equally at risk from traitors in their midst.

 

Having spent two years in Indonesia as the Air Attache and being fortunate enough to have been brought to fluency in Bahasa Indonesia courtesy of the US State Department, the novel awakens memories.  Taking part in several memorials to Indonesian intellectuals murdered by the Japanese and hearing their stories, made the events in South by Java Head very poignant.

 

Of course one truism that can be said of Mr. MacLean’s heroes, they are typically a male character who is depicted as physically and morally indestructible.  The kind of character all men aspire to.  Unlike the “tainted hero” who skirts or outright flaunts a disregard for law and justice to obtain the correct outcome, MacLean’s protagonists adhere to the straight and narrow and overcome what appears to be insurmountable odds.  With conversation frequently  laced with a dry, sardonic, self-deprecating humour, the hero guides us on to a satisfying end.