The Shadow in Temple of Crime

Howdy, you Trackers And Sleuths! 

Hope everyone is doing well because we have a mystery to solve!  And it's a classic, too!  This time we're going to talk about a story that appeared in The Shadow magazine, it's called "Temple of Crime".

It was written by  Walter B. Gibson but published under the house name of Maxwell Grant by Street and Smith in November of 1941.  However, my copy is in "The Shadow #77" published by Sanctum Books in 2013.  I got my copy from Radio Spirits, a company that specializes in CDs of old-time radio shows and other (sometimes loosely) related items.

This issue also features another Shadow story called "The Curse of Thoth", a brief essay by Will Murray, and a radio script for an Egyptian-themed episode of Nick Carter.

So here's the situation in this one:  a rich guy named Amru Monak has reconstructed an Egyptian temple of Ammon-Ra on his estate and started up a cult to worship him.  The Shadow sent Margo Lane to join the cult, to investigate it from within.  During their first ceremony in the temple, a murder occurs!  

Amru Monak is one of the primary suspects, but not the only one.  The other two suspects are  Basil Gorth, an archaeologist who was part of the expedition who found the temple in Egypt; and Jan Ravion, a university professor who hopes to be the first person to translate the mysterious hieroglyphics on the pedestal that supports the statue of Ammon-Ra.

The premises are stalked by Monak's sinister servants and also a mysterious gang of ruffians who wear masks styled after Egyptian gods.  The weird temple seems to be magical...or haunted.  And at one point, The Shadow gets locked in a mummy case!

I'm not going to spoil the ending for you, but I will tell you that there are abundant action scenes, panicky crowds, the enigmatic Book of Thoth, and mysterious goings-on!  The Shadow does not "cloud men's minds" like he does in the radio show, but he does seem to have the supernatural ability to...well...become darkness, and therefore go unseen by human eyes. 

I have only read a few Shadow stories, so I don't know how the die-hard connoisseurs rate this one, but I enjoyed it very much.  If you like pulps, you'll certainly like this!  Or maybe you've found it already, if so tell us what you thought about it in the comments below!  I'll be back in a few weeks to talk about something else!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell

Gunthar (and the) Devil From Beyond

Greetings Friends and Fans! 

So, I've been busy and distracted with other things, so let's see if we can get back on track.  I've got a short one to talk about this time, called "Gunthar:  The Devil From Beyond".  This is part of a series about a barbarian adventurer named Gunthar, in this adventure he is embroiled in an adventure against the Devil From Beyond.  Gunthar himself is NOT the Devil From Beyond, I just want to make that clear.

The story is written by Steve Dilks and published by Carnelian Press, this edition is copywritten in 2018.  There are a few other stories in this series, and a collection as well.  

I found the series by accident when I was searching the internet for vintage Conan clones like Lin Carter's Thongor and Gardner Fox's Kothar.   When the Gunthar stories popped up in my internet search, I wasn't sure if they were old or new.  Turns out they're new!

So the hero is Gunthar.  Apparently, he is from some western culture that is not named in this story, but spent a lot of time with a nomadic tribe of warriors in the steppe land of Tatukura and now considers himself one of them.  He is sometimes called the Black Wolf of Tatukura, and a black wolf's head is carved into the handle of his signature curved sword.

This is actually the second Gunthar story I've read, the first was "Gunthar and the Jaguar Queen".  It's been a while since I read that one, and I don't remember the exact passage, but I am under the impression that Gunthar actually lives in some sort of post-apocalyptic world.  In "Jaguar Queen" there was a type of steamship that took him and his companions across the sea, and in this one, the city guards are equipped with energy whips.  These are sort of like lightsabers, except when turned on you get a flexible cord of energy instead of an erect blade.

This is a contemporary story, it's available on Amazon (for Kindle and physical book) and probably other places, too; so I don't want to spoil the ending.  I mean, I wouldn't want someone leaking the plot of my story so no one has to buy it, and I'm not going to do that to someone else.

But I can go ahead and explain the setup.

Gunthar has come to the city of Pashuvia as a merchant caravan guard.  Pashuvia is an Arabian-Nights-inspired location.  It's out in the desert, with buildings made of stone and stucco, with domed tops and onion-shaped towers.  There are dancing girls in harem pants and men wearing turbans and gauzy desert costumes.  Pashuvia is a major midway point on a prominent caravan route and is also a seaport city.

On his first night in town, Gunthar is carousing and gambling and runs into a runaway concubine from the King's harem.  Her name is Ranya and she is having frightening prophetic dreams about a shadowy thing that is coming for her.  She is pursued by the King's guard, led by Captain Jamal.  After a brief altercation, both she and Gunthar are captured.

In the dungeon awaiting trial, Gunthar meets Tullus Vantio, a wandering poet and minstrel who came to Pashuvia to make his fortune and has not fared well.  Upon their eventual release, Gunthar looks up Tullu, and the two become friends.  

Meanwhile, King Shunga II is feeling poorly, possibly suffering from the mind sickness, but really being slowly poisoned by his trusted advisor, the astrologer Kabir Kaaliya.  Upon learning about Ranya's escape and capture by the guards, he is disturbed by the role of Gunthar, an outlander!  According to some horoscope or prophecy he privately received, the presence of an outlander could be the undoing of his plan to reclaim his rightful place as King of Pashuvia!  

To preserve his plot, Kabir summons his shadowy demon Shimunu and instructs him to kill Gunthar!  This is about the halfway point of the story, and I don't think I should reveal more.

Gunthar is a likable hero, in my opinion.  He is not stupid and is a skilled and cunning combatant.  He has a set of morals and seems like an everyman trying to get through life when the adventure imposes itself upon him.  The world he lives in feels bigger than the story itself as they allude to other cities and kingdoms, and mention deities and snippets of history.

So if you like sword and sorcery, then I can heartily recommend that you check out the Gunthar series by Steve Dilks!  Like I said, I've read two of them, and I will be looking for the rest of the series!  I guess that's all I have to say about that, so I'll see you next time!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell