Superamalgamated!

I just finished a one day plow through of Paul Malmont's The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril and walked away pretty darn happy. The plot revolves around Lester Dent (aka Kennneth Robeson, creator of Doc Savage) and Walter Gibson (aka Maxwell Grant, creator of the Shadow) investigating two threads of the same mystery that threatens Chinatown, New York City and indeed the entire world. At their sides are the women in their life and the resources of the American Fiction Guild, including L. Ron Hubbard, 'Doc' Smith and H.P Lovecraft.

I don't know enough about the actual lives of these men to comment on the accuracy of that part of the story (though a quick spi through wikipedia confirms that the broad brushstrokes are correct), but the book feels right. It took a little bit for me to get into, but once started it was a heck of a fun ride.

If I have any complaints it's the inclusion later in the book of a pair of other writers/adventurers (whose true names are left as puzzles for the reader) but whose presence felt gratuitous. The inclusion of the rest of the characters meshed nicely in 1930's New York and Providence; having these two turn up broke that pattern. Not enough to tank the book, but enough so that when one of them was identified I groaned with a "fanboy had to fit him in somewhere, did he?"

Still, a hearty thumbs up. It's due out in paperback at the end of the month. If you're into the pulps (and doc_mystery, I'm talking to you), give it a spin.