Pulp Reality 2 - Published by Charles F. Millhouse

   2021; 208 pages.  Full Title: Pulp Reality 2: An Action & Adventure Publication.  New Authors? : Mostly yes.  Book 2 (out of 2, so far) in the “Pulp Reality” series.  Genres : Action & Adventure; Pulp Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8½*/10.

 

   The blurb on the back cover of this book sums it up concisely: “Ten new short stories from today’s leading authors and illustrators in the New Pulp genre.”  Which begs the question:

 

What exactly is the “New Pulp genre”?

 

    Well, Wikipedia has an informative page on the “old” version, labeled “Pulp Magazine”.  The link is here, and even though its heyday was before my time, it still sounds pretty good to me.  It is by nature a collection of short stories, but they can be in all sorts of sub-genres, most of which I like to read anyway, such as fantasy, aviation, horror, science fiction, detectives, war, etc.  Nevertheless, regardless of which sub-genre is used, the prerequisite is always the same: there must be lots of action and adventure.

 

    Sadly, pulp magazines have largely disappeared from the shelves of bookstores, done in by comic books, paperback novels, and most devastating of all, according to Wikipedia, by the “widespread expansion of television”.

 

    But the times they are a-changin’.  Thanks to Stormgate Press, and its publisher, Charles F. Millhouse, you can relive the reading joys your father (or grandfather or great-grandfather) experienced by picking up a copy of Pulp Reality 2.

 

What’s To Like...

    Pulp Reality 2 is an anthology with ten short stories.  They are:

01. New Flesh on Old Bones by Marlin Williams

02. NightVision: Murder After Midnight by Charles F. Millhouse

03. To Race the Moon by Brian K. Morris

04. Snow Chase by Bobby Nash

05. Patently False: B-Man Returns by Clyde Hall

06. Legend of the Fancy Cat by Amy Hale

07. Kings of the Crustaceous Period by Scott Donnelly

08. The Wind-Up Kid by Ron Fortier

09. Ghost From the Past: A Capt. Hawklin Tale by Charles F. Millhouse

10. Ace Anderson & The Curse of Dr. Atomika by Kellie Lynn Austin

 

    Each story is accompanied by at least one piece of eye-catching artwork, usually serving as the title page, plus the front cover image shown above, which I find simply stunning.  The paperback version, which is the only format available for now, measures 8½”x11”, presumably to mimic the traditional size of pulp fiction magazines, which per Wikipedia, was 7”x10”.

 

    One of the ten tales is told in the first-person POV, and one is a continuation of a story from the initial Pulp Reality publication.  There is a minimal amount of cussing, which I gather is also typical of pulp fiction.  A couple of the stories feature heroes who also star in full-length series by their authors, which I thought was a clever way to give the reader a "taste" of those.

 

    I liked that no two stories had the same setting/sub-genre.  We won’t list the details here – it’s more fun to discover these by reading the book.  The back cover claims the magazine is “packed with Pirates, Private Eyes, Aliens, automatons, villains and vigilantes”, and I can attest that’s accurate, albeit not all-inclusive.

 

    There are no “weak links” among the authors here; each tale kept me entertained and turning the pages.  Here's a few things, without spoilers, that really stood out for me, one per tale:

    In Old Flesh for New Bones, the breathtaking “feel” for sailing back in the swashbuckling era!

    In NightVision, the deep character-development of the hero, in only 20 pages.

    In To Race the Moon, the twist at the end of the story.

    In Snow Chase, how well the “then/now” timeline technique worked.

    In Patently False, the refreshingly new super-power.

    In Fancy Cat, much better than The Shining, plus tons of plot twists.

    In Kings of the Crustaceous Period, why eating crab legs may shorten your lifespan.

    In The Wind-Up Kid, the technologically-believable mechanical hero.

    In Ghost from the Past, the insight into the oddly fascinating Hawklin father/son relationship.

    In Ace Anderson, the eerie concept of zombies on a submarine.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  x.x/5 based on 0 ratings.

    Goodreads: x.xx/5 based on 0 ratings and 0 reviews

 

Excerpts...

    The British officer now stood at the railing.  His tall stature was topped by a Bicorne hat and traditional powdered wig.  “I am Thaddeus Beaumont, Captain in the King’s Royal Navy.”  He squared his shoulders.  Through a pair of close-set eyes, he stared down his long nose.  “Captain Gosson Lefleur, as gentlemen, it is my hopes that you and I may discuss terms of surrender.”

    “Mine or yours?”

    Beaumont frowned.  “Do not mock me, sir.  Surrender and you’ll be taken back to England for a fair trial.”

    “I’ve heard tales of the king’s fair trials.”  (pg. 19)

 

    “Thomas…”

    “Yes, I’m still here,” his father replied.

    “Are you up to being a distraction?”

    “And get shot at…?”

    “I don’t think you will.”

    “You don’t think?”  Thomas held a laugh deep in his throat.  (pg. 189)

 

The first rule of assassination, Snow reminded himself, was kill the assassin.  (pg. 89)

    There are a couple of nits to pick.  As noted in a review for the first Pulp Reality book, the large size of the pages can be cumbersome at times.  Nevertheless, I kind of liked it, since I got to experience the "feel" of reading a pulp magazine way back in 1900.

 

    And while 208 pages might sound like a pretty short book, 8½”x11” is the size of a sheet of copier paper.  This means you get a lot more words-per-page than you would from a mass market paperback with the same number of pages.  True, there are a few full-page ads for other pulp-fiction-related events and publications in Pulp Reality 2, but they were also present in my boyhood comic books.

 

    The main drawback here is the significant number of typos, punctuation misuse, and outright mistakes throughout the book, often to the point where it became a distraction for a grammar pedant like me.  Some of the stories were more error-free than others, which makes me wonder if the proofreading and editing was left up to each author to do.

 

    Nonetheless, if grammatical hiccups don’t unsettle your inner reading mind, and you yearn for tales where buckles are swashed and thrills are spilled, then you’ll find Pulp Reality 2 to be a delightful read.  And some more good news: Pulp Reality 3 is due out in the fall of this year!

 

    8½ Stars.  Opening lines are important in any tale, but especially in a short story.  My favorite one from this set of tales: Corporal James Powell never saw a were-panther before and in three more minutes, never would again. (from “To Race The Moon”).