First of all, if I’d seen a book called JANGAR! BEASTLORD OF MUU, BOOK 1: SLAVES OF THE MIND MAGE on the paperback spinner rack when I was a kid, I’d have been all over that sucker. I’d have grabbed it, hurried up to the counter with a handful of quarters to pay for it, and as soon as I got home, I would have headed to one of my regular reading spots to tear into it.
I wouldn’t have been disappointed, either.
This is actually an e-book novella, not a paperback, and I’m a long, long way past being a kid (at least physically), but I had a fine time reading this yarn anyway. Author L.D. Whitney drops us right down in the middle of the action, a technique I always enjoy, as our hero, the stalwart Jangar, who’s a human raised by panthers, rescues Yala, a nearly naked runaway priestess who’s about to be sacrificed by a bunch of beast-men to a lizard god that bears a distinct resemblance to a tyrannosaurus rex. Then, while fleeing through the jungle from the beast-men, Jangar and Yala encounter another threat that turns rather Lovecraftian before it’s all over. As you can guess, Whitney packs enough good stuff into this tale that the pace never has a chance to slow down for more than a breath or two, which is just the way I like it.
That breakneck pace doesn’t allow much time for world-building or back-stories, either, but that’s all right. Whitney gives us enough of both to know what’s going on without any trouble, and since SLAVES OF THE MIND MAGE is just the first in a series of Jangar novellas, I’m sure he’ll flesh things out just fine as we go along. I also like the fact that he gives Yala equal time in the story, too. Despite the title, it’s her story as much as his, and she’s a good character. The cover by Mike Hoffman, the editing, and the production are all top-notch.
In addition to the obvious Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs influence, in his foreword Whitney credits Steve Dilks, a very good contemporary sword-and-sorcery author, and Lin Carter for inspiring him to write this series. I can see some Gardner Fox influence, as well. I enjoy the work of all those authors, so it’s a cinch I’d like this one, too.
Now for a brief rant: many times I’ll see something on Facebook about a new novel that’s supposed to be inspired and influenced by the pulps. That usually intrigues me enough to go to Amazon and check it out. Often, the cover looks good, the description does indeed sound very pulpish, and then I look down and see “Print Length – 437 pages”.
No. Absolutely not. A series might run to 400+ pages or even more, but a single story? Again, no. That’s enough to tell me the author probably doesn’t understand pulp after all. Undoubtedly, that’s not always true and I’m painting with too broad a brush, and I’ve probably missed some good yarns because of feeling that way, but I can’t help it.
Then I look at the print length on SLAVES OF THE MIND MAGE. 56 pages, according to Amazon. Yep, L.D. Whitney gets it. And he’s going to get my money for the rest of the books in this series. I've already bought the second one, and it's waiting on my Kindle.
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