tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post1326258813254073024..comments2024-03-28T18:21:09.285-05:00Comments on Rough Edges: Saturday Morning Western Pulp: Thrilling Western, September 1950James Reasonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-15833695191166538982018-07-15T07:20:48.649-05:002018-07-15T07:20:48.649-05:00Thanks! This is exactly the sort of information I ...Thanks! This is exactly the sort of information I was looking for. I came across an e-book version of one of Cruickshank's stories from SKY FIGHTERS, "The Devil's Forest", and read it. It has the same sort of plot you describe, and while I enjoyed it, I didn't think it was as good as some of the other air war stories I've read. So while I'll probably get the Sky Devil boooks eventually, I'm going to try some of those other authors first. I have some stories by Keyhoe, who I've never read except for his later UFO books, so I'll give those a shot.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-40393467505877198852018-07-14T23:46:38.680-05:002018-07-14T23:46:38.680-05:00Okay, I've finished the first volume of the &q...Okay, I've finished the first volume of the "Sky Devil" stories, and here's a brief assessment. Unlike most of the WWI air combat pulp stories I'm familiar with (such as Donald Keyhoe's "Vanished Legion" and "Jailbird Flight," William Barrett's "Iron Ace," Frederick Painton's "Squadron of the Dead," and -- my favorites -- Ralph Oppenheim's "Three Mosquitoes," all of which are novelet, novella, or short novel length (45 - 80 pages) -- the Sky Devil stories are all short stories, 20 - 23 pages in length; the result is that there are not the kinds of plot, character, or situational development in them that one finds elsewhere. The plot of each story I've read follows a single basic pattern: An initial Aerial Combat takes place which produces or reveals a problem (e. g., someone's captured, some Allied base is threatened, some new secret weapon is about to be unleashed, etc.), which in turn leads to a plan to solve the problem, which then leads to the second aerial combat in which the problem is resolved and, during which, the latest nasty Prussian ace (who is always "von" something Teutonic) is done away with (at least one per story, although there are two in at least one of the stories). In other words, the stories are fairly tightly held to a single line of development; no doubt, when one would have read only one per month per issue of "Dare-Devil Aces," their mechanical similarity probably wouldn't have been so noticeable, but when you read 14 of them over just a few days, they do begin to seem a bit thin in comparison to those stories by writers I mentioned earlier. Don't get me wrong: they are fun in their own way; I'd simply recommend reading them just one at a time with intervals in between. Hedgeguardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17156240140547666322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-83579595963125227502018-07-07T17:53:36.478-05:002018-07-07T17:53:36.478-05:00Great. I'll let you know in a few days, then....Great. I'll let you know in a few days, then.Hedgeguardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17156240140547666322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-76805920237638278002018-07-07T17:08:34.723-05:002018-07-07T17:08:34.723-05:00I almost ordered those Sky Devil books but held of...I almost ordered those Sky Devil books but held off for now, so yes, please, let me know how you like them. I try to support all the pulp reprinters as much as I can.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-27884968738304205982018-07-07T10:15:49.289-05:002018-07-07T10:15:49.289-05:00Interesting that you mention Harold Cruickshank...Interesting that you mention Harold Cruickshank's aviation stories as I just received the two volumes of his "Sky Devil" series from "Daredevil Aces" yesterday; I'll let you know what I think about them in a few days, if you'd like.Hedgeguardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17156240140547666322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-38294021101195964002018-07-07T08:41:09.617-05:002018-07-07T08:41:09.617-05:00Thanks, Walker. I really enjoy writing these up as...Thanks, Walker. I really enjoy writing these up as I read various issues. Just wish I had time to read more. I'm working on that.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-83607882303435338822018-07-07T08:16:33.488-05:002018-07-07T08:16:33.488-05:00Thanks for this review of the September 1950 THRIL...Thanks for this review of the September 1950 THRILLING WESTERN. Now that I think of it, this may be the longest and most detailed review of any specific western fiction magazine issue. I appreciate these reviews and I've recently printed out the six reviews that you wrote about specific issues of JUNGLE STORIES. <br /><br />Walker Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16089880902426182100noreply@blogger.com