The Sky-Crasher (Stories from the Golden Age)


Book Description

Caution is a second-generation ace pilot desperately trying to bury his past and the memories of his father? a daredevil barnstormer who perished trying to wow crowds and killed Caution's mother from the shock. Now Caution has worked his way up the ladder as an ultra-efficient, ultra-conservative general manager of a small airline struggling to ...




The Sky-Crasher


Book Description

They don't call him Caution Jones for nothing. An ace pilot, ever since his barnstorming father was killed in an air stunt, Jones has stuck strictly to business—as the no-nonsense general manager of Trans-Continental Airlines. But, like Robert Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper, he's about to find that, sometimes, if you want to get anywhere, you have to throw caution to the wind. The race is on for a monster contract: the U.S. Postal Service. But to get it, Trans-Continental will have to circle the globe and beat its top competitor to the prize. And there's only one pilot with the skill to do it: Caution Jones. He'll have to dust off his wings and soar to heights even his father never dreamed of. The wild blue yonder has never been wilder as Jones discovers that the competition will go to any length to bring his plane down. But an even greater challenge sits in his own cockpit—his co-pilot. She's blonde, she's brazen, and she just might get Caution Jones to take the biggest risk of all. . . . L. Ron Hubbard, the pilot, was a sensation in his flying days. As an article in the July 1934 issue of The Pilot magazine said, "Wherever two or three pilots are gathered together around the Nation's Capital, whether it be a Congressional hearing, or just in the back of some hangar, you'll probably hear the name of Ron Hubbard mentioned . . . for the flaming haired pilot hit the city like a tornado a few years ago and made women scream and strong men weep by his aerial antics. He just dared the ground to come up and hit him." And straight from the cockpit to the typewriter, Hubbard brought all the thrills and chills of his flight experience to his stories. Includes the aviation adventure Boomerang Bomber, in which a former U.S. Army officer undertakes a mission for the Chinese only to end up in the crosshairs of Japan's Imperial military. In a world of double- and triple-crosses, this is one conflict that can only be settled in battle . . . in the sky. “Wild adventure.” —The Midwest Book Review




The Sky Devil


Book Description

Vic Kennedy is in one hell of a jam. Quick-witted and sharp-tongued with a maverick sense of adventure, Vic’s flown out of trouble by the skin of his teeth ... and straight into the jaws of disaster. He chose the wrong side of a rebellion, and now the French have bid him adieu and the British have said off you go. It seems the only place that will have him is Greece. The problem with that is, as soon as the Greeks get him, they plan on giving him a real send off—at the gallows. But Vic has a better idea, plotting a course for an oasis in the Sahara ... where things are looking up. A gorgeous captive princess mistakes Vic for a genie—The Sky Devil—and if he gets his wish, well, this Sky Devil will certainly have his day. If he lives to see it. Also includes the adventures “Buckley Plays a Hunch,” in which an adventurer seeks to solve the mystery of three castaways who refuse to be rescued; and “Medals for Mahoney,” the story of a man who journeys into the heart of darkness to thwart a murderous conspiracy.




Six-Gun Caballero


Book Description

He’s handsome. He’s charming. He’s a total gentleman . . . and he’s totally outgunned and outnumbered. He’s Michael Patrick Obañon—a role that has Antonio Banderas written all over it. Obañon’s lost his inheritance—a 100,000-acre New Mexico spread—and he could lose his life if he’s not careful. A ruthless band of renegades have seized his land, and he’s determined to get it back.. Obañon’s got one secret weapon: his fierce intelligence. He can’t outshoot the outlaws, so he’ll have to find a way to outwit them. . . . Part Irish, part Mexican, Michael Patrick Obañon is as American as they come—crafty, confident, and cool under fire. It may be one man against the world, but before he’s done the world will know how the West will be won. In the 1930s a radio program, Writers and Readers, hosted by Bob de Haven, delivered news of the hottest authors of the day—interviewing the writers behind the stories. Here’s how he promoted an upcoming broadcast with L. Ron Hubbard: “He has placed in print a million and a half words. He is a quantity producer, well paid and in constant demand. He has outlined some valuable information on his lead novelette . . . Six-Gun Caballero.” It is an introduction to Hubbard that is as pertinent now as it was then. “Hubbard uses the traditional Western form to tell a challenging and unpredictable story, where the hero outwits his attackers instead of merely having to outshoot them. . . . so intelligent and suspenseful.” —SomebodyDies.com




If I Were You


Book Description

Family friendly Un-Adult-A-rated fun! Does size matter? Is bigger better? That’s no small question to Tom Little—the circus midget with giant dreams. Tom may be king of the midgets, but he’s got far grander ambitions—to become the muscleman at the top, the ringmaster. Now, drawing on some dark ancient secrets and mystic texts, he’s about to get his wish. Imagine a pint-sized Mickey Rooney on steroids, trading up into a body like Burt Lancaster’s. Then imagine paying the biggest price of all…. Assuming another man’s identity, Tom discovers he must also take on his sins, debts, and enemies. He may be living large—but now there are those who want to make him pay for the big man’s sins. Throughout his young life Hubbard was fascinated and intrigued by mysticism and magic. From an old Blackfoot Indian medicine man in Montana to the last living magician descendant of Kublai Khan in China, from the Chamorro natives of Guam to voodoo displays in Haiti, he absorbed information and insight wherever he could—putting it all to marvelous use in stories like this. Also includes The Last Drop, an astounding tale of a New York bartender who mixes some very magical drinks—to amazing effect. “Wonderfully entertaining ... excellent audio quality, talented performers, great sound effects.” —School Library Journal




Hostage to Death


Book Description

Running off to join the French Foreign Legion used to be every boy's dream of action and adventure. But for Lieutenant Bill Reilly—half Irish, half American, and like Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, a Westerner at war in the desert—the dream has turned into a nightmare. And it all begins with the gruesome delivery of a severed hand. . . . The dead, gnarled fingers hold a message from the Berber chief Abd el-Ulad. He challenges the courage of the Legion soldiers and says he holds an American woman captive—who, if Reilly doesn't come to her rescue, is next up for dismemberment. Reilly abandons his post guarding the trains and goes after her. But it's all a trick. In his absence, the railroad falls victim to a terrorist attack. But who set the trap and engineered the sabotage? Reilly is caught in a triangle of treachery as the French, Spanish and native Berbers vie for control. His fate—as well as that of the American woman—rests on his ability to escape a spider's web of double- and triple-crosses and uncover the truth in a desert of deception. Hubbard's knowledge of the Berber raiders as well as of the Arab culture was comprehensive. As a young man he traveled extensively, following and studying numerous nomadic cultures and tribes. Combining those insights with his experience operating everything from machine guns to field telephones in the Montana National Guard and Marine Corps Reserves, Hubbard brought unique authenticity to his tales of the Foreign Legion. His stories were so exceptional, he was sought after by the premier writers' magazines of the time to write how-to articles—two of which appeared the same month that Hostage to Death was published. * An International Book Awards Finalist




Beyond All Weapons


Book Description

Boldly go to new worlds. Firstin Guide is not a man to be reckoned with. Bilged out of the Space Academy at fourteen for one too many duels, raised in the lawless camps of Mars' southern ice cap and cast aside by his family, Firstin's experiences have made him resourceful, respected and feared. But it's just that brute strength of character which convinces a handful of Martian colonists to follow him as he leads a risky venture into space, escaping the tyrannical Earth government that has all but slaughtered them. The small band secures a spaceship that uses an innovative new fuel and, by the grace of the stars, finds a liveable planet. But the men of the new colony led by Firsten also thirst for revenge which drives them to return to Earth and exact retribution despite dire warnings against it. ALSO INCLUDES THE SCIENCE FICTION STORIES "STRAIN" AND "THE INVADERS" "...sci-fi stories from L. Ron Hubbard. Innocent & enjoyable vintage romps." —Review DuJour (Jeff Berkwits, Twitter review)




False Cargo


Book Description

Discover intrigue. Brent Calloway is hired by an insurance firm to board a cargo vessel undercover and ensure it makes its way to San Diego in one piece. Once the voyage is underway, Calloway finds fraud, a pattern of organized scuttlings and the true fate of another vessel captained by an old friend. But when Calloway’s true identity is revealed, he must fight for his life—and the real danger begins. ALSO INCLUDES THE ADVENTURE STORY "GROUNDED" "…one of the great pulp writers, with colorful prose, lively action writing, exotic locales, fresh variations on standard characters and situations, and well-constructed plots."—Ellery Queen




Gunman's Tally


Book Description

Some men look to keep the peace. Others look to make trouble. But sometimes even the most law-abiding of men are compelled to cross the line…. Easy Bill Gates is just such a man—as quick with a smile and as slow to anger as Gary Cooper in High Noon. He’s a model of restraint…until he’s forced to strap on a holster and kill the outlaw who murdered his brother. But more than his honor is at stake. A ruthless land baron is out to grab Bill’s ranch and he’s hired a gang of gunslingers to get Bill out of the way. Between the rancher who wants to take his land, and the young guns who want to take his life, Easy Bill will have to make some hard choices—and fast draws—to avoid becoming just another notch in the Gunman’s Tally. Hailing from the western states of Nebraska, Oklahoma and Montana, Hubbard grew up surrounded by grizzled frontiersmen and leather-tough cowboys, counting a Native American medicine man as one of his closest friends. When he chose to write stories of the Old West, Hubbard didn’t have to go far to do his research, drawing on his own memories of a youth steeped in the life and legends of the American frontier. Also includes the Western adventure, Ruin at Rio Piedras, the story of a young cowboy kicked off a ranch for falling in love with the owner’s daughter…only to devise a whip-smart plan to win the day—and the girl. “Outstanding.” —Midwest Book Review




Red Death Over China


Book Description

It is one of the greatest conflicts—and a pivotal turning point—in history…the Chinese civil war. On one side stands Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists. On the other, Mao Zedong and the Communists. And their forces are about to meet in a decisive battle…the outcome of which is in the hands of one American pilot, John Hampton, a man who, like Bogart in Casablanca, couldn’t care less… He’s a mercenary, flying for the highest bidder, his only loyalty to himself and to cold hard cash. He has nothing to believe in, and nothing to lose. But just as this is a critical moment in history, so, too, is it about to become a defining moment in Hampton’s life. What is the extraordinary experience that has the power to penetrate Hampton’s armor of cynicism and touch his heart? What is it that makes him see that there are things, other than money, that are worth fighting—and maybe even dying—for? The surprising answers spur him to undertake the ultimate mission in Red Death Over China. Hubbard experienced China in the 1930s in a way few Westerners did. Traveling from the ports of the China Sea to Beijing to the Great Wall and onto the hills of Southern Manchuria, he came to know the land and its people—soldiers, spies, outlaws and monks—as well as any American could. It is that background that shines through in stories like Red Death Over China. Also includes the flying adventures The Crate Killer, in which a test pilot uses up his nine lives parachuting nine times from crumbling planes, only to discover that his tenth flight presents the biggest challenge of all; and Wings Over Ethiopia, the story of a pilot captured and accused of being a spy by both sides in a war—and his only means of escape is through the lens of a camera. "Highly recommended for aviation action/adventure pulp fiction."—Midwest Book Review