Zorro and the Pirate Raiders

by Johnston McCulley, D.J. Arneson

When a fearsome gang of pirates raids peaceful Reina de Los Angeles and kidnaps his beloved Lolita, Don Diego Vega, a young nobleman, dons the mask of the legendary Zorro to rescue her

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Johnston McCulley (February 2, 1883 – November 23, 1958) was the author of hundreds of stories, fifty novels, numerous screenplays for film and television, and the creator of the character Zorro.

Many of his novels and stories were written under the pseudonyms Harrington Strong, Raley Brien, George Drayne, Monica Morton, Rowena Raley, Frederic Phelps, Walter Pierson, and John Mack Stone, among others.

McCulley started as a police reporter for The Police Gazette and served as an Army public affairs officer during World War I. An amateur history buff, he went on to a career in pulp magazines and screenplays, often using a Southern California backdrop for his stories.

Aside from Zorro, McCulley created many other pulp characters, including Black Star, The Spider, The Mongoose, and Thubway Tham. Many of McCulley's characters — The Green Ghost, The Thunderbolt, and The Crimson Clown — were inspirations for the masked heroes that have appeared in popular culture from McCulley's time to the present day.

Born in Ottawa, Illinois, and raised in Chillicothe, Illinois, he died in 1958 in Los Angeles, California, aged 75. -wikipedia

Reviews

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfectly captivating, exhilarating tale of Zorro. Pure, wholesome, thrilling delight. I loved this!
It was perfect. I just cannot say enough about this radio dramatization version.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the Zorro dramatizations I've listened to, this is the weakest. Not because of the acting, but because of the story. This story is a mess.

In this installment of Zorro's adventures, Diego de la Vega is all set to marry the pretty Lolita Pulido when pirates raid their wealthy little pueblo. They've been sent by Captain Ramon, the sleazy governor's man who didn't learn his lesson the last time he lost to Zorro. The pirates kidnap Lolita, Don Diego's friends go after them, and Zorro sneaks aboard the ship to comfort Lolita and to make the pirates think the ship is haunted.

Zorro is captured three times within this story, convinces everyone he died twice, and dashes all over the countryside (and the ocean) in pursuit of the pirates. Lolita, meanwhile, manages to get her hands on two different daggers while she's in captivity, proving she's far more useful captive than her dear Zorro.

Captain Ramon's plans might've worked in this episode. The pirates far outnumber the police force and the citizen's brigade, and they're bloodthirsty, at that. But Ramon gets in his own way as often as he plots and plans. In the end, the plan collapses under its own weight as much as by Zorro's intervention.

I listened to this story on audio, acted out by The Colonial Radio Players. They always do a fine job with these roles. They're clear and understandable, despite their accents, and people sound distinct enough to keep them apart. The audio dramatizations are a really fun way of taking these stories in.

[E. D. Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. I have only read a little of Johnston McCulley's original The Further Adventures of Zorro, but it seems to keep with the plot and style pretty well. There are some alterations, though: Zorro's identity is once again a secret, Bernardo is reintroduced, Lolita's love for Zorro is a secret, Sargeant Gonzales is now Garcia, etc. Of course, the events of The Mark of Zorro are retconned, just like McCulley's original, a.k.a a cetain character is no longer dead and is in the same position as before.
This sequel was fun and action packed and funny at times and retains it's pulpy style and cliffhangers.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a polished version of the “Further Adventures of Zorro”. They fixed the repetitive scenes and changed who knew the true identity of Zorro. The dramatization was fun to listen to. I wish there were more like this!

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stretched out plot, but good acting and professionally done.