FEAR and Other Stories from the Pulps

by Achmed Abdullah

Achmed Abdullah's name was once synonymous with adventure. He published dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories in the pulp magazines of the early 20th century, thrilling millions of readers throughout the world. He wrote with authority about exotic peoples and places because he had lived a life filled with adventure, serving in the British army and travelling extensively to exotic locales before settling down to a literary career. Here is the first new book of Adbullah's stories in almost seventy years, sampling a broad range of his work. "A Charmed Life" tells of one life-changing night in India, when a white man glimpses a beautiful woman in danger and acts to rescue her. "Framed at the Benefactor's Club" is a fascinating, intricately plotted mystery set in Manhattan. "The Yellow Wife" is a chilling look at Chinese life in Chinatown. "Bismallah!" is a light adventure in Africa, as crooked traders try to put a successful rival company out of business. "Light" is a surprisingly effective supernatural tale. "A Yarkand Survey" tells the story of a corrupt governor sent on a survey mission that might cost him his life -- if he isn't careful! And "Fear" is the tale of two thieving white men in Africa and the weird fates that awaited them. Ranging from mystery to adventure to outright horror, from the streets of New York to the rooftops of Calcutta, from London's Chinatown to the jungles of Africa, here are tales of men caught up by plots and mysteries beyond their wildest imaginings! Features a new introduction by pulp scholar Darrell Schweitzer.

Genres: Horror

228 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2005

About the author

Achmed Abdullah, a pseudonym of Alexander Nicholayevitch Romanoff, was born of a Russian Orthodox father and a Muslim mother. He was raised in Britain and educated at Eton and Oxford. He served in the British Army in France, China and India. He is most noted for his pulp stories of crime, mystery and adventure. He wrote screenplays for some successful films. He was the author of the progressive Siamese drama Chang, an Academy Award nominated film made in 1927. He earned an Academy Award nomination for collaborating on the screenplay to the 1935 film The Lives of a Bengal Lancer.

Reviews

[Airihi Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope! Not for me, lost all interest when they started throwing out several racial slurs and referring to black people as " half children and half apes " who had no sense and so on.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had already read most, if not all, these stories in different collections. But it was enjoyable to go through them again. Achmed Abdullah, author and screenwriter, was a sublime storyteller. In each one of these tales, no matter if it's of novella length or a simple story of a few pages, he knows the secret of how to spin things out. It's amazingly simple but difficult to pull off in execution. That is, structure your story so the segments, scenes, or chapters always end with "but then." If a novel or story seems to lag or bring boredom to the reader, it's likely because the author chooses "and then" over "but then." It's all a matter of clash, drama, and conflict. Of course, the atmosphere must be there, and these stories have that done over easily, but it's the dramatic tool to advance the story that's the key. That's what makes this collection work.

[Rayjan Koehler · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of racist wording to describe non-white characters, and also includes a grown man kidnapping an unconscious 16 year old girl that he just met because he thinks he's in-love with her...and magically when she comes-to she is smitten with him, and decides that she wants to marry him. She ends up being a princess too.