The City of Doom / The Fifth Face

by Walter B. Gibson

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows!" The legendary supersleuth returns in two action-packed pulp thrillers by Walter B. Gibson. The Voodoo Master returns from the grave and launches a series of terrorist attacks to enslave "The City of Doom." Then, the Dark Avenger battles the master of disguise known only as Five Face. Will "The Fifth Face" be the face of death? In a special bonus feature, The Shadow battles an million-year-old Neanderthal in a "lost" radio script by Hugo Award-winning science fiction author Alfred Bester. This instant collector's item leads off with a classic cover by George Rozen, and also includes all the original interior art by acclaimed illustrator Tom Lovell and Earl Mayan plus historical commentary on the origins of super-villains and DC's Vandal Savage by popular culture historians Will Murray and Anthony Tollin.

Genres: Pulp, Thriller

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2007

About the author

Walter Brown Gibson (September 12, 1897-December 6, 1985) was an American author and professional magician best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow. Gibson, under the pen-name Maxwell Grant, wrote "more than 300 novel-length" Shadow stories, writing up to "10,000 words a day" to satisfy public demand during the character's golden age in the 1930s and 1940s.

Reviews

[Leothefox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that every incarnation and adaptation of The Shadow was a little different, but I was surprised by the these novels. Having listened to many of the radio dramas, I was expecting to see more of Lamont Cranston, wealthy-young man-about-town who learned strange secrets years ago in the Orient. In fact “The City of Doom” doesn't feature any Cranston scenes at all, it's just The Shadow on the job, fighting voodoo masters and such.
Still, I'm glad I read Grant's stories. The writing itself wasn't always the sharpest and a strange logic tended to prevail, but I feel like they both delivered the goods. “The Fifth Face” especially had some nice twists at work and it came a little closer to what I expected. The radio script at the end was also a lot of fun.
I almost wish I'd read this before taking on Grant Stockbridge's competing “The Spider”, since that was invested with a bit more energy and generally smoother prose. “The Shadow” novels, so far, may not be a lot of things, but they were worthwhile. I mean, where else will you find brainwashed zombies in roman armor taking on a gun-toting hero in a flooding dungeon?

[Jeff J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pulp novel featuring the Shadow. The return of the Voodoo Master! Much chaos ensues.

[J.L. Rallios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another action-filled Shadow mystery that seems predictable until the end when there is a surprising and satisfying twist that is a capstone of a fun adventure. Setback after setback, the Shadow ultimately proves the victor against yet another criminal mastermind who has brains enough for the five faces that he assumes. The writing, as always, is simple and stilted but endearing (to me, at least). The characters are as colorful as their names. Highly recommended as an example of its genre.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting detective pulp fiction from 1938 and 1940, plus a Shadow radio script from 1944. You know the Shadow wins at the end, but the mystery is how will he get there. Good nostalgia entertainment.