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The Green Lama: The Complete Pulp Adventures #1
The Green Lama: The Complete Pulp Adventures Volume 1
Om! Ma-ni pad-me Hum! The first of its kind, the complete adventures of the Green Lama follows the adventures of Buddhist Jethro Dumont and his aides as the battle the forces of evil in the western world. Written by Kendell Foster Crossen, it’s non-stop action in the vein of The Shadow!
Never completely reprinted before, the series is collected in three volumes. Each volume contains an all-new introduction, focusing on a different aspect of the character’s life across several forms of popular media. Volume 1 contains in introduction by Will Murray and features the first five stories: "The Case of the Crimson Hand," "The Case of the Croesus of Murder," "The Case of Babies for Sale," "The Case of the Wave of Death," and "The Case of the Man Who Wasn’t There."
Never completely reprinted before, the series is collected in three volumes. Each volume contains an all-new introduction, focusing on a different aspect of the character’s life across several forms of popular media. Volume 1 contains in introduction by Will Murray and features the first five stories: "The Case of the Crimson Hand," "The Case of the Croesus of Murder," "The Case of Babies for Sale," "The Case of the Wave of Death," and "The Case of the Man Who Wasn’t There."
519 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 8, 2011
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About the author
Kendell Foster Crossen
102 books3 followersaka Richard Foster , Kendell F. Crossen , Kendall Foster Crossen , Ken Crossen , Christopher Monig
Kendell Foster Crossen was a mainstay of American pulp fiction and science fiction of the 1950s. He was the creator and writer of stories about the Green Lama (a pulp and comic book hero) and the Milo March detective novels.
Kendell Foster Crossen was a mainstay of American pulp fiction and science fiction of the 1950s. He was the creator and writer of stories about the Green Lama (a pulp and comic book hero) and the Milo March detective novels.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 16, 2015
Long ago, when the bad guys of society were more easily discerned than they are now, and the best friction in the world was printed on cheap pulp paper, there was a most unusual hero. He was an implacable foe of evil, fearless and honorable. Unlike other pulp-era crime fighters, he eschewed all firearms, his only weapons being a red scarf and his knowledge of the body’s pressure points. He spoke in parables and maxims, and when asked a question he would often tell a story about a long-dead religious teacher. He chanted and prayed, kept a butter candle always burning before an image of the Buddha, and often spent hours in meditation. Because he wore a green robe when fighting crime, the American press dubbed him The Green Lama.
This book gathers the first five adventures of the Green Lama, presenting them in order—“The Curse of the Crimson Hand,” “The Case of the Croesus of Murder,” “The Case of Babies for Sale,” “The Case of the Wave of Death,” and “The Case of the Man Who Wasn’t There.” What the stories have in common with each other, and with most hero adventures of the time, is the presence of a hidden mastermind who works his evil plans from behind the scenes, whose identity is concealed by shadows or disguises, even from his own minions, until he is unmasked by the Green Lama and his aides in the last chapters. The actual foes, however, are different in nature and goal—a common criminal using science and fear to commit uncommon crimes, a megalomaniac who steals gold from Fort Knox to finance a Nazi takeover of America (in 1940!), a heartless fiend who steals babies from rich and poor to auction them to the highest bidder, a spymaster who uses ghosts and murder to obtain a secret weapon for the Empire of Japan, and a murderer and narcotics racketeer whose slayground is a cruise ship and whose avatar is a grinning skull.
Because the stories are presented in order there is a clear progression of action and location, as well as characterization, a logical expansion of the Green Lama’s allies. The modern reader can then share the same experience original fans had when reading the magazine month after month. In addition to some pulse-pounding crime-fighting action, the reader is exposed to the tenants and teachings of Buddhism as well the language and history of Tibet. To help the reader a tremendous number of footnotes are included explaining terms, concepts and translations, and when later stories reference earlier stories, those are footnoted as well, resulting in a certain amount of repetition.
This book will appeal to aficionados of pulp fiction, especially those seeking something more than just the usual bang-bang biff-pow action. While it has all the elements you expect in fiction written when criminals ruled cities (even more than they do now) and threatened the national government (rather than being supported by it), it also offers some insight into the soul and the quest for justice. Because the Green Lama is a Buddhist priest, the violence level is comparatively low, with crooks meeting death inadvertently at the hands of their fellow criminals, or hoisted upon the petard of their own nefarious plans. The stories are well researched and written, carefully plotted, and thoughtfully presented.
This book gathers the first five adventures of the Green Lama, presenting them in order—“The Curse of the Crimson Hand,” “The Case of the Croesus of Murder,” “The Case of Babies for Sale,” “The Case of the Wave of Death,” and “The Case of the Man Who Wasn’t There.” What the stories have in common with each other, and with most hero adventures of the time, is the presence of a hidden mastermind who works his evil plans from behind the scenes, whose identity is concealed by shadows or disguises, even from his own minions, until he is unmasked by the Green Lama and his aides in the last chapters. The actual foes, however, are different in nature and goal—a common criminal using science and fear to commit uncommon crimes, a megalomaniac who steals gold from Fort Knox to finance a Nazi takeover of America (in 1940!), a heartless fiend who steals babies from rich and poor to auction them to the highest bidder, a spymaster who uses ghosts and murder to obtain a secret weapon for the Empire of Japan, and a murderer and narcotics racketeer whose slayground is a cruise ship and whose avatar is a grinning skull.
Because the stories are presented in order there is a clear progression of action and location, as well as characterization, a logical expansion of the Green Lama’s allies. The modern reader can then share the same experience original fans had when reading the magazine month after month. In addition to some pulse-pounding crime-fighting action, the reader is exposed to the tenants and teachings of Buddhism as well the language and history of Tibet. To help the reader a tremendous number of footnotes are included explaining terms, concepts and translations, and when later stories reference earlier stories, those are footnoted as well, resulting in a certain amount of repetition.
This book will appeal to aficionados of pulp fiction, especially those seeking something more than just the usual bang-bang biff-pow action. While it has all the elements you expect in fiction written when criminals ruled cities (even more than they do now) and threatened the national government (rather than being supported by it), it also offers some insight into the soul and the quest for justice. Because the Green Lama is a Buddhist priest, the violence level is comparatively low, with crooks meeting death inadvertently at the hands of their fellow criminals, or hoisted upon the petard of their own nefarious plans. The stories are well researched and written, carefully plotted, and thoughtfully presented.
June 20, 2012
The Green Lama was created in 1939 to compete with the Shadow character in the Shadow magazine. Like most character (pulp) fiction magazines, the stories aren't great shakes, but good solid "fiction by the numbers" make-sure-that-they-buy-the-next-issue works. Crossen tried to make it less like the Shadow by adding Buddhist (apparently Tibetan) chants, symbols, and philosophy to the series. The Green Lama doesn't spend a lot of pages discussing religion, so it's hard to say how accurate it is. There are actual footnotes scattered throughout the stories, explaining what various chants means. Some of the sayings appear more like Americanized Confucius sayings (so it is written). Let's be frank, these 5 stories are not a wonderful reading experience, it's is however quiet competent. However, if you like pulp heroes, or you'd just like to see how they make a Buddhist priest into an action hero, then you are likely to find this fun. Fyab rii tag, dun rii tso.
August 13, 2025
Written based on The Shadow, with some Black Bat, etc elements.
He is Jethro Dumont who inherited ten million dollars. Also known as the Rev. Dr Pali. Pali is a buddhist priest who wears green. The Green Lama is pretty much the same, so in story 3, some make the connection.
He does not carry a gun and is against killing, except in the first story where he blows up three murderous planes. Fortunately the crooks are all bad shots, like in one instance where 30 nearby gunmen cannot hit him. He can escape from any trap, sometimes using a paper thin piece of metal as tough as "adamantium" (from Marvel comics.)
The Green Lama drinks RADIOACTIVE salts which gives him an "electric touch", where with the knowledge of a doctor, he just touches parts of the body, head, etc so temporarily paralyzes limbs, makes crooks go blind, not able to talk, etc.
There is a woman, a female lama, who he knows very little about. She conveniently turns up in various disguises giving him information and saving his and others lives a number of times.
Gary Brown is an ex-crook who helps him, as does Evangl and Dr Valco, both from the first story. Also cop, Lieutenant Caroway.
Five stories here. One is liquid radiation which makes people go to sleep. Two is Nazis stealing gold and somehow converting it into gas. Three is kidnapping and ransoming babies, or selling them. Four is the seance death of a secret agent and evil Japs with a base in America. Five is smugglers aboard a cruise liner.
Not a great read.
He is Jethro Dumont who inherited ten million dollars. Also known as the Rev. Dr Pali. Pali is a buddhist priest who wears green. The Green Lama is pretty much the same, so in story 3, some make the connection.
He does not carry a gun and is against killing, except in the first story where he blows up three murderous planes. Fortunately the crooks are all bad shots, like in one instance where 30 nearby gunmen cannot hit him. He can escape from any trap, sometimes using a paper thin piece of metal as tough as "adamantium" (from Marvel comics.)
The Green Lama drinks RADIOACTIVE salts which gives him an "electric touch", where with the knowledge of a doctor, he just touches parts of the body, head, etc so temporarily paralyzes limbs, makes crooks go blind, not able to talk, etc.
There is a woman, a female lama, who he knows very little about. She conveniently turns up in various disguises giving him information and saving his and others lives a number of times.
Gary Brown is an ex-crook who helps him, as does Evangl and Dr Valco, both from the first story. Also cop, Lieutenant Caroway.
Five stories here. One is liquid radiation which makes people go to sleep. Two is Nazis stealing gold and somehow converting it into gas. Three is kidnapping and ransoming babies, or selling them. Four is the seance death of a secret agent and evil Japs with a base in America. Five is smugglers aboard a cruise liner.
Not a great read.
March 18, 2024
Classic pulp heroics, but with the twist that the hero is a Buddhist priest. The stories are refreshingly different from the standard pulp fare. The hero tries hard not to kill and maintains a serene demeanor in even the most harrowing circumstances. By taking radioactive salt, his touch becomes slightly charged and he can selectively paralyze his opponents with a touch to their skulls. The stories have a modern feel. At one point when confronting a vicious criminal, the GL says, "In Tibet there is a proverb that says the man who walks in darkness must expect to stumble over a rock. I am that rock." Can't get cooler than that.
May 7, 2020
Classic pulp adventure stories that are less bloody than some of their contemporaries. The blend of Eastern mysticism, wealthy playboy, and drive for justice do recall the Shadow but the Green Lama is specifically a Tibetan Buddhist and though more violent than a true lama would be he's not mowing down criminals without remorse. The cultural aspect is handled fairly respectfully for the time even if it's another "white dude uses funky Eastern magic best" set up. Also there's some hilarious "science" about radioactive salts and pressure points. Overall a fun diversion.
April 7, 2016
Until recently, I had been unaware of The Green Lama pulp stories. This collection his first five adventures is an excellent introduction to the character. He is a wisely moral character who fights crime from the Buddhist religious perspective. All the stories are solid, but are susceptible to the typical trappings of the storytelling methodology. That is to say, there are portions of stories where you can tell the author "sped up" the story plot to meet a publication deadline.
On the whole, I heartily recommend this book for fans of pulp style fiction.
On the whole, I heartily recommend this book for fans of pulp style fiction.
March 9, 2016
Excellent and very well written pulp series. This omnibus edition features the first four Green Lama pulp novels. There's obviously a bit of both the Shadow and Doc Savage here, but the Green Lama himself is a much more accessible hero than the Shadow was. He's got a bit of super-science here and there, and a lot of Tibetan mystique. The supporting cast isn't as stereotypical as Doc's, but they are all written like them, as real people.
Very enjoyable series so far; think I'll pick up the next volume in this reprint series next month.
Very enjoyable series so far; think I'll pick up the next volume in this reprint series next month.
December 11, 2013
Pretty good - a bit of a romp with some good old fashioned values and violence. Don't read too many all at once as it can get a bit samey.
March 9, 2016
A very standard set of pulpy caped crusader tales, albeit with some slightly iffy cultural appropriation. Nothing remarkable but not truly terrible either.
September 6, 2016
Rating 4.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews