What do you think?
Rate this book
The Avenger #2
The Yellow Hoard
The hidden gold of the Aztecs. A gang of criminals kill to find it - and unleash the wrath of The Avenger
In the roaring heart of the crucible, steel is made. In the raging flame of personal tragedy, men are sometimes forged into something more than human.
It was so with Dick Benson. He had been a man. After the dread loss inflicted on him by an inhuman crime ring, he became a machine of vengeance dedicated to the extermination of all other crime rings.
He turned into the the person we know now: A figure of ice and steel, more pitiless than both; A mechanism of whipcord and flame; A symbol to crooks and killers; A terrible, almost impersonal force, masking chill genius and super normal power behind a face as white and dead as a mask from the grave. Only his pale eyes, like ice in a polar dawn, hint at the deadliness of the scourge the underworld heedlessly invoked against itself when crime's greed turned millionaire adventurer Richard Benson into The Avenger.
In the roaring heart of the crucible, steel is made. In the raging flame of personal tragedy, men are sometimes forged into something more than human.
It was so with Dick Benson. He had been a man. After the dread loss inflicted on him by an inhuman crime ring, he became a machine of vengeance dedicated to the extermination of all other crime rings.
He turned into the the person we know now: A figure of ice and steel, more pitiless than both; A mechanism of whipcord and flame; A symbol to crooks and killers; A terrible, almost impersonal force, masking chill genius and super normal power behind a face as white and dead as a mask from the grave. Only his pale eyes, like ice in a polar dawn, hint at the deadliness of the scourge the underworld heedlessly invoked against itself when crime's greed turned millionaire adventurer Richard Benson into The Avenger.
158 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1939
6 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Robeson
920 books134 followersKenneth Robeson was the house name used by Street and Smith Publications as the author of their popular character Doc Savage and later The Avenger. Though most Doc Savage stories were written by the author Lester Dent, there were many others who contributed to the series, including:
William G. Bogart
Evelyn Coulson
Harold A. Davis
Lawrence Donovan
Alan Hathway
W. Ryerson Johnson
Lester Dent is usually considered to be the creator of Doc Savage. In the 1990s Philip José Farmer wrote a new Doc Savage adventure, but it was published under his own name and not by Robeson. Will Murray has since taken up the pseudonym and continued writing Doc Savage books as Robeson.
All 24 of the original stories featuring The Avenger were written by Paul Ernst, using the Robeson house name. In order to encourage sales Kenneth Robeson was credited on the cover of The Avenger magazine as "the creator of Doc Savage" even though Lester Dent had nothing to do with The Avenger series. In the 1970s, when the series was extended with 12 additional novels, Ron Goulart was hired to become Robeson.
William G. Bogart
Evelyn Coulson
Harold A. Davis
Lawrence Donovan
Alan Hathway
W. Ryerson Johnson
Lester Dent is usually considered to be the creator of Doc Savage. In the 1990s Philip José Farmer wrote a new Doc Savage adventure, but it was published under his own name and not by Robeson. Will Murray has since taken up the pseudonym and continued writing Doc Savage books as Robeson.
All 24 of the original stories featuring The Avenger were written by Paul Ernst, using the Robeson house name. In order to encourage sales Kenneth Robeson was credited on the cover of The Avenger magazine as "the creator of Doc Savage" even though Lester Dent had nothing to do with The Avenger series. In the 1970s, when the series was extended with 12 additional novels, Ron Goulart was hired to become Robeson.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 22, 2020
Richard Benson, the ashen-faced crimefighter known as The Avenger, is on the trail of criminals who employ peanut-sized explosives in their hunt for Aztec gold.
This adventure is not quite as good as the first, but it has plenty of action and the Avenger remains one crazy-ass character with his dead face that can be molded into any shape and his habit of knocking opponents out by creasing their skulls with a bullet from his trusty customized .22, which goes by the name of Mike. Benson adds another member to his crew in the person of the lovely but deadly Nellie Grey.
https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com
This adventure is not quite as good as the first, but it has plenty of action and the Avenger remains one crazy-ass character with his dead face that can be molded into any shape and his habit of knocking opponents out by creasing their skulls with a bullet from his trusty customized .22, which goes by the name of Mike. Benson adds another member to his crew in the person of the lovely but deadly Nellie Grey.
https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com
March 21, 2019
Much like Doc Savage the Avenger fights crime with the help of his aids. While the stories aren't as exciting and world ranging as Doc he is still a great pulp character and read. Very recommended
April 27, 2018
This second novel in The Avenger series, originally published in October, 1939, continues the early adventures of Richard “Dick” Benson in his efforts to fight crime, especially criminal organizations that are similar to the one who was responsible for the death of his wife and young daughter. Here, he and his two associates, chase after a group who has discovered that an archaeological find will lead them to a huge secret Aztec treasure hoard of gold which they plan to use to further their nefarious goals.
The author behind the Kenneth Robeson name is Paul Ernst, once again, and he delivered a solid second installment of the series. The plot was fun if rather simple and straightforward. It does its job as a follow-on to the origin story told in the first book, Justice, Inc. and serves as a good example of the kind of adventure that readers could expect in the stories to come. It is probably best remembered for the introduction of the character, Nellie Grey, as the latest recruit to Benson’s stable of crime fighters. Her small, pretty, and seemingly fragile physique disguises a mastery of jiu-jitsu and other martial arts. She is a welcome addition to the group, and quite remarkable considering the male-dominated era in which this series was written (1939-1942).
After a somewhat questionable start to the series, I am now eager to continue. Looking forward to reading book 3.
The author behind the Kenneth Robeson name is Paul Ernst, once again, and he delivered a solid second installment of the series. The plot was fun if rather simple and straightforward. It does its job as a follow-on to the origin story told in the first book, Justice, Inc. and serves as a good example of the kind of adventure that readers could expect in the stories to come. It is probably best remembered for the introduction of the character, Nellie Grey, as the latest recruit to Benson’s stable of crime fighters. Her small, pretty, and seemingly fragile physique disguises a mastery of jiu-jitsu and other martial arts. She is a welcome addition to the group, and quite remarkable considering the male-dominated era in which this series was written (1939-1942).
After a somewhat questionable start to the series, I am now eager to continue. Looking forward to reading book 3.
April 12, 2024
I enjoyed this a lot. I've read some Doc Savage, so I'm familiar with the archetype. The Avenger is painted differently but of the same cloth. I took this 1972 first Warner paperback printing with me two days ago in case of boredom, but only read 18 pages of it, distracted as I was by the people in the place I found myself in all day, and the fun I had pretending to be someone I'm not.
Earlier tonight I dived back into it and just came up for air. You likely can tell how it's written by how I've worded this. It's 1930's style, copyrighted in 1939 by Street & Smith publications. They used Kenneth Robeson as the pseudonym of the writers of their popular characters Doc Savage and later, The Avenger. It is a quick and satisfying read.
Unfortunately, I had to stash the book in my back pocket and sat on it, cracking the spine, which tore the pages near the spine, so I will toss it in the recycle. I prefer to pass books along, but no one wants a book with damage.
Earlier tonight I dived back into it and just came up for air. You likely can tell how it's written by how I've worded this. It's 1930's style, copyrighted in 1939 by Street & Smith publications. They used Kenneth Robeson as the pseudonym of the writers of their popular characters Doc Savage and later, The Avenger. It is a quick and satisfying read.
Unfortunately, I had to stash the book in my back pocket and sat on it, cracking the spine, which tore the pages near the spine, so I will toss it in the recycle. I prefer to pass books along, but no one wants a book with damage.
February 4, 2023
This story worked remarkably well as a means of adding a character to The Avenger's team. Nellie Gray, whose father was brutally murdered, had both an unusual background and an unusual connection to vast sums of money, in the form of a lost treasure. These are both plot points in this story, but for anyone who connects the cover art and the title, it's mostly about just HOW the characters get from point A to point B.
In fact, my only concern about the story is that, for The Avenger and/or Nellie to use the treasure for any purpose, there would have to be a lot of not-very-legal smuggling involved, but I guess that adventurers of that period were allowed to skip a few rules here and there.
In fact, my only concern about the story is that, for The Avenger and/or Nellie to use the treasure for any purpose, there would have to be a lot of not-very-legal smuggling involved, but I guess that adventurers of that period were allowed to skip a few rules here and there.
January 6, 2024
What I really appreciate about the Avenger books, separate from Doc Savage or The Shadow, is the slow build. In this book, the second in the series, we are introduced to Nellie Gray, who will join with the Avenger for all his later adventures.
Another thing I like about the Avenger is that, if you overlook the "dead gray" skin and his impossibly uncanny marksmanship, he is more "human" than the near superhuman Doc Savage or the mystical The Shadow. Yes, he is smarter than almost anyone, he knows more than almost anyone, and he is stronger than almost anyone, but within the realm of human capacity. He is much easier to relate with.
Another thing I like about the Avenger is that, if you overlook the "dead gray" skin and his impossibly uncanny marksmanship, he is more "human" than the near superhuman Doc Savage or the mystical The Shadow. Yes, he is smarter than almost anyone, he knows more than almost anyone, and he is stronger than almost anyone, but within the realm of human capacity. He is much easier to relate with.
September 8, 2017
Read this one back in the 70s. A pulp reprint in the Doc Savage vein.
December 15, 2021
A fun read.
December 13, 2015
The Avenger, Richard Benson, was one of the greatest pulp crime-fighters. He and his band of associates comprised Justice, Inc., and, armed with keen gadgets, clear genius, stout hearts, good humor, and the force of right set forth from their Bleek Street headquarters to thwart evil, defend goodness, and protect American society. The adventures were published as "by Kenneth Robeson, the creator of Doc Savage," (which may have led to the perception that The Avenger was something of a second-rate Doc), though the originals were actually written by Paul Ernst and then continued by Ron Goulart many years later. Armed with Mike & Ike, a very special knife and gun, Benson was teamed with Mac and Smitty (analogous to Monk and Ham from the Doc Savage series) from the beginning, and then joined by blonde and diminutive Nellie Grey (who could definitely have held her own with Pat Savage or Nita van Slaon) in the second book, Josh and Rosabel Newton, perhaps the best-depicted African-American couple from the era in The Sky Walker, and light-hearted Cole Wilson in the thirteenth adventure. The stories were well-paced and exciting and very well-written for the context of the era. Benson's origin, as recounted in Justice, Inc., the first story, was similar to Bruce Wayne's in that the loss of his family spurred his decision to fight crime; his wealth and physical prowess allowed him to do so. The loss of his wife and daughter resulted in a weird facial
deformity that made his skin lose its pigmentation and left it malleable like wax so that he could reform it and made him "the man of a thousand faces"; the loss of this ability in the thirteenth novel was a downturn in the series. The series continued for a second dozen adventures in the 1940's, and then revived for a third dozen in the 1970's when Warner Books had Goulart continue the series for another dozen volumes after they put out the first two dozen in paperback. It was a fun and thrill-packed intelligent series, more down-to-Earth than the Doc Savage books and much less crazy than The Spider series.
deformity that made his skin lose its pigmentation and left it malleable like wax so that he could reform it and made him "the man of a thousand faces"; the loss of this ability in the thirteenth novel was a downturn in the series. The series continued for a second dozen adventures in the 1940's, and then revived for a third dozen in the 1970's when Warner Books had Goulart continue the series for another dozen volumes after they put out the first two dozen in paperback. It was a fun and thrill-packed intelligent series, more down-to-Earth than the Doc Savage books and much less crazy than The Spider series.
August 2, 2013
This was the first "Pulp" character I ever read. This book made such an impression that I searched out all of these Warner paperback reprints as they were coming out. (No small feat when you live in rural Minnesota.) A mysterious hero formed by tragedy, a band of like minded but misfit team members, a headquarters hidden in nondescript exterior, action and adventures, what more could you ask for?
It was the Avenger that led me to Doc Savage and then to The Shadow, both more popular I suppose, but the Avenger is still my favorite.
It was the Avenger that led me to Doc Savage and then to The Shadow, both more popular I suppose, but the Avenger is still my favorite.
November 17, 2018
read some time in 1983
April 25, 2017
Before THE AVENGERS there were THE AVENGERS. And before THE AVENGERS there was THE AVENGER.
Hmmm, something tells me that the trope of "avenging" is a pretty damn strong one.
This is Kenneth Robeson's second big series and pretty much follows the format of DOC SAVAGE with a borderline omnipotent leader, here: kind of like The Man of White as opposed to The Man of Bronze, running a gang of diverse characters in a fight against crime across several countries. Together they form "Justice & Co."
Dick Benson, the Avenger, has turned preternaturally white skinned and haired with an immobile face that can be molded to replicate any other person's look after the death of his wife and child in a gangland attack. This book introduces him to Nellie, the new female member of the group.
The title "The Yellow Hoard" let me initially to believe that this was gonna feature a Fu Manchu-style villain but instead referred to the gold of the Aztecs.
Can't say I am overly familiar with Robeson's oeuvre but based on this book alone the series is at least as good if not better than the DOC SAVAGE ones.
Hmmm, something tells me that the trope of "avenging" is a pretty damn strong one.
This is Kenneth Robeson's second big series and pretty much follows the format of DOC SAVAGE with a borderline omnipotent leader, here: kind of like The Man of White as opposed to The Man of Bronze, running a gang of diverse characters in a fight against crime across several countries. Together they form "Justice & Co."
Dick Benson, the Avenger, has turned preternaturally white skinned and haired with an immobile face that can be molded to replicate any other person's look after the death of his wife and child in a gangland attack. This book introduces him to Nellie, the new female member of the group.
The title "The Yellow Hoard" let me initially to believe that this was gonna feature a Fu Manchu-style villain but instead referred to the gold of the Aztecs.
Can't say I am overly familiar with Robeson's oeuvre but based on this book alone the series is at least as good if not better than the DOC SAVAGE ones.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews