What do you think?
Rate this book
Captain Hawklin Adventures #1
Captain Hawklin and the Secrets of Monster Island
1930: When two of Captain Steven Hawklin's men are killed and he is attacked by a mysterious masked man, he is reluctantly forced into a race around the world against an eccentric philanthropist, to an uncharted island in the South China Sea. Steven's mission, aide his longtime friend, Oscar "Oz" Lyman in rescuing legendary big game hunter Frank Buck and discovering the incredible secrets of Monster Island.Captain Hawklin and the Secrets of Monster Island is a throwback to a bygone age of pulp adventure stories. Filled with heroes and villains, gangsters and pirates, cliffhangers and suspense, in the tradition, of Commando Cody and Buck Rogers.Join in his adventures, and become a Hawklin Crusader.
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2017
7 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Charles F. Millhouse
63 books55 followersCharles published his first book in 1999 and he hasn't looked back. Having written 20 books in the Science Fiction/Pulp genres. His latest work, Captain Hawklin and the Lost Land is due to be released in spring 2020 and Book II of the his Origin Trilogy: Origin Equation will be published in Late May 2020
Charles lives in Southeastern, Ohio with his wife and two sons.
Charles lives in Southeastern, Ohio with his wife and two sons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 26, 2026
I love "pulp" fiction but haven't read any attempts by current authors to revive the genre. This sounds good on paper with our eccentric hero, a long lost island harboring secrets, lost tribes of natives and rich super villains.
It has all that but honestly it lacked any type of tension or care for the characters. The action was fine but formulaic and I didn't overly care for plot. Its ok for sure and is written by a skilled writer but I won't continue with the series 2.5 stars.
It has all that but honestly it lacked any type of tension or care for the characters. The action was fine but formulaic and I didn't overly care for plot. Its ok for sure and is written by a skilled writer but I won't continue with the series 2.5 stars.
February 23, 2022
Steven Hawklin and his best friend and partner Hardy Regan Miller have been around the world and have found themselves in the middle of many strange and terrifying places and adventures. So, it was with a little sigh of relief that they had found a place that they could relax...if even for a moment. Crown City was Hawklin's childhood home, and he had returned to give back to the city that he loved by building the majestic Silver Bridge. But no good deed goes unpunished and soon Steven and Hardy are drawn --- actually more like forced --- to help with a mysterious plan that will take them halfway around the world on a search for treasure and a lost friend. A place that is known only as...MONSTER ISLAND.
Author Charles Millhouse has been writing stories of adventure and excitement for over two decades. The Captain Hawklin series of books has become perhaps the one that he is most known for with 9 books currently released and the 10th due Spring of 2022. This is my first journey through the mind of Millhouse and found the story entertaining and one that drew me into the adventure itself. The book has a real pulpish feel to it with many of the tropes that made the heroes of the 20s thru the 40s so popular to reader. Hawklin is not the superbly trained example of man as a Doc Savage. Nor is he the tragedy driven figure of a Richard Benson. He doesn't have the ability to cloud men's minds as does the Shadow. Captain Steven Hawklin is a pretty straight forward main character who keeps pushing ahead until he achieves his goal. One little cool personality trait that Millhouse has given his lead --- one that you wouldn't typically see in your strong lead characters --- Hawklin can't stand the sight of blood, the presence of which...outside the body...makes him queasy and uncomfortable. An interesting trait for the hero who will undoubtedly be in the midst of many situations where blood loss could tend to be a definite side effect.
Happily, the story works and Millhouse delivers a pretty straight forward "lost world" story with all the bits and pieces you would imagine.
Normally, my "rating" system is fairly relaxed and I'm willing to give any book that I enjoy and am entertained by a full rating. I did need to knock off a star for this book though as there are multiple punctuation, spelling, and simple grammar issues that tend to jump off the page at me. A book that has been printed more than once should have had a chance to correct those minor issues, but this seems to have missed that opportunity. (The copy/content editor side of me just can't rest...LOL)
Still and all, I DID enjoy the story and will be buying more in the series.
Author Charles Millhouse has been writing stories of adventure and excitement for over two decades. The Captain Hawklin series of books has become perhaps the one that he is most known for with 9 books currently released and the 10th due Spring of 2022. This is my first journey through the mind of Millhouse and found the story entertaining and one that drew me into the adventure itself. The book has a real pulpish feel to it with many of the tropes that made the heroes of the 20s thru the 40s so popular to reader. Hawklin is not the superbly trained example of man as a Doc Savage. Nor is he the tragedy driven figure of a Richard Benson. He doesn't have the ability to cloud men's minds as does the Shadow. Captain Steven Hawklin is a pretty straight forward main character who keeps pushing ahead until he achieves his goal. One little cool personality trait that Millhouse has given his lead --- one that you wouldn't typically see in your strong lead characters --- Hawklin can't stand the sight of blood, the presence of which...outside the body...makes him queasy and uncomfortable. An interesting trait for the hero who will undoubtedly be in the midst of many situations where blood loss could tend to be a definite side effect.
Happily, the story works and Millhouse delivers a pretty straight forward "lost world" story with all the bits and pieces you would imagine.
Normally, my "rating" system is fairly relaxed and I'm willing to give any book that I enjoy and am entertained by a full rating. I did need to knock off a star for this book though as there are multiple punctuation, spelling, and simple grammar issues that tend to jump off the page at me. A book that has been printed more than once should have had a chance to correct those minor issues, but this seems to have missed that opportunity. (The copy/content editor side of me just can't rest...LOL)
Still and all, I DID enjoy the story and will be buying more in the series.
February 23, 2023
A great pulp-style romp with both the secrets of eternal youth and a prehistoric island at stake. How the mystical nexus that offers eternal youth or an island full of prehistoric creatures came to exist is never explained. It's sufficient to know that they exist and that's good enough for me.
Captain Hawklin is the prototypical pulp hero in many ways but is not invincible in the way that Doc Savage is. Hawklin likes to think he is in charge of situations, but the truth is that he gets swept up in events beyond his comprehension and skill--and that's a lot of the fun of this story. I'm looking forward to reading the others.
Captain Hawklin is the prototypical pulp hero in many ways but is not invincible in the way that Doc Savage is. Hawklin likes to think he is in charge of situations, but the truth is that he gets swept up in events beyond his comprehension and skill--and that's a lot of the fun of this story. I'm looking forward to reading the others.
March 2, 2025
I am giving this two stars for two reasons.
The beginning was somewhat chaotic. The reader is thrown into a mix that gives them the impression that the opening is the cumulation of things that have happened before (I actually checked to make sure I had the first in the series).
And there are several misspellings that takes one out of the story, i.e. reaching for a "latter" to climb, and "we will EXcept no excuse"
Once the story gets going it settles down to an adventurous tale which blends Edgar Rice Burroughs Lost World tales and HRH Rider's She. Which, to me, isn't a bad thing.
Early in reading this I had thought that I would not continue with the series, but the story righted itself enough to leave me curious about further exploits of Captain Hawklin.
The beginning was somewhat chaotic. The reader is thrown into a mix that gives them the impression that the opening is the cumulation of things that have happened before (I actually checked to make sure I had the first in the series).
And there are several misspellings that takes one out of the story, i.e. reaching for a "latter" to climb, and "we will EXcept no excuse"
Once the story gets going it settles down to an adventurous tale which blends Edgar Rice Burroughs Lost World tales and HRH Rider's She. Which, to me, isn't a bad thing.
Early in reading this I had thought that I would not continue with the series, but the story righted itself enough to leave me curious about further exploits of Captain Hawklin.
April 1, 2023
A rough first book in a series
Was disappointed in the book. Was hoping for a Doc Savage type of pulp hero, but
that's not what I got. While the underlying ideas and story were fine, the characters were a bit muddled and clichéd. Captain Hawklin is supposed to be a renowned explorer but instead acts like a dimwit. That being said, I will give the second book a try in hopes of a better read.
Was disappointed in the book. Was hoping for a Doc Savage type of pulp hero, but
that's not what I got. While the underlying ideas and story were fine, the characters were a bit muddled and clichéd. Captain Hawklin is supposed to be a renowned explorer but instead acts like a dimwit. That being said, I will give the second book a try in hopes of a better read.
August 16, 2024
Outstanding if you like older style adventure stories like Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider and Doc Savage. The story is well written, engaging and hard to put down. The characters are well fleshed out for an initial book in a series. There is no doubt I will read all of the books. This is the type of story I've been waiting for someone to right for a long time. Most adventure stories written today have social overtones which is distracting an annoying. When I read for fun I want to be entertained and not lectured to by an author trying to impress their peers.
November 22, 2021
A servicable pulp novel, introducing Steven Hawklin and his team.
The action kept moving, and there were some interesting ideas in there. The characters never really grew on me.
It could really have used an editor to tidy it up and fix some spelling mistakes.
The action kept moving, and there were some interesting ideas in there. The characters never really grew on me.
It could really have used an editor to tidy it up and fix some spelling mistakes.
October 18, 2022
Despite many spelling and grammar mistakes, this was a good starting point for the Captain Hawklin Adventures. You are introduced to this world and it’s characters. The supporting ones are full of surprises. Plus, this is a fun adventure story.
June 3, 2018
Great book Mr. Millhouse is coming into his niche of writing. I enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end.
September 23, 2024
highly entertaining, I'll be sure to read more of this series!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews