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GUAN-YIN and the HORRORS OF SKULL ISLAND
When beautiful pirate captain Guan-Yin leads her crew on a quest for a fabulous treasure the trail leads to the legendary Skull Island... a land said to be inhabited by unimaginable monsters and ruled by an awful God. Heedless of the whisperings portending terrible death, the daring Guan-Yin sets off on a fantastic adventure that pits her against hostile natives, treacherous allies, dread monsters, and the most fantastic creature imaginable ? all in the name of the greatest treasure of all... finding her long-lost father! Wild Cat Books is proud to present PULSE POUNDERS!, a new series of affordable pulp fiction digests, with this thrilling new novella by the author of The Rook! Cover art by Lorenzo Sperlonga.
72 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2009
About the author
Barry Reese
144 books27 followersBarry Reese is one of the leading authors in the modern pulp revival. A former writer for Marvel Comics, Reese is the author of The Rook series and many other novels. His work has appeared in books published by Marvel Comics, West End Games, Wild Cat Books, Moonstone Books and Pulpwork Press. Reese's newest book, RABBIT HEART, was published in February 2010 and features his first foray into the horror genre.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 11, 2021
The fact that Guan-Yin was a pirate with her own crew and ship was more a product of her determination and loyalty to those who fought with her rather any superior fighting skill or back-stabbing abilities that would normally see a rise to the top on such a determinedly man's world. But all her victories and successes continued to pale through the veil of loss that she continually faced with the disappearance - and to all intents DEATH - of her father. But she knew he yet lived. It was that belief that was fueled by the offer of the mage M'Baku. Definitely not one to be trusted but perhaps a means to an end as they both had purpose defined by the need to sail to a lost and forbidding destination.
But the horrors waiting there were unlike any they had ever faced and the failure to survive might mean an eternity of servitude to a master neither wanted. Those horrors had to wait their turn though as the creatures who inhabited the island were deadly in their own right and to survive they might have to defeat an animal so powerful as to be considered a god on its own island.
Barry Reese, as the Author of this short 65 page novella, has dipped his metaphorical writing toes into many worlds and genres. But more than any his wheelhouse seems to be in the look and feel of all things pulpish and golden aged stories and film. And this is no exception as Reese gives his readers a short little journey that combines the myth of the Lost Dutchman with the modern day Legend that is a certain gargantuan 'king' of the apes who reigns over his cloud-enshrouded hidden island.
Barry has identified his writings in what he calls his 'Reese Unlimited' universe. The main characters of which are to be found in his Lazarus Gray and Peregrine (late The Rook) stories but encompass a long line of lead in and supporting stories from centuries long past. In my effort to track down these tales, I was lead to this little adventure. While not necessarily one of Barry's greatest creations, it was a fun story that should entertain the reader for an hour in a world of pirates, ghosts, lost worlds, and creatures of the dim past and the not so dim flickerings of the cinema.
Reese's strengths in his world building and character creations are his ability to give us truly atmospheric stories that wrap the reader into a feeling of the world they are traveling through. His characters are either true heroes or dastardly (always wanted to use that word) villains that at times can flip orientation as Reese dives deeper into motivations and emotions.
As for the character of Guan-Yin? Definitely one that I would enjoy seeing in another story or two. Hey...a good pirate tale led by a strong female MC has always been one of my favorites since Belit and a certain young Cimmerian found their paths crossing.
But the horrors waiting there were unlike any they had ever faced and the failure to survive might mean an eternity of servitude to a master neither wanted. Those horrors had to wait their turn though as the creatures who inhabited the island were deadly in their own right and to survive they might have to defeat an animal so powerful as to be considered a god on its own island.
Barry Reese, as the Author of this short 65 page novella, has dipped his metaphorical writing toes into many worlds and genres. But more than any his wheelhouse seems to be in the look and feel of all things pulpish and golden aged stories and film. And this is no exception as Reese gives his readers a short little journey that combines the myth of the Lost Dutchman with the modern day Legend that is a certain gargantuan 'king' of the apes who reigns over his cloud-enshrouded hidden island.
Barry has identified his writings in what he calls his 'Reese Unlimited' universe. The main characters of which are to be found in his Lazarus Gray and Peregrine (late The Rook) stories but encompass a long line of lead in and supporting stories from centuries long past. In my effort to track down these tales, I was lead to this little adventure. While not necessarily one of Barry's greatest creations, it was a fun story that should entertain the reader for an hour in a world of pirates, ghosts, lost worlds, and creatures of the dim past and the not so dim flickerings of the cinema.
Reese's strengths in his world building and character creations are his ability to give us truly atmospheric stories that wrap the reader into a feeling of the world they are traveling through. His characters are either true heroes or dastardly (always wanted to use that word) villains that at times can flip orientation as Reese dives deeper into motivations and emotions.
As for the character of Guan-Yin? Definitely one that I would enjoy seeing in another story or two. Hey...a good pirate tale led by a strong female MC has always been one of my favorites since Belit and a certain young Cimmerian found their paths crossing.
June 8, 2009
NOTE: My comments about the posted reviews and comments are about activities on the book's Amazon page.
This is my second review for this book. I posted a review earlier simply to call out the publisher (Ron Hanna) for posting a 5 star "reader" review without explicitly stating he was the publisher. I thought was was rather slimy and unethical.
Hanna then commented that he'd consulted with a friend who told him that he probably should identify himself more clearly or it might look bad. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, as it appeared he had posted the flat-out rave of his own product out of enthusiastic naiveté, and I erased my review.
I'd like to point out that now, weeks later, Hanna has not edited his review to more clearly identify himself as the book's publisher.
I also felt a little bad that I'd given a bad review to a book that I hadn't read, simply because of the actions of the publisher. This didn't seem fair to the writer of the book. So I decided to buy a copy and read it and give it a fair review.
I should have left well enough alone.
GUAN-YIN AND THE HORRORS OF SKULL ISLAND is one of the most amateurishly written books I have ever read. I would say it's badly edited except I don't think it WAS edited. It reads like a clumsy first draft and is full of screwed up sentences and awkward word choices. The author shows less knowledge of pirate life and seamanship than he would have gained by watching a season of THE PIRATES OF DARKWATER...
In one scene, the ship is sailing through a fierce storm. "The waves were churning, often raising the ship upwards and then sending it hurtling back down" we're told picturesquely.
"'If this keeps up, the mast is going to fail,' Chang responded, casting a glance towards the wooden mast, which bent to and fro, creaking as it did" we're also told. Breathtaking imagery.
Then another ship appears. "A massive ship with a black painted hulls [yes, with a black painted hulls:] and ebony sails, it was flying the Jolly Roger, meaning it was a pirate vessel, just like The Lotus Blossom [never mind the fact that pirate ships generally flew their own distinctive and original flags, not the stereotypical Jolly Roger:]..."
Then, in the midst of this raging tempest, which raises ships upwards then sends them hurtling back down and is rough enough that it might break the wooden mast, which is bending to and fro, creaking as it does, we're told that this "massive" ship's path will "carry them close enough to The Lotus Blossom for the crews of each to reach out and touch the other but it didn't look like there would be any real damage."
Really? In a roaring storm, tossing the ships about, making masts creak and all that, two ships get close enough to each other that the crews can reach out and touch the other ship (what's that, a yard between them? four feet?) and they don't crash into each other at all?
The book is full of that sort of nonsense. This is pirate fiction at its most stereotypical, uninteresting, not well written, and not well thought out. It's not even good pirate pulp fiction. Don't get me wrong, I'm not holding this book to a high literary standard. It's just bad even for a simple little pirate story.
Also it's not a lot of book for the money. This is not a novel, though it may barely be a novella, with roughly 50 pages of actual story text it has less meat on its bones than a Goosebumps novel for kids.
I do have to acknowledge that it has a beautiful cover by artist Lorenzo Sperlonga. You can literally say that everything good about this book ends once you open it.
If Mr. Hanna offered a poster of this cover art for $4.50, I could easily recommend it. But this book for $4.50? I say thee nay.
If you want good pirate stories read Rafael Sabatini or ON STRANGER TIDES by Tim Powers. I hate movie novelizations but I'm sure the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN books are a thousand times better than this.
This is my second review for this book. I posted a review earlier simply to call out the publisher (Ron Hanna) for posting a 5 star "reader" review without explicitly stating he was the publisher. I thought was was rather slimy and unethical.
Hanna then commented that he'd consulted with a friend who told him that he probably should identify himself more clearly or it might look bad. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, as it appeared he had posted the flat-out rave of his own product out of enthusiastic naiveté, and I erased my review.
I'd like to point out that now, weeks later, Hanna has not edited his review to more clearly identify himself as the book's publisher.
I also felt a little bad that I'd given a bad review to a book that I hadn't read, simply because of the actions of the publisher. This didn't seem fair to the writer of the book. So I decided to buy a copy and read it and give it a fair review.
I should have left well enough alone.
GUAN-YIN AND THE HORRORS OF SKULL ISLAND is one of the most amateurishly written books I have ever read. I would say it's badly edited except I don't think it WAS edited. It reads like a clumsy first draft and is full of screwed up sentences and awkward word choices. The author shows less knowledge of pirate life and seamanship than he would have gained by watching a season of THE PIRATES OF DARKWATER...
In one scene, the ship is sailing through a fierce storm. "The waves were churning, often raising the ship upwards and then sending it hurtling back down" we're told picturesquely.
"'If this keeps up, the mast is going to fail,' Chang responded, casting a glance towards the wooden mast, which bent to and fro, creaking as it did" we're also told. Breathtaking imagery.
Then another ship appears. "A massive ship with a black painted hulls [yes, with a black painted hulls:] and ebony sails, it was flying the Jolly Roger, meaning it was a pirate vessel, just like The Lotus Blossom [never mind the fact that pirate ships generally flew their own distinctive and original flags, not the stereotypical Jolly Roger:]..."
Then, in the midst of this raging tempest, which raises ships upwards then sends them hurtling back down and is rough enough that it might break the wooden mast, which is bending to and fro, creaking as it does, we're told that this "massive" ship's path will "carry them close enough to The Lotus Blossom for the crews of each to reach out and touch the other but it didn't look like there would be any real damage."
Really? In a roaring storm, tossing the ships about, making masts creak and all that, two ships get close enough to each other that the crews can reach out and touch the other ship (what's that, a yard between them? four feet?) and they don't crash into each other at all?
The book is full of that sort of nonsense. This is pirate fiction at its most stereotypical, uninteresting, not well written, and not well thought out. It's not even good pirate pulp fiction. Don't get me wrong, I'm not holding this book to a high literary standard. It's just bad even for a simple little pirate story.
Also it's not a lot of book for the money. This is not a novel, though it may barely be a novella, with roughly 50 pages of actual story text it has less meat on its bones than a Goosebumps novel for kids.
I do have to acknowledge that it has a beautiful cover by artist Lorenzo Sperlonga. You can literally say that everything good about this book ends once you open it.
If Mr. Hanna offered a poster of this cover art for $4.50, I could easily recommend it. But this book for $4.50? I say thee nay.
If you want good pirate stories read Rafael Sabatini or ON STRANGER TIDES by Tim Powers. I hate movie novelizations but I'm sure the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN books are a thousand times better than this.
January 27, 2013
This was a mess. I don't even know where to start this review. Hot pirate chick sets off to Skull Island to find her long lost father and an unimaginable treasure. Mysterious African dude who sold the map to Skull Island to her dad conveniently has another copy, which he provides to her with no problem whatsoever, except that he wants to come on the trip. Meanwhile, hot pirate chick's ex-boyfriend shows up, and also wants to come with. And she is stupid enough to let him.
Long story short, they find Skull Island with no problem, hot pirate chick ends up kidnapped and naked for no apparent reason, and then married off to King Kong (if you remember, the movie takes place on Skull Island), who sets her down, wanders off to fight a T-Rex, and completely forgets about her. After all the setup, and the talk about how intelligent his eyes are, and how he seems to understand her speech, he just wanders off, never to be seen again. What was the point? His appearance could have been completely edited out with no impact at all on the story.
I won't give the rest away, but there are no real surprises, the action sequences are very short and simple, and the characters are all cardboard cutouts that we've seen done better before. I felt like I was reading an outline for a story rather than the story itself due to the simplified prose and poor editing. Very glad I only paid 99 cents for the ebook, and not $4.50 for a physical book.
Long story short, they find Skull Island with no problem, hot pirate chick ends up kidnapped and naked for no apparent reason, and then married off to King Kong (if you remember, the movie takes place on Skull Island), who sets her down, wanders off to fight a T-Rex, and completely forgets about her. After all the setup, and the talk about how intelligent his eyes are, and how he seems to understand her speech, he just wanders off, never to be seen again. What was the point? His appearance could have been completely edited out with no impact at all on the story.
I won't give the rest away, but there are no real surprises, the action sequences are very short and simple, and the characters are all cardboard cutouts that we've seen done better before. I felt like I was reading an outline for a story rather than the story itself due to the simplified prose and poor editing. Very glad I only paid 99 cents for the ebook, and not $4.50 for a physical book.
April 27, 2010
While the heroine, Guan-Yin has many of the traditional stereotypes of the bucksome beauty yielding her weapons. She is a woman who is very comfortable in her skin. An easy read and fast-paced story with enough adventure and plot for everyone. Channeling a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean, the high seas were never so much fun. From a King Kong type creature, voodoo, and romance, there's something for everyone.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews