PROHIBITION

PROHIBITION

By Terrence McCauley

Airship 27 Productions

181 pages

Now on Kindle

Guest Reviewer – Derrick Fergusson

I’m going to get to talking about PROHIBITION in a bit, I promise. But first, I gotta relate a little story that will assist me in making my opening point. Okay? Thank you for your patience and sit back. Here it goes:

Couple of weeks ago I’m having a Skype conversation with a gentleman who is incensed that I don’t like “Hobo With A Shotgun.” It’s a perfect modern grindhouse movie he insists. No, I politely disagree. “Planet Terror” is a a perfect modern grindhouse movie. The gentleman spends the next two minutes expressing his opinion that whatever it is I allegedly use for thinking must be composed of excrement and another minute telling me that “Planet Terror” is garbage and why on Earth do I think it’s the better movie.

“Because,” says I, “Robert Rodriguez knows what grindhouse is. The guys who made ‘Hobo With A Shotgun’ just think they know what grindhouse is.”

Which finally brings me to PROHIBITION by Terrence McCauley. We’ve got a lot of New Pulp writers who think they know what a 1930’s gangster story is. But Terrence McCauley knows what a 1930’s gangster story. Man, does he ever.

We’re in New York, 1930. The town is run by Archie Doyle, the city’s most powerful gangster who is more like the monarch of an unruly kingdom. And there’s somebody out there looking to take his crown. Archie’s got an ambitious plan in mind that will give him more power than he’s ever dreamed of before. But he’s got to stay alive long enough to see that plan through. That’s where his chief enforcer Terry Quinn comes in. Terry’s an ex-boxer and the toughest mug on two legs. But finding out who’s trying to start a bloody gang war between Archie Doyle and his main rival, Howard Rothman is going to take more than just being tough. Quinn is going to have to rely on his street smarts and think his way through this. Of course, shooting and slugging his way to the guilty party helps an awful lot, too.

PROHIBITION has a lot going for it, mainly that McCauley isn’t afraid to write characters who aren’t likeable at all. But that’s okay with me. As long as I know why the characters are doing what they’re doing and understand their motivations, I’m cool. McCauley is writing about people who have chosen a dark, dangerous and violent life and he stays true to that. That’s not to say he doesn’t find the humanity in them. He does. It’s just a humanity that manifests itself within the terms and parameters of the concrete jungle his characters have chosen to inhabit for whatever reasons people have to live a life of crime. This wasn’t an easy period in American history to live in and people had to make hard choices. The characters in PROHIBITION have to make the hardest choices of all since the wrong one can get them killed.

A lot of New Pulp writers figure that to write a 1930’s gangster story you just have to have pseudo-tough talking wanna-be’s sounding more like Slip Mahoney than real gangsters run around shooting Tommy guns. McCauley understands that the most successful gangsters of that era ran their organizations like businesses. The business just happens to be crime is all. Violence wasn’t their first resort to solve every problem. It was just as useful and as profitable to know when not to use violence as it was to know when to use it.

I appreciated the smartness of these characters. The way they talk to each other, maneuvering to gain an edge through words makes for some really solid dialog. The relationship between Archie Doyle and Terry Quinn reminds me a lot of the relationship between the Albert Finney/Gabriel Byrne characters from “Miller’s Crossing.” Imagine if Gabriel Byrne’s character was an authentic badass who knew how to fight instead of getting his ass kicked all the time and you’ll get what I mean. Terry Quinn is a guy who knows how to work the angles and his navigation through this gleefully violent story is an enjoyable one to read.

And like any good gangster story, McCauley doesn’t skimp on the sex and violence. If you want cute gangsters who pal around and crack jokes then go watch “Johnny Dangerously” because you’re not going to find that in PROHIBITION. I appreciated the tough, hard story McCauley is telling and the even tougher, harder characters who speak and talk pretty much the way I expect gangsters of that era to behave.

I’m sure that there are some who are going to be uncomfortable or even turned off by the language and that there isn’t really an ‘heroic’ character to root for. Terry Quinn is a killer and extraordinarily violent man who doesn’t make apologies for how he lives his life. Most readers like to have a lead character to root for and while Terry’s misplaced sense of honor and loyalty lifts him a notch above most of the other characters in the book that doesn’t mean he’s anywhere near being on the side of the angels. But it’s precisely because of that misplaced honor and loyalty that makes him such an enjoyable protagonist to read about.

And I can’t wrap up this review without mentioning the wonderful illustrations by Rob Moran which do an excellent job of capturing the mood and feel of the story. I’m willing to bet next month’s rent that Rob Moran has seen a lot of those great classic Warner Brothers black-and-white gangster epics of the 30’s and 40’s as that’s the feeling I got from his illustrations.

So should you read PROHIBITION? Absolutely. It’s not only a terrific way to spend a couple of quality reading hours, it’s also an important book in the evolution of New Pulp. It’s exciting to see books like this that adds another genre to expand what New Pulp is and can be. The bread-and-butter of New Pulp are the masked avengers, the jungle lords and the scientific adventurers, sure. But there’s plenty of room for sports stories, romance, westerns and private eyes. And in the last couple of years we’ve seen those. Hard-boiled crime stories are just as much a Classic Pulp tradition and I’m delighted to see it being continued and represented in New Pulp. Most definitely put PROHIBITION on your Must Read List. 

PROHIBITION

WELCOME TO HARD TIMES

Airship 27 Productions proudly announces the release of their 16^th and final title of the year; PROHIBITION by Terrence McCauley. 

The year is 1930 and New York is a city on the edge. The Roaring '20s ended with the Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression is only beginning. Banks are failing. Companies are closing their doors. Breadlines grow longer by the day. The only market making money is the black market: racketeering, rum running, and speakeasies.  But when even those vices begin to weaken, the most powerful gangster on the Eastern Seaboard, Archie Doyle, sees the writing on the wall. He launches a bold scheme that, if successful, will secure his empire’s future beyond Prohibition. Beyond even the Great Depression. 

But when a mysterious rival attempts to kill Doyle’s right hand man, a dangerous turf war begins to brew. With his empire under attack, Doyle turns to his best gun, former boxer Terry Quinn, for answers. Quinn must use his brains as well as his brawn to uncover who is behind the violence and why before Doyle’s empire comes crashing down. 

New York based writer Terrence McCauley whips up a fast paced pulp thriller ripe with Tommy-gun blasting hoods, corrupt cops and deadly dames in this original novel reminiscent of the classic gangster movies of old.  “This is pure, unadulterated gangster pulp,” cheers Airship 27 Managing Editor Ron Fortier.  “When I first read it, I immediately found myself thinking of all those great black and white Warner Brother film classics starring Edward G.Robinson, James Cagney, Humprhey Bogart and George Raft. McCauley captures the feel and atmosphere of those rambunctious outlaw days when the mobs were battling each other for control of the Big Apple.”

Beautifully illustrated by Rob Moran who also provides the cover as colored by Shannon Hall with designs by Rob Davis, PROHIBITION is a tough-guy blow to the literary gut readers will not soon forget.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – Pulp Fiction for a New Generation!

Now available at Create Space – (https://www.createspace.com/4098079)

A $3 PDF edition is available at – (http://robmdavis.com/Airship27Hangar/index.airshipHangar.html)

Within a week it will be on-sale at Amazon proper and in two weeks at (www.IndyPlanet.com)

CAPT.HAZZARD AUDIO BOOK!

CAPTAIN HAZZARD AUDIO BOOK

Airship 27 Productions & Dynamic Ram Audio are thrilled to announced the release of the first ever Captain Hazzard adventure, “Python Men of the Lost City,” as an audio book recorded by actor Joe Stofko.

In 2006 six, writer Ron Fortier realized a personal dream when he re-wrote the original pulp classic known amongst fans because it only produced one issue.  Although released under the house name of Chester Hawks, it is believed that pulp veteran Paul Chadwick was the true author of this Doc Savage want-to-be.

“Finding a facsimile reprint copy years go,” explains Fortier, “I was instantly enamored with the characters, especially Hazzard.  I could also see why the book failed.  Chadwick, better known for his Secret Agent X exploits, wasn’t at all comfortable with high adventure and the book is filled with plot holes galore.”  Fortier sat down, re-wrote the entire book and republished it via Ron Hanna’s Wild Cat Books.  It became an instant hit amongst the pulp community.  “I would challenge pulp fans to read the original and then my re-write,” Fortier chuckles.  “The response I received from those who did this was overwhelmingly positive.  Enough so that I started writing new Captain Hazzard novels.”

Later, Fortier and his partner, Art Director Rob Davis, parted ways with Wild Cat Books to start their own publishing imprint, Airship 27 Productions and quickly produced new editions of the book.  Earlier this year, Airship 27 joined forces with Dynamic Ram Audio headed by Sound Engineer Chris Barnes.  One of the titles chosen to bring to audio life was of course, “Catpain Hazzard – Python Men of the Lost City.”  The audio files run approximately four and a half hours.  There are plans to do CD versions in the coming months and make them available at various cons.

Fortier had high praise for Joe Stofko’s reading.  “Joe’s a professional actor and does a lot of theater.  His reading is full of passion and drama with a hint of the fun. That’s what I loved the most while listening to the tapes.  Joe brings the story to life with his reading and adds a completely different dimension to the experience.  No one could have done a better job with this.”

Now available at the Airship 27 Hangar Catalog site for $9.99! Direct link to the entry:

(http://robmdavis.com/Airship27Hangar/index.airshipHangar.html#PythonAudio)

Print and Kindle Editions are available here –

(http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Hazzard-Python-Men-Lost-City/dp/061569649X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354207098&sr=1-1&keywords=Captain+Hazzard+Python+Men+of+the+Lost+City)

THREE AGAINST THE STARS

BOLD NEW SPACE OPERA

Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to announce the release of its 15^th title of the year, a rousing new space opera; THREE AGAINST THE STARS by Chicago based writer Joe Bonadonna.  Best known for his sword and sorcery fantasies, Bonadonna now steps into a whole new arena to deliver a truly fast paced futurist pulp adventure.

On the distant alien planet of Rhajnara a conspiracy created by the facist Khandra Regime is set into motion to overthrow the rightful Rhajni Republic and instigate a policy of ethnic-cleansing.  The conspirators are cunning and it seems nothing in the universe can derail their mad apocalyptic scheme.

Nothing that is but three rambunctious Space Marines from the Third Regiment Company E of the United States Space Marines assigned to Rhajnara with the Terran Expeditionary Force.  Sergeants Fernado Cortez, Seamus O’Hara and Claudia Akira are the most unlikely trio ever to don jarhead camouflage and become military heroes.  To their superiors they are wild, reckless and incessant troublemakers always in the thick of things.  Yet their courage, loyalty and devotion to duty prove them to be the toughest Devil Dogs in the Corp.

Now, with the aid of a Medical Corpsman named Makki Doon, a young Felisian native proto-feline humanoid, these three futuristic musketeers are about to become the one factor capable of exposing the traitorous Khandra coup.  But to do so they will have to put their lives on the line one more time and risk all to save the day facing off against incredible odds.  To save an empire they will truly become…THREE AGAINST THE STARS.

“This is old school space opera,” cheered Airship 27 Productions’ Managing Editor, Ron Fortier.  “From Buck Rogers to the Space Patrol, the classic elements in this book make for a fun read from start to finish.”  The book features interior illustrations by the popular Pedro Cruz with a dynamic cover by Laura Givens and is designed by Art Director, Rob Davis.  “In the end, Joe Bonadonna delivers an action packed space opera fans of Edmond Hamilton and E.E. “Doc” Smith will not soon forget.”

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – Pulp Fiction For A New Generation!

Available now at Create Space – (https://www.createspace.com/4072461)

As a digital PDF download here –

(http://robmdavis.com/Airship27Hangar/index.airshipHangar.html)

In another week at Amazon & Kindle.

In two weeks from (www.IndyPlanet.com)

NEW BOSTON BOMBERS EDITION!

BOSTON BOMBERS NEW EDITION

The new Wild Wolf Edition of THE BOSTON BOMBERS is now available at both  Barnes & Noble on-line and Amazon.  This pulp inspired graphic novel was written by Ron Fortier and illustrated Chris Jones, Bob Cram Jr. and Gary Kato .  The first edition, self-published Rob Davis’ Redbud Studio won the 2010 Pulp Award for Best Pulp Comic.

THE BOSTON BOMBERS is the story of an alternate world where Jesus was female and accepted as the Messiah by the Jewish people.  Where the last vestiges of the Roman Empire continued exist in South Africa and the center of the Catholic Church is located in Jerusalem.  After this reality’s World War One, the League of Nations became a military force to maintain peace throughout the globe.

Indra Devine and her all girl team are special agents of the League on a mission to uncover the machinations of the Roman Empire whose quest for world domination is once again being felt.  From politics to religion, from gun battles and giant airships, this epic saga has everything but the kitchen sink.

“I want to thank Sean Collins of Wild Wolf Entertainment for offering up this new edition to what we hope will be a much larger audience,” Fortier applauded enthusiastically.  “This is project has always been one of my personal favorites and we continue to sell lots of copies at pulp & comic shows every year.”

THE BOSTON BOMBERS is now available at –

Barnes & Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/boston-bombers-ron-fortier/1113763713?ean=9780982341773&itm=1&USRI=boston+bombers&)

At Amazon – (http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Bombers-Ron-Fortier/dp/0982341776/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353952350&sr=1-1&keywords=Boston+Bombers)

The Redbud Edition is also still available –

(http://www.robmdavis.com/RedbudStudio/index.html)

BONES VS ALIEN MONSTER!

BONES VS ALIEN GODS

Airship 27 Productions, in conjunction with Dynamic Ram Audio, is thrilled to announce the release of their third audio recording based on the stories of the new pulp sensation, Brother Bones – The Undead Avenger by Ron Fortier.  Voice actor Mark Kalita returns to read this new entry called, “The Scales of Terror.”

"I was very excited to be chosen to bring Ron's Brother Bones stories to the audio medium,” Kalita says.  “These tales are so rich in the classic pulp fiction tradition with their noir atmosphere, gritty language and larger-than-life hero that you can't help but let yourself get pulled into the shadows of their delightfully dark recesses. Hopefully my readings will further enhance the imagery that Ron has so skillfully crafted to make them appeal both to fans of old time radio and modern audio books."

This short audio files are part of an on-going project to sell all seven of the Brother Bones tales from the Airship 27 Productions’ prose collection for the reasonable price of $2.  Once all seven have been recorded and made available, the entire audio book will be offered for the bargain price of $10.  “Response thus far has been truly wonderful,” reports Fortier, who is also Airship 27 Productions Managing Editor.  “We couldn’t be any happier with Dynamic Ram Audio’s quality on these recordings and Mark brings so much to the table.  His readings enhance the creepiness of each story.”

There is some definitive extra passion to this reading as Kalita went on to explain.  "Scales of Terror was particularly special for me to read because I'm a big fan of H.P. Lovecraft and the idea of doing a story about a secret cult and otherworldly beasties had instant appeal. Throw in Brother Bones and his particular brand of undead justice and it just doesn't get any better. I think listeners will also find Chris Barnes' special audio treatment really helps bring this tale an added dimension of cool creepiness."

BROTHER BONES – Audio Tales # 3 The Scales of Terror is now available for download at -(http://robmdavis.com/Airship27Hangar/index.airshipHangar.html#brobonesaudio3)

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – Pulp Fiction for a New Generation!

MYSTERY MEN (& Women) Vol III

THEY’RE BACK!

Airship 27 Productions is excited to announce the release of their third MYSTERY MEN (& Women) anthology celebrating the creations of brand new pulp heroes to follow in the steps of the classic avengers of old.  Managing Editor, Ron Fortier explains it this way, “After doing new stories of classic pulp heroes for nearly four years, many of our writers starting getting the itch to invent their own original pulp characters.  This anthology series addresses that need and has been a huge hit with all our readers.”

As in the first two volumes in this series, a quartet of today’s most ambitious pulp writers put on their creative caps and have whipped up four thrilling brand new pulp adventures crammed with wall-to-wall action. In MYSTERY MEN (& Women) Vol III we get to meet three brand new characters and have the pleasure of enjoying the return of a familiar character from volume two.

THE SKEIN - A black veteran of World War One returns home to the bayou country only confront an evil practitioner of the voodoo magic is turning living people into lifeless zombies.  Donning his old doughboy uniform and a gasmask, the Skein is born to protect the innocent and defeat the wicked, written and created by Kevin Noel Olson

THE BROWN RECLUSE – Next, in the grand tradition of the old pulp magazines comes a new series that focuses not on the stalwart heroes of the tale but rather on its dastardly villain.  A mad scientist whose genius is capable of inventing the most bizarre weapons, the Brown Recluse has but one goal in mind, the complete domination of all mankind under his heel. He is the invention of writer by Greg Gick

KIRI - A beautiful female samurai comes to New York in the early 1930s employed as the personal aid to a newspaper business woman wanting to clean up the city from vice and corruption.  Along the way, Kiri stumbles on a white slavery ring connected to a former ally who murdered her teacher back in Japan.  Suddenly her mission becomes that of personal vengeance and before it is over blood will be spilled.  Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to welcome gifted writer Curt Ferlund to our ranks and premier this truly wonderful new pulp hero.

MONGREL (Chapter Two) – And lastly the saga of the modern day action hero, Mongrel, continues in this second chapter picking up where the first ended.  There is a conspiracy to destroy Mongrel’s family, the owners of a multi-faceted high tech communications empire.  Using disguised, sophisticated cyborg assassins, the enemy strikes from the shadows.  This is Airship 27 Productions’ first on-going chapter serial and is presented by the creator of Dillon, the one and only Derrick Ferguson.

Airship 27 Productions’ 14^th title of the year features a stunning cover by artist Marco Turini with interior illustrations and designs by Art Director Rob Davis.  Here once more are four fast-paced, colorful heroes created in the spirit of the golden age pulp avengers and brought to you by the publisher where adventure reigns.  Airship 27 Productions.  PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Now Available at Create Space – (https://www.createspace.com/4049994)

Within 7 to 10 days at Amazon & Kindle.

As a PDF Digital Download Now at our Website.

(http://robmdavis.com/Airship27Hangar/index.airshipHangar.html)

And in two weeks as a POD from – (http://indyplanet.com/store/)