John Russell Fearn (1908–1960)

‘Don’t Touch Me’ may have been better named as ‘Don’t Beat Me’ as the lead female character has a tough time in this fast-paced novel.

Although the synopsis states that Gloria Vane is a film actress, her character isn’t a fictitious big name in Hollywood. Rather, she’s a bit player, so the men she encounters don’t recognize her. I suspected the plot would include a ransom demand, but no. Gloria’s not a big earner.

Turns out the kidnap element is accidental and only takes up show more about one-quarter of the pages. It’s a tale of gangsters in the 1950s. Despite what the Goodreads’ info states about ‘Don’t Touch Me’ being first published in 2009, it was in fact released in 1953. It feels like historical fiction to me, having been born in 1975. It reminds of some of the films I’ve seen from the 1950s and thereabouts, albeit the violence in this novel wouldn’t have been as graphic on the silver screen in those days.

Along with Gloria, the other main characters are two rival gangster bosses called Ace and Fingers, who are aided by a bunch of thugs, plus a policeman who wants to arrest them all. These characters' respective paths all cross at different intervals up to the climax.

This is essentially a plot-driven narrative, so we don’t get too deep with any of the characters, though that’s not to say they’re shallow or uninteresting. Far from it. With a story that hurtles along like this one does, there isn’t much time for character development.

Although violence is lively in this book, swearing is not in evidence. Not sure if this was the author’s choice or if his agent/publisher advised against it. I mention this because certain intense scenes where you’d expect at least some mild language instead feature unrealistic dialogue.

For example, I can’t imagine any infuriated real-life gangster from any era speaking to a someone like Fingers does when, enraged with Gloria, he says, ‘You thrice damned little hellcat!’

So, working with restrictions does have its downsides.

In short, ‘Don’t Touch Me’ is an engaging story with no opportunity for the reader to feel bored.

I’d never heard of John Russell Fearn before, but I’ll be sure to read more of his works. show less

‘The Gold of Akada’ is a fast-paced jungle adventure comparable to Burroughs’s Tarzan in some respects. I much preferred this to the first two Tarzan books, which disappointed me to the extent that I’ve no desire to read more, but I’ll certainly read the second book of the Anjani duology.

Similar to Tarzan, Anjani is a muscle-bound heroic figure raised in the jungle. A big difference, however, is Anjani was not raised by apes. Rather, a jungle tribe raised him and, in this story, show more the reader meets him aged twenty and as leader of his tribe.

Another notable difference to Tarzan is that Anjani has a brother who was separated from him when they were babies and raised by another tribe, which he is now the leader of. In good soap opera tradition, Anjani’s brother is an evil twin.

The two are oblivious of each other’s existence till a party led by two men and a woman come to the jungle on an expedition. The woman, Rita, makes a good heroine. She’s unhappily married to one of the men and is rightly cautious of the other, their guide, who has designs on her. These three get mixed up with the twins.

I like jungle settings in books and in films. I liked this tale a lot, but it lacked that special something that makes for a five-star read. Maybe it’s too fast paced, not allowing enough room for reflection and character development. It’s more plot driven and I prefer character-driven stories, but I nonetheless enjoyed ‘The Gold of Akada’. show less

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2010481.html

I have no idea why I got this book. The cover art is quite remarkable in its own right and possibly caught my eye. (My wife wondered how the nipple shields might be attached; myself I wonder how much practical use they are in combat.) It turns out to be the cover for the wrong book; the heroine of Conquest of the Amazon is blonde and wears a white suit, whereas this lady is dark-haired and not wearing anything much at all. More critically, the cover show more suggests a sword-and-sorcery romp, when in fact the Amazon is a near-future woman using her super-powers to keep the space lanes clear from marauding Martians and treacherous if handsome men from Jupiter. I'm sure it sold well anyway - heck, I must have bought it (or perhaps someone else bought it for me) - but I wonder how many early readers suffered buyer's remorse after realising that it wasn't the Conan ripoff they were expecting?

I vaguely knew of John Russell Fearn, of course, but I don't think I had read any of his works before. This turns out to be the seventh book in a series of twenty pulp adventures of the Amazon, who acquired super powers half a century ago at the age of three, and is exercising them in the cause of Good. It is, frankly, not a good book, yet I got through to the end after tossing Dagger Magic aside because it doesn't take itself too seriously. At first I was tweeting particularly eye-catching samples of Fearn's deathless prose -

"Book me a reservation on the next helicoliner following the Mount Everest route."

"The end of the world is within sight. I thought you should know that."

"This woman has always been a smooth talker. She can get out of any tight corner by using subtlety." [Subtlety, eh? The fiendish minx!]

- but then I decided to just go with the flow, as the Amazon tries to simultaneously stop the Sun going out, hold back the glaciers, and resist the culture of the Great Red Spot. It's all utterly implausible, but it's a romantic portrayal of a future where a benevolent science rules and a superwoman saves the world. Short (126 pages) and rather sweet. show less

Although I didn't enjoy 'Anjani the Mighty' as much as ‘The Gold of Akada’, this sequel is still an entertaining read.

It's a fast-paced jungle adventure comparable to Burroughs’s Tarzan in some respects. I much prefer Fearn's jungle adventures. Similar to Tarzan, Anjani is a muscle-bound heroic figure raised in the jungle. A big difference, however, is Anjani has an evil twin.

The main female character from the first book, the beautiful Rita, returns to the jungle for the gold in the show more hidden city of Akada. She’s accompanied by a number of men and together they meet with Anjani. Following a happy reunion, the evil twin shows up, causing mayhem for the rest of the story.

It's unbelievable that Anjani, who couldn't speak a word of English in the first book, has, during only six months, learned the language fluently thanks to spending that time with a native English-speaking man. Still, in the first Tarzan novel, Tarzan quickly learns English after first learning French.

I like jungle settings in books and in films. I liked this tale a lot, but it lacked that special something that makes for a five-star read. Maybe it’s too fast paced, not allowing enough room for reflection and character development. It’s more plot driven and I prefer character-driven stories, but I nonetheless enjoyed this book. show less