Jeffrey Lord (1)

Action, Blood, sex and just about anything else you could want from teenaged male fiction from the mid 20th century. Much like Howard's Conan the Cimmerian but not quite as literate and calculating, Richard Blade is actually a unique character. The first in a long running series. The stories fly off the page almost as if they were taken from Heavy Metal Magazine. Blade is smart and witty, but still possesses that inner lizard brain quality. He likes to fight, loves the women and hates a show more coward. He is brash at times, calm at others but when a topless lass comes his way it all goes out the window. For pulp, the writing is pretty good. Not as corny as Doc Savage and flows much better. Not to take away from the Man of Bronze in the least. Roland Green, author of some of the Conan pastiche's penned a handful of these stories. I have the pleasure of having acquired the complete series in one purchase and will unabashedly plow through them much as Blade plows through his enemies. show less

This volume sees Blade and the computer on not exactly agreeable terms. Blade wants a life, but is loyal to Crown and country to a flaw. Sucked once again into Dimension X Blade now has the ability to retain his memories of adventure. He is thrown into a land akin to the Cathars and Mongols and of course he is divided by loyalty, sex and intrigue. There are a few elements which pop up in this story that might be deemed controversial. Overall it is not a bad read for pulp. Only the second show more book out of thirty seven we are starting to see dynamics that will shape Richard in future outings. The writer wasted no time in getting blade into juicy and hair raising situations. show less

Blade rides again. Women, evil wizards and epic battles. Once again our English hero travels to a world beyond our imagination to fight the forces of evil. This is really no different than any of the other books in the series. But fun nonetheless.

This is the first volume in the 37 book Richard Blade series, by "Jeffrey Lord" (these books were actually written by authors Roland J. Green, Ray Nelson, and Manning Lee Stokes). One reviewer here has called this series James Bond in Robert E. Howard land... True enough and I would amend to include a healthy dose of Edgar Rice Burroughs for good measure!
Through the brilliant research and experimentation of the dwarfish (and somewhat sadistic) scientist, Lord Leighton, Her Majesty’s show more Government has quite by accident discovered the existence of a seemingly unlimited number of alternative realities (collectively dubbed Dimension X”). With inter-dimensional transportation to Dimension X made possible, MI6 is given the task of exploration of these varied worlds, with the ultimate aim of economic exploitation.
Enter Richard Blade, MI6’s very special agent (think a cross between James Bond, John Carter of Mars, and Arnold Schwarzenegger)! who in every book is transported to a new world within “Dimension X”. Blade is the pioneer chosen to blaze the trails to these new worlds! Accomplished with just about all weapons (apparently, as a hobby, he practices with ancient/medieval weapons and armor), tactics, basic engineering, and (of course) love-making, Blade is uniquely suited to the task!
The books are predictably formulaic: Blade is transported early in each book completely naked into a new and strange “Dimension X”. Each of the alternate Dimension X worlds enjoys some aspects of Earth and human history, twisted in odd and interesting ways. Romans, Mongols, Zulus, Ottoman Turks and even Planet of the Apes-like simian warriors: Blade encounters these and much, much more!
Once there, he has to live by his wits and talents. In each of the various volumes, he meets a lady/community/race in distress; and has to wrest leadership from a rival/enemy. Sometimes the authors keep the audience guessing, with the original lady or ally proving to be the villan of the piece; and Blade has to switch allegiances. But ultimately, he always achieves his goal of righting that dimension’s particular wrong; though sometimes leaving events not quite completed when he is whisked back by.
Very enjoyable, rousing and sexy!
I first read these as a teen, and would particularly recommend these for boys 15 – 19. Parents be warned, though: the sex scenes are prevalent and often kinky. show less