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Doc Voodoo #1
Aces & Eights
Jam-packed with mobsters, mystery, magic and mayhem, Dale Lucas offers a new twist on the action-hero and a love letter to classic pulp fiction like no other.
Harlem, 1926: The First World War is still The Great War. Jazz is new and always in the air. Booze is black market and the market is worth killing over. The Queen Bee controls the speakeasies, brothels and numbers rackets in north Harlem; Papa House controls the south. As the Queen Bee puts the final touches on her new night club, Papa House makes his move to take over all of Harlem, declaring war. But Doc Voodoo is conjuring the Loas and getting horsed to maintain peace, prosperity, and autonomy for the residents of Harlem. Navigating a minefield of gang rivalries, political corruption, and black magic, the Dread Baron lays down a new law in Harlem, dispensing two-fisted justice with a heaping helping of hot lead!
Harlem, 1926: The First World War is still The Great War. Jazz is new and always in the air. Booze is black market and the market is worth killing over. The Queen Bee controls the speakeasies, brothels and numbers rackets in north Harlem; Papa House controls the south. As the Queen Bee puts the final touches on her new night club, Papa House makes his move to take over all of Harlem, declaring war. But Doc Voodoo is conjuring the Loas and getting horsed to maintain peace, prosperity, and autonomy for the residents of Harlem. Navigating a minefield of gang rivalries, political corruption, and black magic, the Dread Baron lays down a new law in Harlem, dispensing two-fisted justice with a heaping helping of hot lead!
- GenresPulp
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 17, 2021
I read Aces & Eights by Dale Lucas because I really enjoyed his fantasy buddy cop series The Fifth Ward .
Unfortunately, I could hardly find any similarities between the two series.
Aces & Eights felt like the novel version of a superhero comic with heavy horror elements to me.
The book is about a gang war in Harlem in 1926, which adds the uninhibited racism of that time to the usual gang rivalries, the prohibition problem and the endless corruption of police and politicians.
The protagonist acts as a protector of his neighborhood and the black population and is able to do so through forces evoked through voodoo rituals.
It's not that I didn't like the book at all, but I had my troubles in a few places.
The author uses a lot of slang, especially at the beginning, which, as a non-native speaker, demanded a lot from me.
There is a lot to learn about the system, rituals and names of Voodoo. However, I cannot judge whether the representations correspond to reality, as I know too little about this religion. The little I googled seemed to be right.
My main sticking point, however, was that I don't really enjoy reading gangster stories, so I couldn't really get excited about this book.
I found it remarkable, however, that the author conjured up comic pictures into my head with his text.
Overall, it wasn't my genre, but I still thought it was worth reading and I rate with 2.5 stars, which I round up to 3.
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Ich habe Aces & Eights von Dale Lucas gelesen, weil mir seine Fantasy-Buddy-Cop-Serie The Fifth Ward ausgesprochen gut gefallen hatte.
Leider konnte ich bei der Lektüre kaum Ähnlichkeiten zwischen den beiden Reihen erkennen.
Aces & Eights kam mir vor wie die Romanversion eines Superhelden-Comics mit heftigen Horror-Elementen.
Es geht um einen Gangsterkrieg im Harlem von 1926, wodurch zu den üblichen Gangrivalitäten, der Prohibitionsproblematik und der unendlichen Korrubption von Polizei und Politikern noch der damals noch ungehemmt ausgelebte Rassismus dazukommt.
Der Protagonist tritt als Beschützer seines Viertels und der schwarzen Bevölkerung auf und ist durch über Voodoo-Rituale beschworene Kräfte dazu in der Lage.
Es ist jetzt nicht so, dass ich das Buch überhaupt nicht mochte, aber ich hatte an einigen Stellen so meine Schwierigkeiten.
Der Autor verwendet vor allem anfangs ziemlich viel Slang, was mit als Nicht-Muttersprachlerin einiges abverlangt hat.
Es gibt einiges über das System, die Rituale und die Bezeichnungen des Voodoo zu erfahren. Ich kann jedoch nicht beurteilen, ob die Darstellungen der Realität entsprechen, da ich zu wenig über diese Religion weiß. Das Wenige, das ich gegoogelt habe, schien zu stimmen.
Mein Hauptknackpunkt war jedoch, dass ich nicht so sehr gerne Gangstergeschichten lese, daher konnte ich mich nicht wirklich für dieses Buch begeistern.
Witzig fand ich allerdings, dass der Autor mir mit seinem Text richtiggehend Comicbildchen in den Kopf gezaubert hat.
Insgesamt war es zwar nicht mein Genre, aber ich fand es trotzdem ganz lesens wert und vergebe 2,5 Sterne, die ich auf 3 aufrunde.
Unfortunately, I could hardly find any similarities between the two series.
Aces & Eights felt like the novel version of a superhero comic with heavy horror elements to me.
The book is about a gang war in Harlem in 1926, which adds the uninhibited racism of that time to the usual gang rivalries, the prohibition problem and the endless corruption of police and politicians.
The protagonist acts as a protector of his neighborhood and the black population and is able to do so through forces evoked through voodoo rituals.
It's not that I didn't like the book at all, but I had my troubles in a few places.
The author uses a lot of slang, especially at the beginning, which, as a non-native speaker, demanded a lot from me.
There is a lot to learn about the system, rituals and names of Voodoo. However, I cannot judge whether the representations correspond to reality, as I know too little about this religion. The little I googled seemed to be right.
My main sticking point, however, was that I don't really enjoy reading gangster stories, so I couldn't really get excited about this book.
I found it remarkable, however, that the author conjured up comic pictures into my head with his text.
Overall, it wasn't my genre, but I still thought it was worth reading and I rate with 2.5 stars, which I round up to 3.
----------------------
Ich habe Aces & Eights von Dale Lucas gelesen, weil mir seine Fantasy-Buddy-Cop-Serie The Fifth Ward ausgesprochen gut gefallen hatte.
Leider konnte ich bei der Lektüre kaum Ähnlichkeiten zwischen den beiden Reihen erkennen.
Aces & Eights kam mir vor wie die Romanversion eines Superhelden-Comics mit heftigen Horror-Elementen.
Es geht um einen Gangsterkrieg im Harlem von 1926, wodurch zu den üblichen Gangrivalitäten, der Prohibitionsproblematik und der unendlichen Korrubption von Polizei und Politikern noch der damals noch ungehemmt ausgelebte Rassismus dazukommt.
Der Protagonist tritt als Beschützer seines Viertels und der schwarzen Bevölkerung auf und ist durch über Voodoo-Rituale beschworene Kräfte dazu in der Lage.
Es ist jetzt nicht so, dass ich das Buch überhaupt nicht mochte, aber ich hatte an einigen Stellen so meine Schwierigkeiten.
Der Autor verwendet vor allem anfangs ziemlich viel Slang, was mit als Nicht-Muttersprachlerin einiges abverlangt hat.
Es gibt einiges über das System, die Rituale und die Bezeichnungen des Voodoo zu erfahren. Ich kann jedoch nicht beurteilen, ob die Darstellungen der Realität entsprechen, da ich zu wenig über diese Religion weiß. Das Wenige, das ich gegoogelt habe, schien zu stimmen.
Mein Hauptknackpunkt war jedoch, dass ich nicht so sehr gerne Gangstergeschichten lese, daher konnte ich mich nicht wirklich für dieses Buch begeistern.
Witzig fand ich allerdings, dass der Autor mir mit seinem Text richtiggehend Comicbildchen in den Kopf gezaubert hat.
Insgesamt war es zwar nicht mein Genre, aber ich fand es trotzdem ganz lesens wert und vergebe 2,5 Sterne, die ich auf 3 aufrunde.
March 14, 2014
Pulp novels have a special place on my shelf, and with that comes expectations. When I pick one up I expect it to provide me with a break-neck narrative, some skull cracking, and a bigger-than-life hero that delivers lines of dialogue that would make an English Professor groan.
Doc Voodoo: Aces & Eights provides all that along with some pleasant surprises. Author Dale Lucas not only channels the spirit of the pulps with his highly visual and well-paced prose, but also shows that he is a man who is highly knowledgeable about his chosen setting and all that it encompasses.
The time is 1926. The where is Harlem. The hero: Doc Voodoo, a man who delivers street justice using a combination of fists, guns, and superpowers -- thanks to an intimate relationship he maintains with several voodoo demigods. He’s not immortal, and he’s certainly not invincible, but he has the ability to handle danger that would be too much for a normal man.
There is a feeling of authenticity and love for the setting that comes pouring out of the book. It’s easy to fall into clichés when working with material such as this, but Lucas sidesteps them and presents a window to a time and place that is gone, but not so far in the rearview mirror that it can no longer be recognized. As a reader, I felt fully transported and in a way, privileged to experience something that I could not know without Doc Voodoo to guide me.
Aces & Eights is a grand adventure. Criminals, shady cops, gin joints, jazz, and the supernatural whirl about as we join our hero of the night in his quest to protect the innocent from a curse machine that could doom them all. It’s a race against the clock, but Lucas takes care to include considerable character development and a strong dose of history as we zip along.
The pulps were all about entertaining the reader. Doc Voodoo doesn’t disappoint. Dale Lucas gives us a solid piece of escapist fiction with flair. Solid, fun read.
Note: Although we have the same last name, I am not related to the author.
Doc Voodoo: Aces & Eights provides all that along with some pleasant surprises. Author Dale Lucas not only channels the spirit of the pulps with his highly visual and well-paced prose, but also shows that he is a man who is highly knowledgeable about his chosen setting and all that it encompasses.
The time is 1926. The where is Harlem. The hero: Doc Voodoo, a man who delivers street justice using a combination of fists, guns, and superpowers -- thanks to an intimate relationship he maintains with several voodoo demigods. He’s not immortal, and he’s certainly not invincible, but he has the ability to handle danger that would be too much for a normal man.
There is a feeling of authenticity and love for the setting that comes pouring out of the book. It’s easy to fall into clichés when working with material such as this, but Lucas sidesteps them and presents a window to a time and place that is gone, but not so far in the rearview mirror that it can no longer be recognized. As a reader, I felt fully transported and in a way, privileged to experience something that I could not know without Doc Voodoo to guide me.
Aces & Eights is a grand adventure. Criminals, shady cops, gin joints, jazz, and the supernatural whirl about as we join our hero of the night in his quest to protect the innocent from a curse machine that could doom them all. It’s a race against the clock, but Lucas takes care to include considerable character development and a strong dose of history as we zip along.
The pulps were all about entertaining the reader. Doc Voodoo doesn’t disappoint. Dale Lucas gives us a solid piece of escapist fiction with flair. Solid, fun read.
Note: Although we have the same last name, I am not related to the author.
October 10, 2011
This book rocked. Lots of kickass gangster action mixed with crusty old voodoo Gods, eastern-European monsters, and zombies! His characters were interesting and had depth. Not just stock pulp caricatures. Lucas is an awesome storyteller and I was pulled straight through the book. Can't wait for the next one in the series!
Read
February 28, 2014Action-packed, coolly creative, and a hell of a lot of fun. Sets up well for a series.
October 7, 2025
I have spent a while trying to decide if I should try to address the elephant in the room that this delicious bit of pulp fiction about a black hero, with heavy doses of Caribbean voodoo culture, with a predominantly black cast, set in Harlem in the 1920s, and with more than a few racial epithets (not gratuitous in my mind, just historically accurate), was not written by a black author and if that should affect my enjoyment of the story. Is this a form of cultural appropriation? I don't have an answer, but I will say I had so much fun with Aces & Eights that I immediately bought the follow-up, disappointed that this series only ran for two books.
Following Dr. Dub Corveaux, a Harlem doctor and generally nice dude, this pulp-inspired story gives us something right in-between The Shadow and a Sam Raimi movie. See, the good doctor has a little secret; he is a warrior for virtue, given powers by three voodoo deities and smashing evil with his fists, his .45s, or his magical hand grenades. And in this first adventure, he finds himself tasked with standing between a black gang war as Harlem's lady crime boss, Queen Bee, opens a new dinner club, opposed by the violent Papa House.
House uses guns and bombs to spread his fear and when that fails to be the knockout blow, he unleashes a bit of European magic, with a curse engine that infects the Aces & Eights dinner club with all many of maladies.
There are a ton of side characters in this book, maybe a touch too many for this reader to keep track of, but most of the primary characters, whether innocents like the Reverend's daughter, or the many different gangster types, all had plenty of personality and unique voices to keep them distinct. Some of them could have had their own books! The Queen Bee and the loyal yet violent Gideon were just as compelling as our actual hero!
Author Dale Lucas has a deft hand at action, giving us a lot of visually inspired shootouts that would be at home in a comicbook or superhero movie. The Dread Baron, as Dub calls his alter-ego, is a pistol-toting buttkicker who can absorb bullets from gangsters and face down eldritch Greek evil with a flaming machete. It's a grand old time!
And he even manages to mix a bit of light, gruesome horror into the fold, both in the aforementioned eldritch monster, and in the bloody shenanigans that curse engine creates, from "accidental" deaths, to a scene packed with the gibbering undead! It's very pulpy. And very good.
This period piece of pulp heroism was a lot of fun to read! Doubly so because of the unique perspective, regardless of its author's ethnic origins.
Following Dr. Dub Corveaux, a Harlem doctor and generally nice dude, this pulp-inspired story gives us something right in-between The Shadow and a Sam Raimi movie. See, the good doctor has a little secret; he is a warrior for virtue, given powers by three voodoo deities and smashing evil with his fists, his .45s, or his magical hand grenades. And in this first adventure, he finds himself tasked with standing between a black gang war as Harlem's lady crime boss, Queen Bee, opens a new dinner club, opposed by the violent Papa House.
House uses guns and bombs to spread his fear and when that fails to be the knockout blow, he unleashes a bit of European magic, with a curse engine that infects the Aces & Eights dinner club with all many of maladies.
There are a ton of side characters in this book, maybe a touch too many for this reader to keep track of, but most of the primary characters, whether innocents like the Reverend's daughter, or the many different gangster types, all had plenty of personality and unique voices to keep them distinct. Some of them could have had their own books! The Queen Bee and the loyal yet violent Gideon were just as compelling as our actual hero!
Author Dale Lucas has a deft hand at action, giving us a lot of visually inspired shootouts that would be at home in a comicbook or superhero movie. The Dread Baron, as Dub calls his alter-ego, is a pistol-toting buttkicker who can absorb bullets from gangsters and face down eldritch Greek evil with a flaming machete. It's a grand old time!
And he even manages to mix a bit of light, gruesome horror into the fold, both in the aforementioned eldritch monster, and in the bloody shenanigans that curse engine creates, from "accidental" deaths, to a scene packed with the gibbering undead! It's very pulpy. And very good.
This period piece of pulp heroism was a lot of fun to read! Doubly so because of the unique perspective, regardless of its author's ethnic origins.
Read
January 7, 2013Doc Voodoo delivers on the subtle promise the title titillates. The balance of power shifts between two rival gangs as one strikes an unholy deal and only Dub Corveaux, a practicing M.D. by day and ass-kicker by night can set it right. With the help of the Cemetery Man, Baron Samedi, Dub hits the streets in his top hat and skull-painted face wielding twin .45s and spiritually charged clay bombs in order to maintain the peace in his beloved city.
Dale Lucas is a man out of time, able to paint the scene of 1926 Harlem, New York with ease as if he lived and breathed it. From the city streets to the language nuances, the prohibition era comes alive for those of us who missed its grander.
My only gripe is with the story's villain, the reader is led to believe Papa House is our protagonist, but it is the hag, Magda, who wields the power to rival our voodoo avenger, and I wanted more of her. Her lack of page presence is the only reason this book is receiving 4 stars instead of 5 as she was far more interesting and capable of going toe-to-toe with our supernatural fighter. I can only imagine the glorious battle of hexes and flaming tomahawks, a missed opportunity in my book. Hopefully, author Dale Lucas will rectify this in subsequent books, but regardless, he can count on this reader to crack the spine of his next adventure.
Dale Lucas is a man out of time, able to paint the scene of 1926 Harlem, New York with ease as if he lived and breathed it. From the city streets to the language nuances, the prohibition era comes alive for those of us who missed its grander.
My only gripe is with the story's villain, the reader is led to believe Papa House is our protagonist, but it is the hag, Magda, who wields the power to rival our voodoo avenger, and I wanted more of her. Her lack of page presence is the only reason this book is receiving 4 stars instead of 5 as she was far more interesting and capable of going toe-to-toe with our supernatural fighter. I can only imagine the glorious battle of hexes and flaming tomahawks, a missed opportunity in my book. Hopefully, author Dale Lucas will rectify this in subsequent books, but regardless, he can count on this reader to crack the spine of his next adventure.
January 5, 2012
As the promotional materials state this book is a loving homage to the bygone area of two-fisted pulp fiction, where the heroes were dashing and dark, the women winsome, and the villains dastardly and more than a little supernatural in nature. It plays out like an action movie on paper, which overall is a good thing; the bullets start flying in the first chapter, and they don't stop until the very end.
There's a cost to maintaining this break-neck pace, however, and in this case it's at the expense of the setting. Lucas has done such a good job at recreating the details of 1926 Harlem that it's a tragedy he doesn't linger longer on those period details. Beyond Doc Voodoo most of the principle characters are either bootleggers, crooks, corrupt officials, or their various peripheral characters; the reader has no real taste of what life is like in Harlem for the day-to-day civilians, which makes Doc Voodoo's role as community protector at times seem a bit like a superficial excuse for action; indeed, at times his motivation seems less to be about protection and more about eliminating interlopers on his home turf.
This doesn't make the story any less fun, though, and with luck, Lucas will iron out all the kinks in later volumes.
There's a cost to maintaining this break-neck pace, however, and in this case it's at the expense of the setting. Lucas has done such a good job at recreating the details of 1926 Harlem that it's a tragedy he doesn't linger longer on those period details. Beyond Doc Voodoo most of the principle characters are either bootleggers, crooks, corrupt officials, or their various peripheral characters; the reader has no real taste of what life is like in Harlem for the day-to-day civilians, which makes Doc Voodoo's role as community protector at times seem a bit like a superficial excuse for action; indeed, at times his motivation seems less to be about protection and more about eliminating interlopers on his home turf.
This doesn't make the story any less fun, though, and with luck, Lucas will iron out all the kinks in later volumes.
March 2, 2012
I picked this one up based on an online review based on the three points of interest: Pulp, NYC and purported cage-match between magic systems.
What I got was a fun read, not too heavy, but full of the flavour that I enjoy from period Pulp. Character-wise, I found the Antagonists more interesting then the Protagonists; I hope Lucas spends more time with Dub Coriveau (motivations, background, etc.) in future books. I really enjoyed a little sequence describing how illicit money flows up from the streets to the Robber Barons; it was a great example of show me / not tell me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and hope that Lucas does well enough that other entries are produced. As a side note, I was really happy to find this small-press release on Kobo.
What I got was a fun read, not too heavy, but full of the flavour that I enjoy from period Pulp. Character-wise, I found the Antagonists more interesting then the Protagonists; I hope Lucas spends more time with Dub Coriveau (motivations, background, etc.) in future books. I really enjoyed a little sequence describing how illicit money flows up from the streets to the Robber Barons; it was a great example of show me / not tell me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and hope that Lucas does well enough that other entries are produced. As a side note, I was really happy to find this small-press release on Kobo.
March 16, 2014
"Doc Voodoo: Aces and Eights" is an instant classic that sets the stage for what I hope is a long-lived series featuring the unworldly heroics of the Dread Baron AKA Doc Voodoo. Dale Lucas takes his readers deep into Prohibition Era Harlem and infuses the backdrop with feuding gangsters, insidious speakeasies, dirty civil servants and spirit-conjuring witch doctors. The city's honest citizens are in a losing battle amongst the surrounding greed and violence and necromancy and only one man has the power to fight for them all and deliver salvation.
January 13, 2012
I did not know what to expect when I began reading this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. This period piece about Harlem in 1926 was fast paced and action packed. I cannot say I know much about African American culture, particularly in 1926, but the author seemed to portray the culture accurately. He painted vivid pictures with the words he chose and made me feel as if I were there, in that time. Overall a very enjoyable read.
October 11, 2016
If you are offended by racial stereotypes (of all kinds), this is not the book for you. For the rest of us, this is a rousing and damn entertaining pulp story set in 1930s Harlem. The voodoo angle was a unique one and the nod to Lovecraft and Weird Tales was an appreciated touch. I will be hunting down book two in this series immediately because I really want to read more adventures of the Cemetery Man.
September 17, 2012
I found Doc Voodoo to be a well researched supernatural dark avenger pulp story with a lot going for it. The setting is vivid, and the action intense with a really interesting hero, the Doc Voodoo of the title. A good fun read even though I'm not that into the dark supernatural end of the pulp pool.
Definitely one for those who like their new pulp.
Definitely one for those who like their new pulp.
May 16, 2014
Too many racial slurs for me to enjoy this. I seriously question the positive reviews. Reader beware, especially African American readers. I kept reading only to see how bad it would get. It's pretty bad. If I could give negative stars I would.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews