The Killing Bone

The Guardians #1

by Peter Saxon

Sorcery, Voodoo, Satanism, Witchcraft, Necromancy, Vampirism...wherever and whatever the agents of occult evil are, The Guardians are there to combat them with their own more-than-mortal powers. In this eerie fantasy adventure, first in a thrilling series, the leader of The Guardians crosses the world for an incredible encounter with a primitive witchdoctor...perhaps the most powerful adept of the black arts in the world!

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Occult Detective, Pulp, Adventure

Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Peter Saxon was a house pseudonym used by various authors of British pulp fiction, among them W Howard Baker (Danger Ahead 1958, The Killing Bone 1968 and Vampire's Moon 1972); Rex Dolphin (The Vampires of Finistère 1968); Stephen D Frances (The Disorientated Man aka Scream and Scream Again 1966, Black Honey 1968, and Corruption 1968); Wilfred McNeilly (The Darkest Night 1966, Dark Ways to Death 1966, Satan's Child 1967, The Torturer 1967, and The Haunting of Alan Mais 1969); Ross Richards (Through the Dark Curtain 1968); and Martin Thomas (The Curse of Rathlaw 1968).

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was *almost* so-bad-its-good. You know how sometimes you're in the mood for a ridiculous b-movie? This book is like that; except, part of the appeal of crap films is either turning off your brain, or watching with friends and MST3King the film, and neither of those really work with books.

I can't critique the plot -- I was laughing so hard at the prose that I couldn't follow the action. However, I should add that it was still better than lots of self-pubbed stuff I've seen recently, in that it was free of egregious errors and clearly written by someone (W. Howard Baker) who knew what he was doing. A potboiler, in short.

[Kyle Blount · Rating 2 out of 5]

No, this isn't a John Holmes biography. It's, I believe, the third entry of The Guardians series (it says #1, but there were two before, labeled A and B, tricky like Run DMC). It focuses on an aborigine seeking revenge on three smuggler pilots who have stolen pearls from sacred land. He uses hypnosis to transport their astral bodies to a desolate area of Australia for torture. It's up to the Guardians to figure it out and stop it. Sounds awesome? It is in a way, but the execution in prose is extremely dry and can be a drudgery to wade through. Written by Peter Saxon, an alias used for all Guardians books, regardless of the actual writer. I was hoping for something more pulpy with the "umph" of Robert E Howard, but this author writes like he's dictating a travel book. No style. Oh well, I hope to read another soon, and perhaps it will be better.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in the "Guardians" series, as by Peter Saxon. Not as good as "The Curse of Rathlaw," but pretty enjoyable. The real author of this one seems to be W. Howard Baker.

[Serra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely written by men for men, and I mean, manly men. Studdly, hard-drinking, morally superior, physically powerful men.

Other than that, it's an interesting read. Oddly self-aware, critical of the racism between white Europeans and Australian Aboriningls. Don't go into this expecting a woke-left leaning modern commentary of race and class. Its form 1968, and reads that way. Still, impressively aware that things aren't always black and white, and sometimes the good guys aren't all that good.

[Brent Winslow · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Guardians novel was a little underwhelming. The story of Aboriginal black magic - still believed in and practiced today - had potential, but felt rushed and sloppy.