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Thibaut Corday and the Foreign Legion #1
Better Than Bullets: The Complete Adventures of Thibaut Corday and the Foreign Legion
The greatest creation of Theodore Roscoe is collected for the first time! One of the most popular writers to ever appear in the pages of ARGOSY, Roscoe penned the adventures of Old Thibaut Corday of the French Foreign Legion, who appeared in more than twenty stories from 1929 to 1939.
Volume I collects the first six stories of Old Thibaut Corday of the French Foreign Legion, which ran originally in Argosy Magazine 1929-1932.
Volume I collects the first six stories of Old Thibaut Corday of the French Foreign Legion, which ran originally in Argosy Magazine 1929-1932.
- GenresPulp
207 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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22 people want to read
About the author
Theodore Roscoe
76 books8 followersTheodore Roscoe (1906–1992) was an American biographer and writer of adventure, fantasy novels and stories. Roscoe's stories appeared in pulp magazines including Argosy, Wings, Flying Stories, Far East Adventure Stories, Fight Stories, Action Stories and Adventure. A collection of his stories, The Wonderful Lips of Thibong Linh, was published by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in 1981.
Roscoe was commissioned by the United States Naval Institute to write the detailed and massive histories United States Submarine Operations in World War II (1949) and United States Destroyer Operations in World War II (1953). He subsequently wrote several other books on naval history including The Trent Affair, November, 1861: U.S. detainment of a British ship nearly brings war with England (1972).
Roscoe was commissioned by the United States Naval Institute to write the detailed and massive histories United States Submarine Operations in World War II (1949) and United States Destroyer Operations in World War II (1953). He subsequently wrote several other books on naval history including The Trent Affair, November, 1861: U.S. detainment of a British ship nearly brings war with England (1972).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 20, 2020
All these stories are great but "An Eye For An Eye" is one of the best stories read in years.
May 29, 2015
The Légion étrangère was created in 1831 as a way to remove disruptive elements from French society, primarily foreigners of all sorts, and put them to good use fighting far away. Their first and primary posting was in Algeria, but the French Foreign Legion has fought in all of France’s wars, even to the present day.
Fiction created a romanticized version of the Legion as a haven for lost men, criminals escaping their pasts and disappointed lovers. Most influential in this field was Beau Geste by P.C Wren, about a trio of brothers joining the unit. Naturally, the pulp magazines also loved the Legion, especially during the 1920s and ’30s. One of the most popular series of stories appeared in Argosy from 1929 to 1939, the tales of a retired Legionnaire named Thibaut Corday.
Corday is an elderly man, though his beard is still a rich cinnamon hue. He served in the Confederate army during the American Civil War before enlisting in the Legion, and has seen many strange things, which he is willing to tell to people who will listen as he smokes at an Algerian café. This first volume has six stories.
“Better than Bullets”, the title story, introduces Corday and his buddies, Yankee Bill the Elephant and Christian(ity) Jensen the Dane. They’re stationed near Casablanca and out of edible food, so Bill suggests they go on an unauthorized forage expedition. They have to leave their weapons behind, so when the trio is cornered by fanatical Muslim enemies, there’s not a bullet or blade to be had. Thus they must improvise! As might be suspected, through all of these stories Corday shows a strong prejudice against people of color and Muslims. He does admit from time to time that as the French are an invading/occupying Army, the locals do have good reason for their hostility.
“The Dance of the Seven Veils” has Yankee Bill get into an altercation with a handsome rake over a dancing girl. The real trouble starts the next morning when our heroes discover the rake is their new commanding officer, who’s taking them on a seemingly doomed mission into the Sahara Desert. The fortress they’ve been assigned to crack seems impenetrable…until a ghostly dancer appears in the desert night. Pretty obvious twist, but evocative imagery.
“An Eye for an Eye” tells the tale of feuding cousins Hyacinth LaDu and “La Carotte” who are students at the military school of St. Cyr. They are already furious with each other when a lovely young woman comes along and provides an excuse for a duel. Hyacinth puts Carrot’s eye out deliberately. Years later, the two men meet again in the Foreign Legion. One of the twists is slightly hidden by the tradition of joining the Legion under an assumed name. A chilling tale of revenge.
“The Death Watch” changes things up with a horrific tale set at sea as the few Legionnaires aboard a troop transport have to deal with a mutiny by native soldiers. Massive coincidence plays a part in the outcome.
“The Bearded Slayer” is a tale of a quite young Corday, who was inordinately proud of his fearsome beard. Unfortunately, this same beard made him the primary suspect in a series of murders in a remote Legion outpost. The tension ratchets with each killing, and the mounting evidence against our hero.
“The Mutineer”, which closes out the volume, features both the secret origin and final fate of Yankee Bill the Elephant. He loudly declares his love for the beautiful daughter of the commander, in public no less. While pursued by military police for his insolence, Bill and Corday must also deal with a native uprising. The streak of sexism that was a minor point in other stories comes to the fore here, as it uses the old “if a woman says ‘no’, and ‘go away’ and ‘I hate you’, that means you should totally keep pestering her until you can prove your manliness and she falls in love with you” plotline I know many readers despise. Exciting story though.
There’s a nice introduction to the series, and two biographical sketches of Theodore Roscoe, one printed in Argosy at the time, and a more recent one.
While this is sterling pulp writing, full of excitement and twists, some readers may find the period sexism and racism too much for their tastes. On the other hand, if you loved other French Foreign Legion stories, this is a good selection.
Fiction created a romanticized version of the Legion as a haven for lost men, criminals escaping their pasts and disappointed lovers. Most influential in this field was Beau Geste by P.C Wren, about a trio of brothers joining the unit. Naturally, the pulp magazines also loved the Legion, especially during the 1920s and ’30s. One of the most popular series of stories appeared in Argosy from 1929 to 1939, the tales of a retired Legionnaire named Thibaut Corday.
Corday is an elderly man, though his beard is still a rich cinnamon hue. He served in the Confederate army during the American Civil War before enlisting in the Legion, and has seen many strange things, which he is willing to tell to people who will listen as he smokes at an Algerian café. This first volume has six stories.
“Better than Bullets”, the title story, introduces Corday and his buddies, Yankee Bill the Elephant and Christian(ity) Jensen the Dane. They’re stationed near Casablanca and out of edible food, so Bill suggests they go on an unauthorized forage expedition. They have to leave their weapons behind, so when the trio is cornered by fanatical Muslim enemies, there’s not a bullet or blade to be had. Thus they must improvise! As might be suspected, through all of these stories Corday shows a strong prejudice against people of color and Muslims. He does admit from time to time that as the French are an invading/occupying Army, the locals do have good reason for their hostility.
“The Dance of the Seven Veils” has Yankee Bill get into an altercation with a handsome rake over a dancing girl. The real trouble starts the next morning when our heroes discover the rake is their new commanding officer, who’s taking them on a seemingly doomed mission into the Sahara Desert. The fortress they’ve been assigned to crack seems impenetrable…until a ghostly dancer appears in the desert night. Pretty obvious twist, but evocative imagery.
“An Eye for an Eye” tells the tale of feuding cousins Hyacinth LaDu and “La Carotte” who are students at the military school of St. Cyr. They are already furious with each other when a lovely young woman comes along and provides an excuse for a duel. Hyacinth puts Carrot’s eye out deliberately. Years later, the two men meet again in the Foreign Legion. One of the twists is slightly hidden by the tradition of joining the Legion under an assumed name. A chilling tale of revenge.
“The Death Watch” changes things up with a horrific tale set at sea as the few Legionnaires aboard a troop transport have to deal with a mutiny by native soldiers. Massive coincidence plays a part in the outcome.
“The Bearded Slayer” is a tale of a quite young Corday, who was inordinately proud of his fearsome beard. Unfortunately, this same beard made him the primary suspect in a series of murders in a remote Legion outpost. The tension ratchets with each killing, and the mounting evidence against our hero.
“The Mutineer”, which closes out the volume, features both the secret origin and final fate of Yankee Bill the Elephant. He loudly declares his love for the beautiful daughter of the commander, in public no less. While pursued by military police for his insolence, Bill and Corday must also deal with a native uprising. The streak of sexism that was a minor point in other stories comes to the fore here, as it uses the old “if a woman says ‘no’, and ‘go away’ and ‘I hate you’, that means you should totally keep pestering her until you can prove your manliness and she falls in love with you” plotline I know many readers despise. Exciting story though.
There’s a nice introduction to the series, and two biographical sketches of Theodore Roscoe, one printed in Argosy at the time, and a more recent one.
While this is sterling pulp writing, full of excitement and twists, some readers may find the period sexism and racism too much for their tastes. On the other hand, if you loved other French Foreign Legion stories, this is a good selection.
October 29, 2021
Read it for what it is
Which is a description of a particular time. Much of the racial and gender descriptions are jarring, to say the least. And the plots are as complex and nuanced as a battering ram. But, while I doubt that we are learning much about Africa, it is a glimpse into the mind of the target audience in Europe.
Which is a description of a particular time. Much of the racial and gender descriptions are jarring, to say the least. And the plots are as complex and nuanced as a battering ram. But, while I doubt that we are learning much about Africa, it is a glimpse into the mind of the target audience in Europe.
April 24, 2015
Wow, this is classic adventure pulp at its best. Theodore Roscoe's tales of the French Foreign Legion have it all: Exoticism! Mystery! Thrills! Laughs! Violence! Romance! The characters are memorable, the plots are tight, and the situations are intense. But the highlight is Roscoe's flair for rich description, leaving every scene dripping with color and atmosphere. Reading these stories made me feel like a kid again.
There are six tales of varying lengths in this collection, all of which originally appeared in Argosy magazine between 1929 and 1932 (the beginning of a ten-year run that saw 21 stories in all). All are narrated in the first person by Thibaut Corday, a retired soldier of fortune with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and a wealth of bizarre tales spanning his fifty-year career.
Given the subject matter and protagonist, it's no surprise that the stories take a colonialist point of view. As Corday's brave little bands of white Legionnaires patrol the most remote, godforsaken reaches of French North Africa, they are constantly assaulted by howling hordes of swarthy natives, who are always depicted as either savage tribesmen or Islamic fanatics (or both). So yeah, quite racist. Women are strictly limited to one per story, with the requisite quota of fainting spells.
But the stories are so good I didn't care about dated attitudes. I was too busy reveling in the witty banter and hilarious anecdotes, the endless marches and frantic last-second rescues, the puffed-up officers and the quirky comrades who drive them crazy. Just terrific stuff.
I can hardly wait to read the remaining three volumes.
There are six tales of varying lengths in this collection, all of which originally appeared in Argosy magazine between 1929 and 1932 (the beginning of a ten-year run that saw 21 stories in all). All are narrated in the first person by Thibaut Corday, a retired soldier of fortune with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and a wealth of bizarre tales spanning his fifty-year career.
Given the subject matter and protagonist, it's no surprise that the stories take a colonialist point of view. As Corday's brave little bands of white Legionnaires patrol the most remote, godforsaken reaches of French North Africa, they are constantly assaulted by howling hordes of swarthy natives, who are always depicted as either savage tribesmen or Islamic fanatics (or both). So yeah, quite racist. Women are strictly limited to one per story, with the requisite quota of fainting spells.
But the stories are so good I didn't care about dated attitudes. I was too busy reveling in the witty banter and hilarious anecdotes, the endless marches and frantic last-second rescues, the puffed-up officers and the quirky comrades who drive them crazy. Just terrific stuff.
I can hardly wait to read the remaining three volumes.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews