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The Devil You Know
A COMMON ENEMY
Airship 27 Production is thrilled to present the greatest pulp hero team up of them all. The threat of World War II looms over the eastern horizon and America prepares for when it will enter battle. When many masters of the occult and magical talismans from around the globe begin disappearing, Intelligence Officer Major Steel fears the Nazis are behind the kidnappings and thefts. He hurriedly enlists the aid of Secret Agent X, Ravenwood—Stepson of Mystery, and powerful mage Ascott Keane. But even their combined powers may not be sufficient and so he is forced to reach out to the devil incarnate himself, the villainous Doctor Satan.
Will the red-clad Satan accept the offer to become mankind’s savior or, after the contest is settled, amass enough power to become its destroyer? Writer Glen Held delivers a fast-paced, action-crammed pulp adventure with classic pulp heroes teaming up in the greatest adventure of their lives.
Airship 27 Production is thrilled to present the greatest pulp hero team up of them all. The threat of World War II looms over the eastern horizon and America prepares for when it will enter battle. When many masters of the occult and magical talismans from around the globe begin disappearing, Intelligence Officer Major Steel fears the Nazis are behind the kidnappings and thefts. He hurriedly enlists the aid of Secret Agent X, Ravenwood—Stepson of Mystery, and powerful mage Ascott Keane. But even their combined powers may not be sufficient and so he is forced to reach out to the devil incarnate himself, the villainous Doctor Satan.
Will the red-clad Satan accept the offer to become mankind’s savior or, after the contest is settled, amass enough power to become its destroyer? Writer Glen Held delivers a fast-paced, action-crammed pulp adventure with classic pulp heroes teaming up in the greatest adventure of their lives.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2024
1 person want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 21, 2025
Not a bad story using these Pulp Era characters. Recommended
December 30, 2025
The Great War is not that far removed from being close in the rear view mirror of humanity, yet, learning nothing from the deaths of millions, the threat of another world encompassing conflict looms in its headlights. But this conflict may go beyond the traditional weapons of war as rumors have circulated that the leader who has risen to become Chancellor of Germany is looking for artifacts that will give him power undreamed of. As the search begins, those artifacts are not the only vessels of magic that are taken as, people who can wield that power soon become the targets of those same global treasure hunts. But the search turns out to be much more then it seems as an being from out of time has intentions on those treasures as well and it is only through the combined efforts of some of Earth's staunchest defenders that there is even the slightest hope of preventing the fall of humanity.
The era of the pulp heroes spawned many and myriad heroes - and anti-heroes - of every type and seeming, but one thing the pulps never did was bring those creations together to join and fight a common enemy using their combined abilities under one title. Author Glen Held said "The heck with that" and has gathered a handful of those characters from the 1930s: sorcerers... magicians... military soldiers... secret agents... and one who is arguably the most popular of the old pulp villains - Doctor Satan - together through both accident and happenstance to battle the ancient evil. Held pulls a LOT of threads from these characters individual stories and characters to weave a fun tapestry of New Pulp and adventure.
The era of the pulp heroes spawned many and myriad heroes - and anti-heroes - of every type and seeming, but one thing the pulps never did was bring those creations together to join and fight a common enemy using their combined abilities under one title. Author Glen Held said "The heck with that" and has gathered a handful of those characters from the 1930s: sorcerers... magicians... military soldiers... secret agents... and one who is arguably the most popular of the old pulp villains - Doctor Satan - together through both accident and happenstance to battle the ancient evil. Held pulls a LOT of threads from these characters individual stories and characters to weave a fun tapestry of New Pulp and adventure.
August 3, 2025
Exciting pastiche has Paul Ernst's supercriminal Dr. Satan going up against The Eternal, a mystical being trying to steal power from both practitioners and artifacts that he has captured to supposedly aid the Nazi cause. His perennial foe, Ascott Keane, assisted by Ravenwood, The Stepson of Mystery, Secret Agent X, Maj. Steel, and the gangster, Meyer Lansky, are on the side of Good.
While action-packed and fun, there are some oddities. There is a rather silly special train sequence that made me laugh when that wasn't intended. But the biggest flaw is that everyone's powers have been boosted up to Dr. Strange levels of superheroics. For no obvious reason, Secret Agent X is given a rather significant and unexplained psychic power that is foreign to his Golden Age history. And in the original profiles of Ravenwood, Keane, and Dr. Satan, only quite modest powers were ever suggested. Held isn't the only New Pulp author to go this route, but I get nostalgic for the original characters and their more down-to-earth power levels. I've noted that Glen Held has recently taken up the mantel of writing a Peregrine novel in Barry Reese's universe. As everything here is more consistent with Reese's high-powered take on Dr. Satan and the other characters, perhaps this novel can be considered a sort of tryout?
While action-packed and fun, there are some oddities. There is a rather silly special train sequence that made me laugh when that wasn't intended. But the biggest flaw is that everyone's powers have been boosted up to Dr. Strange levels of superheroics. For no obvious reason, Secret Agent X is given a rather significant and unexplained psychic power that is foreign to his Golden Age history. And in the original profiles of Ravenwood, Keane, and Dr. Satan, only quite modest powers were ever suggested. Held isn't the only New Pulp author to go this route, but I get nostalgic for the original characters and their more down-to-earth power levels. I've noted that Glen Held has recently taken up the mantel of writing a Peregrine novel in Barry Reese's universe. As everything here is more consistent with Reese's high-powered take on Dr. Satan and the other characters, perhaps this novel can be considered a sort of tryout?
April 13, 2025
I've always been a fan of the team-up comics. The Brave and the Bold, Marvel Team-Up, World's Finest Comics, Marvel Two-In-One, to say nothing of the team books...loved them all.
Well, I picked up a copy of THE DEVIL YOU KNOW by Glen Held and it's a glorious teaming of some great Classic Pulp characters. I wasn't extremely familiar with some of them, but Glen filled me in painlessly. Now, I want to read more about them.
The pacing is fast, just like the film serials of old. Once the plot rolls out, it doesn't let up until the end of the book. There's intrigue, action, and a dastardly villain you might wind up loving to hate. The characters have distinct personalities and the writing is top-notich.
The Rob Davis cover and interior illustrations are fantastic. Between some great writing and gorgeous artwork, it kinda makes me wish I could give it more than five stars.
The only thing better than THE DEVIL YOU KNOW will probably be Glen's next book. This is a great read for anyone who likes New Pulp, or just likes skillful storytelling. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Well, I picked up a copy of THE DEVIL YOU KNOW by Glen Held and it's a glorious teaming of some great Classic Pulp characters. I wasn't extremely familiar with some of them, but Glen filled me in painlessly. Now, I want to read more about them.
The pacing is fast, just like the film serials of old. Once the plot rolls out, it doesn't let up until the end of the book. There's intrigue, action, and a dastardly villain you might wind up loving to hate. The characters have distinct personalities and the writing is top-notich.
The Rob Davis cover and interior illustrations are fantastic. Between some great writing and gorgeous artwork, it kinda makes me wish I could give it more than five stars.
The only thing better than THE DEVIL YOU KNOW will probably be Glen's next book. This is a great read for anyone who likes New Pulp, or just likes skillful storytelling. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
January 10, 2025
The Devil You Know is a really enjoyable and fun read. I loved following the escapades of Major Steel and his team of good guys traveling the globe to defeat the evil Doctor Satan. You may believe you are just reading pulp fiction, but at the same time you are getting a history lesson as the novel’s setting is in the midst of the 1930s , World War 2, and Nazi Germany. The dreaded Doctor Satan is quite the antagonist, and the antics of his 2 side kicks will make you laugh out loud. If you are looking for your next fun, yet informative read, look no further than The Devil You Know.
July 13, 2024
This book has it all: a virtual Who’s Who of Pulp heroes and villains! They’re all here:
The Nameless One, Secret Agent X, Ascott Keane, The Eternal, and my personal favorite, The Stepson of Mystery! Do not let the scheming of Dr. Satan keep you from reading this roller coaster of a read. I’m still dizzy from the spiraling twists and the literary hairpin turns. Five Stars!
The Nameless One, Secret Agent X, Ascott Keane, The Eternal, and my personal favorite, The Stepson of Mystery! Do not let the scheming of Dr. Satan keep you from reading this roller coaster of a read. I’m still dizzy from the spiraling twists and the literary hairpin turns. Five Stars!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews