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Tales of the Red Panda
Tales of the Red Panda: Pyramid of Peril
A desperate call for help from half a world away brings our masked man of mystery far from the urban jungle he is sworn to protect. With his mentor, Maxwell Falconi, who once fought crime behind the mask of the Stranger, in mortal peril, the Red Panda must battle both ancient powers and modern terrors, just to have a chance to fight for his life within… The Pyramid of Peril!
Heroes of All-New Radio Adventures, Pulp-inspired novels and Comic Books, the masked protectors of 1930’s Toronto are back again with a two-fisted thriller sure to please. The Red Panda and his trusty sidekick the Flying Squirrel trade wisecracks and banter as they battle supernatural forces beyond mortal comprehension, and fight to keep unspeakable power out of the hands of those who would use it to enslave humanity!
The Red Panda’s thrilling exploits have been chronicled in Decoder Ring Theatre’s award-winning Radio Drama series The Red Panda Adventures, in Graphic Novel form (digitally from Monkeybrain Comics and in a Trade Paperback edition from IDW Publishing), and in the ongoing Tales of the Red Panda prose novel series. Like all of the Red Panda’s adventures, Pyramid of Peril is a self-contained story, and is a fine entry point for those experiencing our heroes’ world for the first time.
Heroes of All-New Radio Adventures, Pulp-inspired novels and Comic Books, the masked protectors of 1930’s Toronto are back again with a two-fisted thriller sure to please. The Red Panda and his trusty sidekick the Flying Squirrel trade wisecracks and banter as they battle supernatural forces beyond mortal comprehension, and fight to keep unspeakable power out of the hands of those who would use it to enslave humanity!
The Red Panda’s thrilling exploits have been chronicled in Decoder Ring Theatre’s award-winning Radio Drama series The Red Panda Adventures, in Graphic Novel form (digitally from Monkeybrain Comics and in a Trade Paperback edition from IDW Publishing), and in the ongoing Tales of the Red Panda prose novel series. Like all of the Red Panda’s adventures, Pyramid of Peril is a self-contained story, and is a fine entry point for those experiencing our heroes’ world for the first time.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2013
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33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 30, 2018
(Audiobook version found on the podcast.)
The Red Panda segments on the Decoder Ring Theatre podcast is definitely one of my favourite pieces of podcasting anywhere, even if it's not quite as stellar as I think the Black Jack Justice segments are. But how does it work as a book?
Pretty good, actually, both when you listen to the chapters two weeks apart and when you sit through it all in one stretch.
It takes place pretty early in the dynamic duo's storyline and we get the introduction of the butler, Weston and of course, the Panda and the Squirrel are wonderfully awkward about their feelings for each other. One of the things I really appreciate about Red Panda Adevntures was how the characters grew and changed as they got older, but undeniably there's something extra precious about the relationship between the two in the early episodes.
This takes place in Egypt, which is a nice change of scenes and there are some new bad guys, although they are kinda on the bland side compared to the rogue's gallery of the usual series. Lots of action scenes that mostly worked well. Lots of mentionings of how pretty and well-built the Squirrel is, which I honestly think tipped over into the slightly creepy. Dial it back a bit, m'kay?
The plot is a good old hunt for a McGuffin. I'm not going to complain.
Can be recommended heartily to any fan of the podcast or of oldtimey radio in general.
The Red Panda segments on the Decoder Ring Theatre podcast is definitely one of my favourite pieces of podcasting anywhere, even if it's not quite as stellar as I think the Black Jack Justice segments are. But how does it work as a book?
Pretty good, actually, both when you listen to the chapters two weeks apart and when you sit through it all in one stretch.
It takes place pretty early in the dynamic duo's storyline and we get the introduction of the butler, Weston and of course, the Panda and the Squirrel are wonderfully awkward about their feelings for each other. One of the things I really appreciate about Red Panda Adevntures was how the characters grew and changed as they got older, but undeniably there's something extra precious about the relationship between the two in the early episodes.
This takes place in Egypt, which is a nice change of scenes and there are some new bad guys, although they are kinda on the bland side compared to the rogue's gallery of the usual series. Lots of action scenes that mostly worked well. Lots of mentionings of how pretty and well-built the Squirrel is, which I honestly think tipped over into the slightly creepy. Dial it back a bit, m'kay?
The plot is a good old hunt for a McGuffin. I'm not going to complain.
Can be recommended heartily to any fan of the podcast or of oldtimey radio in general.
June 13, 2019
This book continues the adventures of the Red Panda and his sidekick the Flying Squirrel, Decoder Ring Theatre's excellent homage to the radio dramas of the 1940s and 50s. I met these characters by way of the excellent full cast audio drama podcast put out by Decoder Ring theatre; this novel puts the two into print and tells a longer story from the earlier days of their partnership.
I read this book (if that is the word) by way of an audio version released on the Decoder Ring Theatre podcast. Like their earlier release of the Black Jack Justice novel, the chapter reading alternates between the actors who voice the Red Panda and the Flying Squirrel. This does not work so well as in that book as the point of view does not swap back and forth with the chapters, so that characters were often being voiced by the the wrong people. They would have been better off having the two leads voice their own characters throughout the novel and a neutral narrator voicing the rest. That minor quibble aside, this was a very entertaining book and a worthy addition to the adventures of the Red Panda.
I read this book (if that is the word) by way of an audio version released on the Decoder Ring Theatre podcast. Like their earlier release of the Black Jack Justice novel, the chapter reading alternates between the actors who voice the Red Panda and the Flying Squirrel. This does not work so well as in that book as the point of view does not swap back and forth with the chapters, so that characters were often being voiced by the the wrong people. They would have been better off having the two leads voice their own characters throughout the novel and a neutral narrator voicing the rest. That minor quibble aside, this was a very entertaining book and a worthy addition to the adventures of the Red Panda.
April 18, 2018
Ahh... The red Panda, my old friend.
Pyramid of Peril reads easy, I had the pleasure of listening, and is a funfilled action adventure.
It is nice that the setting has moved from Canada to exotic Egypt, it actually brings a lot to the story.
Furthermore, if I should pin a main character to this book, I wouldn't say it's The Red Panda. No the emotional main character, the protagonist is rather his lovely driver/side-kick, The Flying Squirrel.
Pyramid of Peril reads easy, I had the pleasure of listening, and is a funfilled action adventure.
It is nice that the setting has moved from Canada to exotic Egypt, it actually brings a lot to the story.
Furthermore, if I should pin a main character to this book, I wouldn't say it's The Red Panda. No the emotional main character, the protagonist is rather his lovely driver/side-kick, The Flying Squirrel.
November 6, 2015
Well, Gregg Taylor has struck again - yet another excellent entry in the Tales of the Red Panda series!
This time around, the Terrific Twosome of Toronto are leaving their city behind to track down that classic mystery man from times gone by, the Stranger, when he goes missing in Egypt. Suffice it to say, there's pyramids and mummies and magic, oh my!
Pyramid of Peril takes a little bit longer to get going than previous entries in the series, mostly because we have to actually get Kit and the Boss around the world before the true adventure can start. That being said, this slower beginning allows us some character building time, especially for, of all people, Weston! To my perspective, this is one of the major strengths of these pulp novels: introspection. The radio show is amazing, but the format doesn't lend itself overly well to internal dialogue. It's wonderful to get to read exactly what's running through our heroes' heads
Don't let that introspection fool you , though - once our duo find that titular pyramid, we hit the ground running into full-on daring-do mode. I imagine that Gregg's been dying to get his heroes into a magical booby-trapped tomb for a while now, because this second half of the novel is some of the most straight up fun I've had in a novel in a good long time!
A final, spoiler-ish thought:
This time around, the Terrific Twosome of Toronto are leaving their city behind to track down that classic mystery man from times gone by, the Stranger, when he goes missing in Egypt. Suffice it to say, there's pyramids and mummies and magic, oh my!
Pyramid of Peril takes a little bit longer to get going than previous entries in the series, mostly because we have to actually get Kit and the Boss around the world before the true adventure can start. That being said, this slower beginning allows us some character building time, especially for, of all people, Weston! To my perspective, this is one of the major strengths of these pulp novels: introspection. The radio show is amazing, but the format doesn't lend itself overly well to internal dialogue. It's wonderful to get to read exactly what's running through our heroes' heads
Don't let that introspection fool you , though - once our duo find that titular pyramid, we hit the ground running into full-on daring-do mode. I imagine that Gregg's been dying to get his heroes into a magical booby-trapped tomb for a while now, because this second half of the novel is some of the most straight up fun I've had in a novel in a good long time!
A final, spoiler-ish thought:
October 4, 2014
Super heroes! Sorcerers! Pyramids! Ancient relics! Death traps!
If you like all of those words, like I do, then this book is for you. Based on the awesome "Red Panda Adventures" audio drama, the Teriffic Twosome of Toronto travels to Egypt for a great Indiana Jones-style pulp adventure.
Gregg Taylor continues to weave fantastic tales in all of his writing endeavors - audio drama, novels and comics alike. He remembers that super hero action stories are primarily supposed to be fun - something I feel lacks in a lot of modern super hero tales. His larger than life characters still feel like real people, and his witty dialogue is as sharp as ever.
If you are already a fan of the "Pandaverse," you will not want to miss this book. If you are not familiar with these characters, but love fun action-adventure stories, why not jump in here. You will be glad you did.
If you like all of those words, like I do, then this book is for you. Based on the awesome "Red Panda Adventures" audio drama, the Teriffic Twosome of Toronto travels to Egypt for a great Indiana Jones-style pulp adventure.
Gregg Taylor continues to weave fantastic tales in all of his writing endeavors - audio drama, novels and comics alike. He remembers that super hero action stories are primarily supposed to be fun - something I feel lacks in a lot of modern super hero tales. His larger than life characters still feel like real people, and his witty dialogue is as sharp as ever.
If you are already a fan of the "Pandaverse," you will not want to miss this book. If you are not familiar with these characters, but love fun action-adventure stories, why not jump in here. You will be glad you did.
June 25, 2015
Possibly the best Red Panda novel yet! Action packed, charming banter, fun twists & turns (& flips & kicks). Plus a new butler, a journey--with entourage--half way around the world, a hidden pyramid, magical boomerangs, and nighttime adventures not to be missed. Would give it 4.5 stars if I could. Much fun for the young at heart.
February 2, 2016
Another great adventure with the Red Panda and the Flying Squirrel. I love the repartee between these two and their action-packed fun never stops here. Gregg Taylor writes novels as well as he does his radio shows on his podcasts. If you haven't read the Red Panda yet, go get started!
October 22, 2014
Just another great pulp Classic from Gregg Taylor in the form of the Red Panda and Kit Baxter. A great addition to his audio dramas on Decoder Ring Theater and Red Panda comics. Keep them coming!
April 7, 2015
Perhaps my favorite of the Tales of the Red Panda so far. Humor, adventure, a touch of romance, and the introduction of one of my favorite characters...Weston!
July 14, 2015
More amazing pulp intrigue and adventure from Gregg Taylor!
July 25, 2015
I may be easy to please, but I love 'The Stranger', so his presence as the guest star in this story pretty much made the whole book for me.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews