What do you think?
Rate this book
The Incredible Adventures of Vic Challenger
Double Trouble
Librarian's Note: An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here
It all began 100,000 years ago when life was stupendously savage and every day was a test of both your will and your strength. An epic love was born. Two cave dwellers, Nat-ul daughter of Tha, and Nu the son of Nu, each a stupendously mighty hunter and warrior to match that time, vowed to love one another as long as the moon would rise in the night sky, which, in their primitive fashion, meant forever. The very day following this sacred oath the warrior and warrior maiden both died in an earthquake and tsunami. Buried by the earth, swallowed up by the sea, one would think their story was ended. Yet, since that time the wise of every generation and every culture have proclaimed that true love never dies. There is a reason they say this. In the early 20th century the moon still was rising in the night sky, when Nat-ul returned as Victoria Custer who vividly remembers that former primeval life. That painful, frightening memory from a thousand generations past has forged her into something more than she was and has emboldened her with unrelenting purpose empowering her to take action in even the most savage of circumstances. Now, under the pen name Vic Challenger, she works as a writer of adventure travel articles and her job allows her to literally comb the world as she searches for Nu. The proclamation of a stone age woman should never be dismissed. You might say it is chiseled in stone and Vic has made it plain, she is determined to find her eternal love Nu - no matter what it takes. As Vic Challenger, she will confront the grimmest peril and venture into situations so horrible they make the bravest of men cower and weep for their mother. Vic has embarked against all odds on an epic quest that may last a lifetime and on any day could bring violent death. She learned from her mysterious avatar Nat-ul, even when you face the gravest of threats, you need not be brave, you just need to do what needs done. It’s all just living. It looks to be a long, hard ride!
Vic: Double Trouble brings you the beginnings of Vic Challenger in the first and second books of the series, Time Doesn’t Matter and Mongol. In Africa Vic learns the secret of her dim past when every day was a series of fights for life. As the farm girl from Nebraska she faces several deadly situations in Africa of 1919 from slavers to wild animals. Then, taking brother Barney along, she visits the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. There she must battle a mythical creature, war criminals and nature just to survive. Then after Barney leaves for Europe, Vic takes her friend from high school, Lin Li on a ‘vacation’ in Mongolia. They will be OK if they survive the nameless subterranean man things, the fabled creature that dissolves it’s prey, the Chinese Redbeards, the White Russians and the legendary cold weather. Or maybe it will be enough just to save their guide’s adorable twin girls.
It all began 100,000 years ago when life was stupendously savage and every day was a test of both your will and your strength. An epic love was born. Two cave dwellers, Nat-ul daughter of Tha, and Nu the son of Nu, each a stupendously mighty hunter and warrior to match that time, vowed to love one another as long as the moon would rise in the night sky, which, in their primitive fashion, meant forever. The very day following this sacred oath the warrior and warrior maiden both died in an earthquake and tsunami. Buried by the earth, swallowed up by the sea, one would think their story was ended. Yet, since that time the wise of every generation and every culture have proclaimed that true love never dies. There is a reason they say this. In the early 20th century the moon still was rising in the night sky, when Nat-ul returned as Victoria Custer who vividly remembers that former primeval life. That painful, frightening memory from a thousand generations past has forged her into something more than she was and has emboldened her with unrelenting purpose empowering her to take action in even the most savage of circumstances. Now, under the pen name Vic Challenger, she works as a writer of adventure travel articles and her job allows her to literally comb the world as she searches for Nu. The proclamation of a stone age woman should never be dismissed. You might say it is chiseled in stone and Vic has made it plain, she is determined to find her eternal love Nu - no matter what it takes. As Vic Challenger, she will confront the grimmest peril and venture into situations so horrible they make the bravest of men cower and weep for their mother. Vic has embarked against all odds on an epic quest that may last a lifetime and on any day could bring violent death. She learned from her mysterious avatar Nat-ul, even when you face the gravest of threats, you need not be brave, you just need to do what needs done. It’s all just living. It looks to be a long, hard ride!
Vic: Double Trouble brings you the beginnings of Vic Challenger in the first and second books of the series, Time Doesn’t Matter and Mongol. In Africa Vic learns the secret of her dim past when every day was a series of fights for life. As the farm girl from Nebraska she faces several deadly situations in Africa of 1919 from slavers to wild animals. Then, taking brother Barney along, she visits the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. There she must battle a mythical creature, war criminals and nature just to survive. Then after Barney leaves for Europe, Vic takes her friend from high school, Lin Li on a ‘vacation’ in Mongolia. They will be OK if they survive the nameless subterranean man things, the fabled creature that dissolves it’s prey, the Chinese Redbeards, the White Russians and the legendary cold weather. Or maybe it will be enough just to save their guide’s adorable twin girls.
416 pages, Paperback
First published October 26, 2014
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Gill
29 books4 followersI have written/edited/published for years but it was non-fiction, especially directories. The government decided to do some things that impacted my products, and spent years postponing proposed changes. My customer base was pretty much decimated. Oh well...life.
Wake up! When I was 10 or 12, I read The Eternal Savage by Burroughs (in two parts, 1914 and 1917). I immediately went looking for a sequel. There never was one. I re-read the book a few times and in 2013 decided I'd do the sequel myself. I re-wrote the beginning, sequel (#2), then #3, #4 as of February 2015. It will require 4-5 more at least to use the scenes already in my head.
Why Vic instead of a Victor? I have four fantastic hanai neices. Women have it better now than once upon a time but still people don't give them deserved credit. I wanted to create a character that wasn't a vampire or super hero, just the girl next door but with a goal and unwilling to let anything stop her. Vic remembers when life was stupendously savage, when actions we might today equate with extreme bravery were just daily life. Vic's motto: You don't need to be brave, you just need to do what needs done.
Obviously a great influence is Edgar Rice Burroughs. I liked all his work but especially his less celebrated books. I read most Tarzan books but preferred stories like Eternal Savage, Pellucidar novels, the Moon Trilogy, Beyond Thirty, Land of Hidden Men, The Oakdale Affair, Time Forgot books, and so on.
ERB was not my only influence, though, I remember trying to read a Hardy Boys book and never finished one. Tried Nancy Drew and loved it. One part of the formula for Nancy books is inclusion of real facts. For example I recently re-read Moss Covered Mansion and it had a fantastic description of visiting the Kennedy Space Center before a launch in the 60's. I try to include real facts without making it a travelogue. And although there is a sci-fi component to the books (and will continue to be) I want Vic to always do things that are possible. Often they are far from easy, and definitely not recommended as many of her actions are very dangerous - but always possible. On the website under references I give all the places where I dug up info for the books.
Nancy Drew and ERB had influential helpers. All those writers who contributed as Kenneth Robeson to Doc Savage and The Avenger were great influences, also. I read all of both series.I figure if my writing can bring readers even a tiny fraction of the pleasure I was given by those writers of yesteryear, it's worth anything I put into it.
Lots of information about Vic and the books are on the website http://www.vicplanet.com. References are listed, non-English vocabulary used in the books, discussion questions for book clubs, reviews, excerpts, trailers and more.
Each novel has it's own board on Pinterest. Just go to https://www.pinterest.com/glbwandvic/ You can follow me and Vic on Twitter if interested @vicaction I spend about an hour per day on Twitter. Twice I read through the most recent 100 tweets. I usually retweet several on many topics. It's not just Vic stuff. I follow back 99% of the time. I send thank you tweets to new followers. I send about 5-10 tweets myself. Some are quotes from Vic or others. Some are about coming books. Some are review quotes. Some are none of the above.
A fan set up a Vic fan group on FaceBook. It would be great if you joined. No cost, no work. If you ever want to talk about a Vic book or rellated you have a place to go. I have nothing to do with the group (I think it would be tacky to join a group for my own character) but I will try to always give advance notice of next book and such, discounts and that sort of thing. Nothing to lose, maybe something to gain. https://www.facebook.com/groups/14744...
Finally, a request to share. I'm told reviews help. Amazon uses them to determine what customers see when they search. When you read a Vic novel, please write a review
Wake up! When I was 10 or 12, I read The Eternal Savage by Burroughs (in two parts, 1914 and 1917). I immediately went looking for a sequel. There never was one. I re-read the book a few times and in 2013 decided I'd do the sequel myself. I re-wrote the beginning, sequel (#2), then #3, #4 as of February 2015. It will require 4-5 more at least to use the scenes already in my head.
Why Vic instead of a Victor? I have four fantastic hanai neices. Women have it better now than once upon a time but still people don't give them deserved credit. I wanted to create a character that wasn't a vampire or super hero, just the girl next door but with a goal and unwilling to let anything stop her. Vic remembers when life was stupendously savage, when actions we might today equate with extreme bravery were just daily life. Vic's motto: You don't need to be brave, you just need to do what needs done.
Obviously a great influence is Edgar Rice Burroughs. I liked all his work but especially his less celebrated books. I read most Tarzan books but preferred stories like Eternal Savage, Pellucidar novels, the Moon Trilogy, Beyond Thirty, Land of Hidden Men, The Oakdale Affair, Time Forgot books, and so on.
ERB was not my only influence, though, I remember trying to read a Hardy Boys book and never finished one. Tried Nancy Drew and loved it. One part of the formula for Nancy books is inclusion of real facts. For example I recently re-read Moss Covered Mansion and it had a fantastic description of visiting the Kennedy Space Center before a launch in the 60's. I try to include real facts without making it a travelogue. And although there is a sci-fi component to the books (and will continue to be) I want Vic to always do things that are possible. Often they are far from easy, and definitely not recommended as many of her actions are very dangerous - but always possible. On the website under references I give all the places where I dug up info for the books.
Nancy Drew and ERB had influential helpers. All those writers who contributed as Kenneth Robeson to Doc Savage and The Avenger were great influences, also. I read all of both series.I figure if my writing can bring readers even a tiny fraction of the pleasure I was given by those writers of yesteryear, it's worth anything I put into it.
Lots of information about Vic and the books are on the website http://www.vicplanet.com. References are listed, non-English vocabulary used in the books, discussion questions for book clubs, reviews, excerpts, trailers and more.
Each novel has it's own board on Pinterest. Just go to https://www.pinterest.com/glbwandvic/ You can follow me and Vic on Twitter if interested @vicaction I spend about an hour per day on Twitter. Twice I read through the most recent 100 tweets. I usually retweet several on many topics. It's not just Vic stuff. I follow back 99% of the time. I send thank you tweets to new followers. I send about 5-10 tweets myself. Some are quotes from Vic or others. Some are about coming books. Some are review quotes. Some are none of the above.
A fan set up a Vic fan group on FaceBook. It would be great if you joined. No cost, no work. If you ever want to talk about a Vic book or rellated you have a place to go. I have nothing to do with the group (I think it would be tacky to join a group for my own character) but I will try to always give advance notice of next book and such, discounts and that sort of thing. Nothing to lose, maybe something to gain. https://www.facebook.com/groups/14744...
Finally, a request to share. I'm told reviews help. Amazon uses them to determine what customers see when they search. When you read a Vic novel, please write a review
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 2, 2014
Vic: Double Trouble
by Jerry Gill (Goodreads Author)
This work collects two books by the same author featuring the character of Victoria Custer. The first is called Time Doesn’t Matter, and the second is Mongol. There are many very good things about these books, and some other things that I didn’t think worked quite so well. In my opinion, Time Doesn’t Matter is quite a bit better than Mongol and would get four stars from me if it were rated separately. The main character, Victoria Custer, is an adventurer and writer in the Twentieth century. She is generally known as “Vic,” and writes under the penname of Vic Challenger. Vic is a contemporary of Tarzan of the Apes, but she is also the reincarnation of Nat-ul, a cave woman who lived a dangerous life in the distant past. Nat-ul and her caveman mate, Nu, were killed on the same day by an earthquake. The modern Vic mentally relives Nat-ul’s experiences and realizes that Nu must have been reincarnated as well. An overall theme of these works is her attempt to locate the modern “Nu.”
Book 1: Time Doesn’t Matter, takes the reader back and forth between the ancient world and the modern, and it is a page turning adventure, very much in the mold of Edgar Rice Burroughs in his Tarzan and Pellucidar series. Like ERB, the author of the book has a great sense of “narrative drive,” which keeps the story constantly moving. The author also creates good characters who the reader comes quickly to like and root for.
Book 2: Mongol, takes Vic on a trip to Mongolia accompanied by a few friends. They run into monsters, bandits, buried cities, treasure, and strange beings galore. I would give this one three stars.
Here are a couple of things that I thought could have made these books even stronger. First, neither book is divided into chapters. There are sections, with titles, which I guess is about the same thing, but I read this in ebook format and it was difficult to tell the sections apart since they did not necessarily start on new pages and the titles didn’t always stand out from the background. Simply labelling these as chapter 1: title, chapter 2: title, etc, would have really improved the reading experience, at least in my opinion.
My remaining criticism relates only to book 2, Mongol. Although interesting I thought the book suffered a bit because there wasn’t a specific goal that the characters were working toward. It consisted more of a string of events that were only peripherally related to each other. The events themselves were interesting but did not specifically advance a ‘plot’ for the book. In addition, while the author took care to get the historical details right and seems to have done a very good job of this, I sometimes felt there was just too much historical detail that slowed down the adventure. The historical details on things like clothing, food, etc., could probably have been cut back a bit in the interests of keeping the story moving forward.
All in all, this was a good duology, with the first book being quite outstanding. Definitely a writer to keep an eye on.
by Jerry Gill (Goodreads Author)
This work collects two books by the same author featuring the character of Victoria Custer. The first is called Time Doesn’t Matter, and the second is Mongol. There are many very good things about these books, and some other things that I didn’t think worked quite so well. In my opinion, Time Doesn’t Matter is quite a bit better than Mongol and would get four stars from me if it were rated separately. The main character, Victoria Custer, is an adventurer and writer in the Twentieth century. She is generally known as “Vic,” and writes under the penname of Vic Challenger. Vic is a contemporary of Tarzan of the Apes, but she is also the reincarnation of Nat-ul, a cave woman who lived a dangerous life in the distant past. Nat-ul and her caveman mate, Nu, were killed on the same day by an earthquake. The modern Vic mentally relives Nat-ul’s experiences and realizes that Nu must have been reincarnated as well. An overall theme of these works is her attempt to locate the modern “Nu.”
Book 1: Time Doesn’t Matter, takes the reader back and forth between the ancient world and the modern, and it is a page turning adventure, very much in the mold of Edgar Rice Burroughs in his Tarzan and Pellucidar series. Like ERB, the author of the book has a great sense of “narrative drive,” which keeps the story constantly moving. The author also creates good characters who the reader comes quickly to like and root for.
Book 2: Mongol, takes Vic on a trip to Mongolia accompanied by a few friends. They run into monsters, bandits, buried cities, treasure, and strange beings galore. I would give this one three stars.
Here are a couple of things that I thought could have made these books even stronger. First, neither book is divided into chapters. There are sections, with titles, which I guess is about the same thing, but I read this in ebook format and it was difficult to tell the sections apart since they did not necessarily start on new pages and the titles didn’t always stand out from the background. Simply labelling these as chapter 1: title, chapter 2: title, etc, would have really improved the reading experience, at least in my opinion.
My remaining criticism relates only to book 2, Mongol. Although interesting I thought the book suffered a bit because there wasn’t a specific goal that the characters were working toward. It consisted more of a string of events that were only peripherally related to each other. The events themselves were interesting but did not specifically advance a ‘plot’ for the book. In addition, while the author took care to get the historical details right and seems to have done a very good job of this, I sometimes felt there was just too much historical detail that slowed down the adventure. The historical details on things like clothing, food, etc., could probably have been cut back a bit in the interests of keeping the story moving forward.
All in all, this was a good duology, with the first book being quite outstanding. Definitely a writer to keep an eye on.
January 11, 2015
I just finished reading Mongol, the second novel in Vic: Double Trouble paperback.
The second book is at least as good as the first in the Vic Challenger series. The heroine is a travel writer during the 1920s who gets into one death defying adventure after another throughout her travels and is able to defend herself using a variety of weapons including firearms, knives, martial arts, and her own primitive weapons chipped from stone.
In this story her travel companion is Lin Li, who she has known since high school. The pair travel to Asia from Nebraska by-way-of Hawaii. They solve a murder along the way, once in Asia they must defend themselves against monstrous creatures, beings from a different plane of existence, and the army of a local war lord.
As with the first book in the series, it is a very good homage to the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Yet, is more of a modern reboot of that work for contemporary readers by portraying strong, self-actuating women who can take care of themselves, for young readers.
An interesting and positive difference between the books in this series and the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs is the focus upon Vic Challenger's role as friend, daughter, sister, and contributing member of society (member of a social web) as opposed to the heroes of Edgar Rice Burroughs who mostly acted alone or with a loyal familiar, (always remarkable but still inferior to the hero) typically seeking to retrieve a kidnapped love interest or some personal goal for servival. In the Vic Challenger stories, as remarkable as she is, her companions are shown to be her equal and to sometimes have skills she does not have. She works with many alleys for social good rather than just her own benefit. And she is shown to participate in church, social and family functions when at home in Nebraska. These are not activities enacted or valued by the heroes in Burroughs' books.
I have recommended the Vic Challenger books to my wife and to all of my children but have especially recommended them to each of my three daughters, ranging in ages from 16 through 28.
The second book is at least as good as the first in the Vic Challenger series. The heroine is a travel writer during the 1920s who gets into one death defying adventure after another throughout her travels and is able to defend herself using a variety of weapons including firearms, knives, martial arts, and her own primitive weapons chipped from stone.
In this story her travel companion is Lin Li, who she has known since high school. The pair travel to Asia from Nebraska by-way-of Hawaii. They solve a murder along the way, once in Asia they must defend themselves against monstrous creatures, beings from a different plane of existence, and the army of a local war lord.
As with the first book in the series, it is a very good homage to the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Yet, is more of a modern reboot of that work for contemporary readers by portraying strong, self-actuating women who can take care of themselves, for young readers.
An interesting and positive difference between the books in this series and the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs is the focus upon Vic Challenger's role as friend, daughter, sister, and contributing member of society (member of a social web) as opposed to the heroes of Edgar Rice Burroughs who mostly acted alone or with a loyal familiar, (always remarkable but still inferior to the hero) typically seeking to retrieve a kidnapped love interest or some personal goal for servival. In the Vic Challenger stories, as remarkable as she is, her companions are shown to be her equal and to sometimes have skills she does not have. She works with many alleys for social good rather than just her own benefit. And she is shown to participate in church, social and family functions when at home in Nebraska. These are not activities enacted or valued by the heroes in Burroughs' books.
I have recommended the Vic Challenger books to my wife and to all of my children but have especially recommended them to each of my three daughters, ranging in ages from 16 through 28.
October 29, 2014
Review for "Time Doesn't Matter"
This first novel in Gill's Double Trouble collection is an exciting thrill from the first page to the last! The love between Nat-ul and Nu provides an interesting and downright inspirational plot line, and the well described scenery kept me genuinely engaged. Gill's way with words had me feeling like I was right there in the midst of the story. I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys books about past lives with lots of adventure!
Review for "Mongol"
This second novel in the Double Trouble collection is just as wonderful as the first! As Vic becomes more familiar with her past lives I became more addicted to her search for Nu. And once again, Gill's descriptiveness and lush use of setting is masterful. I definitely hope he writes more soon because I love these characters!
Overall, Jerry Gill's Vic: Double Trouble Collection are a couple of great novels that I won't be forgetting anytime soon!
This first novel in Gill's Double Trouble collection is an exciting thrill from the first page to the last! The love between Nat-ul and Nu provides an interesting and downright inspirational plot line, and the well described scenery kept me genuinely engaged. Gill's way with words had me feeling like I was right there in the midst of the story. I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys books about past lives with lots of adventure!
Review for "Mongol"
This second novel in the Double Trouble collection is just as wonderful as the first! As Vic becomes more familiar with her past lives I became more addicted to her search for Nu. And once again, Gill's descriptiveness and lush use of setting is masterful. I definitely hope he writes more soon because I love these characters!
Overall, Jerry Gill's Vic: Double Trouble Collection are a couple of great novels that I won't be forgetting anytime soon!
November 2, 2014
What an interesting premise for a story. It takes a lot to tell a love story that is one hundred thousand years old. Jerry Gill pulls it off in Vic: Double Trouble. We meet Nat-ul from the days of the caveman and we meet the 20th century version of the woman Victoria Custer. Each are challenged by trials of their time period on their quest to reunite with their true love.
This was a fascinating read and a book that was well worth my time. I tried to decide which time period I liked better but I couldn't. The author did a great job writing the story in both even though they were very different. I'd recommend this book if you're ready for a really unique adventure story.
This was a fascinating read and a book that was well worth my time. I tried to decide which time period I liked better but I couldn't. The author did a great job writing the story in both even though they were very different. I'd recommend this book if you're ready for a really unique adventure story.
October 30, 2014
Has a ton of action. Great character development for Vic. Historically accurate (1920's). Touch of sci-fi but mostly action adventure with a female Indiana Jones. Or Nancy Drew with an attitude and weapon. Fast paced mostly with travelogue-ish parts that let you better feel what it's like - travel in 1920 was not the same as now. The two novels (it's a double novel) give the 'beginning' of Vic Challenger and take her to Africa, the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and to Outer Mongolia (just Mongolia now).
November 17, 2014
Hitting at about a solid three. Okay well now book two makes much more sense! I read the second book first so now I understand a lot more now! If I could insert a light bulb I would! I honestly think that with a little more editing/polish these books have crazy potential! There was still bits and pieces that didn't add up for me but all in all I was entertained! :)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews