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The Spider: City of Doom
Three complete novels in one volume of the adventures of the mysterious masked crime fighter known as "The Spider," hunted by the underworld and the police alike. * First, in "The Spider and the Faceless One," a reign of terror grips New York, a city stalked by a killer with no face of his own, disguised with the tortured faces of his victims. Can even The spider defeat such an incredible foe? * Then, in "The Council of Evil," one of The Spider's deadliest enemies, long thought to be dead, has returned, and is using an inexplicable power to control the minds of others, beginning by turning The Spider's most trustworthy allies against their leader. * Finally, the Master of Men faces his most ruthless and deadly opponent in "The City Destroyer" as an unknown criminal mastermind uses an incredible device to melt the steel in the city's towering skyscrapers, bringing them crashing down in an orgy of destruction. Can The Spider unmask the madman before all of Manhattan is reduced t
- GenresPulp
417 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1935
9 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Norvell W. Page
212 books14 followersNorvell Wordsworth Page (1904–1961) was an American pulp fiction writer, journalist and editor who later became a government intelligence worker.
He was born in Virginia the son of Charles Wordsworth Page (1880 – 1947) and Estlie Isabelle Bethel Page (1880 – 1946). The name Norvell came from his maternal grandmother Elvira Russell Norvell Page.
He is best known as the author of the majority of the adventures of the ruthless vigilante hero The Spider, which he and a handful of other writers wrote under the house name of Grant Stockbridge. He also contributed to other pulp series, including The Shadow and The Phantom, and supplied scripts for the radio programs based on the characters he wrote, science fiction and two early sword and sorcery fantasy novels under forms of his real name, Norvel Page and Norvell W. Page. His 1940 Unknown novel, But Without Horns is considered an early classic explication of the superman theme. Under the pen name of N. Wooten Poge, Page wrote the adventures of Bill Carter for Spicy Detective Stories. His works only saw magazine publication during his lifetime, but his fantasies and some of the Spider novels were later reprinted as paperbacks.
The Spider was a crime-fighter in the tradition of The Shadow, wanted by the law for executing his criminal antagonists, and prefigured later comic book superheroes like Batman. Page's innovations to the series included a hideous disguise for the hero and a succession of super-scientific menaces for him to combat. One of these, involving an invasion of giant robots, was copied by an early Superman story and helped inspire the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
The setting of Page's sword and sorcery novels is central Asia in the first century A.D., when the legendary Prester John supposedly established a Christian kingdom there. In Page's conception, the man behind the legend was hard-bitten Mediterranean adventurer Hurricane John, or Wan Tengri, a hero in the mold of Robert E. Howard's Conan, though more humorous, verbose, and exaggeratedly omnicompetent as a warrior. He comes close to taking over two cities in the course of his travels, but the series concludes before he establishes his empire. He was featured two stories Flame Winds and Sons of the Bear God. The magic John encounters is unconvincingly rationalized
He was born in Virginia the son of Charles Wordsworth Page (1880 – 1947) and Estlie Isabelle Bethel Page (1880 – 1946). The name Norvell came from his maternal grandmother Elvira Russell Norvell Page.
He is best known as the author of the majority of the adventures of the ruthless vigilante hero The Spider, which he and a handful of other writers wrote under the house name of Grant Stockbridge. He also contributed to other pulp series, including The Shadow and The Phantom, and supplied scripts for the radio programs based on the characters he wrote, science fiction and two early sword and sorcery fantasy novels under forms of his real name, Norvel Page and Norvell W. Page. His 1940 Unknown novel, But Without Horns is considered an early classic explication of the superman theme. Under the pen name of N. Wooten Poge, Page wrote the adventures of Bill Carter for Spicy Detective Stories. His works only saw magazine publication during his lifetime, but his fantasies and some of the Spider novels were later reprinted as paperbacks.
The Spider was a crime-fighter in the tradition of The Shadow, wanted by the law for executing his criminal antagonists, and prefigured later comic book superheroes like Batman. Page's innovations to the series included a hideous disguise for the hero and a succession of super-scientific menaces for him to combat. One of these, involving an invasion of giant robots, was copied by an early Superman story and helped inspire the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
The setting of Page's sword and sorcery novels is central Asia in the first century A.D., when the legendary Prester John supposedly established a Christian kingdom there. In Page's conception, the man behind the legend was hard-bitten Mediterranean adventurer Hurricane John, or Wan Tengri, a hero in the mold of Robert E. Howard's Conan, though more humorous, verbose, and exaggeratedly omnicompetent as a warrior. He comes close to taking over two cities in the course of his travels, but the series concludes before he establishes his empire. He was featured two stories Flame Winds and Sons of the Bear God. The magic John encounters is unconvincingly rationalized
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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January 6, 2016Im bürgerlichen Leben ist Richard Wentworth Millionär, Playboy und Letzter seiner Sippe. Mit Umhang, Hut und falschen Fangzähnen bewaffnet wird er zu THE SPIDER, ein selbsternannter Rächer, der keine Skrupel hat, Ganoven zu töten. Ab 1933 zählt er zu den frühen Pulp-Helden. Sehr auffällig ist die Ähnlichkeit zum späteren Batman (Butler und Sidekick inklusive), nur dass sich THE SPIDER noch nicht an die Konvention halten muss, dass die Helden ihre Gegner nicht töten. Den Leichen drückt er das Siegel der Spinne auf die Stirn, und da er keinen Hehl daraus macht, wer die Ganoven exekutiert, wird er von der Polizei verfolgt - wenn auch teilweise nicht mit der nötigen Inbrunst und Leidenschaft. Man könnte ihn als "darker night" bezeichnen, in Anlehnung an Frank Millers extrem gewalttätigen Batman.
Geschrieben wurden die Abenteuer unter dem Hausnamen Grant Stockbridge, hinter dem sich mehrere Autoren verbargen. Die meisten SPIDER Romane sind aber von Norvell Page geschrieben worden.
Das Erzähltempo, das Norvell Page vorlegt, ist atemberaubend; viele andere Autoren, selbst Pulp-Schriftsteller, würden schon nach wenigen Seiten einen Herzinfarkt riskieren, wenn sie sich mit Page messen wollten. Dem Leser kann da schon mal der Mund sperrangelweit offen stehen, wenn sich da eine Actionszene an die nächste reiht und kaum Zeit zum Luftholen bleibt.
Der Band CITY OF DOOM beinhaltet drei SPIDER-Romane:
1. THE CITY DESTROYER (Januar 1935)
2. THE FACELESS ONE (November 1939)
3. THE COUNCIL OF EVIL (Oktober 1940)
Geschrieben wurden die Abenteuer unter dem Hausnamen Grant Stockbridge, hinter dem sich mehrere Autoren verbargen. Die meisten SPIDER Romane sind aber von Norvell Page geschrieben worden.
Das Erzähltempo, das Norvell Page vorlegt, ist atemberaubend; viele andere Autoren, selbst Pulp-Schriftsteller, würden schon nach wenigen Seiten einen Herzinfarkt riskieren, wenn sie sich mit Page messen wollten. Dem Leser kann da schon mal der Mund sperrangelweit offen stehen, wenn sich da eine Actionszene an die nächste reiht und kaum Zeit zum Luftholen bleibt.
Der Band CITY OF DOOM beinhaltet drei SPIDER-Romane:
1. THE CITY DESTROYER (Januar 1935)
2. THE FACELESS ONE (November 1939)
3. THE COUNCIL OF EVIL (Oktober 1940)
October 10, 2022
This is a better selection than the other Baen Books volume in this series. But. They still reprint Spider novels that have already been reprinted. That's not as big of a problem now, with subsequent efforts by other publishers to reprint the entire series, but when this came out, they should've been more mindful.
At least all three of these novels this time were actual Spider novels. One of these, The Spider and the Faceless One, I haven't read before. It is the typical fantastic and over the top adventure that Norvell Page was known for. It moves fast, non-stop action, and the bodies pile up.
The cover is by Steranko, and is his usual superb work.
The downside is this has both a foreward and an afterword by Joel Frieman. I'm not sure if Frieman was suffering mental illness toward the end, or if this was an attempt by a bad wannabe fiction writer using his ownership of the Spider rights to force an editor to print his drivel.
At least all three of these novels this time were actual Spider novels. One of these, The Spider and the Faceless One, I haven't read before. It is the typical fantastic and over the top adventure that Norvell Page was known for. It moves fast, non-stop action, and the bodies pile up.
The cover is by Steranko, and is his usual superb work.
The downside is this has both a foreward and an afterword by Joel Frieman. I'm not sure if Frieman was suffering mental illness toward the end, or if this was an attempt by a bad wannabe fiction writer using his ownership of the Spider rights to force an editor to print his drivel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2019
Mayhem and action in the sensational "Spider" style. Buildings are levelled, seniors take to the streets, and gangsters are mowed down ruthlessly. This is another collection of classic pulp adventure stories by Norvell Page worth a read if you want death and destruction in an exciting manner.
August 26, 2008
I started this book some time ago as a eBook from Baen Books. I have had trouble staying with it because I don't carry an eBook with me. I'm locked to my computer and usually end up doing other things than reading when I'm at the computer. As a result, The Spider: City of Doom wasn't as fun for me as the previous novel about the robots. Remember, though,that my perspective on this one is colored by my frustration with the media. I plan to buy the next books republished by Baen.
I suppose another reason this novel wasn't as fun was because the events it depicts are so close to the terrorism we experienced on 9-11. One major event (though I won't spoil anymore by refusing to explain the mechanism or motivation of the fictional terrorists/gangsters) is the collapse of the Sky Tower (an obvious Empire State Building cipher)and, even in fiction, I felt some of the same gut-wrenching I felt in viewing film footage of crowds fleeing Manhattan streets with horrifying clouds of dust and debris following them. Another incident in the novel reminds me of the sewer explosion when I lived in Louisville. Again, it might just have been too close to home for "escape" reading.
Another reason that this novel didn't seem like as much fun was that the "gimmicks" were repetitive. In both novels, the Spider commandeers semi-trucks and trailers to take on his foes. I haven't seen such an obsession with trucks since Spielberg's "Duel" (although the "Dark Knight" movie shares a little bit of this). On the other hand, the use of the Spider mark (essentially a brand made by a mini-cigarette lighter like you'd have in a car during the era) was interesting when it was used as a mark of Cain in this book.
I love some of the more archaic turns of phrase: "fandango of speed," "ordered his elimination," and "snaked her arms" are not typical in our modern novels written at a 5th or 6th grade reading level. I also love the terrific use of poetic justice at two critical points in the main story (as with the first book, there are three novellas but unlike the first, all of these feature the Spider.).
This book is delightful enough that I'll buy more, but it isn't at the level of the first in the series.
I suppose another reason this novel wasn't as fun was because the events it depicts are so close to the terrorism we experienced on 9-11. One major event (though I won't spoil anymore by refusing to explain the mechanism or motivation of the fictional terrorists/gangsters) is the collapse of the Sky Tower (an obvious Empire State Building cipher)and, even in fiction, I felt some of the same gut-wrenching I felt in viewing film footage of crowds fleeing Manhattan streets with horrifying clouds of dust and debris following them. Another incident in the novel reminds me of the sewer explosion when I lived in Louisville. Again, it might just have been too close to home for "escape" reading.
Another reason that this novel didn't seem like as much fun was that the "gimmicks" were repetitive. In both novels, the Spider commandeers semi-trucks and trailers to take on his foes. I haven't seen such an obsession with trucks since Spielberg's "Duel" (although the "Dark Knight" movie shares a little bit of this). On the other hand, the use of the Spider mark (essentially a brand made by a mini-cigarette lighter like you'd have in a car during the era) was interesting when it was used as a mark of Cain in this book.
I love some of the more archaic turns of phrase: "fandango of speed," "ordered his elimination," and "snaked her arms" are not typical in our modern novels written at a 5th or 6th grade reading level. I also love the terrific use of poetic justice at two critical points in the main story (as with the first book, there are three novellas but unlike the first, all of these feature the Spider.).
This book is delightful enough that I'll buy more, but it isn't at the level of the first in the series.
March 2, 2012
This is another nice collection of three Spider adventure, though not as good as the previous Baen volume. I found that reading one and then coming back to read another a month or two later was a system that worked better for me than attempting to devour the entire book at one time. Nita van Sloan was the best sidekick/girl friend of all the pulps, and the stories are all very fast-paced and entertaining. I liked the Steranko art, but this volume has an introduction and afterward that don't seem to fit with anything or make much sense at all; they'd have been better served by reprinting a short story or two in the space. The weakest story is THE CITY DESTROYER (in which thousands and thousands of people are killed, so I'd guess they had continuity problems for the next issue!), THE COUNCIL OF EVIL is good but so fast-paced that the author lost track of at least one character and never mentions him again, and THE FACELESS ONE was my favorite of the lot. The Spider was definitely in the top five of pulp heroes.
September 28, 2009
I bought this because I'm a fan of old pulps and loved some comic books when I was younger. This was (for me) an $8.00 waste. If you are a fan of the "hard boiled detective genre" (Micky Spillane, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, etc.) this might be for you. Unfortunately it left me cold. My tastes ran (run) more to the Wierd Tales sort of pulps rather than the Black Mask sort.
Keep in mind these stories were first published in the 1930s sothere are words that we don't use anymore...the one "racial word" I refer to was used by a "bad guy", still i wouldn't want anyone surprised by it. It took me off guard. Of course you find "that word" in several older books. People should just be aware.
If you like these type of books...doors kicked in, blazing guns, toughs with poor grammer.... really simplistic dialog and plotting (sorry couldn't resist) this is you book.
Keep in mind these stories were first published in the 1930s sothere are words that we don't use anymore...the one "racial word" I refer to was used by a "bad guy", still i wouldn't want anyone surprised by it. It took me off guard. Of course you find "that word" in several older books. People should just be aware.
If you like these type of books...doors kicked in, blazing guns, toughs with poor grammer.... really simplistic dialog and plotting (sorry couldn't resist) this is you book.
May 10, 2013
Es ist ein eigenwilliges Gefühl, diesen Nachdruck sogenannter "Blutiger Pulps" aus den 30ern zu lesen. The Spider, die fleischgewordene Todesstrafe, bucklig, maskiert, ein Ungeheuer, vor dem nicht nur die Unterwelt zittert... sicherlich nicht der gewöhnliche Held von Crime Thrillern. Ein Anti-Held jedoch nicht. Mit seinen Gegnern verglichen, ist er sogar ein Ausbund an Menschlichkeit. Denn THE SPIDER hält sich nicht mit halben Sachen auf... In diesem Nachdruck sind drei abgeschlossene Novellen gesammelt, und es fängt gleich damit an, dass mitten in New York Wolkenkratzer in sich zusammenbrechen und Tausende sterben... andere Verbrecher gehen mit militärischen Mitteln auf den Straßen der Metropole ihrem schändlichen Geschäft nach. Der Horror! Der Terror! Und ewig fliegen die Kugeln. Krass. Und irgendwie perverserweise immer noch aktuell.
February 16, 2015
More thuggish than the Shadow, more murderous than Batman, it's... the Spider!
Starting in '35 and moving up to '40, it's interesting how the villains in this collection become more mundane over time. From a mad scientist who can dissolve steel, to a master of disguise with an ill-defined plan involving arson, the collection ends with... a few gangs cooperating for a big heist. It doesn't make the stories more plausible, just less colorful.
Still, if you wanted to see what it would be like if Bruce Wayne was less interested in stopping murder-clowns or caring about the rule of law, and was really into murdering criminals, this is the series for you!
Starting in '35 and moving up to '40, it's interesting how the villains in this collection become more mundane over time. From a mad scientist who can dissolve steel, to a master of disguise with an ill-defined plan involving arson, the collection ends with... a few gangs cooperating for a big heist. It doesn't make the stories more plausible, just less colorful.
Still, if you wanted to see what it would be like if Bruce Wayne was less interested in stopping murder-clowns or caring about the rule of law, and was really into murdering criminals, this is the series for you!
December 11, 2012
This is a series of stories where The Spider is against all odds. He must save his one true love, his friends, his city and himself. Will there be enough time.
Maybe not as good as the other Baen Spider collection, Robot Titans of Gotham, but still a fun and exciting read. This is a must have for those who love the pulp fiction heroes like the Shadow, The Avenger, Doc Savage, Buck Rogers and Zorro!
Maybe not as good as the other Baen Spider collection, Robot Titans of Gotham, but still a fun and exciting read. This is a must have for those who love the pulp fiction heroes like the Shadow, The Avenger, Doc Savage, Buck Rogers and Zorro!
August 27, 2015
Batman? The Punisher? Mack Bolan? All wusses compared to The Spider. Not as good as the previous volume from Baen, but still highly enjoyable pulp lunacy.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews