Deadwalk

Vampirella #3

by Ron Goulart

HER NAME IS VAMPIRELLA. SHE LUSTS FOR BLOOD!
Beautiful. Sleek. Deadly. An animal of prey she stalks the streets hunting a victim. She comes frtom the blackness of Space itself. Pulled from her native planet by a secret Earth space probe, she is Earth's first extra-terrestrial visitor. Trapped by accident on a world far from her own, VAMPIRELLA must drink blood to survive. She must kill - or adapt - or die!

#3 DEADWALK brings Vampirella and Pendragon, the magaician, to a Caribbean island where the cult of voodoo draws upon the young and beautiful for human scarifice. Can VAMPIRELLA, an alien from the blackness of space, battle black magic and the practices of evil on Earth?
(back cover copy)

Genres: Horror, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Pseudonyms: Howard Lee; Frank S Shawn; Kenneth Robeson; Con Steffanson; Josephine Kains; Joseph Silva; William Shatner.
Ron Goulart is a cultural historian and novelist. Besides writing extensively about pulp fiction—including the seminal Cheap Thrills: An Informal History of Pulp Magazines (1972)—Goulart has written for the pulps since 1952, when the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published his first story, a sci-fi parody of letters to the editor. Since then he has written dozens of novels and countless short stories, spanning genres and using a variety of pennames, including Kenneth Robeson, Joseph Silva, and Con Steffanson. In the 1990s, he became the ghostwriter for William Shatner’s popular TekWar novels. Goulart’s After Things Fell Apart (1970) is the only science-fiction novel to ever win an Edgar Award.

In the 1970s Goulart wrote novels starring series characters like Flash Gordon and the Phantom, and in 1980 he published Hail Hibbler, a comic sci-fi novel that began the Odd Jobs, Inc. series. Goulart has also written several comic mystery series, including six books starring Groucho Marx. Having written for comic books, Goulart produced several histories of the art form, including the Comic Book Encyclopedia (2004).

Reviews

[Mike Siedschlag · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently ran across a couple of Vampirella books at a local book giveaway. I'll admit I went for them because of the cover art (what can I say).



I had heard the name Vampirella back in the 70's but had never read any.



Actually vampirism has very little to do with the story, and again a different origin for this vampire. Not a spoiler this time, it's on the cover. Vampirella is actually an alien! Where are the Ancient Aliens on this one?



The story is an action oriented adventure something like an Indiana Jones. Instead of an archeologist we have a hot alien out to save the day.



No sex, plenty of titillation. We are reminded how hot our heroine is often, but it doesn't really do anyone any good. Except for the son of Van Helsing (yes that Van Helsing).



A fun, campy, quick read. Enjoy! (if you can find a copy)

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 3rd Vampirella novel has a couple of Pendragon's cousins captured by a Voodoo cult who have made an alliance with the cult of Chaos.

Very little to recommend this one other than that it features Vampirella. Poor writing and a rather dull story. Ending is exceptionally rushed.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampirella is an alien brought to Earth by forces beyond her control, and has to drink blood in order to survive. She falls in with Pendragon the magician, who becomes her (alcoholic) mentor, and eventually forms a romantic relationship with monster hunter Van Helsing. They are in continuing conflict with the evil Cult of Chaos, and have to face all manner of monsters, both human and supernatural and all stops in between. The stories are fast-paced fun, and never boring or offensive. Based on the famous comics character, the first couple of books more or less follow storylines from the magazines, but Goulart soon goes off into his own continuity. The books were obviously very hastily written, but are great quick, fun reads. There's no erotic content, despite the look of the covers, but considerable description of her appearance would no longer be accepted as correct. I bought the whole series at a science fiction convention one fine summer afternoon a decade after they were published from Rusty Hevelin, a friendly, lovely man who was a book dealer and well known as a fan, and that probably influences my memory of the series. The Vampirella books are elegant trash, and the first thing I think of when I hear the phrase "guilty pleasure."

[Kevin Dumcum · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style of this volume is strangely different than the first two volumes, far more cursing and flesh-ogling. The writing was very rushed. The chapters follow each other chronologically wit little explanation how the characters get from one scene to the next. Pointedly, Vampirella often shows up out of nowhere when she needs to. The character Pendragon is a very unlikeable drunk, and he is constantly drunk, not in a funny way. Not much to recommend, but it is a very fast read.