The Silver Scourge

The Shadow Pulp #34

by Maxwell Grant, Walter B. Gibson

Pulp magazine published by Street and Smith. The hero is known as "The Shadow"

Genres: Pulp

Unknown Binding

First published July 15, 1933

About the author

Maxwell Grant was a pseudonym often used by Walter B. Gibson to write stories of "The Shadow".

Reviews

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Counterfeiting with silver brings in Vic Marquette of the Secret Service. The bad guy is electrocuted well before the end, more or less!

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to pulp heroes there are 2 or 3 great standouts and the Shadow is one of those. The stories are fast paced and action filled. The mystery just adds to the excitement. With his army of agents to help the Shadow never lets you down for a great read. Highly recommended

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos to Walter B. Gibson for a story so original it's been imitated to the point where one of the twists -- a crook runs afoul the law and is punished but comes back to wreak his vengeance -- is acceptable because you've seen it used over and over again.

Back when The Silver Scourge was published the idea would have shocked readers. Frankenstein was still fresh in the minds of the public when Gibson wrote the story in 1932 (the film came out in 1931) and possibly still in the minds of theatergoers at the time this story published in July 1933 (The Invisible Man by director James Whale would hit the silver screen a few months later).

The story is about counterfeiting, something that is presented as real but is actually false, and that idea resonates throughout with the characters -- villains and heroes alike. I was undecided whether to show the original cover or the one from the the Sanctum reprint that pairs it with the 1942 story The Book of Death, which has one of the most iconic Shadow covers. I've kept the original cover only because the story deserves to stand on its own, especially because of the "crook comes back" premise.

[Margeaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

A most mediocre Shadow tale. In fact, there's no real need for The Shadow in this standard crime adventure. It could be almost any character or detective. Perhaps the poorest Shadow novel I have yet read.

[Tomi Vaisala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good crime story.