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Pagoda
A moneymaking scheme in Burma proves more dangerous than the jungle itself in the first action novel featuring Joe Gall by the Edgar Award finalist.
Down on his luck in Rangoon, Joe Gall agrees to partner up with an old acquaintance named Varley for a chance to make millions in the jungles of war-torn Burma. Gall expected the scheme to involve fists and guns--but when he discovers Varley's working both sides, it's every man for himself . . .
Originally published under the name James Atlee Phillips, Pagoda marked the first appearance of Joe Gall, the fearless freelance operative whose many adventures would take him around the world--and straight into danger.
"[Philip Atlee is] the John D. MacDonald of espionage fiction." --Larry McMurtry, The New York Times
"I admire Philip Atlee's writing tremendously." --Raymond Chandler
Down on his luck in Rangoon, Joe Gall agrees to partner up with an old acquaintance named Varley for a chance to make millions in the jungles of war-torn Burma. Gall expected the scheme to involve fists and guns--but when he discovers Varley's working both sides, it's every man for himself . . .
Originally published under the name James Atlee Phillips, Pagoda marked the first appearance of Joe Gall, the fearless freelance operative whose many adventures would take him around the world--and straight into danger.
"[Philip Atlee is] the John D. MacDonald of espionage fiction." --Larry McMurtry, The New York Times
"I admire Philip Atlee's writing tremendously." --Raymond Chandler
151 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 2, 2021
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Philip Atlee
35 books8 followersPseudonym of James Atlee Phillips
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Atlee's first book was an expose about local country club members. An avid flyer, he was a member of the Flying Tigers before WWII. He joined the Marines after Pearl Harbor. He ran Amphibian Airways in Burma, probably for the CIA, and it is from this experience that his first Joe Gall book, Pagoda, came.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Atlee's first book was an expose about local country club members. An avid flyer, he was a member of the Flying Tigers before WWII. He joined the Marines after Pearl Harbor. He ran Amphibian Airways in Burma, probably for the CIA, and it is from this experience that his first Joe Gall book, Pagoda, came.
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December 26, 2023
Pagoda (1952) was published a full decade before Atlee’s Joe Gall series and is often referred to as a prequel. It has the same lead character, but not yet a CIA contract agent, not as fully developed and hashed out. The writing would also flow a lot more smoothly in the later Joe Gall novels. Also, he falls for a romantic partner in the Far East much as he later does with Kelly Wu (White Wolverine Contract and Kowloon Contract). This story is set primarily in Burma after WW2 and wracked by civil war. Gall, a former pilot, is tagged to set up two identical airlines, serving both sides in the war, and the story is his overcoming corruption to get his birds in the air. It is a story that seems to improve as the story goes on and is well worth a read, particularly to readers who have finished the entire Gall series and are hungering for more – even if it’s not quite exactly the same character.
Displaying 1 of 1 review