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The Spider, Master of Men! #9: Satan's Death Blast
The Devil blows up parts of Albany and New York City (sometimes looting the remains). He eventually demands $75 million, or else New York will be destroyed. Ram Singh and Nita are hypnotized to kill Wentworth.
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First published January 1, 1934
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 28, 2021
This novel was first published as the lead story in the June, 1934 issue of The Spider magazine, and was written by the premiere Spider author, Norvell W. Page, though it was of course published under the Grant Stockbridge house name. It starts in the middle of an action scene and never slows down as Wentworth pursues an evil criminal mastermind, Satan, despite being injured, drugged, shot, and suffering amnesia. Several cities in the state of New York are blown up and looted, and the death toll must be in the thousands. Satan has discovered an underground lake infested by electric eels that he processes into an amazingly powerful explosive; a small pellet of this substance hidden in a cigar blows Senator Beach into dust and leaves a huge crater in the ground. Wentworth faithful servent Ram Singh is hypnotized into attempting to knife him, and he doesn't trust any of his aids from then on out, though Jackson and Nita don't give him cause to doubt them. (Early in the story he gets a ride from a small blonde woman who "drives like a demon," and I wondered if it could have been Nellie Gray?! Also, there's an evil radio announcer... could it be a Shadow gibe?) Page writes at a break-neck pace, and often doesn't have time to make sure all of his details gel, though the reader rarely notices without effort. This is one of the better Spiders I've read lately, a good representative of the early days of the character, and it's interesting that Wentworth makes mistakes and wins the day only because Nita saves him despite his lack of faith. This Dimedia paperback edition has a nice Ken W. Kelly cover that looks like it might be more at home on a Maxwell Grant volume.
November 3, 2009
The very first Spider book I ever read. It really knocked me for a loop with its overly dramatic tone, bizarre bad guy and over the top violence.
The Spider gets compared to the Shadow, but that only works if the Shadow was on acid and owned 128 guns.
The plot is wild and so over the top that I wouldn't worry about it too much. JUst sit back and enjoy the ride.
The writer has created a wild, absurd, violent world, but he always follows his own rules and plays it all very straight that you just except it.
The Spider gets compared to the Shadow, but that only works if the Shadow was on acid and owned 128 guns.
The plot is wild and so over the top that I wouldn't worry about it too much. JUst sit back and enjoy the ride.
The writer has created a wild, absurd, violent world, but he always follows his own rules and plays it all very straight that you just except it.
July 31, 2019
The Spider, Richard Wentworth, is back in a feverish and paranoid change of pace. Oh, it's a bullet-filled race against time and orgy of death like usual, although for most of the story our hero is suffering from complications of a gunshot wound in the leg and slightly out of his mind. It doesn't help that the faithful Ram Singh is drugged and attacks The Spider at one point.
Right at the jump we get a villain, known as “The Devil” (and Wentworth frequently calls him The Devil, even when it isn't in his best interests to do so), who has devised a new powerful explosive which he plans to use to loot major cities. There's a conspiracy to bump off those in public office who oppose a parks bill that is somehow instrumental to the villains plans.
We get a lot of things blowing up, plagues of hobos, killer electric eels infesting an underground lake, Wentworth trying to go it alone, Wentworth tying up Nita and Ram Singh, a villain taking The Spider's mark and surviving, Wentworth a fugitive, a doctor trying to ground our hero for being crazy, a radio announcer, a kidnapped rich girl, a hypno villain, caves full of hoodlums, vehicular homicide, boiling vats, forgetful dizzy Wentworth, and an endless string of shootouts.
I think the bit with the radio announcer may have been a dig at the more successful “The Shadow”. It also occurs to me that the heavy odds against the hero from the police and the crooks might be an unsubtle “don't try this at home” message. The Spider never makes it look easy.
Be warned that some fatigue may result from action, suffering, and gleeful brutality.
After “The Spider and the Pain Master” I was afraid this series would start going stale, but Stockbridge/Page throws in enough tricks to make this feel like a new trip. Sure, he doesn't quite have what Maxwell Grant did in most cases, and keeping over the level of Kenneth Robeson is sometimes in doubt, but the all important intensity makes it work. The Spider continues to push blind flaming drama, and that's its edge.
Right at the jump we get a villain, known as “The Devil” (and Wentworth frequently calls him The Devil, even when it isn't in his best interests to do so), who has devised a new powerful explosive which he plans to use to loot major cities. There's a conspiracy to bump off those in public office who oppose a parks bill that is somehow instrumental to the villains plans.
We get a lot of things blowing up, plagues of hobos, killer electric eels infesting an underground lake, Wentworth trying to go it alone, Wentworth tying up Nita and Ram Singh, a villain taking The Spider's mark and surviving, Wentworth a fugitive, a doctor trying to ground our hero for being crazy, a radio announcer, a kidnapped rich girl, a hypno villain, caves full of hoodlums, vehicular homicide, boiling vats, forgetful dizzy Wentworth, and an endless string of shootouts.
I think the bit with the radio announcer may have been a dig at the more successful “The Shadow”. It also occurs to me that the heavy odds against the hero from the police and the crooks might be an unsubtle “don't try this at home” message. The Spider never makes it look easy.
Be warned that some fatigue may result from action, suffering, and gleeful brutality.
After “The Spider and the Pain Master” I was afraid this series would start going stale, but Stockbridge/Page throws in enough tricks to make this feel like a new trip. Sure, he doesn't quite have what Maxwell Grant did in most cases, and keeping over the level of Kenneth Robeson is sometimes in doubt, but the all important intensity makes it work. The Spider continues to push blind flaming drama, and that's its edge.
April 28, 2019
Powerful, deadly explosions rock New York!
Note: This is for the latest issue of this story from Altus Press
Richard Wentworth is in Albany, New York to meet with Senator Beach. He trails a gang of suspicious characters to an old building. Hidden inside a closet, Wentworth overhears plans to cause the Senator to “go up in dust!”
While the murder of a politician is horrible, what the leader of the gang says next is worse. The Senator is protecting property that the gang wants. He says that when their plans go through and they control those properties, the entire USA government will be powerless before them.
The soft, sly, purring voice belongs to a man who looks like the devil himself. Gloating, he outlines a plan to subdue and loot whole cities using a concentrated explosive. Just enough of the compound to fit inside a cigar can kill several people and bring building crashing to the street.
The Spider goes on the hunt, trying to prevent the dark scheme. Waking up after being badly wounded, the Spider finds the gang in possession of the property and well into their looting. Moreover, the devil leader, a man the Spider shot down is alive and well…
This was a good story. Published in the June 1934 issue of the Spider Magazine, the tale predated the explosives used by military and industry today, such as C4. The story is thus anchored in the realm of possibility. The seemingly undying devil likewise is grounded in science.
The one thing I have an issue with is the ending. I found it rather vague as to the fate of one of the players in the game. It is like the author forgot that he had included this character and hopes the reader won’t notice. News Flash: They will…
Kudos to the publishers for this ongoing reprinting of the series. I hope that maybe I can finally read the stories I am missing!
I give the book four stars…
Quoth the Raven…
Note: This is for the latest issue of this story from Altus Press
Richard Wentworth is in Albany, New York to meet with Senator Beach. He trails a gang of suspicious characters to an old building. Hidden inside a closet, Wentworth overhears plans to cause the Senator to “go up in dust!”
While the murder of a politician is horrible, what the leader of the gang says next is worse. The Senator is protecting property that the gang wants. He says that when their plans go through and they control those properties, the entire USA government will be powerless before them.
The soft, sly, purring voice belongs to a man who looks like the devil himself. Gloating, he outlines a plan to subdue and loot whole cities using a concentrated explosive. Just enough of the compound to fit inside a cigar can kill several people and bring building crashing to the street.
The Spider goes on the hunt, trying to prevent the dark scheme. Waking up after being badly wounded, the Spider finds the gang in possession of the property and well into their looting. Moreover, the devil leader, a man the Spider shot down is alive and well…
This was a good story. Published in the June 1934 issue of the Spider Magazine, the tale predated the explosives used by military and industry today, such as C4. The story is thus anchored in the realm of possibility. The seemingly undying devil likewise is grounded in science.
The one thing I have an issue with is the ending. I found it rather vague as to the fate of one of the players in the game. It is like the author forgot that he had included this character and hopes the reader won’t notice. News Flash: They will…
Kudos to the publishers for this ongoing reprinting of the series. I hope that maybe I can finally read the stories I am missing!
I give the book four stars…
Quoth the Raven…
August 28, 2020
This was probably one of the most chaotic Spider's that I've come across, both with Altus/Steeger and Sanctum reprints. A relatively quick read and some good set pieces, but once again Richard Wentworth's dual identity is both known and unknown; wherever Wentworth goes the Spider is on hand, fighting the underworld and he passes that off as coincidence to any powers-that-be because Wentworth involves himself in these crimes in his playboy-criminologist role. Only 9 tales into this chronological run of the Spider as published by Altus/Steeger (after reading scattered tales in other Sanctum reprints and Will Murray's new pulp adventure), and I feel more frustration at the blind eye the authorities like New York Police Commissioner Stanley Kirkpatrick cast toward Wentworth's actions.
September 15, 2017
Early novel in the pulp series featuring The Spider. Killer man-eating eels. 'nuff said.
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June 19, 2016read some time in 1985
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews