The Plague of Sound

Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon #2

by Con Steffanson, Ron Goulart (AKA), Alex Raymond

A spaceship captured in a magnetic field and pulled beneath the earth into an underground city, Flash Gordon jumps to safety only to be caught in the web of a giant man-eating spider, then saved by a titian haired beauty.

Pan, a madman musician, seeks to rule a planet by the shattering effects of ultra-high frequency sound.

Romance, spine tingling adventure, the sciences of the future, all combine to make The Plague of Sounds a book you won't put down.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

158 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Flash Gordon series that Avon published in the 1970s, and was written by Ron Goulart under the house name/pseudonym Con Steffanson, based on the characters and situations created by Alex Raymond. It's not a bad book, but isn't a great Flash Gordon book; Flash and Dale and the Doctor belong on Ming's Mongo, dagnabbit! The story takes place on the planet of Pandor, where the trio have been captured by the evil Pan, utilizing a high-frequency weapons of sound. (Remember Sonic Attack by Hawkwind?!) Flash was a great comic strip character, but this one reads more like a Goulart comic caper.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some changes to the characters from the classic comic strip but still an Ok read. Recommended

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second novel in the series finds Flash, Dale, and Dr Zarkov in Estampa Territory on the planet of Pandor. Nearby, a madman known as “Pan” has developed a musical machine that can send out ultra-high frequency mind-controlling music. His ultimate aim is to build a slave army and take control of the planet one territory at a time. Flash and friends set out to stop him and release hundreds of slaves at the same time.

This novel was written by Ron Goulart once again, but is a bit different than the first book, The Lion Men of Mongo. The events of that book aren’t even mentioned here and since we are not on Mongo this time, there is no mention of Ming and other familiar characters. But no matter. There is plenty of trouble to be found here on Pandor as well. This is a hi-tech world so the action is much more sci-fi than fantasy. Dr. Zarkov is right at home. It is not clear where this novel takes place on the overall Flash Gordon timeline but several mentions are made of the universal fame of Flash, Dale, and Zarkov.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flash Gordon has the body of Dolph Lundgren, the action skills of James Bond, and the brain of Elon Musk. Unfortunately, he's also got the personality of a wet cardboard box.
In this adventure, Flash goes after a mad genius who is using sound waves as a weapon of mass destruction. Thankfully, Flash is fortunate enough to bump into a shape-shifter, a telepath, and a bunch of other people who make his task a whole heckuva lot easier. In fact, if it weren't for his girlfriend getting captured (as per usual), he could've sleepwalked his way through this whole adventure.
THE PLAGUE OF SOUND isn't much of a novel, but it carries a certain charm for people like me who have an appreciation for the camp classics of yesteryear. To me, the most interesting aspect of the book was its connection to William Shatner's far superior TEKWAR series. Both were ghostwritten by Ron Goulart, and it was fun to notice how certain details from THE PLAGUE OF SOUND were later echoed in the Shatnerverse.

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loistavaa pulp-viihdettä. Hölmöä, mutta aivan loistavaa.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second in a series of 6 books published in the 70s based on a comic strip by Alex Raymond. The first one was a little more entertaining, and to be honest I don't think I'll be continuing with this series of books. The characters are too flat and unengaging and the storylines aren't much to write home about really. Certainly the first of these two was a little better than this one, but looking back I think it was more of a novelty read than anything.

A very average read that felt a little flat and uninspiring.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would probably have loved this book much more when I was a teenager. But by now I've read much more sophisticated stories and this one is both poorly written and not a terribly good story on it's own. Interesting for the historical fan but not a great reading book.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this whole series in the mid-1970s when I was in my early teens. Tried reading them again a few years ago, but alas the magic has faded.

[Scott Meister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these novels. Are they great literature? No. But they are fun pulp fiction.

[Richard Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little better than the first one, a little more entertaining, but still... pretty bad.

I'm adding a star for sentimental reasons.

The writing is okay for pulp, surprisingly deft in places, but the plot remains messed up. The demands of the serial comic--constant cliffhangers--require Flash to be continuously in trouble. Either he or Dale is getting captured all the time, and it's super tiresome, and it makes for a choppy plot. Isn't he supposed to be awesome? Isn't he some kind of hero? If that's the case, then why do others get the better of him every single time? And then other people rescue him. That's not very heroic.

We're supposed to believe that he's amazing because of what everyone says about him, but after two novels I've yet to see any sign of his impressiveness, his astuteness, his capabilities. He's brave enough, but is he actually good at anything?

Looked at another way--he's not a very active protagonist. He jumps in, sure, but then he gets defeated and put in a cell and has to wait for someone to save him. The telepathic guy and the shape-changer are the real heroes in this story. I want to find an episode where he actually shows what he's worth.

Anyway, it's fun for other reasons, and worth reading for some folks.

[Sam Goodings · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple tale of space heroes and damsels in distress where the key enjoyment comes not from Flash or Dale, but from the Zarkov sections. In fact Dr. Zarkov steals the show by a mile in this quick little space opera, making me laugh quite a few times. You could tell the author really liked writing for him.

A quick blast of nostalgia.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another campy, fun tale!

[Joan Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cartoon - in words.

[Duane Olds · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read, each chapter ended in a cliffhanger and it made you want to keep reading.

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

This second of 6 pulp Flash Gordon novels was a real disappointment after the trashily entertaining Lion Men of Mongo. Flash, Dale and Zarkov continute on their mission of exploration of the galaxy and this time land on the planet Pandor.

Flash gets framed for murder and has to flee. Meanwhile, an evil megalomaniac called Pan has holed up in the Perfect City (yes that's it's actual name!!!). He's got an army of slaves, and androids and a machine that sends out destructive sound waves. His plan is of course world domination - he plans to threaten destruction of the planet unless he becomes its ruler. Dale and Zarkov get split up as per usual. Dale gets caught by the evil Pan, and Zarkov has a run in with some evil androids. Flash ended up with some rebels including a shape-shifter and a telepath (how convenient!) Together they must defeat the evil Pan and save the planet.

This ones predictable in the extreme and deadly dull. Pan, despite his terrible phantom of the opera organ playing is a rubbish villain and certainly a poor replacement for Ming the Merciless who sadly doesn't feature. The plot is out of a textbook and as imaginative as calling the city "Perfect city" It feels more like a bad episode of Dr. Who than a Flash Gordon story. Also everything's far too easy - Flash just happens to come across a shape-shifter that can impersonate anyone AND a telepath come on! The shape-shifter is an actor forever talking in gangster slang - calling everyone Daddy or Cat - its very jarring and serves no purpose other than annoyance.

Disappointing.

[Adam Calhoun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flash Gordon is full of cheesy muscle-bound blonde men fighting with (and along with) zany mad scientists in a future where sound is suddenly used as a weapon. The book is fun and cheesy, and the book is well-paced. A fun, quick read but no more than that.

[Ronald · Rating 2 out of 5]

read during summer 1974; author was con steffanson

[Marko]

I have the german edition: Flash Gordon und die Harmonie des Todes