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Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell
When old enemies and an emissary from a far country rudely interrupt Dillon's vacation, he discovers that an old friend has managed to embroil him in a brewing civil war of the island nation of Xonira.The Lord Chancellor of Xonira figures he can unite the enemy factions if he recovers the ancient artifact called the Golden Bell and so he hires Dillon and Eli to recover it from the haunted vaults of the sealed Blagdasen Citadel. But what good can come from unearthing an artifact forged in blood? And what of the ancient forces of evil guarding it?The author of The Nuclear Suitcase, Joel Jenkins, describes Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell as "James Bond meets Cthulhu" and you'll want to check out this heady mixture of the spy thriller and horror genres.
280 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 2010
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 7, 2012
(Note: This review originally appeared on Amazon.com)
I had read reviews of this book before deciding to check it out, and they were extremely positive so I was pretty hopeful. However, even they didn't prepare me for the experience that it was. I lost count of how many times during "Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell" I said to myself "this is fun!"
Mixing modern action thrills, classic pulp sensibilities, and near-futuristic detail & flavoring, Derrick Ferguson has created a timeless hero in Dillon. A cocky & self-assured yet likable guy, Dillon is a great action hero in the traditions of Doc Savage and Dirk Pitt. Tasked with retrieving a mystical relic to stop a civil war, Dillon and his co-adventurers (and a whole lot of other interested parties) get sucked into a high-adventure maelstrom involving jetpacks, evil cultists, aerial dogfights, bizarre creatures, and a whole lot of bullets. I can seriously see this being turned into an action movie.
Ferguson's style has plenty of charm, and descriptive details can be gleaned from context and not from exhaustive descriptions, so the pace never really slows too much and it stays at a constant vibe. He handles characters with warmth and humor, and imbued even his villains with some degree of humanity (well, most of the villains, anyway...). Some of the bigger scenes have a great impact, and I won't discuss them too much for spoilers sake. I will say, however, that Dillon and Co.'s descent into the Blagdasen Citadel is appropriately eerie and will stay with me for a while... horror and action are both deftly juggled here.
My only complaint was there was a small scattering of typos, mostly toward the end of the book, but they weren't anything bad enough to ruin the story or experience. Overall, however, the book makes me look forward to more of Dillon's adventures (now I definitely have "Dillon and the Voice of Odin" on my "to buy" list).
I had read reviews of this book before deciding to check it out, and they were extremely positive so I was pretty hopeful. However, even they didn't prepare me for the experience that it was. I lost count of how many times during "Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell" I said to myself "this is fun!"
Mixing modern action thrills, classic pulp sensibilities, and near-futuristic detail & flavoring, Derrick Ferguson has created a timeless hero in Dillon. A cocky & self-assured yet likable guy, Dillon is a great action hero in the traditions of Doc Savage and Dirk Pitt. Tasked with retrieving a mystical relic to stop a civil war, Dillon and his co-adventurers (and a whole lot of other interested parties) get sucked into a high-adventure maelstrom involving jetpacks, evil cultists, aerial dogfights, bizarre creatures, and a whole lot of bullets. I can seriously see this being turned into an action movie.
Ferguson's style has plenty of charm, and descriptive details can be gleaned from context and not from exhaustive descriptions, so the pace never really slows too much and it stays at a constant vibe. He handles characters with warmth and humor, and imbued even his villains with some degree of humanity (well, most of the villains, anyway...). Some of the bigger scenes have a great impact, and I won't discuss them too much for spoilers sake. I will say, however, that Dillon and Co.'s descent into the Blagdasen Citadel is appropriately eerie and will stay with me for a while... horror and action are both deftly juggled here.
My only complaint was there was a small scattering of typos, mostly toward the end of the book, but they weren't anything bad enough to ruin the story or experience. Overall, however, the book makes me look forward to more of Dillon's adventures (now I definitely have "Dillon and the Voice of Odin" on my "to buy" list).
August 31, 2011
Dillon finds himself in trouble once again in a new adventure. Dillon and his companions travel to a remote warring region to retrieve the Golden Bell. Of course the journey is plagued with dangers as he faces mutated creatures, a vengeful military commander, gangsters, a powerful madman and an unspeakable evil.
Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell is a fast paced over-the-top action adventure story. Author Derrick Ferguson makes reading fun as readers are pulled along for the ride of their lives.
Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell is a fast paced over-the-top action adventure story. Author Derrick Ferguson makes reading fun as readers are pulled along for the ride of their lives.
April 13, 2013
A very good, edge of the seat read. My first pulp read. I follow the author's writing andf podcasting and was able to pick it upo for free and glad I did.
Interesting main character and real pulp pedigree. Downloaded another Dillon this morning.
Get your pulp on!
Interesting main character and real pulp pedigree. Downloaded another Dillon this morning.
Get your pulp on!
July 16, 2012
Great story, awesomely exotic locale, constant action-packed scenes, too many crazy characters to count, and, of course, Dillon. What more can you ask for in a book? Read it.
April 10, 2021
[This review appeared on my blog at ThePulp.net and Amazon]
Dillon is a New Pulp hero created by Derrick Ferguson. Dillon is an adventurer with unique skills and abilities, and a mysterious past. And he’s black. Ferguson is one of several authors who are trying to make New Pulp more diverse.
I have previously reviewed some of the Dillon works, and “Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell” is the second Dillon novel, now in a new “deluxe edition” with a new cover that matches the new edition of the first novel.
This novel builds off of the first one. This is set a few years after the first novel, and we get hints and references to prior adventures, as well as learn a little more about Dillon’s origins. We also get hints of other pulp characters, some from the original pulps, some created by other authors, some created by Ferguson.
Most importantly, I think, is the introduction of the island nation of Xonira, which will feature in some future works. Xonira is located in the South China Sea. What little we know is that it was settled centuries ago by pirates and outlaws of various nations, leading to a strange culture of combined/blended people. Once ruled by kings, the king was overthrown long ago by the Lord Chancellors, who rule the nation today.
But the nation is facing a crisis. A civil war started by one of the Lord Chancellors who wishes to take over as a new king, and is aligned with various criminal and sinister groups, as well as being the follower of a sinister fallen angel and former demon whom he wishes to bring back. Opposing him is another Lord Chancellor who has engaged Eli Creed, Dillon’s old and now retired mentor, in a quest to obtain a mythical golden bell to rally the people around. Eli pulls Dillon into the effort, and they with others are on their way to Xonira. We met new characters and are re-introduced to others.
They must obtain the bell, now hidden in a very dangerous place, while fighing off the forces arrayed against them. Sadly, the opposition wants the bell as well to bring the demon to Earth, so it won’t be an easy task. Will they succeed?
Like the first Dillon novel, this is another winner. One thing I wonder is if Derrick has written or plans to ever write some of the other adventures mentioned? Or, at least written a timeline for Dillon? I would worry about keep past events straight.
Dillon is a New Pulp hero created by Derrick Ferguson. Dillon is an adventurer with unique skills and abilities, and a mysterious past. And he’s black. Ferguson is one of several authors who are trying to make New Pulp more diverse.
I have previously reviewed some of the Dillon works, and “Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell” is the second Dillon novel, now in a new “deluxe edition” with a new cover that matches the new edition of the first novel.
This novel builds off of the first one. This is set a few years after the first novel, and we get hints and references to prior adventures, as well as learn a little more about Dillon’s origins. We also get hints of other pulp characters, some from the original pulps, some created by other authors, some created by Ferguson.
Most importantly, I think, is the introduction of the island nation of Xonira, which will feature in some future works. Xonira is located in the South China Sea. What little we know is that it was settled centuries ago by pirates and outlaws of various nations, leading to a strange culture of combined/blended people. Once ruled by kings, the king was overthrown long ago by the Lord Chancellors, who rule the nation today.
But the nation is facing a crisis. A civil war started by one of the Lord Chancellors who wishes to take over as a new king, and is aligned with various criminal and sinister groups, as well as being the follower of a sinister fallen angel and former demon whom he wishes to bring back. Opposing him is another Lord Chancellor who has engaged Eli Creed, Dillon’s old and now retired mentor, in a quest to obtain a mythical golden bell to rally the people around. Eli pulls Dillon into the effort, and they with others are on their way to Xonira. We met new characters and are re-introduced to others.
They must obtain the bell, now hidden in a very dangerous place, while fighing off the forces arrayed against them. Sadly, the opposition wants the bell as well to bring the demon to Earth, so it won’t be an easy task. Will they succeed?
Like the first Dillon novel, this is another winner. One thing I wonder is if Derrick has written or plans to ever write some of the other adventures mentioned? Or, at least written a timeline for Dillon? I would worry about keep past events straight.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews