Anthony R. Cardno
Edgar Rice Burroughs Podcast #16: Tarzan: The Battle for Pellucidar, Part 1
Edgar Rice Burroughs Podcast #17: Tarzan: The Battle for Pellucidar, Part 2
This is a light and breezy, action packed story that takes you right into the world of one of the most classic female action heroes of the last half decade.
The action rolls right through the story and the heroes are more than up to whatever comes their way. From fighting biker gangs to hotel brawls and over to slipping into a fortress of a mansion, Honey West and T.H.E Cat never once fail to rise to the occasion.
In the style of a classic detective novel they may get threatened a lot and even more than beat up a bit along the way, but they throw back a shot and shrug it all off as part of the job.
We hear what Honey thinks about the men she deals with, we know her strengths and in the hands of Eckert and Baugh, she attains a much more complete persona than she may have done in the original setting.
Granted some of that has to do with the fact that they are writing in a time when standards are considerably different than the ones that the Ficklings originally worked in. Still, Eckert and Baugh breathe a new, modern life into a character who seldom betrayed her origins in the mindset of a fifties paperback detective.
Throughout the novel they create a complete and believable universe for Honey’s action and life. As with any good detective story there are a few coincidences and more than a few surprises. But nothing ever moves past the realm of the possible.
There are two extra features at the end of this new novel. First up Eckert builds a wonderful sense of logic to the timeline of Honey West’s life. With the first novel taking place in 1957, he is able to work across the other eight titles and create a near perfect order to her life. One that allows a reader to see the detective’s career and her adventures as part of a continuous whole.
In a second article Baugh affords T.H.E. Cat the same courtesy. By his own admission the writer has to work more on “deduction and guesswork” than facts available. But his method proves successful as what he showcases builds a convincing and relatively tight life for Cat.
A Girl and Her Cat is the perfect way for new readers to discover two of adventure fictions classiest and most classic characters. Old fans will be pleased with the way that Eckert and Baugh have retained Honey’s smoldering sensuality and tough demeanor while sacrificing nothing for the modern reader.
"Just emerged from a reading marathon! Starting Thursday night and continuing after work yesterday with David McDaniel's two Man From Uncle novels The Dagger Affair and The Rainbow Affair, Win Scott Eckert's two Green Hornet short stories from the various Moonstone anthologies and finishing up with the Hardback edition of Honey West and T.H.E. Cat: A Girl and Her Cat, co-written by my buds Win Scott Eckert andMatthew Baugh!!Finally, our friends over at Pulp Crazy have posted this awesome video review!
If you love 60's Spy genre, you'll LOVE this book!
Very Wold Newton, but can also be enjoyed by ANYONE who just loves adventure and female heroes who NEVER take a backseat to the guys!
Great job guys!"