Indy-esque books.

otto rahn

New member
Lonsome_Drifter said:
Well these WERE written in the 1930s and are pulp, or purple prose.
All written by Robert E. Howard.

The Conan Tales.
Solomon Kane Tales.
Bran Mak Mourn Tales
King Kull Tales.
Absolutely they are pulp ! Some of Howards other work such as his westerns ("The Riot At Bucksnort") or the "Breakenridge Elkins" tales ("A Gent From Bear Creek" etc) or his various boxing stores are worth seeking out as well.
 

The Drifter

New member
otto rahn said:
Absolutely they are pulp ! Some of Howards other work such as his westerns ("The Riot At Bucksnort") or the "Breakenridge Elkins" tales ("A Gent From Bear Creek" etc) or his various boxing stores are worth seeking out as well.

I have never read his boxing or westerns. I have all the Conan, Solomon Kane, Kull, and Bran Mak Mourn stories however and love them!
 

Dust McAlan

New member
Lonsome_Drifter said:
There is a video game of this very thing on the orginal Xbox, called Crimson Skies.
Same hero, and everything.
I have the original game for the PC, and I've played the XBOX game as well. Great atmosphere.
 

ILoooooveCamels

New member
There's this one, which I haven't read - Professor Stone in The Eye of Re. I guess you'd call it a neo-pulp.

I got into pulp via my Indiana Jones/1930s fanaticism (I buy from Bud Plant -- no link because they sell some NSFW stuff like art books). I like Doc Savage, but I think hearing comparisons to Indiana Jones just sets one up for disappointment. He's more like Superman in a science fiction setting, and he's never really in suspenseful jeopardy, being as over-adequate as he is. And I find The Shadow to be an utter bore (he shows up, laughs, shoots someone, and then leaves. The bulk of the books are about uninteresting, interchangeable sidekicks or incidental characters). The Spider's my favorite by far, as far as actual reading goes. I enjoyed the literary Tarzan, too.
 

WeAreGoingToDie

New member
I'd recommend "Holes" by Louis Sachar. Great adventure story told in multiple overlapping time lines. Kooky villains, hidden treasure and secret familial relationships revealed towards the end. Excellent book AND film.

Also read "The Man in the Ceiling" by Jules Feiffer. It follows a young aspiring comic book artist in the development of his craft and how his family influences his work. His first comics are Indiana Jones-like stories (which are actually referenced as such) featuring he and his Indy-like father going on adventures, a major contrast to his real father who rarely gives his son attention or appreciates his art.

Two excellent adult novels!
 

otto rahn

New member
If you like "Doc Savage" you might try "Thunder Jim Wade", both the original stories by Henry Kuttner (reprinted by Altus Press) and "The New Adventures Of Thunder Jim Wade" by Andrew Salmon and others (from Pro Se press as "pulp obscura").
 

deepermagic

New member
The Drifter said:
Well these WERE written in the 1930s and are pulp, or purple prose.
All written by Robert E. Howard.

The Conan Tales.
Solomon Kane Tales.
Bran Mak Mourn Tales
King Kull Tales.

One of the most Indy-esque characters from Robert E. Howard is El Borak. Same time period, most of the action takes place in the Middle East. There's only one story (that I can recall) that has any real supernatural flavor to it, and it's still pretty light. But on the whole, the tales are extremely enjoyable (and characteristically R.E.H.) and most definitely have influenced Indiana Jones in some ways.
 

indytim

Member
I was looking for pulpy action-adventure books myself a few years ago and have since read quite a few although they have all been set in modern times so lack the romance of the Indiana Jones era:

1) Uncharted - The Fourth Labyrinth (Video Game Novel) by Christopher Golden: I was really looking forward to reading this book, being a huge fan of the games, but finished it feeling somewhat disappointed. To explain, I was expecting an exciting page-turner full of wit, romance, and daring-do but what I got was a rather dull tale that I was glad to reach the end of. The strength of the Uncharted games lies in their almost perfect mix of action, adventure, and mystery ... something that personally I found sadly lacking in this book.

2) The Jack West Junior trilogy by Matthew Reilly: The trilogy of Jack West Junior novels (Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors) blatantly 'borrows' from Indiana Jones in its storytelling and narrative pacing but they are all the better for it. I found this series to be exciting pageturners full of enjoyable characters hunting for ancient treasures and would recommend them. Matthew Reilly has recently released the fourth book in this series although I'll admit to not enjoying it anywhere near as much as the originals, especially as it was unnecessary as the third book reached a satisfactory conclusion for the characters.

3) The 'Wilde Chase' series by Andy McDermott: I've read the first eight books in this series. These are really trashy action-adventure books but enjoyable. I actually rolled my eyes more than once before I'd finished chapter one of the first book but once I got comfortable with the writing style (the author won't be winning the Nobel Prize for Literature anytime soon!) I have found them to be quite entertaining. The television show 'Hooten & the Lady' owes a lot to this series of books.

There is also a series of books that are published under the heading 'Dane Maddock Adventures' by David Wood that look like they're very 'Indiana Jones like' although again are set in modern times.

If you fancied ready comic books or graphic novels then The Rocketeer ticks a lot of boxes.
 

Z dweller

Well-known member
indytim said:
The Jack West Junior trilogy by Matthew Reilly: The trilogy of Jack West Junior novels (Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors) blatantly 'borrows' from Indiana Jones in its storytelling and narrative pacing but they are all the better for it. I found this series to be exciting pageturners full of enjoyable characters hunting for ancient treasures and would recommend them.
I only read "The Six Sacred Stones" in this trilogy, and thought it was ok - although the Indy rip-off factor is so blatant it's almost tongue-in-cheek.

Reilly acknowledges this openly, there's even a submarine in the novel named Indian Raider, but at that stage, why not just write an Indy book?

I prefer his earliers novels, particularly "Ice Station" and "Temple".
 

JasonMa

Active member
One aspect I've always liked about Indy is the overlap with the "golden age of travel", especially the clipper ships across the Pacific. I've found some great histories of the era (China's Wings is one of the best history books I've read in the last couple of years) but I haven't found much fiction set around that concept. Think Disney's Tailspin but adult fiction. :D
 

Z dweller

Well-known member
I highly recommend the two main books about Percy Fawcett's adventures in the Amazon.

Expedition Fawcett which is based on the colonel's own diaries, redacted by his son, and The Lost City of Z by David Grann.

Better than any novel, 'cuz it really happened... (y)
 

indytim

Member
I've never read any of the Dane Maddock adventure series but they sound very Indy-like although set in the modern day ... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00123ULVW/ref=pe_1861300_282018750_em_1p_0_ti

61QlfzDCHLL.jpg


Here's the synopsis of the first book ... "A sunken treasure. An ancient Biblical artifact. A mystery as old as humankind. On January 25, 1829, the Portuguese brig Dourado sank off the coast of Indonesia, losing its cargo of priceless treasures from the Holy Land. One of these lost relics holds the key to an ancient mystery. But someone does not want this treasure to come to light. When her father is murdered while searching for the Dourado, Kaylin Maxwell hires treasure hunter and former Navy Seal Dane Maddock and his partner Uriah "Bones" Bonebrake, to locate the Dourado, and recover a lost Biblical artifact, the truth behind which could shake the foundations of the church, and call into question the fundamentally held truths of human existence. Join Dane and Bones on a perilous adventure that carries them from the depths of the Pacific to ancient cities of stone as they unravel the mystery of the Dourado."
 
I've read 1,2,4 and 5. Yes they are quite entertaining. Some of the adventures are a little bit of stretch but I come away having enjoyed them. Although its been awhile, Dourado, Cibola, and Icefall were very good.

---

Has anyone read the Lincoln Blackthorne books by Geoffrey Marsh? Very Indy/James Bond-like. Some crazy macguffins. I really enjoyed them!

http://spyguysandgals.com/sgShowChar.aspx?id=862
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top