This time on GenreList: Adventure! Action! Suspense! Join our brooding heroes, plucky sidekicks and mysterious masterminds as we explore the world of pulp fiction.
Originally, “the pulps” were serialized stories collected in a paperback and produced on coarse, cheap paper with untrimmed edges. A lower-cost alternative to books and magazines at the turn of the 20th century, the pulps became known for sensational tales that often crossed genres, freely blending mystery, suspense, horror and adventure in the course of one tale.
An essential read for pulp lovers, The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories collects many stories that were published in one of the most well-known pulp magazines of the time. Here you’ll find early crime classics like Dashiell Hammett’s “The Maltese Falcon,” presented in its original, serialized form. While most of the collection is focused on crime fiction, look out for a few yarns that cross over into the suspense and horror genres.
Sci-fi fans will be thrilled by Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, another crossover piece that blends action and adventure with fantastic, alien worlds. An evocative tale with a surprisingly optimistic protagonist, A Princess of Mars embodies the swashbuckling energy that was so common to pulp fiction. Disney’s recent John Carter celebrated the 100th anniversary of A Princess of Mars with a visually stunning live-action adaptation.
Rounding out this week’s GenreList is The Mummy, a modern blend of action, terror and humor that breathes new life into a horror icon. Smart enough not to take itself too seriously and very aware of its pulp roots, The Mummy plays to the right cliches and spotlights a charming cast you’re sure to root for.
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