Books by L. Ron Hubbard and Complete Book Reviews

L. Ron Hubbard, Author Bridge Publications (CA) $10.95 (431p) ISBN 978-0-88404-208-2
With this second volume, the direction and shape of Hubbard's proposed 10-book sequence, Mission Earth, are becoming clear. Instead of concentrating on the overall theme (will Earth destroy itself before the aliens can conquer it?), Hubbard...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Galaxy, $9.95 paper (140p) ISBN 978-1-59212-254-7
Uncooperative geography, wild animals, and hostile natives stymie the future route of the Sudan Railway in this above-average pulp-era reprint of a novella from Hubbard (1911–1986). Complications ensue when American surveyor Dan Courtney discovers...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Galaxy, $9.95 paper (140p) ISBN 978-1-59212-331-5
Hubbard fans will welcome this golden age reprint volume, whose rollicking title tale first appeared in Thrilling Adventures magazine in 1935. While recovering from wounds received in South America's Gran Chaco War, Lt. John Daly learns of "the red...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author Galaxy Press (CA) $7.99 (543p) ISBN 978-1-59212-436-7
Previous recipient of the award, K.D. Wentworth (The Course of Empire, Stars Over Stars) returns to edit this top-notch anthology of this year's winners in the contest's 25th year. The collection offers a dozen strong stories that range...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author Galaxy Press (CA) $9.95 (144p) ISBN 978-1-59212-263-9
First published in 1934 in Thrilling Detective magazine, Hubbard's rollicking horror yarn just happens to tap into the current craze for zombies. Heroic Det. Sgt. Terrence ""Terry"" Lane looks into a deeply disturbing series of murders of...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author Galaxy Press (CA) $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-273-8
Some may wonder who the intended audience is for these two undistinguished pulp-era action novellas from Hubbard (1911-1986). The title story concerns the travails of a mining engineer who risks his life in pursuit of gold and finds himself trapped...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author Galaxy Press (CA) $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-317-9
Hubbard fans will welcome this collection of three Golden Age adventure tales: the over-the-top ""Yukon Madness,"" the grim revenge drama ""The Cossack,"" and the macho smackdown ""The Small Boss of Nunaloha."" Today's readers will best...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author Bridge Publications (CA) $10.95 (365p) ISBN 978-0-88404-211-2
The farce continues in this fifth installment of Hubbard's 10-series, Mission Earth. Soltan Gris, the focus here, is the Voltarian Empire's spy chief on Earth. Forever plotting, peeping and trying to manipulate others, double agent Gris is himself...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author Bridge Publications (CA) $18.95 (351p) ISBN 978-0-88404-212-9
The comic nightmare continues in book six of Hubbard's 10-volume broadside, Mission Earth. Our Dudley Do-Right hero, Jettero Heller, is having trouble starting his Everglades launching pad for the spores that will clean up atmospheric pollution. To...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author Bridge Publications (CA) $10.95 (337p) ISBN 978-0-88404-214-3
The first seven volumes of Hubbard's ""Mission Earth'' novel series were devoted mainly to the drawn-out farcial adventures of alien spies among comic oil barons, mafiosi, PR men, etc. This time things finally happen with a bang: hero Jettero Heller
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author Bridge Publications (CA) $16.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-88404-340-9
First published in Astounding magazine in 1940, Final Blackout is generally considered Hubbard's best science fiction novel. Set in a world ravaged by 30 years of war, it chronicles the rise, in England, of the charismatic leader, strategist and...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author , read by R.F. Daley, Denice Duff, Jim Meskimen, Jack Armstrong and Bob Caso. Galaxy Audio $25 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-168-7
Audio reviews reflect PW's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version.FictionTHE KINGSLAYER: Seven Steps to the ArbiterL. Ron Hubbard, read by R.F. Daley, Denice Duff, Jim Meskimen,...
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L. Ron Hubbard. Galaxy, $9.95 trade paper (136p) ISBN 978-1-59212-247-9
Fans of purple pulp prose will welcome this Hubbard novella, which first appeared in the November 1934 issue of Popular Detective magazine. The lurid opening sentence sets the tone: "Rising to a crescendo of stark horror, a scream of death hacked...
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L. Ron Hubbard. Galaxy, $9.95 trade paper (152p) ISBN 978-1-59212-369-8
This slim volume of three stories and a novel excerpt from the 1950s is part of an ongoing 80-volume collection of short stories by the prolific and controversial Dianetics guru, L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986). He had numerous adventures, and the works...
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L. Ron Hubbard. Galaxy, $9.95 trade paper (144p) ISBN 978-1-59212-327-8
Hubbard was a popular writer of the pulp fiction era, and this short novel, first published in the January 1935 issue of Five Novels magazine, shows why: it features nonstop action and a hero to root for. Coast Guard skipper Johnny Trescott, who's...
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L. Ron Hubbard. Galaxy, $9.95 trade paper (136p) ISBN 978-1-59212-335-3
The three stories reprinted in this volume are solid examples of what passed for thrilling adventures (not coincidentally the name of the pulp fiction magazine in which two of them appeared) in the pre–Indiana Jones days. In the title tale, an...
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L. Ron Hubbard. Galaxy, $9.95 trade paper (128p) ISBN 978-1-59212-313-1
At the start of this “golden age” pulp novella, Hubbard (Dead Men Kill) describes the effect of a Japanese attack on the fictional Chinese port city of Nencheng: “First there had been a city; then there had been bright and hungry flame; now there...
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L. Ron Hubbard. Galaxy, $9.95 trade paper (152p) ISBN 978-1-59212-355-1
The title story of this Hubbard pulp fiction reissue isn’t actually the most interesting of the three pulse-pounding long short stories in the collection. That distinction goes to “The Squad That Never Came Back,” recounted in flashbacks by an...
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L. Ron Hubbard. Galaxy, $9.95 trade paper (152p) ISBN 978-1-59212-356-8
The four crime stories in this collection hark back to a time when the gangster's greatest enemy was an everyman with a righteous chip on his shoulder, and when pulpsmiths like Hubbard (The Phantom Patrol) reveled in writing up their dust-ups in...
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L. Ron Hubbard. Galaxy, $9.95 trade paper (144p) ISBN 978-1-59212-336-0
Action junkies are most likely to embrace this latest reprint of one of Hubbard's numerous pulp novellas, but even they may find the simplicity of plot and language, and some improbabilities a negative. Johnny Brice, a daredevil photojournalist from
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by a full cast. Galaxy Audio, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.95 ISBN 978-1-59212-308-7
Hubbard’s pulp novel charts the adventures of hotheaded and heroic Johnny Brice; his dame, Jinx; and his buddy Irish. After Brice—on assignment covering a burning ship at sea for the newsreels—pulls Jinx out of the water, the trio begins...
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by a full cast. Galaxy, unabridged, 17 CDs, 19 hrs., $29.99 ISBN 9781619865402
Strong production values and a talented cast of 85 bring to life the audio edition of the first volume of Hubbard's Mission Earth series. The author's introduction, read in a deep, welcoming voice by Stefan Rudnicki, informs the listener in great...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $9.95 (121p) ISBN 978-1-59212-302-5
In this fast-paced short novel of espionage and intrigue from pulp master Hubbard, Kurt Reid, bucko mate of the tanker Rangoon , jumps ship to avoid a murder rap. His goal is the city of Shanghai because “behind it lay all of China” and...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $9.95 (121p) ISBN 978-1-59212-339-1
Errol Flynn would feel quite at home in Hubbard's ripping yarn of Caribbean piracy in the year 1680, first published in 1935. Press-ganged into the Royal Navy, Tom Bristol faces 100 lashes just as buccaneers attack the British man-o'-war...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $9.95 (113p) ISBN 978-1-59212-319-3
Prolific pulp-fiction author Hubbard (1911–1986) offers a variation on a familiar romantic theme with this fast-paced if derivative thriller set in pre-WWII Europe. Blacky Lee, an American weapons dealer, just happens to be the spitting image...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $9.95 (121p) ISBN 978-1-59212-354-4
The murder of James England, the owner of the radio station in Ketchikan, Alaska, presents a challenge for FBI agent Bill Norton, who's been assigned to break up a heroin ring in that small town in this Hubbard novella from the golden age of...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author , read by Karen Black and a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (
, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.95 ISBN ) ISBN 978-1-59212-240-0
Originally published in 1939, this Hubbard tale takes listeners to the South Seas, where Billy Newman has purchased his own island at a bargain rate. Unfortunately, the island is dominated by natives who believe he is the source of their ill will....
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author , read by a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (
, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.95 ISBN ) ISBN 978-1-59212-173-1
The latest addition to the fantastic Stories from the Golden Age series of vintage L. Ron Hubbard pulp tales, this full-cast recording takes listeners to 1930s Europe. A man who is the spitting image of the Prince of Aldoria finds himself in over...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $7.99 (521p) ISBN 978-1-59212-217-2
The 21st volume in the anthology series sponsored by Hubbard's Writers of the Future program may contain no knockouts, but more than a few of its 15 tales by emerging SF and fantasy writers show real talent. John Schoffstahl's exciting "I
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $9.95 (105p) ISBN 978-1-59212-297-4
Another slim Hubbard reissue—this one originally appeared in 1940—offers an example of his pulpy men's adventure fiction. Nazi Col. Erich Von Straub is dispatched to the United States to infiltrate the aviation industry as a...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $24.95 (232p) ISBN 978-1-59212-175-5
Hubbard (1911–1986) was one of the great pulp writers, and this brief SF novel, initially published in two parts in 1950 by John W. Campbell in Astounding Science Fiction , is one of his finest works. In it, Hubbard embraces one of SF's...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $24.95 (217p) ISBN 978-1-59212-214-1
First published in 1939 in the fantasy magazine Unknown , this rollicking Arabian Nights yarn may not measure up to the best of Hubbard's work from the pulp era (novels like Fear and Typewriter in the Sky ), but it remains readable escapist...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author . Galaxy $9.95 (129p) ISBN 978-1-59212-352-0
Two escaped convicts, Paco Corvino and Lars Marlin, face off in Hubbard’s fast-paced high seas action yarn, first published in the November 1937 issue of Argosy . Some years after Corvino and Marlin independently broke out of French Guiana̵
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Jennifer Aspen, Performed by, R. F. Daley, Performed by , read by a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-350-6
A spree of inexplicable murders baffles Det. Terry Lane—until he stumbles upon proof that the victims were killed by their former servants-turned-zombies who have been brought back to life with the purpose of killing their employers. As Lane...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, R. F. Daley, Performed by, Jim Meskimen, Performed by , read by a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-253-0
Spurred by the chance of treasure, Capt. Humbert Reynolds sets out into the Gobi Desert to find gold only to encounter impossible obstacles, not the least of which are treacherous Mongolians and a cult living at the gold's epicenter. Like much...
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Edited by Kevin J. Anderson, Galaxy, $44.95 (270p) ISBN 9781592128488
Winning the Writers of the Future contest may be less prestigious than nabbing a Hugo or Nebula, but to the hundreds of authors who have won or placed, it provided an undeniable boost to their budding careers. Now, a quarter-century in, the annual...
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by a full cast, Galaxy Audio, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.95 ISBN 978-1-59212-293-6
Capt. Phil Sheridan unwittingly tests the adage that the enemy of my enemy is my friend when he arrives on the Indonesian island of Kamling and is quickly drawn into the feud between a devious slave trader and a gold miner. Phil sides with the miner,
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by a full cast, Galaxy Audio, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.99 ISBN 978-1-59212-303-2
Death-defying aerial feats, prophetic dreams, and common thugs come together in this pulp tale by Hubbard. Cal Bradley meets with a series of self-destructing airplanes as he competes to win in the National Air Meet, which could gain him fame and...
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by full cast. Galaxy Press, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.95 ISBN 978-1-59212-385-8
Tim Beckdolt becomes prey for a sadistic hunter, Bonnet, and his towering sidekick, Sven, who have stolen Beckdolt's hard-earned gold. They are armed with guns, while Beckdolt only has a knife and no food in the desert. But besides survival,...
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by a full cast. Galaxy Press, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs. $9.95 ISBN 978-1-59212-262-2
The pulp fictions of the late Hubbard—who wrote numerous New York Times bestsellers and founded the Church of Scientology—are immeasurably improved for modern audiences in these entertaining full-cast radio dramas, complete with slick production,...
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Edited by K.D. Wentworth. Galaxy, $7.99 mass market (608p) ISBN 978-1-61986-076-6
The 28th installment of this venerable anthology series collects the 13 winners of the Writers of the Future contest for 2011, drawing from the ranks of new authors and artists. Many of the contributors have already seen other success in the field,...
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by Josh Clark and a full cast. Galaxy Press, unabridged, 44 CDs, 47.5 hrs., $89.95 ISBN 978-1-59212-962-1
In 3000 C.E., Earth has been ruled for 1,000 years by an alien race known as the Psychlos, while the remaining humans live in tribes around the world. When human Jonnie Goodboy Tyler is captured by a Psychlo named Terl—who wants to use the young man
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Algis Budrys, Editor . Galaxy Press $7.99 (548p) ISBN 978-1-59212-165-6
The 19th installment in Hubbard's annual contest series contains more top-notch stories than last year's volume and is likely to satisfy science fiction and fantasy aficionados looking for fresh ideas and new twists on old conventions. Luc...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Algis Budrys, Editor . Galaxy $7.99 (493p) ISBN 978-1-59212-345-2
The best speculative fiction reaches beyond the bells and whistles of the genre to explore the deeper complexities of the human condition. The original stories selected in this year's "Writers of the Future" contest include strong...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Algis Budrys, Editor . Bridge $7.99 (440p) ISBN 978-1-57318-222-5
For more than 15 years, Hubbard's anthology series has collected the winning SF and fantasy entries from the annual Writers of the Future contest. Of the 12 stories in the newest crop, few are on par with the works of Isaac Asimov or Robert...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Algis Budrys, Editor Galaxy Press (CA) $7.99 (503p) ISBN 978-1-59212-374-2
This latest collection of thirteen science-fiction and fantasy stories from novice authors upholds the high standards set by previous volumes in the series. In Erin Cashier's compelling post-apocalyptic tale ""Cruciger,"" 30 WC Planet Builder...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Bruce Boxleitner, Read by , read by a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-249-3
Galaxy Audio is bringing L. Ron Hubbard's magazine stories and novellas from the 1930s and '40s to audio with a full cast, music and sound effects. More than 80 Hubbard audios are scheduled for release over the next few years. The Great...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Nancy Cartwright, Read by , read by a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-290-5
Hubbard's 1940 fantasy tale centers on a circus dwarf named Little Tom Little who becomes obsessed with the idea of swapping bodies with the circus's larger-than-life chief. This fantastic production features a large supporting cast of...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Lori Jablons, Read by , read by a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-166-3
This classic 1936 Hubbard tale takes listeners to pre-Communist China where a man named Kurt Reid has fled murder charges only to find himself thrust into the exotic world of foreign espionage. This multicast performance brings an air of the old...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Ron L. Hubbard, Author Bridge Publications (CA) $14.95 (254p) ISBN 978-1-57318-224-9
""The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress drugs and other biochemical substances,"" warns L. Ron Hubbard in Clear Body Clear Mind: The Effective Purification Program (originally published in 1990). Hubbard ...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Kevin J. Anderson, Joint Author Bridge Publications (CA) $25 (300p) ISBN 978-1-57318-121-1
An original story by Hubbard (Battlefield Earth), who's deceased, has been expanded into a novel by Anderson (several X-Files novels), with mixed results. The original story, according to Sherman's foreword, is based on Hubbard's involvement in U.S.
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Tamara Meskimen, Read by, Bob Caso, Read by , read by Tamra Meskimen and a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-174-8
This layered tale takes listeners to Ketchikan, Alaska, where FBI agent Bill Norton finds himself in the middle of a heated investigation involving a group of heroin smugglers. The recording production is the highest quality, filled with realistic...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Brooke Bloom, Read by, Corey Burton, Read by , read by Brooke Bloom and a full cast. Galaxy Audio $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-233-2
Hubbard's tale, originally published in a pulp magazine in 1937, takes listeners to the war-torn Chinese city of Shunkien, where the Japanese have launched an assault of epic proportions. The lone building left standing among the piles of...
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by a full cast. Galaxy Press, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.95 ISBN 978-1-59212-288-2
Equal parts adventure and action, Hubbard's novella tells the tale of Tom Christian, a man trying to reclaim his treasure on the Solomon Islands. Though he makes friends with the coastal inhabitants, those further inland are known for their vicious...
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by a full cast, Galaxy Audio, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.95 ISBN 978-1-59212-241-7
A farmer at the nexus of time and space, a woman granted youth again by powerful beings, and a man marooned on a small boat for days are the premises for the three fantastical tales by Hubbard. While “The Crossroads” is an amusing science fiction...
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L. Ron Hubbard, read by full cast, Galaxy Audio, unabridged, two CDs, 2 hrs., $9.99 ISBN 978-1-59212-365-0
When Chinook Shannon goes out West to claim his inheritance, he finds it usurped by a local bully and a banker. With few options afforded him, he must fight back in classic Western style, which includes lots of punches, gunfire, and slick banter....
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Jim Meskimen, Read by, Bob Caso, Read by , read by Bob Caso, R.F. Daley, John Mariano, Tamra Meskimen and Tait Ruppert. Golden Age Stories $9.95 (0p) ISBN 978-1-59212-324-7
Seasoned reporter Pop has just been told his career will prematurely end within two days thanks to the new changes at World-Journal . Hoping to salvage his career, he takes the first lead he can get and finds himself at the doorstep of Professor...
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L. Ron Hubbard, Author, Dave Wolverton, Joint Author, Dave Wolverton, Preface by Bridge Audio $25 (300p) ISBN 978-1-57318-164-8
Everett Dumphee, the descendant of a venerable line of West Virginian moonshiners, joins the army to avoid prison, only to accidentally activate a time machine while transporting a truckload of experimental Russian weapons to Denver. He then tries...
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