Novel Review: Pulp Science Fiction

Pulp Science Fiction: Book One: Timed Out
Author: Douglas Parker

Review: March 22, 07

This book is one wild ride! And it is true to its name of "Pulp Science Fiction". If you are a fan of those great pulps from the 50's and 60's you are going to love this book.

What do you get if you mix some HG Wells, a little Douglas Adams and a dash of Robert Howard? This novel is what you get. It has the Science Fiction of Wells, the humor of Adams and the furious action of Howard. In other words, it is all of the best of the pulp era all rolled up into one.

About the Science Fiction

Of course this novel has lots of great science fiction with time travel and translocation where a person is translocated into another person in another place and time. We get to inhabit a lot of different interesting characters including a WWII German Tank Commander, a Rough and tumble hit man style dock worker from 1920's England and more!

Of course there are lots of great gadgets, there is the obligatory threat of a nuclear bomb gone awry, the whole world is at stake, and of course there is a pretty scientist. What scientist isn't pretty in a lab coat! There is just something about a lady scientist in a lab coat!

About the Humor

This is pulp sci-fi at its best- fun yet a little irreverent. During the event of a translocation, where you inhabit another persons body in either the future or the past you are also graced with a rather embarrassing release of flatulence! Does it get any better than that?

And the jaunts into the future are peppered with gems about what our future may actually be like. A good example of this is "The running of the paparazzi". This is the once day a year event where the paparazzi have to put aside their cameras and make a dash across an open space to safety! Of course all the movie stars of the time are there to throw rocks and many of the paparazzi end up in the hospital. LOL! Does it get any better than that?

But the commentary about the future is not all fun and games. There is also some serious fun poking in the vein of "If this continues what will it be like in the future". A good example of this is the "No Child Leaps Ahead" statute which pokes a bit of fun at the current state and direction of our educational system.

This novel is just a great tribute to those wonderful science fiction pulp stories from the past. And one of the best examples of this is BBPSFBB

What is BBPSFBB?

It is of course Barbara Benson's Pulp Science Fiction Boo Boos!

And Barbara Benson is a character in the novel (The obligatory gorgeous scientist in the lab coat!)

There are twelve BBPSFBB's and you are going to laugh because you will recognize them all. Let me give you just a small taste:

BBPSFBB #1: You can solve any technological problem on any machine by reversing the polarity of the wires, the leads, the engines, the laser flow, or whatever.

BBPSFBB #2: The least senior member of any group is the most likely to get screwed. For example, if the captain takes a group of five to the deserted island, the private is the one the aliens will zap first.

There are twelve rules and you know them all. Want to know the other ten? You are just going to have to buy the book! It a riotous adventure you won't forget through time and space that you won't forget.

You can pick up a copy from Amazon.com Pulp Science Fiction: Book One: Timed Out

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