Publishers Weekly - Audio
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 gallivanting around the world (from Idaho to Asia) constantly getting in and out of trouble. Performed with great verve in the style of a classic radio play, this full cast recording incorporates realistic sound effects and mood music. While each cast member turns in a stellar performance—especially Jennifer Aspen as the troubled and spunky Jinx—the narration of R.F. Daley steals the show. He reads in a tone that is both excited and vaguely amused—a perfect combination given the pure pulpiness of Hubbard’s text. Listeners in search of an audiobook that’s both fun and fast-paced will be delighted. A Galaxy paperback. (Mar.)
Publishers Weekly
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 World News, is enjoying a brief moment of downtime when his assistant alerts him to a sensational breaking story. The Kalolo, the "biggest round-the-world ship," has caught fire, claiming twenty lives. The survivors were picked up by another ship, and Brice's boss contacted them by radio to buy their footage of the disaster; but to recover the film in time for their deadline, Brice must parachute from a biplane to the rescue vessel. The assignment gets geometrically more complicated when an attractive woman hitches a ride back to land on his airplane, so that a mysterious "they" won't get her, starting a partnership that takes the pair around the world. There isn't any character depth to speak of, but those in search of a quick thrill-packed read that makes few demands will find it here. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
"The prolific Hubbard was a staple in pulp magazines of the 1930s-50s. He churned stories out in every genre—detective, Westerns, adventure, sf—he did it all. His tales were simple: loaded with tough men, beautiful babes, and tons of action. Trouble (1939) finds top reporter/cameraman Johnny Brice’s life going to hell after meeting Jinx, a girl who’s bad luck from head to foot. VERDICT Hubbard is always a quick, fun read. Fans of pulp writing will eat these up." —Publishers Weekly
"Originally published in 1939, a globe-trotting journalist (he shoots film for one of the movie studios’ newsreels) gets mixed up with a beautiful woman who brings him bad luck at every turn. When he’s with her, his films get ruined, his planes crash or get shot out of the sky, he loses his job, or he gets taken prisoner by the Japanese. And yet, despite all this, love blossoms. This is one of Hubbard’s more breathless, audacious adventure tales. It begins with hero Johnny Brice parachuting out of a plane and into the ocean to get picked up by a passing ship—and moves from one specatacular, life-threatening episode to the next. Hubbard propels us through the story, never letting it slow down long enough for us to ponder the sheer improbability of it. It’s a movie serial between two covers, a rollicking adventure that promises big thrills and delivers them. A must for fans of campy, Indiana Jones–style adventures" —David Pitt, Booklist
Library Journal - Audio
Hubbard wasn't only remarkably prolific, he also was versed in multiple genres. This latest trio in the "Stories from the Golden Age" series is a genre extravaganza of Westerns, mysteries, and a rousing adventure outing—each with a dab of romance. Death Waits finds long, lean Texan Lynn Taylor fighting the clock to save his innocent brother from the hangman by revealing the real culprit behind a string of robberies. The program also includes "Ride 'em Cowboy," a straight-up rodeo romance; and the standout "Boss of the Lazy B." "Boss" has a surprising twist: when Susan Price's little brother is kidnapped by Spick Murphy—after she saves the villain from hanging—Susan asks for help from Big Bill Bailey, whom she earlier spurned in favor of Spick. Instead of exhibiting "shucks, ma'am" cowboy stoicism, Bailey gives the foolish girl a tongue lashing that is worse than if he bullwhipped her. It's wonderfully refreshing! Of course, Bailey saves the kid and kills the baddie.Mouthpiece is a revenge story featuring the law-abiding son of a gangster who swears to get the men who murdered his father. This set also includes "Flame City," in which police detective Tom Delaney must stop arsonists and save his fire chief father's job; "Calling Squad Cars," where crooks fool the cops by broadcasting their own false calls to patrol cars; and "The Grease Spot," starring wrecker Bill Millen who must outwit gangsters desperately needing a getaway vehicle after their car crashes.Saving the best for last, Trouble on His Wings finds ace newsreel cameraman Johnny Brice suddenly behind the eight ball after a mystery woman enters his life. His consistent good luck turns very bad whenever the girl—nicknamed Jinx—is around, but he kinda likes her anyway. VERDICT Whether your taste runs to riding tall in the saddle, high-flying adventure, or crime-busting on the mean streets, Hubbard delivers the goods.—Mike Rogers, Library Journal
MAY 2013 - AudioFile
The Golden Age of brave adventures, dangerous escapades, and bold rescues unfolds in another tale from Hubbard’s short fiction archive. Dramatized audio theater is a perfect match to the story of news photographer Johnny Bryce, with his sidekick, Irish, and a mysterious young woman. Carefully selected sound effects punctuate the heroics as Johnny gets his news footage at any cost to life or limb. The whoosh of a forest fire or click of a cigarette lighter adds just the right touch. It’s fast-paced fun as Johnny proves that “news can be trouble!” R.F.W. 2013 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
