Home - The Last Page Bookshop - The Horror Reviews Mail Hal C F Astell - Site Map

On Alien Wings

Novel by Ron Goulart (USA) 1975.

Second in his Vampirella series, begun by Deathstalk (1975).

The Great Pendragon, stage magician, drunkard and habitual mutterer of insults is now employing Vampirella as a particularly attractive stage assistant. After one show in California, he is hired by a large talent organisation to perform on a cruise liner heading for the Caribbean. The only problem is that Vampirella seems to have been abducted. Eventually on the ship, the invitation turns out to be false and the pair have to deal with the owner of the ship, who turns out to be a member of the Cult of Chaos and who has to periodically sacrifice souls to Demogorgan in order to keep himself rich and happy. Then they get washed up on an almost deserted island where they meet up with the van Helsings and a half-beast/half-woman who didn't get quite what she bargained for when she sold her soul for immortality.

Ron Goulart returns to his Vampirella series and has a fun time finding out he's got nothing new to tell. Vampirella carries on trying to destroy the Cult of Chaos, Adam van Helsing is still fighting with his father Conrad over the issue of destroying her for the vampire she is, and Pendragon carries on just being the wonderful character he is. Goulart still manages to come up with more than you would reasonably expect to fit into such a short novel and the humour is just as funny as ever. But there's nothing new, just more good tacky fun. And there are another four books left in the series...


Home - The Last Page Bookshop - The Horror Reviews Mail Hal C F Astell - Site Map