Resurrecting a Genre with a Dead Man
Guest post by novelist and television writer Lee Goldberg, author of Face of Evil
I grew up loving those "men's action adventure" paperback novels of the 60s, 70s, and 80s...series like The Destroyer, The Ninja Master, Nick Carter: Spymaster and The Death Merchant. You could find them in finer supermarkets, gas stations, 7-11s and bookstores everywhere. They were the male equivalent of Harlequin romances, though the only romance was often between a man and his AK-47.
The books were short and tightly-written, with hard-boiled heroes, outrageously sexy women, and gleefully over-the-top plots. Nobody would ever mistake them for great literature, but they were enormous fun to read...and to write. I know, because I broke into publishing in the mid-1980s writing one of those series--357 Vigilante by "Ian Ludlow"--while I was still in college.
Sadly, the "men's action adventure" series novels are virtually extinct now, early victims of the narrowing of the paperback marketplace.
But the Kindle offers the perfect medium for the revival of the genre, which is why I've teamed up with eight other writers on The Dead Man, an original ebook series that we hope recaptures the spirit and pure escapism of the thousands of books written during the heyday of "men’s action adventure."
The first Dead Man book is Face of Evil. It's about Matthew Cahill, an ordinary man leading a simple life...until a shocking accident changes everything. Now he can see a nightmarish netherworld that nobody else does, making each day a journey into a dark world he knows nothing about. He's on a quest for the answers to who he is and what he has become. And it's a fight to save us, and his soul, from the clutches of pure evil. New books in the series will appear every month or so, just like they used to in paperback in the old days.
The Kindle makes cheap, short action novels viable and exciting again, giving me and my fellow Dead Man authors--William Rabkin, Bill Crider, James Reasoner, Joel Goldman, David McAfee, Burl Barer, James Daniels, and Matt Witten--the thrilling opportunity to indulge our great affection for the genre and hopefully get you hooked on it, too.
Face of Evil is currently $2.99 on Kindle.
Mike Daniels on 03/08/2011 at 12:09 PM
I can't wait for this series! Amazing roster of writers and Lee Goldberg is fantastic!
Paul D Brazill on 03/08/2011 at 01:07 PM
This is a splendid kickstart to what promises to be a great series of books. The deadman is dead good!
L.C. Evans on 03/08/2011 at 01:10 PM
I'm not a man, but I used to love reading those "men's action adventure" with the over the top plots. I'm glad to see this series.
Barryeisler.blogspot.com on 03/08/2011 at 01:46 PM
Way to go, Lee! Just downloaded my copy and can't wait to get started on it.
Barryeisler.blogspot.com on 03/08/2011 at 01:46 PM
Way to go, Lee! Just downloaded my copy and can't wait to get started on it.
JD Rhoades on 03/08/2011 at 02:03 PM
Man, I loved those books, especially Nick Carter. But wasn't it Killmaster, not Spymaster?
Blake Crouch on 03/08/2011 at 05:12 PM
Awesome cover....just downloaded...can't wait to dive in.
Lee Goldberg on 03/08/2011 at 08:20 PM
J.D.,
You're right, my mistake, it was the Killmaster. What was I thinking?
Lee
Lee Goldberg on 03/08/2011 at 08:21 PM
Barry, Mike, Blake. L.C. and Paul -- Thank you so much for the kind words and encouragement!
Lee
DMC on 03/08/2011 at 09:17 PM
Sounds like a good series, and off to a flying start. Now if only Warren Murphy could be persuaded to try resurrecting The Destroyer.
A.Rosaria on 03/09/2011 at 02:18 AM
I've been thinking about shortstories a lot lately, that this is the perfect time for shorter stories, with the no book size limit being set anymore within the digital world.
Prices can be set low so it's viable to have shorter fun stories that can be serialized.
I sure would like to do this myself, and maybe I will.
Maryann Miller on 03/09/2011 at 07:15 AM
Sounds like a great series. It is so exciting to see all the innovations in publishing coming our way. Good for the readers and the writers.
Don Bain on 03/10/2011 at 10:47 AM
I remember those great tales well, and am delighted to see that Lee and friends are celebrating the genre.