The Iron Duke: Back When Stereotypes Were Created

The Iron Duke by L. Ron Hubbard

Why did I read it?

Stories from the Golden Age is a new series that is assembling stories from L. Ron Hubbard's time as a pulp fiction writer. My library was given some free copies, so I figured I'd read one of them. First of all because our Acquisitions Librarian nor myself selected them, and secondly because I thought L. Ron Hubbard was better known for his Scientology religious beliefs than his writing ability.

What happened?

While the phrase, Pulp Fiction might conjure images of the Quentin Tarantino movie, pulp fiction was also a craze of short stories, published in the 1930s and 1940s, on cheap paper called pulp. Although I didn't know this, L. Ron Hubbard was actually one of the most prolific and popular writers of pulp fiction during their golden age.

But enough about the background. The Iron Duke deals with Blacky Lee, a notorious arms dealer who is wanted by most of the European nations in the 1930s. Escaping from a deal gone bad, Blacky crosses into Aldoria, and is mistaken for the Aldorian Prince Philip.

Much to the chagrin of his partner, Blacky actually did this on purpose. Years before he had noticed his resemblance with the prince, and even though he couldn't use it to his advantage then, he is definitely planning something now. But, Blacky isn't the only one who has schemes for the Aldorian prince, and this time, he might be in over his head...

What did I like or not like?

I've become familiar with pulp fiction while researching the history of comic books, and I totally get the appeal of them now. The stories are short, simple, and to the point, but they keep you interested throughout the pages.

On the other hand, I couldn't help but think, "I've heard this story before." But then I remembered that pulp fiction did all of these stories first, and then stereotypes were made from them. These fly-off-the-shelves stories built the stereotypes we have today, and while he might have created Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard can definitely write a pulp!