Hazards

Lucifer Jones is back and Subterranean s got him!

After his Adventures in Africa, his Exploits in Asia, and his Encounters in Europe, everyone's favorite man of the cloth is back to tell you about the Hazards he encounters in South America. They include the terrifying Island of Annoyed Souls, the discovery of the Lost Continent of Moo (spelled correctly for a change), a battle with safari ants that even Charlton Heston wouldn't want any part of, and a pair of Bird Girls who live in matching Chartreuse Mansions.

You'll meet some old friends such as Capturin Clyde Calhoun, old heartthrobs such the Scorpion Lady, old rivals such as Major Theodore Dobbins and Rupert Cornwall, an old nemesis (the remarkable Erich von Horst), a pair of naked high priestesses (or goddesses, take your choice), the sinister Dr. Mirbeau, the incredibly wealthy and incredibly undesirable Baroness Schimmelmetz, and a score of others including Bubbles, an anaconda with an attitude.

And making his way through these hazards is the irrepressible Right Reverend Honorable Doctor Lucifer Jones. So come along if you don't want to miss the fun!

This entertaining collection follows con artist, minister and adventurer Lucifer Jones, last seen in 1992's Exploits, as he travels through South America. Jones, seeking the perfect place to set up his tabernacle, instead finds army ants, diamond thieves and island-dwelling mad scientist Dr. Mirbeau. Along the way, Jones predictably falls for every beautiful woman he meets and winds up in jail a few times as well. The likable scoundrel's mix of lust, chicanery and naïveté moves the action along nicely, and though Resnick pokes fun at pulp adventure tales and the arrogance of early 20th-century imperialism, he never lets mockery interfere with good storytelling. The collection doesn't add much to the genre, but minimal backstory and Jones's engaging narrative voice will endear it to fans of lighthearted adventure stories. (June)
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