Thanks to Elder Sign, I finally cracked (well, it's an ebook, so I was cracking electrons) my Jules de Grandin collection, Horror on the Links, and started reading. I took the advice in the series/volume introduction and decided to space out reading the stories and have only read the first three so far.
B & G covered the "Horror on the Links," the first tale set in New Jersey, of all places.
The second story, "The Tenants of Broussac," is classic pulp horror and a solid follow-up to the first story. Interestingly, it's set in France -- Dr. Trowbridge is on vacation and goes looking for de Grandin while he happens to be in France. Anyway, a cursed family is beset by supernatural forces and it's our heroes to the rescue! I enjoyed it in a similar way to the first story -- fun action/mystery that is also transparent and expository.
However, I am here ask if anyone has read the third story -- "The Isle of Missing Ships." Again, in a strange start, Dr. Trowbridge appears to run into de Grandin by mere chance on the docks of Amsterdam and heads to the South Seas on a whim. Because, why not!?! Ha!
What follows is another classic pulp story (not too much of the supernatural, though). There is, sadly, a fair bit of racism to wade through while reading what is, otherwise, a worthy rip-roaring adventure story that could also be the basis for an Indiana Jones adventure.
However, I could not help but notice, it is also VERY SIMILAR to Ian Fleming's Dr. No. In fact, I would say the antagonist is a 1920s Dr. No.
Without spoiling too much, I find plot elements, environmental elements, character elements -- even some of the racist elements! -- from Dr. No to have come straight out of this story.
Has anyone else read this and seen these parallels? (i.e. Please tell me I'm not crazy.)
Indeed, the Bond series does. Most of the books have pulpy elements -- reflected in a lot of the movies, too, of course.
James Bond would certainly align with the pulp traditions of adventure fiction.