The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown

A Novel

By: Paul Malmont

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

In 1943, when the United States learns that Germany is on the verge of a deadly innovation that could tip the balance of the war, the government turns to an unlikely source for help: the nation’s top science fiction writers. Installed at a covert military lab within the Philadelphia Naval Yard are the most brilliant of these young visionaries. The unruly band is led by Robert Heinlein, the dashing and complicated master of the genre. His “Kamikaze Group,” which includes the ambitious genius Isaac Asimov, is tasked with transforming the wonders of science fiction into science fact and unlocking the secrets to invisibility, death rays, force fields, weather control, and other astounding phenomena - and finding it harder than they ever imagined. When a German spy washes ashore near the abandoned Long Island ruins of a mysterious energy facility, the military begins to fear that the Nazis are a step ahead of Heinlein’s group. Now the oddball team, joined by old friends from the Pulp Era including L. Ron Hubbard (court-martialed for attacking Mexico), must race to catch up. The answers they seek may be locked in the legendary War of Currents, which was fought decades earlier between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. As the threat of an imminent Nazi invasion of America grows more and more possible, events are set in motion that just may revolutionize the future - or destroy it - while forcing the writers to challenge the limits of talent, imagination, love, destiny, and even reality itself.Blazing at breathtaking speed from forgotten tunnels deep beneath Manhattan to top-secret battles in the North Pacific, and careening from truth to pulp and back again, The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown is a sweeping, romantic epic - a page-turning rocket ship ride through the history of the future.

©2011 Paul Malmont (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

How much is pulp and how much is real?

This is an interesting novel.
The concept is this:
Science fiction pulp writers during World War 2 are placed in a special think tank to brainstorm making science fiction a reality to help win the war.
The characters are:
You have Robert Heinlein, L. Sprague DeCamp, Isaac Asimov, Walter Gibson (creator of the Shadow), Lester Dent (creator of Doc Savage), and L. Ron Hubbard (who was a pulp writer back then) as the main characters, along with their assorted wives and lovers.
The Plot:
They stumble on to a secret project from the recently deceased Nikola Tesla.
Throw in secret tunnels under New York City, Nazi Super Bombers, the Philadelphia Experiment, The Tunguska explosion in 1908, Spies, and an active volcano, and you get an idea of the hijinks that ensue.

The book takes a while to get moving but stick with it as it gets better as you go. I found myself thinking that if this was not what happened, it should have been

Worth your time..

Pulp Perfection!

Paul Malmont's sequel to The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril is every bit as entertaining as it's predecessor. It may be even better and for listeners who may be wary of the word sequel: don't worry. This book holds up fine on it's own. In fact, it's a blast. Malmont's pacing is excellent. He keeps the book moving and pays loving homage to the pulp tales his characters wrote while portraying them convincingly and telling a great story of his own.

Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, L. Sprague DeCamp, Isaac Asimov, Walter Gibson (creator of The Shadow) and other pulp writers and historical figures populate this fun WWII-era story and true it's inspiration, it's a wild adventure.

Christopher Lane's reading is superb so if you're looking for an entertaining listen, the Astounding, The Amazing and the Unknown delivers.

Good fun

The author clearly has a great love for the period as well as his characters, and he does the both justice. The story starts off really well but can't really keep up the intensity and I found myself a bit disappointed by the end, as the story gets silly, you can guess the ending, and the relationships never really change. It still manages to be good fun. Just go along for the ride and not so much the destination. The L. Ron Hubbard bits are especially excellent. Christopher Lane does an excellent job.

If you like pulp ...

I loved this from start to finish. The reading was right on the money. Christopher Lane did a wonderful job.

This one is a lot of fun

I don't know if the anonymous one star reviewer listened to the same book I did, but I thought it was great. Certainly not of earth-shattering importance, but a vastly entertaining ride throught the early days of Science Fiction and World War II. All of the early pulp greats are there: Campbell, Gernsback, Dent, Gibson, as well as the next generation of writers that made SF the genre it is today. Heinlein, Asimov, deCamp and yes, even pre-dianetics L Ron Hubbard all working to solve a mystery involving a lost secret of Nicola Tesla with possible war-winning ramifications. Writing in an old pulp serial cliffhanger style, the author threw everything into this book, even the kitchen sink. On the way he solves the Philidelphia experiment, find New York's lost Catalin Vault and even runs into the mythical Junkers 390 Amerika bomber, all in a wildly improbable story interwoven with a plethora of carefully researched facts. He even included cameo's of a teen-aged Ray Bradbury, Forrest J Ackermann and many others. The author may offend some by treating Hubbard more sympathetically than he may deserve, but still in all, it is a really fun listen and well worth the credit. In fact, as soon as I submit this review I'm going to listen to it again If you're unsure, check out it's extremely high rating on Amazon. You won't be sorry