New Pulp Review

Meet The Grey Monk

Souls on FireThe Grey Monk is a New Pulp hero, created by John L. French, set in modern times (we see cell phones, computers and DNA analysis).

Wild Cat Books put out a collection of Grey Monk stories, called “Souls on Fire.” I am told a new edition is coming from Padwolf Publishing.

This collection of short stories — some previously published (mainly in Tom Johnson‘s zines and some reprinted in the “Tales of Masks and Mayhem” volumes), and some are original to this collection — is pretty good.

The Grey Monk is a pulp hero in the vein of The Shadow (less The Spider). He is mysterious and isn’t bothered by giving out justice to miscreants. Like The Shadow, he has a small group of people who provide him info, but they are not agents. By that, they don’t get involved with the action as did The Shadow’s agent. We don’t get an origin for the character, though it’s clear he started out prior to the first stories. It’s actually a few stories before we know who he really is.

As noted, this is a collection of short stories. While most stand alone, they are in loose chronological order, as events in past stories are referenced in further stories, and a few characters return. So I recommend reading them in order, don’t jump around.

The Grey Monk is one of the better New Pulp characters who have emerged from Tom Johnson’s fanzines, and I am glad all his stories were collected.

There are a few other characters whose stories have been collected — such as Black Ghost, Doc Atlas, which I have covered. And there are a few others that deserve it (The Scarecrow).

Check this collection out.

1 Comment

  • Thanks Michael. There were some outstanding stories in our magazines, which may never be reprinted. A shame. Characters like Night Star, a female Shadow that was a fantastic read written by Steve Mitchell, and the numerous novels by Sean Danowski. Stories that are now lost, except for the collectors who held on to their copies. We remember The Grey Monk fondly, and glad that John is reprinting the stories.

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