Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Tomorrow will begin the serialization of one of the great adventure novels of the 20th century.
We all know of the 1981 release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, an American action adventure film which established one of the most successful modern film franchises. Many also know that a certain Hollywood screen writer (initials G L) wrote The Adventures of Indiana Smith in 1973. He was hoping for an opportunity to create a modern version of the film serials of the 1930s and 1940s.
What isn’t widely known, is that G L drew heavily (plagiarism is such an ugly word) on a 1962 novel by a little known, but critically acclaimed, author who is only known by his pen-name, Perfect Pulp (I said his writing was acclaimed, not his choice of pen-name). This novel, described by respected critics as “Nearly perfect!”, “…brings obscure history to life!”, and “…one of the great adventure novels of the 20th century!”, did not sell well due to poor marketing and an on-going dispute between the author and the publisher (who was turning his attention from books to highly lucrative men’s pulp magazines.)
The novel, Washington Williams and the Emperors’ Treasure, details what Perfect claims were the true-life adventures of a female history professor from Seattle, on a field trip in the Balkans in the late 50’s. There has been no independent confirmation of his claim to actual facts. However, the exacting historical accuracy of the book and the verisimilitude of the places and events argue strongly for his claim. Interesting also for a work of its time, was the frank and sympathetic depictions of a lesbian affair and a May-December romance.
When G L borrowed (or stole – more on that later) the plot from the earlier novel, he chose to make the hero a man. Apparently, he believed that 70’s Hollywood still couldn’t accept the concept of a strong female protagonist. When the influential producer (initials S S) took over the project, he changed the surname to Jones and made him somewhat humorous.
Once the franchise became a massive hit, Perfect Pulp sued for copywrite infringement. It was settled out of court, with no admission on the part of the studio and a gag order, for a one-time payment rumored to be in the low 8 figures. Perfect Pulp retired to an island he bought in the Bahamas (along with townhouses in NYC, Tahoe, and an undisclosed location in the Scottish Lowlands – for Whisky sampling trips and star-gazing), where he has lived happily and quietly. In late summer of 2018, driven by certain personal predilections, he discovered and became active (under yet another pen name) on Cruxforums.
After a few months, he approached the staff, (in strictest confidence), with an offer to allow Cruxforums to serialize an updated version of his greatest novel. The plot and historical accuracy have remained completely unchanged. He had to update Balkan history 60 years from 1958 to 2018. And he graciously chose to rename some characters after some on this site. He even went so far as to change the name of the professor/heroine from the original (real life?) Roberta Williams.
A warning to readers: this is an extensive, full-length historical book. Be prepared for deep-dives into Medieval and ancient history as well as an extensive tour of the Balkans and their history all within a fascinating treasure hunt. All is written in a light, flowing style which never bores. The author claims that all historical and geographical references are true, only names of the characters changed for privacy concerns.
It will be serialized over more than 40 postings. If you are interested, get in a comfortable chair, pour yourself a glass of fine single malt, and settle in for a long, cozy read.
We all know of the 1981 release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, an American action adventure film which established one of the most successful modern film franchises. Many also know that a certain Hollywood screen writer (initials G L) wrote The Adventures of Indiana Smith in 1973. He was hoping for an opportunity to create a modern version of the film serials of the 1930s and 1940s.
What isn’t widely known, is that G L drew heavily (plagiarism is such an ugly word) on a 1962 novel by a little known, but critically acclaimed, author who is only known by his pen-name, Perfect Pulp (I said his writing was acclaimed, not his choice of pen-name). This novel, described by respected critics as “Nearly perfect!”, “…brings obscure history to life!”, and “…one of the great adventure novels of the 20th century!”, did not sell well due to poor marketing and an on-going dispute between the author and the publisher (who was turning his attention from books to highly lucrative men’s pulp magazines.)
The novel, Washington Williams and the Emperors’ Treasure, details what Perfect claims were the true-life adventures of a female history professor from Seattle, on a field trip in the Balkans in the late 50’s. There has been no independent confirmation of his claim to actual facts. However, the exacting historical accuracy of the book and the verisimilitude of the places and events argue strongly for his claim. Interesting also for a work of its time, was the frank and sympathetic depictions of a lesbian affair and a May-December romance.
When G L borrowed (or stole – more on that later) the plot from the earlier novel, he chose to make the hero a man. Apparently, he believed that 70’s Hollywood still couldn’t accept the concept of a strong female protagonist. When the influential producer (initials S S) took over the project, he changed the surname to Jones and made him somewhat humorous.
Once the franchise became a massive hit, Perfect Pulp sued for copywrite infringement. It was settled out of court, with no admission on the part of the studio and a gag order, for a one-time payment rumored to be in the low 8 figures. Perfect Pulp retired to an island he bought in the Bahamas (along with townhouses in NYC, Tahoe, and an undisclosed location in the Scottish Lowlands – for Whisky sampling trips and star-gazing), where he has lived happily and quietly. In late summer of 2018, driven by certain personal predilections, he discovered and became active (under yet another pen name) on Cruxforums.
After a few months, he approached the staff, (in strictest confidence), with an offer to allow Cruxforums to serialize an updated version of his greatest novel. The plot and historical accuracy have remained completely unchanged. He had to update Balkan history 60 years from 1958 to 2018. And he graciously chose to rename some characters after some on this site. He even went so far as to change the name of the professor/heroine from the original (real life?) Roberta Williams.
A warning to readers: this is an extensive, full-length historical book. Be prepared for deep-dives into Medieval and ancient history as well as an extensive tour of the Balkans and their history all within a fascinating treasure hunt. All is written in a light, flowing style which never bores. The author claims that all historical and geographical references are true, only names of the characters changed for privacy concerns.
It will be serialized over more than 40 postings. If you are interested, get in a comfortable chair, pour yourself a glass of fine single malt, and settle in for a long, cozy read.
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