Side-pod: Find The Feathered Serpent - Reduckulous

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct side-pod!

Happy New Year everyone. Thanks for joining us again in 2020. To kick things off, whilst the regular team are still off on holiday, here's a special episode 'completing the set' of the early Evan Hunter juvenile fiction novels for the Winston Science Fiction range. It's the first of those stories, 1952's Find The Feathered Serpent - a tale of time machines, vikings and the hunt for a Mayan god.

Returning to discuss this book is author Garry Abbott (find his books here), Paul's brother. As you can probably hear on this episode, it was taped over Christmas. A long drive and a spot of Cava is the excuse for Paul's poorly-working-brain. Still, we dig into the implausibilities of this already implausible tale, identify a McBain-style of writing in gestation and also take a look at some British and US television and music from the time the book was published.

We'll be back soon with our main episodes and possibly some more bonus material to keep you ticking over. Thanks for staying on the McBain path with us. Fare thee well.

Side-Pod - Danger: Dinosaurs! - A Slimy Assistant

ROAR! It's an 87th Precinct Side-pod.

Come with us now as we skate over the surface of time, bumping back through the years to 1953 and to the story, DANGER: DINOSAURS! by Richard Marsten.

Evan Hunter, king of pseudonyms, wrote a few juvenile fiction/Sci-fi books early in his career of which this is one such lizard-filled example. Taking time-travel as a starting point, Hunter/Marsten brings us Goodies, Baddies, Monsters, Mayhem, Machinations and a Singing Chef. Who could ask for more?

Trying to make sense of the story with Paul this episode is his brother, Garry Abbott, a writer of Sci-Fi/Speculative fiction whose work can be found at https://garryabbott.com, with his books available via Amazon. Sweep back the jungly tendrils of the cycads and join us on our mission.

Fare thee wel... oh lord... no... ALLOSAURUS.... AAAAAARGH!