“The Iron Duke” by L. Ron Hubbard is a quite enjoyable read. It is rather short (only 70 pages), but the tale moves well. It concerns an American con man, who bears a remarkable resemblance to the reigning Duke of a small Balkan country. Much to-and-fro-ing ensues, and by the end the people (but not the Communists) decide that they prefer the con man to the real duke. And he gets the girl.

There is nothing wrong here, but the tale has been told before, and better. “The Prisoner of Zenda” by Hope and “The Mad King” by Burroughs come easily to mind, among others. And at $9.95 for such a small book, one is forced to decide against this tale.

Enjoyed the story immensely, took me back to a much simpler time. ( )

Enjoyed the story immensely, took me back to a much simpler time. ( )

Being a collector of pulp mags, I recognized the painting at the cover of The Iron Duke; I think it's from Argosy Magazine as I remember. I know that the company Author Services had a reprint project going on, but leather covers and expensive paper made a $50 a book subscription a bit expensive. Regardless, I collected a few of these books to get my Hubbard fix of fantasy and science fiction. Galaxy Press has been on a project recently of publications of Hubbard's old pulp stories.

The pulps had a lot going for them in the old days. It's really what kids were gravitated to. They were cheap entertainmnet and helped take the mind off The Great Depression and the Nazis. The Iron Duke is clearly attempting to do that.

For a rather cheap price (I got mine from the library, yay) I got a bit of light entertainment and recognized the satire regarding a charlatan who just happens to be the near twin of Archduke Philip of Ardoria. That other Philip is a drunk and a raving lunatic who is kept under close watch by the royal family and a discredit to the monarchy.

Blacky and his sidekick Stub (cute name) take advantage of a case of mistaken identity and the Duke's convenient departure to make riches off the monarchy of Ardoria, avoid the Nazis and make a deal with "The Sons of Freedom", that is, a Communist movement to take over the monarchy.

Only one thing stops him: the love of a woman, Countess Zita.

Tossing grenades, being self-assured to teh point of arrogance and somehow saving the day was typical plot of the Forties pulps. Taking a snide swipe at the Russians and Communism soon after WWII was daring to say the least.

Overall, not a bad book. Besides the story, Galaxy Press gave a short short of an upcoming adventure tale, a bit about the author, his list of pen-names, a short article on the history of pulp fiction and an invitation to read more.

Though I prefer Hubbard's horror (Fear) and his fantasy (Slaves of Sleep) and even his science fiction (Old Doc Methusulah), I have yet to check out further adventure and western tales. I may take Galaxy up on that offer! Critics to the contrary, Hubbard's science fiction output was quite low. Take a look at the biography!

Other books I recommend:

Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 [the book, NOT the movie!:]
The Professor Was a Thief (Stories from the Golden Age) [Somewhere Hubbard said this was his favorite.:]
Fear [a Stephen King favorite:]
( )

Pulp fiction, with its non-stop adventure, absurd narrative coincidences, and clipped, hard-boiled dialogue, can be grand fun. Unfortunately, The Iron Duke is a snoozer, but Hubbard is a decent writer. A non-Ruritanian setting might prove more interesting.

Still, one feels that the whole enterprise is just trumped up Church of Scientology recruitment. The Iron Duke is recommended for pulp fiction diehards or Hubbard completists. Take the supplemental materials with a grain of salt. ( )