Back in the early 1970s when Men’s Action series like Don Pendleton’s EXECUTIONER and Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir’s DESTROYER dominated the paperback spinner racks, I started reading the quirky THE LONE WOLF series written by Barry N. Malzberg under his “Mike Barry” pseudonym. At the time, I didn’t know “Mike Barry” was actually Barry N. Malzberg whose Science Fiction I was also reading.
Malzberg conjures up a character named Burt Wulff who is launched on his violent rampage against drug dealers after he finds his fiancé murdered. I knew back in 1973 when I read Night Raider that this book was different from the rest of the men’s action-adventure series when I saw the lines of Yeats’ poetry at the start of the book!
In addition to Night Raider and Bay Prowler this Stark House omnibus includes “Prologue: The Passage of the Light, “Some Notes on the Long Wolf,” and “The Ethic of Vigilantism” where Malzberg writes about how the Lone Wolf series came to be and what his strategy was for the series. Another bonus is a Bibliography of Barry N. Malzberg’s works.
Rereading Night Raider and Bay Prowler after almost 50 years shows how canny Malzberg was in constructing this series to appear as an EXECUTIONER-like clone, but subverting the genre with a secret agenda. The Lone Wolf series features wholesale destruction and mayhem within a story arc that Malzberg cunningly devised from the beginning to explode in the series conclusion. Hang on for a wild ride through the dangerous darkness of America in the Seventies! GRADE: A
I have long been a champion of this series and consider it to be one long fourteen-volume novel.. Throughout his career Malzberg has been challenging the conventions that we unthinkingly adhere to. A great writer? Yes. A remarkable sly boot? Absolutely.
Jerry, I’ve been a Barry N. Malzberg fan since the 1960s. Because Malzberg is quirky and off-beat true fame has eluded him. But maybe Stark House’s reprinting of the Lone Wolf series will add to Malzberg’s audience.
I was never a big fan of Malzberg but his stories were seemingly everywhere back in the 70s and I’m pretty sure I read a lot of them. No novels that I remember, and I never read any of the men’s action series that were so popular back then. But I’ve gotta admit this series sounds interesting. Just what I need, a 14 volume series to add to the stack.
Michael, there’s always room for Good Books! Stark House has reprinted many of Malzberg’s books and now they’ve launched the Lone Wolf series which should be about seven omnibus books.
I read a couple of these (including the incredible final volume) but not these two, as well as a lot of Malzberg’s short stories and several collaborations he did with Bill Pronzini, like PROSE BOWL and THE RUNNING OF BEASTS.
Jeff, NIGHT RAIDER/BAY PROWLER includes a Barry N. Malzberg bibliography. Malzberg has written a lot of stuff!
My older brother read a lot of the EXECUTIONER and DESTROYER books so I’m somewhat familiar with them. I never heard of THE LONE WOLF series although they sound like a definite step up for the genre. Those covers are great and the premise of a middle-aged white guy (in suit and tie nonetheless) cleaning up the cesspool seventies was soooo in the moment. God, I miss paperback racks.
Given the popularity of the genre it’s surprising none of these books were ever adapted for television or as exploitation films although I guess that the DEATH WISH movies (and virtually the whole second act of Charles Bronson’s “career” ) were sort of in the ballpark.
Fun post, George.
Byron, I admire Stark House project in reprinting the Lone Wolf series. A whole new audience will discover an underrated odyssey of vengeance and retribution! The Lone Wolf’s savage milieu might be too much for TV. A movie perhaps…
no comment on this, but just to let you know I’ll be leaving monday for LCC and a visit to Austin, Fredricksburg & San Antonio TX as well as Santa Fe & Taos.
A group of us are taking Marv & Carol out to lunch on Sat. They aren’t attending the convention, but are stopping by on their way birding. I’m guessing this may be
the last time I’ll see them. I understand Marv has some decreased mobility issues
Maggie, please say “Hi!” to Marv & Carol for us! Have a great trip! Our next scheduled trip is BOUCHERCON.
Much like most men steer away from covers with vine-covered cottages, I guess these books always looked too violent for me. Not fair, I guess.
Patti, violence is a necessary component of men’s action-adventure novels. Malzberg slyly subverts the genre with his Lone Wolf series.
I remember seeing the books but since I only read mysteries in those days I didn’t buy any!
Bob, if I run across any books in THE LONG WOLF series from the 1970s I’ll send them your way.
Excellent take, George. I need to read my copy beyond the intro.
Malzberg was in the same class at Syracuse as an undergrad as Joyce Carol Oates. I like to joke about the Class of ’60 bookcase in their library being roughly half Malzberg and half Oates, and perhaps a quarter shelf if that of Everyone Else.
He also did grad work at Syracuse with Richard Wilson, who was teaching journalism there and was a fellow playwright student with Barry.
Todd, I marvel at how prolific Joyce Carol Oates and Barry N. Malzberg are!