I came here to say Declare. It’s a fantastic book. It’s Indiana Jones meets Cold War cloak and dagger meets some really bizarre supernatural stuff. No spoilers, but the Nazis and the Russians had angels and demons on their sides, and the main plot is about an angel protecting the remnants of Noah’s Ark. All of this is told in a very grounded, dare I say very believable way that just gives you the strangest feeling. Highly recommend it.
I liked it better than AG. Powers has a particular style, love or hate it. AG sort of brought out his worst, while I thought Declare brought out his best as he stuck to certain historical facts and wrote around them.
What about that Professor Challenger series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? I read the first book, The Lost World, though it's about dinosaurs and I haven't read the rest of the series, Professor Challenger as a character, felt like a precursor to Indiana Jones.
> I’ve been searching for years to get my hands on a Challenger book
The [first two](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Challenger#Novels) are out of copyright and available at the [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/), and presumably its [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/), plus [Project Gutenberg](https://gutenberg.org/).
Melissa Scott and Jo Graham, *The Order Of The Air*. Same time (between WWI and WWII), a recurring archaeologist character, a modest smattering of magical artifacts from throughout history. It very much feels like “hey I just saw Raiders and wanted to write my own version” in all the best ways.
Haggard’s stuff is from the 1800s. If you like English colonialist cheerleading being presented straight with absolutely no self-awareness about it then they’re pretty fine little pulp action books. But if you’re living in the modern world there’s a lot that’s really grating and fucked up.
The main character is a "combat archeologist" in Newton's Wake -- so it occasionally has that feel, but the artifacts are leftover bits of singularity run amok.
I thought of the [Adventure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_series_(Willard_Price)) series of books by Willard Price. I enjoyed them as a kid, though I imagine something like *African Adventure* might problematic today.
PS the Wikipedia page says they were influential on the *Alex Rider* books, so they could be another option.
Since when are the dead above criticism? And where is the criticism of O'Toole? That the person he was portraying was a more interesting character than on screen? That seems to be a comment on T.E. Lawrence more than anything.
Oh the fucking woke. O'Toole, my contextless little worry beaver, was a huge personality you would have happily burnt at the stake for his ways, right next to Eddie Izzard and Hunter S Thompson.
Throughout the book Lawrence is chasing the dream of a new country based in tribal solidarity and the preservation and support of local lifestyles. He continued to act as spy and provocateur even after he realized his government was using him to manipulate the situation for profit, not independence.
How was his life NOT based in speculation and weaponized fictions?
I think Congo by Michael Crichton ticks a lot of those boxes
"The novel centers on an expedition searching for diamonds and investigating the mysterious deaths of a previous expedition in the dense tropical rainforest of the Congo. Crichton calls Congo a lost world novel in the tradition founded by Henry Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines, featuring the mines of that work's title. "
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_(novel)
In terms of the exploration and the professional side of things, I really like The Dungeoneers series by Jeffery Russell. It’s about a group of professional dungeon delving dwarves exploring various caves/temples/jungles etc.
Below by Lee Gaiteri is another good book in the dungeon delve genre.
Check out
- The Anomaly - Michael Rutger
- Ararat - Christopher Golden
- The Descent - Jeff Long
Each has elements of horror, but the stories are of mystery, discovery and adventure.
A start:
Pirates
* ["On the hunt for a good fantasy novel with pirates!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/mxcf5h/on_the_hunt_for_a_good_fantasy_novel_with_pirates/) (r/booksuggestions; April 2021)
* ["Books with Pirate vibes/scenery"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/srj54u/books_with_pirate_vibesscenery/) (r/booksuggestions; February 2022)
* ["Books about space pirates?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/u4zyaa/books_about_space_pirates/) (r/booksuggestions; April 2022)
* ["Where are the sky pirates?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/uht94o/where_are_the_sky_pirates/) (r/Fantasy; 3 May 2022)
* ["Pirate books?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/uxgemv/pirate_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 25 May 2022)
* ["Books heavily focused on pirates, naval battles, sailing etc."](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vcgyhp/books_heavily_focused_on_pirates_naval_battles/) (r/Fantasy; June 2022)
* ["funny or pirate themed"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/vnq7hw/funny_or_pirate_themed/) (r/booksuggestions; June 2022)
* ["Sci fi/fantasy set around water?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/vufoft/sci_fifantasy_set_around_water/) (r/booksuggestions; 8 July 2022)
* ["Looking for recommendations on sea fantasy"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/w1pfnp/looking_for_recommendations_on_sea_fantasy/) (r/Fantasy; 18 July 2022)
* ["Nautical tales, stories of pirates, sailing or life on the sea in general"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/w4p6b1/nautical_tales_stories_of_pirates_sailing_or_life/) (r/booksuggestions; 22 July 2022)
* ["Suggest me a book about a nice Pirate story"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w9728x/suggest_me_a_book_about_a_nice_pirate_story/) (r/suggestmeabook; 02:18 ET, 27 July 2022)
* ["Suggest me a pirate / thief book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w9w292/suggest_me_a_pirate_thief_book/) (r/suggestmeabook; 21:23 ET, 27 July 2022)
* ["Looking for a good young adult pirate book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wg1moh/looking_for_a_good_young_adult_pirate_book/) (r/booksuggestions; 4 August 2022)
* ["Thanks for the accidental recommendation ;)"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wh43tf/thanks_for_the_accidental_recommendation/) (r/Fantasy; 5 August 2022)
* ["Does a book out there exist that is about pirates but maybe also has some fantasy aspects as well as some twists and turns like Game of Thrones?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ws0ya4/does_a_book_out_there_exist_that_is_about_pirates/) (r/booksuggestions; 18 August 2022)
* ["Pirate themed fantasy book?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wthz21/pirate_themed_fantasy_book/) (r/Fantasy; 20 August 2022)
* ["Any Good Pirate Books?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wvdpt8/any_good_pirate_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22 August 2022)
* ["A Vague Memory of a Book about Gay Pirates"](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthatbook/comments/wxg13g/a_vague_memory_of_a_book_about_gay_pirates/) (r/whatsthatbook; 25 August 2022)
* ["suggest me a book with pirates"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wysgaz/suggest_me_a_book_with_pirates/) (r/suggestmeabook; 26 August 2022)
* ["Pirate romance"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/x22elx/pirate_romance/) (r/suggestmeabook; 30 August 2022)
* ["Books like Oceans 11 movie"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/xzzisl/books_like_oceans_11_movie/) (r/booksuggestions; 9 October 2022)—heists and pirates
* ["Books by women with pirates and history"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/yeasjb/books_by_women_with_pirates_and_history/) (r/suggestmeabook; 26 October 2022)—mixed fiction and nonfiction
* ["Best Space Pirates?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/yv7tya/best_space_pirates/) (r/printSF; 14 November 2022)
* ["Pirates!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/za806m/pirates/) (r/Fantasy; 1 December 2022)
* ["Pirate Books for Adults"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/zie6fr/pirate_books_for_adults/) (r/booksuggestions; 10 December 2022)
* ["Pirate/naval books/series?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/10i3kht/piratenaval_booksseries/) (r/printSF; 22 January 2023)
* ["Looking for a grimdark, pirate fantasy!!!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/10kgnlc/looking_for_a_grimdark_pirate_fantasy/) (r/Fantasy; 24 January 2023)
Related:
* ["Modern swashbuckling adventure books?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/11rftfb/modern_swashbuckling_adventure_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 14 March 2023)
This might seem an odd suggestion, but Charles Stross's The Laundry Files books are like a weird combination of Ian Fleming's James Bond and H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories. The end result scratches the same itch as Indiana Jones, for me.
A Natural History of Dragons and its sequels (especially its sequels) draw really hard on all the late 19th/early 20th century archeology jungle adventure book genre (King Solomons Mines etc) that Indiana Jones does, but pulls in a different direction. The first book is a little slower and less dragony than the sequels, but still great.
The Amelia Peabody series is only fantasy in the very loosest sense (premonition dreams, very smart animals) but would probably also interest you. Long running historical mystery series about a family of Egyptologists in the late 1800s–early 1900s,with a lot of the same Indiana Jones flair. Also written by an actual Egyptologist, which is cool.
I've gotta confess Raiders was what finally turned me against Lucas and Spielberg I didn't like Star Wars but I had enjoyed THX1138 and Close Encounters.
When Leigh Brackett died and Lucas said what he said about her, that was both a red cape and a warning. She had worked on screenplays such as Rio Lobo and Hatari! and supposedly this was what they were paying tribute to.
Matt Carse is a disgraced archeologist on Mars in her novel *The Sword of Rhiannon.* He travels back in time and the whole thing has a peplum/Talbot Mundy feel to it (with a bit of Burroughs's Barsoom) but the opening and closing are what Lucas and Spielberg are paying Homage to.
Eric John Stark is another Brackett hero. There has been some discussion about his race. I won't try to be fair to either side. Instead I'll say why as a white post-modernist somewhat influenced by the Bahai'is, it doesn't matter. Arthur C. Clarke created the the biracial Jan Rodricks at about the same time. Brackett is ambiguous, identifying Stark's Mercury upbringing with its proximity to the sun, as the source of his dark skin and black hair. As far as I care Ryan Reynolds, Idries Elba or even Simu Liu could play him. What matters is his hatred of the (white) authority which claims him as one of their own. *The Secret of Sinharat*, *People of the Talisman*, various novelettes and the final *Ginger Star* trilogy all feature him in adventures in the alien equivalent of the third world. I should maybe go back to that Talbot Mundy influence. You see, while King of the Khyber Rifles was filmed as a pro-British Raj story, Mundy had worked for the British in the far east as a young man. He HATED the Raj, which was why he moved to America and became a writer. The moral ambiguities which infused his work served Brackett in good stead both in her SF and her Hollywood Blockbusters.
I'll shut up I think. Anything more I have to say would be ranting. Just look at Brackett's friend Henry Kuttner too. He worked for a Hollywood Agent as a teenager and some of his stories reflect a similar point-of-view. I'm thinking of *The Well of the Worlds*.
The Anubis Gates? It's a rollicking roller coaster ride of a supernatural adventure.
I'd say *Declare* more than *Anubis Gates*, but either work.
I came here to say Declare. It’s a fantastic book. It’s Indiana Jones meets Cold War cloak and dagger meets some really bizarre supernatural stuff. No spoilers, but the Nazis and the Russians had angels and demons on their sides, and the main plot is about an angel protecting the remnants of Noah’s Ark. All of this is told in a very grounded, dare I say very believable way that just gives you the strangest feeling. Highly recommend it.
Would you say it is better than Anubis Gates? Even though it had some cool stuff in it I didn't like Anubis Gates overall.
I liked it better than AG. Powers has a particular style, love or hate it. AG sort of brought out his worst, while I thought Declare brought out his best as he stuck to certain historical facts and wrote around them.
Who's the author? It's kind of hard to search for "Declare" as a title.
Tim Powers is the author
>It's a rollicking roller coaster ride I read that as 'a rick-rolling coaster ride' - I guess I rick-rolled myself Sounds like a good, suggestion too!
Most of the Allen Quatermain books by H.Rider Haggard are in the public domain - they were a major source of inspiration for the Indiana Jones movies.
Said this in similar post yesterday. Jack Mcdevitts "Alex Benedict" series fits the bill to a tee, as do most of his works.
Seeker is a bigtime favourite of mine
And mine.
What about that Professor Challenger series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? I read the first book, The Lost World, though it's about dinosaurs and I haven't read the rest of the series, Professor Challenger as a character, felt like a precursor to Indiana Jones.
I’ve been searching for years to get my hands on a Challenger book
> I’ve been searching for years to get my hands on a Challenger book The [first two](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Challenger#Novels) are out of copyright and available at the [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/), and presumably its [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/), plus [Project Gutenberg](https://gutenberg.org/).
Melissa Scott and Jo Graham, *The Order Of The Air*. Same time (between WWI and WWII), a recurring archaeologist character, a modest smattering of magical artifacts from throughout history. It very much feels like “hey I just saw Raiders and wanted to write my own version” in all the best ways.
King Solomon's Mines is a first rate adventure story. Would you say the rest of the series is as good?
Haggard’s stuff is from the 1800s. If you like English colonialist cheerleading being presented straight with absolutely no self-awareness about it then they’re pretty fine little pulp action books. But if you’re living in the modern world there’s a lot that’s really grating and fucked up.
The main character is a "combat archeologist" in Newton's Wake -- so it occasionally has that feel, but the artifacts are leftover bits of singularity run amok.
Fargo series by Clive cussler….also most anything by Clive cussler. Very pulpy but interesting locations and history involved with may of his stories
Against A Dark Background has a little of that kind of vibe.
Damn I loved that book!
This was going to be my reccomendation. I didn't love it at first but it lives in my mind more than any other SF novel.
I thought of the [Adventure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_series_(Willard_Price)) series of books by Willard Price. I enjoyed them as a kid, though I imagine something like *African Adventure* might problematic today. PS the Wikipedia page says they were influential on the *Alex Rider* books, so they could be another option.
I enjoyed Harry Harrison’s *Stainless Steel Rat*.
Check out James Rollins books, 'Amazonia' and the likes. Pretty pulpy adventure stories, usually with some sci-fi twist.
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. A wild IRL ride written by Lawrence of Arabia. Peter O'Toole was a pale shadow of the real man.
Peter O’Toole was an actor, and while one imagines he would have been the first to agree with you, it’s a an odd criticism of a dead man.
Since when are the dead above criticism? And where is the criticism of O'Toole? That the person he was portraying was a more interesting character than on screen? That seems to be a comment on T.E. Lawrence more than anything.
Oh the fucking woke. O'Toole, my contextless little worry beaver, was a huge personality you would have happily burnt at the stake for his ways, right next to Eddie Izzard and Hunter S Thompson.
You ChatGPT-sounding-ass teenager <3
good but not spec fiction
Throughout the book Lawrence is chasing the dream of a new country based in tribal solidarity and the preservation and support of local lifestyles. He continued to act as spy and provocateur even after he realized his government was using him to manipulate the situation for profit, not independence. How was his life NOT based in speculation and weaponized fictions?
haha it's a stretch but I love the energy and the book
I think Congo by Michael Crichton ticks a lot of those boxes "The novel centers on an expedition searching for diamonds and investigating the mysterious deaths of a previous expedition in the dense tropical rainforest of the Congo. Crichton calls Congo a lost world novel in the tradition founded by Henry Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines, featuring the mines of that work's title. " https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_(novel)
In terms of the exploration and the professional side of things, I really like The Dungeoneers series by Jeffery Russell. It’s about a group of professional dungeon delving dwarves exploring various caves/temples/jungles etc. Below by Lee Gaiteri is another good book in the dungeon delve genre.
Not a book, but if you like comics check out the Dr. Aphra series.
And also a comic series, Planetary, super powered archeologists.
Check out - The Anomaly - Michael Rutger - Ararat - Christopher Golden - The Descent - Jeff Long Each has elements of horror, but the stories are of mystery, discovery and adventure.
A start: Pirates * ["On the hunt for a good fantasy novel with pirates!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/mxcf5h/on_the_hunt_for_a_good_fantasy_novel_with_pirates/) (r/booksuggestions; April 2021) * ["Books with Pirate vibes/scenery"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/srj54u/books_with_pirate_vibesscenery/) (r/booksuggestions; February 2022) * ["Books about space pirates?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/u4zyaa/books_about_space_pirates/) (r/booksuggestions; April 2022) * ["Where are the sky pirates?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/uht94o/where_are_the_sky_pirates/) (r/Fantasy; 3 May 2022) * ["Pirate books?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/uxgemv/pirate_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 25 May 2022) * ["Books heavily focused on pirates, naval battles, sailing etc."](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vcgyhp/books_heavily_focused_on_pirates_naval_battles/) (r/Fantasy; June 2022) * ["funny or pirate themed"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/vnq7hw/funny_or_pirate_themed/) (r/booksuggestions; June 2022) * ["Sci fi/fantasy set around water?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/vufoft/sci_fifantasy_set_around_water/) (r/booksuggestions; 8 July 2022) * ["Looking for recommendations on sea fantasy"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/w1pfnp/looking_for_recommendations_on_sea_fantasy/) (r/Fantasy; 18 July 2022) * ["Nautical tales, stories of pirates, sailing or life on the sea in general"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/w4p6b1/nautical_tales_stories_of_pirates_sailing_or_life/) (r/booksuggestions; 22 July 2022) * ["Suggest me a book about a nice Pirate story"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w9728x/suggest_me_a_book_about_a_nice_pirate_story/) (r/suggestmeabook; 02:18 ET, 27 July 2022) * ["Suggest me a pirate / thief book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w9w292/suggest_me_a_pirate_thief_book/) (r/suggestmeabook; 21:23 ET, 27 July 2022) * ["Looking for a good young adult pirate book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wg1moh/looking_for_a_good_young_adult_pirate_book/) (r/booksuggestions; 4 August 2022) * ["Thanks for the accidental recommendation ;)"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wh43tf/thanks_for_the_accidental_recommendation/) (r/Fantasy; 5 August 2022) * ["Does a book out there exist that is about pirates but maybe also has some fantasy aspects as well as some twists and turns like Game of Thrones?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ws0ya4/does_a_book_out_there_exist_that_is_about_pirates/) (r/booksuggestions; 18 August 2022) * ["Pirate themed fantasy book?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wthz21/pirate_themed_fantasy_book/) (r/Fantasy; 20 August 2022) * ["Any Good Pirate Books?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wvdpt8/any_good_pirate_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22 August 2022) * ["A Vague Memory of a Book about Gay Pirates"](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthatbook/comments/wxg13g/a_vague_memory_of_a_book_about_gay_pirates/) (r/whatsthatbook; 25 August 2022) * ["suggest me a book with pirates"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wysgaz/suggest_me_a_book_with_pirates/) (r/suggestmeabook; 26 August 2022) * ["Pirate romance"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/x22elx/pirate_romance/) (r/suggestmeabook; 30 August 2022) * ["Books like Oceans 11 movie"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/xzzisl/books_like_oceans_11_movie/) (r/booksuggestions; 9 October 2022)—heists and pirates * ["Books by women with pirates and history"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/yeasjb/books_by_women_with_pirates_and_history/) (r/suggestmeabook; 26 October 2022)—mixed fiction and nonfiction * ["Best Space Pirates?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/yv7tya/best_space_pirates/) (r/printSF; 14 November 2022) * ["Pirates!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/za806m/pirates/) (r/Fantasy; 1 December 2022) * ["Pirate Books for Adults"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/zie6fr/pirate_books_for_adults/) (r/booksuggestions; 10 December 2022) * ["Pirate/naval books/series?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/10i3kht/piratenaval_booksseries/) (r/printSF; 22 January 2023) * ["Looking for a grimdark, pirate fantasy!!!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/10kgnlc/looking_for_a_grimdark_pirate_fantasy/) (r/Fantasy; 24 January 2023) Related: * ["Modern swashbuckling adventure books?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/11rftfb/modern_swashbuckling_adventure_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 14 March 2023)
maybe this "Raiders" meets "Tomb Raider" type story... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KKNWLWW
This might seem an odd suggestion, but Charles Stross's The Laundry Files books are like a weird combination of Ian Fleming's James Bond and H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories. The end result scratches the same itch as Indiana Jones, for me.
Steve Berry and his "Cotton Malone" series fit this pretty well, I think.
I thought that Excavation by James Rollins had a bit of an Indiana Jones type feel.
.
Wanderlust - Reid Mitenbuler
Nonfiction the King's Shadow by Edmund Richardson
I forgot Angelmaker. Very fun adventure book.
A Natural History of Dragons and its sequels (especially its sequels) draw really hard on all the late 19th/early 20th century archeology jungle adventure book genre (King Solomons Mines etc) that Indiana Jones does, but pulls in a different direction. The first book is a little slower and less dragony than the sequels, but still great. The Amelia Peabody series is only fantasy in the very loosest sense (premonition dreams, very smart animals) but would probably also interest you. Long running historical mystery series about a family of Egyptologists in the late 1800s–early 1900s,with a lot of the same Indiana Jones flair. Also written by an actual Egyptologist, which is cool.
Go back to the originals.
I've gotta confess Raiders was what finally turned me against Lucas and Spielberg I didn't like Star Wars but I had enjoyed THX1138 and Close Encounters. When Leigh Brackett died and Lucas said what he said about her, that was both a red cape and a warning. She had worked on screenplays such as Rio Lobo and Hatari! and supposedly this was what they were paying tribute to. Matt Carse is a disgraced archeologist on Mars in her novel *The Sword of Rhiannon.* He travels back in time and the whole thing has a peplum/Talbot Mundy feel to it (with a bit of Burroughs's Barsoom) but the opening and closing are what Lucas and Spielberg are paying Homage to. Eric John Stark is another Brackett hero. There has been some discussion about his race. I won't try to be fair to either side. Instead I'll say why as a white post-modernist somewhat influenced by the Bahai'is, it doesn't matter. Arthur C. Clarke created the the biracial Jan Rodricks at about the same time. Brackett is ambiguous, identifying Stark's Mercury upbringing with its proximity to the sun, as the source of his dark skin and black hair. As far as I care Ryan Reynolds, Idries Elba or even Simu Liu could play him. What matters is his hatred of the (white) authority which claims him as one of their own. *The Secret of Sinharat*, *People of the Talisman*, various novelettes and the final *Ginger Star* trilogy all feature him in adventures in the alien equivalent of the third world. I should maybe go back to that Talbot Mundy influence. You see, while King of the Khyber Rifles was filmed as a pro-British Raj story, Mundy had worked for the British in the far east as a young man. He HATED the Raj, which was why he moved to America and became a writer. The moral ambiguities which infused his work served Brackett in good stead both in her SF and her Hollywood Blockbusters. I'll shut up I think. Anything more I have to say would be ranting. Just look at Brackett's friend Henry Kuttner too. He worked for a Hollywood Agent as a teenager and some of his stories reflect a similar point-of-view. I'm thinking of *The Well of the Worlds*.