Book Review: The Devil–With Wings by L. Ron Hubbard
Full Disclosure: I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway in the expectation that I would review it. Presumably this was influenced by my review of an earlier book in the series, “If I Were You.”
This volume is part of the “Golden Age Stories” reprints of L. Ron Hubbard’s pulp writing. A lot of effort has been put into making the book physically attractive, and the appearance is of very high quality. I wish some other authors got the same treatment!
The short novel within is set in 1930s Manchukuo, a part of northeastern China set up as a puppet state by the Japanese invaders. The Japanese are being battled by a man they call “Akuma no Hane”, which the author translates as “the devil with wings.” (A closer translation would be “The Devil’s Feather.” Most of the names of Japanese people are likewise suspect.) This mysterious black-clad aviator has been harrying their troops for the last three years.
But now it seems Akuma no Hane has gone too far, killing the American civil engineer Robert Weston. Now, not only is Captain Ito Shinohari of Japanese Intelligence after the aviator, but Bob’s sister Patricia is also out for blood. Now the pilot and his faithful sidekick Ching must race to discover the truth and head off a Russian-japanese war!
This is an exciting pulp story, foll of action and gunplay. The centerpiece is a fierce dogfight told from Patricia’s confused viewpoint in the back of Akuma no Hane’s plane. The period racism is toned down considerably; Shinohari isn’t evil because he’s Japanese, but because he cares more about his own advancement than the good of his country. The Japanese in general are in the wrong, but that’s because they’re invaders, not the color of their skin.
The story does less well with Patricia, whose bravery and determination are emphasized in her first confrontation with Akuma no Hane, And then…she accomplishes absolutely nothing in the story, becoming a tagalong for the Devil. There’s a romance angle, but it’s badly shoehorned in towards the end. A woman with agency Patricia is not. If that sort of thing bothers you, take off a point.
The volume comes with a glossary, which will be helpful for readers who are unfamiliar with 1930s history, plus the same introduction and potted hagiography of L. Ron Hubbard that comes with every volume in the series, plus a several page preview of “The Green God,” another volume in the series.
This is a very quick read, and with the recycled material, I cannot recommend paying full price for this one. If you enjoy daring tales of aviation and the Far East, check to see if you can get The Devil–with Wings from your library, or wait until it shows up used.
