Book Review: Zorro and the Little Devil by Peter David
Don Alejandro de la Vega may not be the famed hero his son Diego (also known as Zorro) is, but when a petty robber accosts a woman in the sleepy village of Reina de Los Angeles in Spanish California, he steps up to do a man’s duty. Maria Garcia Lopez is most grateful for his assistance, but is for the moment homeless. Quite naturally, Don Alejandro offers the senora his hacienda for a resting place. He is unaware that he is soon to be entangled in one of Zorro’s wild adventures!
Like the Isabel Allende book I reviewed a while back, this volume was solicited by Zorro Productions, Inc., this time inviting Peter David, who’s had some success in comic book and movie writing as well as books.
Zorro himself is visiting his good friend, the monastic Fray Felipe, when he learns that the dangerous pirate Diabolito (“Little Devil”) may be in the territory. Meanwhile, Captain Juan Quintero, head of the military guards in Los Angeles, learns that an ambassador has come from Spain for an inspection. In his efforts to look good for the distinguished visitor, Quintero is not happy to learn his estranged sister is also in town.
Naturally, these plot threads soon interweave. Diabolito may be Zorro’s most formidable opponent yet, and the case strikes close to home as the de la Vega estate is revealed to hide pirate treasure!
It is always a joy to see the beloved Zorro in action, and the story presents plenty of twists and turns in the pulp tradition. I especially liked the heavier use of Don Alejandro in this story, and the forced team-up of Zorro and his usual nemesis.
Mr. David’s roots as a comic book writer show with footnotes, and an attempt to fit the ending of Curse of Capistrano back into continuity where original author Johnston McCulley simply ignored it when it proved inconvenient. The attempt is not particularly successful.
Content note: Some domestic abuse by a villain.
To fill out the volume, there’s also a short story, “Diego and the Baron” in which Baron Munchausen aids a young Diego in rescuing Bernardo from Hades. The blatantly supernatural aspects of the story don’t match Zorro’s genre, but then it’s the Baron who’s telling the story, so it must be true.
This volume will do nicely for Zorro fans, and pulp adventure readers in general.
