The Shadow and the Golden Master
Reviewed by Anthony Feinman
01/15/07

Here is my first review and the book is not even available any more. That's correct, this volume in both it's hardcover and paper version are both OUT OF PRINT! So why review? Well, first, I am a huge fan of The Shadow. Mostly from the old radio shows. Second, I just recently was able to acquire this lost volume on a whim. Seeing how this reprint came out when I was seven years old, I figure there would be no way to obtain a copy. But obtain I did for cover price and hardcover no less. Lucky me since I have seen this volume go for $60.00+ at pulp conventions!

Anyway, this volume reprints The Shadow's first two encounters with major bad guy, Shiwan Kahn in stories entitled the "The Golden Master" and "Shiwan Kahn Returns". Both stoires are written in the fast paced style that one would normally associate with pulp novels but are done in such a way that I could not put the book down. Having only been able to access some of the first Shadow stories in it's earilest days, Gibson's writing had, by the time these stories were released, done away with keeping the Shadow in the "shadows" so to speak and placed him on the front lines fully thrown into the action. And action packed these stories are! After every chapter, I kept on wanting to read more. And continuing reading I did eating up every last word, illustration and advertisement. Oh, did I forget to mention that each story includes the magazine's original illustrations and articles? I truly felt like I was back in the thirties when these stories first hit the stands so many decades ago.

One of the great things about this book was that it opened some holes for me in regards to the The Shadow movie that came out starring Alex Baldwin and Penelope Miller back in 1994. I have to note that my first encounters personally with Shiwan Kahn are from the original 1940's newspaper comic strip (reprinted by Eternity Comics 1988) and DC Comics revivial in the late 80's with their revamped version set it in the present as well as their "Shadow Strikes" series in the early 90's. Out of the three listed previously, the two that captured the spirit of these original stories are the newspaper strip and the "Shadow Strikes" series. When I saw the movie in 1994, my thoughts immediately went to the comic strip. It wasn't until reading "The Golden Master" and "Shiwan Kahn Returns" that I finally got the true picture of this character. One of the stories has Shiwan Kahn hypnotize an agent of the Shadow's (Harry Vincent) as well as the use of the Hotel Monolith. Kahn's main and only goal is world domination. Nothing more or less. Before reading this volume, I had already concluded the movie did a great job of combining all the different mediums of The Shadow i.e radio and print forms. Now after completing this long lost treasure, my belief is even more pronounced. Shiwan Kahn was one evil dude and probably is one of the only worthy foes to butt heads with the original Master of Darkness.

Even though I can not recommend where one will be able to obtain a copy of this unique book, I highly recommend you attempt to find one just to read. Perhaps your local library has one on hand. But as luck would have it, fans of The Shadow will once again have a chance to experience and own these timeless stories via Nostagia Ventures.

Anthony Tollin, a well known Shadow fan and historian, was able to convince Advance Magazines Publishers, the owners of The Conde Nast Publications, to once again republish not only The Shadow stories but Doc Savage as well. I have already obtain copies of these reprinted publications and will be reviewing them in the near future.

Visit Anthony at MySpace for an occasional blog.

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