The Magic Quirt: Golden Age Stories

Written by L. Ron Hubbard

Narrated by R.F. Daley, Corey Burton, Michael Yurchak and 5 more

When it comes to boiling up a pot of coffee or stirring up a pot of stew, Old Laramie's about as good a man as you're going to find. But other than cooking three squares a day for the cowpunchers over at the Lazy G ranch, Laramie's not good for much.

But Laramie's luck—and life—are about to take an amazing turn. Quite by accident, he somehow manages to save a family of Mexicans from bandits, and as a token of their gratitude they give him The Magic Quirt—a horsewhip that he's told will turn him into a new man.

The transformation is indeed magical. Suddenly Laramie is performing feats of ingenuity and courage that would make even the Lone Ranger proud. But magic is a funny thing—and as Laramie's about to discover, sometimes it's all an illusion.

Also includes the western adventures, Vengeance Is Mine!, the story of a young man who sets out to avenge his father's death only to commit an act beyond redemption; and Stacked Bullets, in which a game of chance is fixed, a whole town is cheated, and nothing but a stack of bullets can make things right.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Galaxy Press
• Release date: Oct 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781592124770

L. Ron Hubbard

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most enduring and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard. Then too, of course, there is all L. Ron Hubbard represents as the Founder of Dianetics and Scientology and thus the only major religion born in the 20th century.

Reviews for The Magic Quirt

[sunshinetonya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Magic Quirt by L. Ron HubbardOld Laramie is a cook for the cowpunchers at the Lazy G Ranch. He winds up saving a family that is being attacked & robbed. As a "thanks you" he is given a "Magic Quirt" and told it will make him a big man. He soon realizes th Quirt holds special Aztec magic. He sets of on a series of adventures and maybe misadventures. This Audio CD set includes two other stories, "Vengeance is Mine" & "Stacked Bullets" by by L. Ron Hubbard. Music & sound effects featuring Lynsey Bartilson. Cds are approx 2 hours long! Great Stories:)

[staciewyatt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read the Magic Quirt, The (Stories from the Golden Age) in exchange for honest review. First thing, I wanted to know was what a quirt was. According to Wikipedia, "a quirt is a forked type of stock whip, which usually has two falls at the end....sometimes called a riding quirt, horse quirt, or a dog quirt." The book is about Old Laramie, who is a cook for Lazy G Ranch. He is in the middle of reading a book on the occult and black magic. He accepts a silver-mounted, magic quirt from a Hispanic family, he saved from bandits. Laramie starts thinking he is powerful, since he has the quirt and goes on a journey to show his new skills and techniques. Old Laramie is not happy with the new management. Lee Jacoby is the ranch's foreman, who treats Laramie like a second-class citizen. Jacoby is also not happy with Laramie's food to the point where he tosses it out at the beginning of the book. Laramie is the last men left from the original management. Laramie is quite a character. I read along with the book, while the audio played. The book was action-packed. Laramie killed two people before page 30 (book).The book does contain adult language.

[afyfe_5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I requested this book because I had heard interesting things about L Ron Hubbard. He is supposed to have some great fantasy books (that apparently his religion is based on, but that’s a whole different topic). The book I ended up with wasn’t quite what I expected. I didn’t realize they were short stories, I also didn’t realize they were westerns (usually not my thing). With all that in mind I was pleasantly surprised by the stories, they were short and pretty easy to listen to. Nothing was amazing, but good for a road trip. Some of them had some strange elements or were a bit out there, but overall I thought it was a decent listen.

[bruce_deming_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This audiobook had me laughing in the first paragraph with old Laramie cussin his hosses callin out "Carnsarn ye for a pair of busted-down, walleyed, spavined ignorantipedes!""Ignorantipedes!" Hell I cain't look at THAT word and not start laughin agin. Fine start. An his ole chuck wagon is a creakin' and a groanin' with them thar fine rickety sound effects while that chuck wagon cook be a fussin' away. Damn if he don't complain as much as his wagon.There's a twist in the end for Ole Laramie that had me done bust out with a "Pah-ha" of laughter in the end.It's a bit of a colorful moral tale set in the old west that Aesop might salute Mr Hubbard for here, or crown with a laurel wreath, because he did it so well and I didn't see it coming, (and unlike Aesop he doesn't state the moral of the story, you fill in the blank yourself).Like he done snuck up on me from behind and said, "BOO!"

[alanbethcam_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My Dad said to me once, "Crazy people write good fiction." Yep. That about sums it up for L. Ron Hubbard. I enjoy his pulp fiction books and enjoy laughing at the philosophical "points" that he tries to make in them. This CD was a good dramatization of some of his Westerns. I quite enjoyed them.

[liaeve · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

L. Ron Hubbard's stories are well reviewed, the focus I have in the review is on the audio performance and quality of the cd itself. It was enjoyable having a cast of characters for an audiobook. Definitely a change from the standard single person reading. It was mroe akin to the old "movies on tape" of the 90's than to an audiobook. However, that did make some portions of the story a bit jumbled and difficult to follow. Overall, a highly enjoyable experience, but be aware that it take some time to get used to the newer format.

[winnemucca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Magic Quirt includes three short stories published by L. Ron Hubbard between 1948 and 1950. The sound effects, musical backgrounds, and variety of voices for the characters made this C.D. the best book on tape I've ever experienced. Hubbard's story "The Magic Quirt" draws the listener in with humor from the first lines of good-old-cowhand western-speak. I will admit to wondering where this adventure was going while listening. I was delighted at the end. This story should appeal to all ages.Sadly, I was unable to complete the other two stories because one of the discs was missing from the package I received. I heard the first couple of chapters of the second story and decided that I would like to finish the book. I'll try a paperback this time.

[rhonda1111 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Magic Quirt by L. Ron Hubbard audio 4STARSThis is my first audio book review. I have listened to kindle books but that was just the text to speach feature.The audio cd has different voices and some sound effects. It got my dog to start barking with it.I like the stories, also like that I can do other things while listening. But if I need to go back and check on something I might have lost is harder that a book to flip back to or kindle text to speach feature.I think these would be great for car trips if you have a cd player.the Magic QuirtOld Laramie a cook is in the right place to save a family and was given a Magic Quirt that would make him be a big man.Old Laramie thinks he now is invisncible and takes risks.also include is two other stories VENGEANCE IS MINE! and STACKED BULLETS on two cds.If my dog would stop barking with cd I would be better to follow along. I was given this audio book to read in exchange of honest review from Librarything.I like L. Ron Hubbard stories and hope to read more of his work.also like the music in the cd.Publisher: Galaxy Press (October 22, 2012) 156 pages

[kgman1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The power of positive thinking performs it motivating force with surprising results in the old out west. Is it fate or the very hand of a Divine God which works to impact the lives of old Laramie, a crusty camp cook and the townsfolk.

[wdwilson3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I recall that when I was a kid I used to listen to Westerns on the radio while my mother ironed the laundry. “Gunsmoke” and “Have Gun Will Travel” on the radio gave me as much of a thrill as my TV favorites of the time, Hopalong Cassidy and Wild Bill Hickok. I’ve long since lost my interest in Westerns, but the memory of those old radio shows was brought back to me by “The Magic Quirt,” one of a series of L. Ron Hubbard-authored audio books that Galaxy Press has produced. They’re much more like radio presentations than ordinary audio books, with multiple voice actors reading dialogue, sound effects and incidental music. This 2-CD package actually contains three stories from the golden age of pulp magazines, “Vengeance Is Mine!” and “Stacked Bullets” as well as the title story.Hubbard was one of the most prolific writers of all time, spreading his work through many genres, a penny a word, under dozens of pen names. Although no one would argue that his prose was elevated, he knew how to create a vivid, action-packed adventure for his audience. These were stories for the millions of subway riders and office workers who could escape reality for a little while and live the exciting lives they wanted. Whether it was science fiction, mystery, military, jungle adventure, or historical fiction, Hubbard was writing it. His western stories presented here seem to have some authenticity to them, perhaps because he grew up in Montana and knew a bit about ranch life. As you might expect, his stories are populated with virtuous women and dastardly villains, but, interestingly, his protagonists aren’t the white horse and white hat heroes of TV. They all have their flaws, some of them fatal.Hubbard doesn’t stint with his adjectives and adverbs, and in the hands of the competent narrator for these audio books, a vivid backdrop is painted for the action. While the characterizations of the supporting players tend to be a bit hackneyed, that’s in keeping with the fiction – fast, familiar, and with a twist at the end.This isn’t great literature, but I enjoyed listening to these stories while driving. It beats talk radio by miles. And it brought back a lot of wonderful memories of listening to the radio more than fifty years ago.

[pebblesgmc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow it got here fast, this is an audio book CD.The Magic Quirt (Stories from the Golden Age) by L. Ron HubbardOld Laramie helps a family, that is being attacked and saves them from being robbed. In gratitude he is given a "Magic Quirt" and told it will make him a big man. Quirt in hand he sets of on a series of adventures and maybe misadventures. The Audio CD set also includes two other stories, "Vengeance is Mine" and "Stacked Bullets" also by by L. Ron Hubbard. Originally published in 1948, great story *****