Hell's Legionnaire

By L. Ron Hubbard

American Ann Halliday is as sexy as Rita Hayworth and as fiery as the Sahara sun. And now she’s feeling some real heat, as the prize captive of the Berber leader Abd el Malek . . . also known as “The Killer.”

But Abd el Malek wants Ann alive—and in chains—subject to his every whim and fantasy. Dusty Colton, however, an American deserter from the French Foreign Legion, has a different idea. With all the swagger of Robert Mitchum, he’s determined to give “The Killer” a taste of his own bloody medicine. The only problem is . . . Dusty himself is wanted for murder.

Can Ann and Dusty team up and turn evil on its head? One thing’s for sure—between Ann and the Hell’s Legionnaire, the temperature is about to get even hotter.

On the subject of North Africa, Hubbard said that writers too often “forget a great deal of the languorous quality which made the Arabian Nights so pleasing. Jewels, beautiful women, towering cities filled with mysterious shadows, sultans equally handy with robes of honor and the beheading sword.” Hubbard brings this unique insight to his stories of North Africa and the Legionnaires, investing them with an authenticity of time, place and character that will keep you asking for more.

Also includes the adventure stories, The Barbarians, in which a Legionnaire sets out to avenge a savage killing and makes a stunning discovery, and The Squad That Never Came Back, the story of a man who has uncovered the secret to a city of gold—a secret that could turn into a death sentence.

“Action-packed . . . standout . . . hard-core graphic.” —Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Galaxy Press
• Release date: Mar 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781592125715

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.

Book preview

SELECTED FICTION WORKS BY

L. RON HUBBARD

FANTASY

The Case of the Friendly Corpse

Death’s Deputy

Fear

The Ghoul

The Indigestible Triton

Slaves of Sleep & The Masters of Sleep

Typewriter in the Sky

The Ultimate Adventure

SCIENCE FICTION

Battlefield Earth

The Conquest of Space

The End Is Not Yet

Final Blackout

The Kilkenny Cats

The Kingslayer

The Mission Earth Dekalogy*

Ole Doc Methuselah

To the Stars

ADVENTURE

The Hell Job series

WESTERN

Buckskin Brigades

Empty Saddles

Guns of Mark Jardine

Hot Lead Payoff

A full list of L. Ron Hubbard’s

novellas and short stories is provided at the back.

*Dekalogy: a group of ten volumes

TitlePgArt.jpg

Published by

Galaxy Press, LLC

7051 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 200

Hollywood, CA 90028

© 2012 L. Ron Hubbard Library. All Rights Reserved.

Any unauthorized copying, translation, duplication, importation or distribution, in whole or in part, by any means, including electronic copying, storage or transmission, is a violation of applicable laws. Mission Earth is a trademark owned by L. Ron Hubbard Library and is used with permission. Battlefield Earth is a trademark owned by Author Services, Inc. and is used with permission.

The Barbarians story illustration from Dime Adventure and Story Preview cover art from Argosy are © 1935, 1936 Argosy Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission from Argosy Communications, Inc. Horsemen illustration from Western Story Magazine is © and ™ Condé Nast Publications and is used with their permission. Fantasy, Far-Flung Adventure and Science Fiction illustrations: Unknown and Astounding Science Fiction copyright © by Street & Smith Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Penny Publications, LLC.

ISBN 978-1-59212-571-5 eBook version

ISBN 978-1-59212-762-7 Kindle version

ISBN 978-1-59212-355-1 Print version

ISBN 978-1-59212-262-2 Audiobook version

ISBN 978-1-59212-462-6 eAudiobook version

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007903536

Contents

FOREWORD

HELL'S LEGIONNAIRE

THE BARBARIANS

THE SQUAD THAT NEVER CAME BACK

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

STORY PREVIEW:

WHILE BUGLES BLOW!

GLOSSARY

L. RON HUBBARD

IN THE GOLDEN AGE

OF PULP FICTION

THE STORIES FROM THE

GOLDEN AGE

FOREWORD

Stories from Pulp Fiction’s Golden Age

AND it was a golden age.

The 1930s and 1940s were a vibrant, seminal time for a gigantic audience of eager readers, probably the largest per capita audience of readers in American history. The magazine racks were chock-full of publications with ragged trims, garish cover art, cheap brown pulp paper, low cover prices—and the most excitement you could hold in your hands.

Pulp magazines, named for their rough-cut, pulpwood paper, were a vehicle for more amazing tales than Scheherazade could have told in a million and one nights. Set apart from higher-class slick magazines, printed on fancy glossy paper with quality artwork and superior production values, the pulps were for the rest of us, adventure story after adventure story for people who liked to read. Pulp fiction authors were no-holds-barred entertainers—real storytellers. They were more interested in a thrilling plot twist, a horrific villain or a white-knuckle adventure than they were in lavish prose or convoluted metaphors.

The sheer volume of tales released during this wondrous golden age remains unmatched in any other period of literary history—hundreds of thousands of published stories in over nine hundred different magazines. Some titles lasted only an issue or two; many magazines succumbed to paper shortages during World War II, while others endured for decades yet. Pulp fiction remains as a treasure trove of stories you can read, stories you can love, stories you can remember. The stories were driven by plot and character, with grand heroes, terrible villains, beautiful damsels (often in distress), diabolical plots, amazing places, breathless romances. The readers wanted to be taken beyond the mundane, to live adventures far removed from their ordinary lives—and the pulps rarely failed to deliver.

In that regard, pulp fiction stands in the tradition of all memorable literature. For as history has shown, good stories are much more than fancy prose. William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas—many of the greatest literary figures wrote their fiction for the readers, not simply literary colleagues and academic admirers. And writers for pulp magazines were no exception. These publications reached an audience that dwarfed the circulations of today’s short story magazines. Issues of the pulps were scooped up and read by over thirty million avid readers each month.

Because pulp fiction writers were often paid no more than a cent a word, they had to become prolific or starve. They also had to write aggressively. As Richard Kyle, publisher and editor of Argosy, the first and most long-lived of the pulps, so pointedly explained: The pulp magazine writers, the best of them, worked for markets that did not write for critics or attempt to satisfy timid advertisers. Not having to answer to anyone other than their readers, they wrote about human beings on the edges of the unknown, in those new lands the future would explore. They wrote for what we would become, not for what we had already been.

Some of the more lasting names that graced the pulps include H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, Max Brand, Louis L’Amour, Elmore Leonard, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner, John D. MacDonald, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein—and, of course, L. Ron Hubbard.

In a word, he was among the most prolific and popular writers of the era. He was also the most enduring—hence this series—and certainly among the most legendary. It all began only months after he first tried his hand at fiction, with L. Ron Hubbard tales appearing in Thrilling Adventures, Argosy, Five-Novels Monthly, Detective Fiction Weekly, Top-Notch, Texas Ranger, War Birds, Western Stories, even Romantic Range. He could write on any subject, in any genre, from jungle explorers to deep-sea divers, from G-men and gangsters, cowboys and flying aces to mountain climbers, hard-boiled detectives and spies. But he really began to shine when he turned his talent to science fiction and fantasy of which he authored nearly fifty novels or novelettes to forever change the shape of those genres.

Following in the tradition of such famed authors as Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Jack London and Ernest Hemingway, Ron Hubbard actually lived adventures that his own characters would have admired—as an ethnologist among primitive tribes, as prospector and engineer in hostile climes, as a captain of vessels on four oceans. He even wrote a series of articles for Argosy, called Hell Job, in which he lived and told of the most dangerous professions a man could put his hand to.

Finally, and just for good measure, he was also an accomplished photographer, artist, filmmaker, musician and educator. But he was first and foremost a writer, and that’s the L. Ron Hubbard we come to know through the pages of this volume.

This library of Stories from the Golden Age presents the best of L. Ron Hubbard’s fiction from the heyday of storytelling, the Golden Age of the pulp magazines. In these eighty volumes, readers are treated to a full banquet of 153 stories, a kaleidoscope of tales representing every imaginable genre: science fiction, fantasy, western, mystery, thriller, horror, even romance—action of all kinds and in all places.

Because the pulps themselves were printed on such inexpensive paper with high acid content, issues were not meant to endure. As the years go by, the original issues of every pulp from Argosy through Zeppelin Stories continue crumbling into brittle, brown dust. This library preserves the L. Ron Hubbard tales from that era, presented with a distinctive look that brings back the nostalgic flavor of those times.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Stories from the Golden Age has something for every taste, every reader. These tales will return you to a time when fiction was good clean entertainment and the most fun a kid could have on a rainy afternoon or the best thing an adult could enjoy after a long day at work.

Pick up a volume, and remember what reading is supposed to be all about. Remember curling up with a great story.

—Kevin J. Anderson

KEVIN J. ANDERSON is the author of more than ninety critically acclaimed works of speculative fiction, including The Saga of Seven Suns, the continuation of the Dune Chronicles with Brian Herbert, and his New York Times bestselling novelization of L. Ron Hubbard’s Ai! Pedrito!

Hell's Legionnaire

Hell's Legionnaire

BEHIND them, the ambush was sprung with the speed of a

Reviews for Hell's Legionnaire

[pixiedark · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received Hell's Legionnaire from Library Thing Member Giveaway. Hell's Legionnaire by L Ron Hubbard is about American Dusty Colton who flees the French Foreign Legion. To his horror he rushes headlong into a Berber tribal lair. He finds a captive American woman. Dusty needs to find a way to get both him and the woman out of the Berber camp. Then Dusty has to get both of them out the country alive, with the Berbers and the French Foreign Legion hot on their heels.Hell's Legionnaire is a multicast performance with music and sound effects featuring Phil Proctor. This is so much more than just an audio book. Hell's Legionnaire from Galaxy Press is extremely entertaining. Galaxy Press has many entertaining stories from The Golden Age of publishing. The Pulp Era. I enjoy listening to these stories. It makes me feel like I am back in the 1930's. During the Pulp era, storytelling was fun and exciting. If you want to have fun reading, read Hell's Legionnaire from L. Ron Hubbard. ( Or listen to the audio book.)

[bruce_deming_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I very enjoyable story of romance and adventure!

[dokfintong · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I won several of the "Stories from the Golden Age" audiobooks on librarything.com. "Hell's Legionnaire" is the first I have listened to.Hell's Legionnaire the audiobook is three stories: "Hell's Legionnaire", "The Barbarians", and "The Squad that Never Came Back". First published in the 1930s and 40s, they are short adventure tales told in rip-snorting pulp fiction style which will shock inexperienced readers but which I found enjoyable and authentic.These are adventures of the French Foreign Legion and if you are not familiar with the Legion, its slang and traditions you will miss a lot. Hubbard makes excellent use of foreign words, Legion tradition, and Legion slang, and without the written words in front of you, it may be hard to understand "Berbers", "barb", "jellaba", "képi","cafard" and so on, and thus you will miss a lot of the story.The recordings are of good quality with exciting background sound effects. The main narrator, Phil Proctor, has a wonderful voice. The other actors, in particular Ms Brooke Bloom (who is not a good actor, although her voice is perfect for the part) cannot speak French and so butcher French phrases, and their attempts at French accented English are risible. Poor Mr. Montesinos is tasked with creating Italian accented, pseudo-French English.Mr. Hubbard, in line with other writers of the era, does not shy away from describing the tortures inflicted by the Berbers on the French and the injustices of the French occupation of Morocco. At the same time, he takes all kinds of liberties to make a good story. The damsel in distress in "Hell's Legionnaire" is supposed to be a geologist but she is riding a horse, in the desert, clad in a thin silk gown that hugs her hips. Hubbard also doesn't mind linking torture and sex. He likes those whips.We can imagine that Galaxy Press, publishers of these audiobooks, is a Scientologist outfit, but there is nothing that points directly to a link.

[tpmcnulty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The French Foreign Legion, a military wing of the French Army, has been famous since its inception in 1831. For L. Ron Hubbard the Legion served as plot material for many of his classic pulp fiction stories, three of which are included in the latest release from Galaxy Press. Hell's Legionnaire dates from 1935 and is particularly violent and gruesome, although still tame by today's standards. It's a fantastic short story. Legionnaire Dusty Colton has killed a French officer in self-defense and flees the Legion only to find himself saving a beautiful woman from captivity in an evil Berber camp. Tense, tightly constructed, and with a strong dash of romance thrown in for good measure, Hell's Legionnaire will undoubtedly make my favorite's list of classic pulp fiction I am reviewing this year. I won't reveal the ending but readers familiar with the style and sentiment of 1930s American pulp fiction and adventure films will love the closing dialogue. This is classic material indeed and a joy to read.The second story, The Barbarians, is another gruesome piece and equally suspenseful, but without the romance. When Major Duprey of the French Legion receives a gruesome package, Jack Harvey takes it upon himself to avenge a friend's death. The Barbarians is pure testosterone pulp writing, flavored with a dash of philosophy regarding the brutality of war. Another fine example of short story writing, I found this tale as captivating as anything Hubbard wrote. His ability to propel readers immediately into the action is showcased in this 1930s era action tale.The final offering, The Squad That Never Came Back, involves a group of Legionnaires seeking treasure in the Moroccan desert. Told with a first person narrative, The Squad That Never Came Back is less violent than the two preceding stories but entertaining all the same. When I say it's less violent I mean that Hubbard's skill included knowing when to avoid going too far in his action. So the violence here is no less shocking than in the previous stories, but handled in a slightly different fashion. Another tremendous adventure, The Squad That Never Came Back is a great example of the hard-boiled first person narrative in a short, short story. Told in seven brisk chapters, the pace accelerates as the story unfolds.All in all, the first story, Hell's Legionnaire, is my favorite and certifiable as something of a forgotten classic. Given that only a handful of Hubbard's pulp fiction has been reprinted until now, you can expect to discover many such literary jewels for those of you collecting the entire landmark series as I am. It cannot be said often enough that L. Ron Hubbard was popular during the golden age of pulps for a good reason, and stories such as these are all the modern literary archeologist needs in confirming what readers had discovered over sixty years ago - these are great entertainments. Memorable characters, plenty of action, strong images and even a dollop or two of romance make Hell's Legionnaire a volume I heartily recommend for every pulp fiction fan.

[oolalu · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pulp fiction from the Golden Age. L. Ron Hubbard writes a dramatic, action packed story of death and mayhem from a time when men took what they wanted and the consequences be damned! Visit a French penal colony and join the French Foreign Legion. Fight the Berber's and win against all odds! It's a full cast recording and easy to listen to. Despite myself, I enjoy it!

[deployeddad · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you are into Pulp Fiction from the 30's and 40's, you will enjoy L. Ron Hubbard's Stories from the Golden Age. The audio CD contains three novelettes: "Hell's Legionnaire," "The Barbarians," and "The Squad That Never Came Back." The audio is more of a radio dramatization than an audio book. The actors are good and the sound effects transport you to the exotic lands of Morocco. Each story is approximately 40 minutes long. It is full of what one would expect from Pulp Fiction: a dashing hero, a damsel in distress, the fiend, and plenty of violent action. I was entertained. The only reason I give 4 stars and not 5 is because I think the $9.95 price tag is a little high for the three stories.

[spfxartist · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great way for someone to enjoy the book who doesn't have the time to read it. A well done production made me think of the old time radio shows . I'll be sure to look for other entries in the series.

[hredwards · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I actually enjoyed this audiobook.The first one I listened to just didn't work for me, but I warmed up to this, as the action adventure story it is.Without the L. Ron Hubbard baggage, just listen and enjoy.Takes you back to an earlier day.Could do without the Hubbard propaganda booklet about what a genius he was, but the story was good.

[nathanaels_19 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I don't recommend this book, because philosophy is always woven into a writers works, and this author's philosophy is strange. This is good production for an audio book, but it is the content that I dislike from a philosophical perspective.

[atracy69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great author got the auto book in the mail with two disks in it, listen to each story always waited to always listen to see what would happen next. I would recommend these books to any one that likes action and can not wait to see what happens from one story to the next story. If I had the paper copy version I would also read them to.

[shelbial · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Since it was an older book, I didn't expect to really like Hell's Legionnaire. I had never read anything by this author before. I absolutely loved it especially in audio form. Since it is multicasted, it was like listening to an old radio play I got caught up in the story line and found myself really routeing for Dusty to succeed. I definitely plan to seek out more books or stories by L. Ron Hubbard

[strogan_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Audiobook version that I received via Member Giveaways contained 3 of Mr. Hubbard's stories: "Hell's Legionnaire", "The Barbarians" and "The Squad That Never Came Back".Listening to the stories, I came away being of two minds about the writing.On the one hand, the stories are fast paced, fit in within the time period they were written in, convey the adventures that they are, and certainly bring alive the setting and place of the stories.On the other hand, each story became bloodier than the previous one to the point where I was put off.I don't mind if a certain amount of violence is shown within a story if it is there to convey a point. There is a point, however, where there is such a thing as excessive violence.I may have simply taken this the wrong way at the time I listened to the audiobook, and will certainly re-visit the CDs at a later date to see if my reaction to the stories is different, but that's the feeling I went away with this time around.

[antmusic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent production and acting make for a fun listen. Questionable content for younger listeners. Content is not edited for current political correctness, so overly sensative listeners may balk. No Scientology within.

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed for LibraryThing as an early reviewer.Story synopsis: Hell’s Legionnaire – Caught between the French Foreign Legion and the Berbers, Dusty Colton must not only save himself, but must also rescue a beautiful American woman.The Barbarians – Flying ace Jack Harvey returns from the Berber back country with a package for French Foreign Legion Major Dupree. The grizzly contents lead Dupree to send Harvey back into the field to locate the Berber strongholds before they can gather intelligence on Legion encampments.The Squad That Never Came Back – On a flight to Morocco over the north slopes of the Atlas Mountains, scientists spot a lost city in the middle of a lake. However, greed and betrayal lead to death among the ruins of this ancient Roman city.Review: On these CDs, the settings are once again areas in and near Morocco. Neither the French Foreign Legion nor the Berbers are seen in a positive, or at least sympathetic, light. The two shortest offerings are less dynamic than the longer selection, The Squad That Never Came Back. While all are technically good, there fewer audio effects in Hell’s Legionnaire and The Barbarians, rendering them less interesting.Hell’s Legionnaire - This short story is a bodice ripper about French Foreign Legion deserter, Dusty Cotton, and his interactions with an American woman taken prisoner by a Berber tribe. They must escape from Dusty’s tormentors in the French Foreign Legion and the murderous leader of the Berbers. The outcome is both predictable and satisfying.The Barbarians – This very dark tale leaves the listener rather depressed. Although empathy is created for the main character, he comes across as being ineffectual and balancing on an edge between being unfeeling and overly sensitive. The listener is left with the question of just who are the barbarians in this story.The Squad That Never Came Back – Told from the perspective of a French Foreign Legion corporal, the plot examines the relationship among a squad of soldiers maddened by thirst and deprivation. While we know the outcome from the beginning of the story, the tale continues to hold listeners’ interest throughout.

[anothersheart · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received several L. Ron Hubbard's stories on CD from the Early Reviewers and have to admit I had never heard or read any of his works before. My family and I listened to the audio books in the car while traveling and I have to say we were pleasantly surprised at the entertainment value. The sound effects and voice variations were engaging and the pulp fiction stories helped the time pass quickly. My teenage daughter loved the historical value and happy endings while my boys stayed interested due to the action scenes and the characters. All-in-all, we were a very happy family and my husband and I found these readings opened several conversations with the kids we might not have had otherwise, especially talking about old radio shows and families gathering to listen-in on a weekly basis! We are passing these along to my sister-in-law and her family to enjoy during their travels as well. The audio books have more than earned the 4 star rating from us. The paperback books, on-the-other hand get a mere 3 stars as they were not as entertaining as the adventurous readings.My rating system is as follows:5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!4 stars - Great book, but not a classic. Passing on for others as a must read & encourage to review. 3 stars - Good overall, generally well written with few errors. Passing on to community library for others to enjoy.2 stars - Would not recommend based on personal criteria, too many typo's, lack of character development, or simply unreliable story-line for me.1 star - Difficult to read, hard to finish, or didn't finish. Wouldn't recommend purchasing or reading.In accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book I review was provided to me by the publisher, media group or the author for free and no financial payments were received, unless specified otherwise.