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Will Murray's Pulp Classics #28
The Spider Audiobook
#64 Claws of the Golden Dragon
by Norvell W. Page writing as Grant Stockbridge
Read by Nick Santa Maria. Liner Notes by Will Murray
For our latest Spider audiobook, we’ve jumped ahead in time to 1939 and one of the most dramatIc and horrific exploits of Richard Wentworth’s nightmarish career.
“Exploits” might not be the operative term for Claws of the Golden Dragon. It’s actually one of the most intense ordeals the Master of Men ever endured in his decade-long career as a crime hunter. And that’s saying a hell of a lot!
It begins with the arrival in New York of a Chinese supercriminal known as the Golden Dragon. His true identity shrouded in secrecy, the Dragon plans to loot America in order to fuel his planned conquest of Asia. Author Novell W. Page took his inspiration from Sax Rohmer’s Dr. Fu Manchu, obviously. The editors at Popular Publications loved the sinister Oriental arch-villain. They published Dr. Yen Sin, The Mysterious Wu Fang, and frequently pitted their other heroes, like Operator 5 and G-8, against similar human scourges. The Golden Dragon is among the worst of these.
Claws of the Golden Dragon dates from the period when The Spider magazine was infused with Weird Menace elements, like the fare offered by companion magazines Terror Tales and Horror Stories. In this case, the Golden Dragon has cultivated a hothouse orchid that insinuates its suffocating roots and tendrils into the victim’s still-beating heart! Forget Terror Tales, this is Weird Tales territory.
Page milks this new menace for all it’s worth. Victims begin succumbing in the first chapter. And by the time Richard Wentworth and the valiant Nita van Sloan have struggled to defeat the Blood Orchids, they too fall victim to this most hideous doom!
Has Norvell Page gone too far this time? Can even the Spider survive this soul-paralyzing predicament? Or will he and his beloved be buried with their own personal funeral flowers feeding off of their stopped hearts?
Once again, Nick Santa Maria takes on the dual persona of Richard Wentworth and his arachnid alter-ego for this nail-biting audio rendition of the January, 1939 issue of The Spider. Michael C. Gwynne reads the thrilling Doc Turner story by Arthur Leo Zagat, “Death’s Wedding March!”
#64 Claws of the Golden Dragon
by Norvell W. Page writing as Grant Stockbridge
Read by Nick Santa Maria
Chapter 1: The Golden Dragon
Chapter 2: The Dragon’s Claw
Chapter 3: Kowtow or Die!
Chapter 4: Twelve Doomed Men
Chapter 5: The Golden Dragon Throne
Chapter 6: Hell’s Hurricane!
Chapter 7: Slaves of the Dragon
Chapter 8: The Death Shower!
Chapter 9: Golden Death
Chapter 10: One Hour to Live!
Chapter 11: Nightmare Doom
Chapter 12: End of An Empire!
Short Story
Death's Wedding March — A Doc Turner story
by Arthur Leo Zagat
Read by Michael C. Gwynne
 Will Murray is the Series Producer for Will Murray’s Pulp Classics line of Pulp Audiobooks and Pulp eBooks. Will is the author of over 50 novels in popular series ranging from The Destroyer to Mars Attacks. Collaborating posthumously with the legendary Lester Dent, he has written to date twelve Doc Savage novels, with Skull Island, Death’s Dark Domain, Desert Demons, Horror in Gold, and The Infernal Buddha now available. For National Public Radio, Murray adapted The Thousand-Headed Man for The Adventures of Doc Savage in 1985, and recently edited Doc Savage: The Lost Radio Scripts of Lester Dent for Moonstone Books. He is versed in all things pulp.
Nick Santa Maria Nick was born early in life in Brooklyn, NY. His theatrical background is based in Comedy Improv. He was a long standing member of the late lamented Miami based, Mental Floss, where he served as head writer/composer. From there he began his career in commercials, voice-overs, TV, Film, and theatre. He has performed in many roles on the stage including his award winning turn as Nick in Over The River And Through The Woods, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, in The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee as Mr. Panch (3-D Theatricals), Mr. Bromhead in No Sex Please, We’re British at The Norris, and as Pseudolus in, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Norris Theatre. Television: The Buffalo Bill Show, B.J. Stryker, and two Disney Christmas Specials. Off Broadway: Writer/Composer/Performer on Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know, Soundtrack on RCA Victor. Broadway: Vince Fontaine in Tommy Tune’s production of Grease. He also appeared in every domestic company of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, understudying everyone from Nathan Lane and Jason Alexander, to Tony Danza and David Hassellhoff. He was the original Genie in Disney’s Aladdin, a Musical Spectacular, soundtrack on Disney Records. Nick is a resident of Los Angeles and is currently writing a book about classic film comedians, Nick’s been a long time film historian, and has written several articles on the topic.
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