Bron Fane is one of the myriad of pseudonyms from Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe, a prolific British Sci Fi author who mainly published his novels for Badger Books. He is known to have written two novels in one weekend and at least one of his books is supposed to be one of the worst Science Fiction stinkers of all time.

I had this book lying around for quite some time. Knowing the author's reputation I wasn't expecting much. The cover promised the usual UFO hysteria Sci Fi.

Imagine my surprise when I was completely sucked into the book right from the word go. It is very well written and combines not just your usual Sci Fi elements but also some supernatural mystery, time travel and pirates. Two of the main characters, Val Stearman and La Noire, are apparently recurring figures in Fanthorpe's oeuvre: Stearman, an adventurer/journalist; La Noire, a mysterious timeless beauty who has been around for centuries.

Don't care what the rest of the world thinks. This has been one of the most enjoyable pulp fiction reads in ages for me and a great discovery. I'll certainly check out more of his work. ( )