DAMBALLA, by Charles Saunders

"Adventurous white folks joined long, dark lines to get into the 'black-and-tan' clubs, which daringly welcomed an integrated clientele. The pre-fight partying extended to whites-only establishments as well, where revelers raised numerous toasts to a champion who would not have been allowed past the front door had he desired to join the festivities."  So reads a paragraph that serves as a prelude to the scathing boxing match between black boxing champ Jackhammer Jackson and the Nazi ubermensch, Wolf Krieger, in DAMBALLA, Charles Saunders' wonderful new novel, published by Airship 27 Productions. This is pulp fiction at its best -- and who knows the world of boxing better than Charles Saunders?  But this is much more than an old-school, action-adventure story. DAMBALLA has all the elements of film noir and hard-boiled detective stories. It has Nazis and gangsters, and a real sense of time and place--1938 Harlem. There is also a serious subtext dealing with bigotry and racism, performance-enhancing drugs, and is also a reflection of America's past, and in many instances, our present, as well. Saunders has created the first black, crime-fighting superhero in pulp fiction, a true brother to The Shadow, The Avenger, and The Green Lama.  It's history and history-making, superbly told and well-written, with enough twists, turns, and surprises to keep you turning the pages.  Bravo, my friend! Bravo!

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