 | #034 "The Silver Scourge"
Vol. 6, No. 4 Published: 07/15/33 Submitted: 12/23/32 under the same title Author: Walter Gibson Review date: Jun 16, 2000 |
THE SILVER SCOURGE was originally published in the July 15, 1933 issue of The Shadow Magazine. It tells the story of a diabolical plan to flood the United States with counterfeit coins. Silver coins! A silver scourge! Now how often have you heard of a plan to counterfeit coins? Paper money, yes. But coins? Regular coins, not collector coins...
As our story opens, the counterfeiters are making very realistic nickels. Can't be a lot of profit, there. They must have been REALLY desperate. But anyway, let's get back to the plot. Two big-time crooks team up together. One supplies a new source of metal alloy that looks, feels, sounds, and weighs the same as silver. The other supplies the dies required for the counterfeiting. And together, they set off to create the silver scourge mentioned in the title.
All this may sound a little whimsical. Certainly a bit light-weight. No murder or mayhem. No mad scientists out to destroy the world. No megalomaniacs out to rule the world. No ghosts or haunted mansions. But wait! It'll surprise you. This is really an excellent early Shadow mystery novel. And by the end, we have the evil doctor bringing the dead back to life to wreak murder and revenge. Pretty cool ending for a story that starts out so modestly.
Also, in this early Shadow novel, we see some insight into how Cliff Marsland first met The Shadow. He even revisits the exact same hotel where the first encounter took place. And speaking of firsts, we also meet Pietro for the first time. Pietro was a very minor agent of The Shadow; one that appeared in few stories. But this is his very first appearance, before he became an agent. In this story, he's just a pushcard vendor who gives information to Cliff Marsland. Admittedly a minor role, but after all it was his first and this story has historical significance for that reason alone!
Put it all together and you have an early Shadow novel, and a great one! I can really recommend this one.