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    The Sky Devil
    The Sky Devil
    The Sky Devil
    Audiobook2 hours

    The Sky Devil

    Written by L. Ron Hubbard and Corey Burton

    Narrated by R.F. Daley

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Vic Kennedy is in one hell of a jam. Quick-witted and sharp-tongued with Nicholas Cage’s maverick sense of adventure, Vic’s flown out of trouble by the skin of his teeth . . . and straight into the jaws of disaster.

    He chose the wrong side of a rebellion, and now the French have bid him adieu and the British have said off you go. It seems the only place that will have him is Greece. The problem with that is, as soon as the Greeks get him, they plan on giving him a real send off-at the gallows.

    But Vic has a better idea, plotting a course for an oasis in the Sahara . . . where things are looking up. A gorgeous captive princess mistakes Vic for a genie-The Sky Devil-and if he gets his wish, well, this Sky Devil will certainly have his day. If he lives to see it. . . .

    In 1933, when L. Ron Hubbard began his professional writing career, he entered a crowded and competitive field. But he very quickly separated from the pack, making a name for himself as a writer who was both good and fast. So good and fast, in fact, that in 1935 the three stories included in this volume were all published in the same issue of an all-fiction magazine. Fully a quarter of the issue had been written by Hubbard-though readers didn’t know it, two of the stories appearing under two different pseudonyms.

    Also includes the adventures Buckley Plays a Hunch, in which an adventurer seeks to solve the mystery of three castaways who refuse to be rescued, and Medals for Mahoney, the story of man who journeys into the heart of darkness to thwart a murderous conspiracy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGalaxy Press Audio
    Release dateOct 21, 2013
    ISBN9781592125203
    Author

    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.

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    Reviews for The Sky Devil

    3.5/5

    40 ratings21 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Galaxy Press has been releasing L. Ron Hubbard's short stories onto audiobooks, featuring a talented voice-cast and outstanding sound effects. All the short stories used come form the Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s, a time when the newsstands were covered with pulp magazines containing great adventures from well-known authors to amateur writers.Coming out tomorrow is "The Sky Devil" by L. Ron Hubbard, which originally appeared in the September 1935 issue of Top-Notch. At a running time of over an hour, the story centers on the American pilot Vic Kennedy, who happens to find himself on the wrong side of the Greek war after he had personally brought in the rebel leader to the ancient city of Alexandria, but he now finds himself as an outsider. He has nowhere to go as the British won't let him stay, the French don't want him and the Greek wants him dead!Wounded and with his plane running low on fuel, Vic makes the decision to land in the Sahara oasis, heal his wound and get more fuel. At least that was his original plan until he crosses path with a beautiful captive princess. Her father (the King) is forcing her to marry an ugly man, whom she doesn't love. When she meets Vic, she mistakes him for a genie known as The Sky Devil. Vic will be praying for a real genie or a miracle if he is going to survive the Sahara and save the princess.There are two more stories on the two-disc audiobook, Buckley Plays A Hunch and Medals For Mahoney. In Bucky Plays A Hunch, a boat captain goes to the Marianas Islands to search for a missing exploratory team, only to find out that the team doesn't want to leave. In Medals For Mahoney, an American solider guarding a warehouse on the Kamling Island gets more than he bargained for when there is a standoff between a general manager and the a tribe of headhunters.After reviewing several audiobooks Stories From the Golden Age, The Sky Devil happens to be the longest, but it didn't actually feel like it was that long as all three adventure stories caught my interest from the very beginning and time flew by quickly. Though The Sky Devil isn't the best of L. Ron Hubbard's short stories, it is still entertaining. I only wish other short stories by the countless authors from the golden age would be reprinted or brought out as an audiobook for new generations of readers.
    • 3/5
      L. Ron Hubbard's The Sky Devil is a treat for the senses. The audio and sound-effects are an engaging addition to Hubbard's skillful ability to capture the suspense and drama in words.I found a useful website after listening to the recording which may be of use to other listeners who wish to write reviews. At books.google.com one is able to read the first and last chapters of books. I used the site to check on spellings of Es Samad, El Aslad, King Zahr and Lady Dunya. These characters accompany Victor Kennedy on an swashbuckling adventure of the caliber of Raiders of the Lost Ark.These Galaxy Press Stories from the Golden Age never disappoint.
    • 4/5
      I've listened to several of these "Golden Age stories" from L. Ron Hubbard and the quality of the recordings is universally good. The voice performances are good quality and these definitely remind me of Old Time Radio shows.These stories are all pulp fiction and I find the ones that are more exotic, like this one, to be better than the others. I think the foreign settings make the stories easier to listen to. I enjoyed this one. I received this as a giveaway from Librarything and I appreciated the opportunity to read and review it.
    • 4/5
      Once again, another fun audio version of a L. Ron Hubbard adventure story - or actually, stories. Aside from The Sky Devil, this also contained the short stories "Buckley Plays a Hunch" and "Medals for Mahoney". All three work together as the main character has to deal with "savages" in an "exotic locale" (remember, these were written in the 30s). The title tale, though, was the most engaging, especially since the main character is taken for a djinn.
    • 5/5
      I received this audio book from LibraryThing.com to review and really enjoyed it. The voice actors and soundtrack really bring it to life. The story itself was classic pulp fiction, with the hero and his damsel in distress, fighting against all odds. Mercenary Vic Kennedy is left injured and no place to go after siding with the wrong side. When he sees a city in the middle of the Sahara he decides to land rather and finds the beautiful princess being forced into marriage. With her help he must prove he is not an evil Djinn and save her people from the scheming of her father's enemies.Included in this set are the shorter tales - Medals for Mahoney and Buckley Plays a Hunch.
    • 2/5
      This audio book is a quaint throwback to spaghetti westerns. A nice way to pass the time while riding in the car. It differs, in a very good way, from other audio books in that each character is played by a different person, including the narrator. Listening to one voice drone on throughout an entire book can be tiresome and this book is not tiresome. It is a bit corny, though.
    • 5/5
      I received a free early reviewers audiobook of The Sky Devil from LibraryThing in exchange for a honest review. Two additional short stories were included in this audiobook, "Buckley Plays a Hunch" and "Medals for Mahoney." I enjoyed all of them. This book is well written with lots of action. The Sky Devil plus the included short stories reminded me of the old radio stories and short stories that were published in newspapers and magazines from my childhood. The audiobook comes with complete sound effects and a different voice for each character which allows you to use your imagination and almost makes you feel like you are part of the action. I love the way L. Ron Hubbard writes. I thoroughly enjoy the excitement when reading or listening to L Ron Hubbard's adventure stories.
    • 3/5
      I received a set of L. Ron Hubbard audiobooks to review. This was one of them. The audiobook portion was very well-done and was more like a radio drama of old and less like a traditional audiobook. I did not care for the actual book though.
    • 3/5
      The quality of the recording and the readers is very good. Sky Devil finds Vic Kennedy on the run after supporting the losing side in a Greek war. The situation ended too abruptly. Buckley Plays a Hunch finds a sea captain trying to rescue an exploration team that does not want to be rescued. Medals for Mahoney has the title character caught in the middle between traders and native headhunters.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this collection of stories. I put it on to listen to while driving for an extended trip. The first story was probably my favorite. The other just seemed to not be as good, enjoyable yes, but just seem to be lacking in the story. I'm a fan of these series as they are great to keep someone engaged in the story the entire time.
    • 1/5
      The story of a pilot about to run out of gas over the Sahara, The Sky Devil tells the story of Vic Kennedy, who winds-up landing between warring clans near an oasis. While this may be a "classic of the golden age" it has only unbelievable stock characters painted with the broadest of strokes and was thoroughly unsatisfying.
    • 5/5
      Despite my misgivings about L.Ron Hubbard and Scientology, I love his pulp fiction.Found cd's w/old radio shows from before I was born and they are just pure fun...and so are these...I would really love to listen to all of them...keeping fingers crossed for more
    • 4/5
      'The Sky Devil' was the main novella, however, included in the book on CD were also: 'Buckley Plays A Hunch' and 'Medals for Mahoney'.'The Sky Devil' was a good action drama. It portrayed Vic Kennedy as an American pilot who helped a group fight a war in Greece. He chose the losing side. The French refused to let him land and the British refused to let him stay. He was able to get enough fuel to go part way to Libya. Over the Sahara desert he thought it was the end of him... but then...is that a mirage or is it real?This began a new experience and "journey" he hadn't thought possible. Again he had to face life threatening situations. Would he prevail or face the final end.This has intrigue, romance and some violence in it. Otherwise, it is great for the whole family.The next, 'Buckley Plays a Hunch' is of a sailor who has searched many months to find a stranded group of researchers. When he sees the pre-set signal he finds all three to be insane. There is plenty of adventure as Buckley finds his life threatened several times and fears he now is stranded as well.This was also written quite well and kept one's interest. The last one, 'Medals for Mahoney', however, lacked in a clear story-line. It was OK but took awhile to "get into it". It was unpredictable, though. It is hard to rate a book when it has multiple stories. The CDs would be very entertaining while you travel. The narration was very good on all three stories so I am still inclined to review this book with a solid Four Stars rating.This is an early review. The actual book or book on CD will not be available for purchase until October 21, 2013. However, Pre-Orders are being accepted.I won this through a Giveaway by The Library Thing with a request for an honest review, of which I have given.
    • 5/5
      I really do love these books on CD. So great for a long car ride. The cast did a top notch job which I found to be a truly interesting story and one I'll listen to again and again.
    • 4/5
      Another great performance in audio drama from Galaxy Press. This set actually features THREE stories: "The Sky Devil," "Buckley Plays a Hunch," and "Medals for Mahoney." "The Sky Devils" was first published in the September 1935 issue of "Top-Notch" and it feels every bit a product of its time. I appreciate that this is an unabridged recording too.Sadly, it seems like Galaxy Audio had changed their audiobook covers to a plain plastic CD case that can't be read from the spine. A HUGE downgrade from their neat-o cardboard packaging that almost felt like a book.
    • 3/5
      This audiobook contains three of L Ron Hubbards short's. The Sky Devil, Buckley Plays a Hunch, and Medals for Mahoney. All theree were entertaining and I was attempting to listen to it once again just to see if it deserved a higher rating, but one listen was all I was really up for so unfortunately I'm sticking to my original thought.
    • 5/5
      Im a big l ron hubbard fan and this one did not disappoint. The charactors are great the storyline is awsome i would highly recommend this book
    • 4/5
      OK. So L. Ron Hubbard is a bit of a joke, but if we put that aside, his stories are great examples of their type and era. No we would not write this story now, it's too farfetched and culture bashing for modern tastes, but for its time it was fine.The title story – The Sky Devil – is a standard tale of Vic Kennedy who finds himself accidently in the women's quarters of a Muslim palace. Yikes! It's off with his head if he is found out. Fortunately the young woman who discovers him thinks he's a djinn and then falls for him romantically. Mr. Hubbard could have made this a farce – as in "Some Like it Hot" – but instead plays it straight and honourable. Love triumphs after adversity and all ends well.This is a performance audio, not a reading, and the quality is excellent.There are two other Hubbard stories included in the CD set and they are not particularly good.I received a review copy of "The Sky Devil" by L. Ron Hubbard (Galaxy Audio) through LibraryThing.com.
    • 3/5
      We begin with our hero (Kennedy) crash landing in dramatic fashion. He finds himself sneaking into a luxurious palace (where he happens to speak the language). Here, he finds an imprisoned princess, who is locked up to assure she marries the man her father has chosen. Kennedy is wounded and trespassing. There are swashbuckling fights and escape attempts, but eventually he is slated to be burned as the “devil” the locals (Tourigs) believe a flying man to be. With some clever chemistry, Kennedy avoids his burning and saves the kingdom from a greedy enemy. After a great deal of maneuvering, Kennedy convinces the locals that he is a special kind of guy and after several dramatic fights and daring aerobatic flights, Kennedy saves the day and gets the girl. The story is certainly exciting, but contains a great deal of war-talk and battle scenes. As a woman, much of it was wasted on me – that does not mean it is not good, but a man would enjoy it more, in my opinion. The other stories on the disc (“Buckley Plays a Hunch”, and “Medals for Mahoney”) were more to my liking. In “Buckley”, we are introduced to a man who has been hired to search for a long lost scientific expedition. When he finally finds the missing men, Buckley is plagued by uneasiness and sadness at the plight of the men. The missing men, meanwhile, appear to be suffering from mental illness after their long, solitary exile. The men strand Buckley on the island in return for his efforts. Ultimately, Buckley begins searching for others on the island and soon finds some of them men he thought had left him. After bravely fighting the men, and realizing there is something just not right with them; Buckley heads back to his craft and low and behold – uncovers the secret to the mysterious uncomfortable feeling he has had since landing on the island. With the mystery uncovered (I will not give it away here!)…Buckley earns his pay.The last story on the disc is “Medals for Mahoney”. Mahoney is transferred to a remote jungle station where he is immediately set upon by the local natives. After a skirmish and near death experience he realizes the locals’ truly only want justice – and they want Mahoney to deliver it. Ultimately good wins over evil and the story ends on a high note.As with all the Hubbard stories, I tend to enjoy the shorter ones more than the longer ones – but all these were good. They certainly appeal more to men, but ultimately – we all like a good hero!
    • 4/5
      Love these!! Quick little pulp fiction stories from 80 years ago when times were simpler!!1
    • 4/5
      Victor Kennedy and his bi-plane are lost over the Egyptian desert low on gas he sees a mirage. With nothing to loss he heads for the mirage, he lands in a walled court yard and finds a woman. Also includes strories: "Buckley Plays a Hunch" in which an adventurer seeks to solve the mystery of three castaways who refuse to be rescued. "Medals for Mahoney", the story of man who journeys into the heart of darkness to thwart a murderous conspiracy.