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Search - List of Books by Will Murray

Will Murray (born April 28, 1953) is the author of more than fifty novels and a scholar of pulp fiction. Much of his fiction has been published under pseudonyms.

Murray is the literary executor for the estate of Lester Dent, the creator of Doc Savage, and has published seven Doc Savage novels from Dent's outlines under Dent's pseudonym, Kenneth Robeson.[1] He was one of the ghostwriters for The Destroyer series, writing or co-writing more than 40 of the novels.[2] He has written Cthulhu Mythos stories, including a pair of stories about Nug and Yeb, the Twin Blasphemies, and contributed single novels in the Executioner and Mars Attacks series.

Murray is also a prolific author of nonfiction about pulp writers like Dent, Shadow creator Walter B. Gibson and H. P. Lovecraft. He edited the fanzines Duende and Skullduggery, and co-authored The Duende History of The Shadow Magazine and The Assassin's Handbook, a Destroyer sourcebook. For Necronomicon Press, he edited Tales of Zothique and The Book of Hyperborea, two collections of stories by Clark Ashton Smith. His essays have appeared in books ranging from S. T. Joshi's compedium on H. P. Lovecraft, An Epicure in the Terrible, to Jim Beard's forthcoming survey of the classic 1960s Batman TV show, Gotham City 14 Miles.

A contributor to numerous anthologies, Murray has written stories about such classic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Ant-Man, The Hulk, The Spider, The Avenger, The Green Hornet, The Secret 6, Sherlock Holmes, Sky Captain, Honey West, and Lee Falk's immortal Ghost Who Walks, The Phantom.

Other Murray stories have appeared in The UFO Files, Future Crime, Miskatonic University, 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, 100 Creepy Little Creature Stories, 100 Vicious Little Vampire Stories, The Cthulhu Cycle, Disciples of Cthulhu II, Cthulhu's Reign, The Yig Cycle, and many others.

He wrote the retro-pulp collection Spicy Zeppelin Stories under various pen names.

For National Public Radio, he adapted Lester Dent's 1934 novel, The Thousand-Headed Man as a six-part serial for The Adventures of Doc Savage, which aired in 1985, and was released on CD by Radio Archives in October 2010.

For Marvel Comics, he scripted The Destroyer black & white magazine, as well as single stories starring Iron Man and The Punisher.

With artist Steve Ditko, Murray co-created Squirrel Girl, and in her debut, Murray scripted an over the top story of a 14 year old girl who supposedly defeated Dr. Doom, one of the most powerful comic book villains of all time, by commanding ordinary squirrels to somehow chew through armor that is tough enough to withstand direct blows by the Incredible Hulk. Subsequent writers have continued this humorous conceit until the seemingly unbeatable mutant is now arguably the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe.

Recently Murray wrote the introduction to the Marvel Comics Omnibus volume, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of Marvel Comics, as well as introductions to Volume 2 of Daring MysteryComics, Mighty Thor Masterworks Volume 9, and the forthcoming Mystic Comics Volume 1

In 1979, he received the Lamont Award (named after Lamont Cranston) for his contributions to the furtherance of pulp fiction research. And in 1999, he earned the Comic Book Marketplace awardfor research excellence in the area of comics history.

As former contributing editor to Starlog magazine, Murray visited movie sets and locations all over the world, interviewing the casts and crews of Hollywood genre films ranging from 1985's the Adventure Begins to Watchmen in 2009. For Starlog Press, he single-handedly wrote most or all of the souvenier magazines and pressbooks for Rambo III, Total Recall and The Shadow.

With S. T. Joshi and Jon L. Cooke, Murray organized The Friends of H. P. Lovecraft, which raised funds to place a memorial plaque dedicated to the Providence fantasy writer on the grounds of Brown University's John Hay Library on the centennial of Lovecraft's birth in August, 1990.

Murray's Year 2000 novel, Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Empyre (which identifies him as a trained coordinate remote viewer) accurately predicted many of the operational details of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, including the use of hijacked airliners to target U. S. cities. One of his Destroyer novels, Rain of Terror (1989) told the tale of an Arab despot's attempts to attack America using magnetically-propelled steam locomotives as makeshift ICBMs. After the first strike failed to hit the White House, a second pulversizes the fictional Magnus Building and the multi-tower North Am complex in lower Manhattan, resulting in scenes of destruction and rescue that today read like excerpts from the September 11 tragedy. A later Destroyer, Angry White Mailmen (1996), focused on a terrorist group allied with the Taliban attempting to blow up the World Trade Towers. In one scene, a terrorist named Al Ladeen hires a private plane and after shooting the pilot, in a suicide strike flies the aircraft into a highrise hotel in lower Manhattan. It is to be noted that this book was released after the World Trade Towers were attacked in 1993. The Taliban did not come into power in Afghanistan until 1999, however.

Interviewed by Ralph Dula on Home.gate.net in July 2000 just before the publication of Empyre, Murray noted that since writing the book, some of it had already come true, specifically citing the Egypt Air 990 incident, where the co-pilot apparently threw his passenger jet into a fatal suicide dive with reciting verses from the Koran. Murray went on to warn, "No one should be surprised if other elements of Empyre don't prove uncannily precognitive."

Murray currently acts as consulting editor for Sanctum Books' successful Doc Savage, Shadow, Avenger and Whisperer reprints. He has also written several introductions to the reprints being published by Altus Press, covering characters such as Secret Agent X, The Cobra and Lester Dent's Lee Nace. With Off-Trail Publications' John Locke, he has co-edited the three-volume The Gangland Sagas of Big Nose Serrano, which collects all 12 of Anatole Feldman's rare Big Nose Serrano stories, featuring the legendary Prohibition gangster of early 1930s Chicago. For Black Dog Books, he penned introductions to their ongoing Lester Dent Library series of pulp magazines reprints.

He also trains people to become "super psychics", including "How to become a Tarot Tiger." Murray has been described as "A professional psychic and medium with over 10 years experience." His own training includes six years at a Spiritualist Church, and four years with former Star Gate Remote Viewer and author of Psychic Warrior,David Morehouse.
This author page uses material from the Wikipedia article "Will Murray", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
Total Books: 103
The Consultations of Sherlock Holmes
2023 - The Consultations of Sherlock Holmes (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9798852171405
ISBN-10: N/A
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
  ?

Tarzan Conqueror of Mars
2020 - Tarzan Conqueror of Mars [The Wild Adventures of Edgar Rice Burroughs] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618274564
ISBN-10: 1618274562
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
  ?

The Irregular Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes Adventures Beyond the Canon Volume III
2018 - Sherlock Holmes Adventures Beyond the Canon Volume III (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781727215601
ISBN-10: 1727215605
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1

The Spider The Doom Legion
2018 - The Spider the Doom Legion [The Wild Adventures of The Spider - Volume 1] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618273550
ISBN-10: 1618273558
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
  ?

Blood 'n' Thunder Presents Pulpourri
2018 - Blood 'n' Thunder Presents Pulpourri [Volume 4] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781718759688
ISBN-10: 1718759681
Genre: Crafts, Hobbies & Home
  ?

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 3
2018 - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 3 (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9781302908447
ISBN-10: 1302908448
Genres: Children's Books, Comics & Graphic Novels
  ?

Doc Savage Mr Calamity
2018 - Doc Savage Mr Calamity [The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618273185
ISBN-10: 1618273183
Genre: Literature & Fiction
  ?

Doc Savage Empire of Doom
2017 - Doc Savage Empire of Doom [The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618272850
ISBN-10: 1618272853
Genre: Literature & Fiction
  ?

King Kong Vs Tarzan
2016 - King Kong Vs Tarzan (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618272812
ISBN-10: 1618272810
Genre: Literature & Fiction
  ?

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 1
2016 - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 1 (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9781302902247
ISBN-10: 1302902245
Genres: Children's Books, Comics & Graphic Novels
  ?

Doc Savage The Frightened Fish
2016 - Doc Savage the Frightened Fish [The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618272737
ISBN-10: 161827273X
Genre: Literature & Fiction
  ?

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl  the Great Lakes Avengers
2016 - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl the Great Lakes Avengers (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781302900663
ISBN-10: 1302900668
Genres: Children's Books, Comics & Graphic Novels
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 1

Blood 'n' Thunder Summer 2016
2016 - Blood 'n' Thunder Summer 2016 (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781535386548
ISBN-10: 1535386541
Genre: Crafts, Hobbies & Home
  ?

Doc Savage Glare of the Gorgon
2016 - Doc Savage Glare of the Gorgon [The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618272386
ISBN-10: 1618272381
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
  ?

Legacy of the Reanimator
2015 - Legacy of the Reanimator [Call of Cthulhu Fiction] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781568820811
ISBN-10: 156882081X
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
  ?

Doc Savage Flight Into Fear
2015 - Doc Savage Flight Into Fear [The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618272171
ISBN-10: 1618272179
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
  ?

Doc Savage The Jade Ogre
2015 - Doc Savage the Jade Ogre [The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618272188
ISBN-10: 1618272187
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
  ?

Doc Savage The Secret of Satan's Spine
2015 - Doc Savage the Secret of Satan's Spine [The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618272164
ISBN-10: 1618272160
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
  ?

Doc Savage The Sinister Shadow
Tarzan Return to Paluldon
2015 - Tarzan Return to Paluldon [The Wild Adventures of Tarzan - Volume 1] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781618272096
ISBN-10: 1618272098
Genre: Literature & Fiction
  ?

2014 - Doc Savage the Whistling Wraith [The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage] (Paperback)
2011 - The Phantom Generations [Phantom Moonstone Numbered] (Paperback)
2007 - Hey You (Paperback)
2007 - Doc Savage 10 Dust of Death / the Stone Man [Doc Savage Nostalgia Ventures] (Paperback)
2000 - Empyre [Nick Fury, Agent of Shield] (Paperback)
1997 - Red Horse [Executioner, No 226] (Paperback)
1997 - Feast or Famine [Destroyer, Bk 107] (Paperback)Audio Cassette
1997 - White Water [Destroyer, Bk 106] (Paperback)
1996 - Scorched Earth [Destroyer, Bk 105] (Paperback)
1996 - Angry White Mailmen [Destroyer, Bk 104] (Paperback)
1996 - Engines of Destruction [Destroyer, Bk 103] (Paperback)
1996 - Unite and Conquer [Destroyer, Bk 102] (Paperback)
1995 - Bidding War [Destroyer, Bk 101] (Paperback)
1995 - Last Rites [Destroyer, Bk 100] (Paperback)
1995 - Color of Fear [Destroyer, Bk 99] (Paperback)
1995 - Target of Opportunity [Destroyer, Bk 98] (Paperback)
1994 - Identity Crisis [Destroyer, Bk 97] (Paperback)
1994 - Infernal Revenue [Destroyer, Bk 96] (Paperback)
1994 - High Priestess [Destroyer, Bk 95] (Paperback)
The Color of Fear [Destroyer, Bk 99 - Audio Unabridged] (Audio CD)