I have posted on an interesting occult investigator from the early pulps: Semi Dual. He was really Prince Abdul Omar of Persia (father was a Persian nobleman, mother was a Russian princess), and an astrologer, mystic, telepath, and psychologist.
He appeared in several pulps from 1912 to 1934, written by J.U. Giesy and Junius B. Smith, who both lived in Utah. Giesy was a doctor, Smith a lawyer, and both were interested in astrology.
Semi Dual operated from the top of the Urania office building. After taking an elevator to the 20th floor, one walked up a wide staircase to the roof garden, and in the center was a white tower where Semi Dual dwelt. He was met in the first story by reporter Gordon Glace, who narrated all the stories and were involved in them. Soon in the stories we met police detective Jim Bryce, and the two later formed a investigation business working for Semi Dual.
Steeger Books has been reprinting the original stories, and Pro Se Press, under their “Pulp Obscura” line, started to put out new stories with him. We got a volume of short stories several years ago, and after too long, finally got a novel: Designs of the Blood Eagle by Kevin Noel Olson. I’m not sure when this is set with the original stories, other than it has Glace and Bryce working for Semi.
In this novel, Semi Dual, along with Glace, Bryce, and several allies, must confront a sinister evil who may destroy mankind.
Things start off when Glace and Bryce, along with Semi’s chauffer Tom, attend a masked ball. They meet a strange women in a scarecrow mask, and Semi says that a murder has taken place. Soon they are confronted by a strange man who has been scalped. And the man is with two nude figures who seem under a strange control. The man, revealed as Beuregard Hilfreichs, is a Confederate solder who was scalped (and supposedly died) during the Civil War! Yet here he is. He has a sinister plan to use a gas to free people from their inhibitions — a sort of “Mr. Hyde” gas. This would destroy the world. But there is a murder, apparently committed by Bryce. And in an altercation with Hilfreichs, Glace shoots and kills Semi! The two are soon hauled off to jail. What will they do?
Things look worse when the police try to hang Glace. But the woman in the scarecrow mask helps him, revealed as Hiwot, an Ethiopian who has occult knowledge. Bryce soon joins them, and they go looking for Semi. They soon find he is not dead, but they are confronted by Hilfreichs. They try to stop Hilfreichs and succeed, but learn that he is just a cog in the plan of a more sinister force: a “man” known only as Blood Eagle.
With people getting out of control, like some crazy zombie movie, Bryce, Glace, along with Tom, try to go to the Urania building. Along the way they confront Blood Eagle. Can they succeed in stoping him? And where is Semi? They are soon joined by other allies, such as Professor Xerxes Xenophone Zapt and seven sisters. Even with their help can they prevail?
This was an interesting novel. Having only worked through the earlier stories, and knowing Semi faced more sinister foes later on, I wonder how this foe compares to them? Professor Zapt is a creation of J.U. Giesy, but only appeared in 2 stories in All-Story Weekly in 1919/20. Might be nice if Steeger Books tossed them in to one of the Semi Dual collections.
Overall, I enjoyed this one, though for a good portion of the story, Semi was absent. But then we won’t have had the action and adventure we did have. Semi is more a cerebral character then a man of action, leaving that to Glace and Bryce. I hope it won’t be too long before we get another new adventure with Semi Dual.
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