Wed 21 Sep 2022
Pulp Stories I’m Reading: TALMAGE POWELL “The Dark, Unfriendly Tide.” (Then and Now.)
Posted by Steve under Pulp Fiction , Stories I'm Reading[3] Comments
Back then in January 1968. I said:
TALMAGE POWELL “The Dark, Unfriendly Tide.†Published in Dime Mystery Magazine, May 1945. A man tries to dispose of a girl’s body in the bayou, but the elements betray him. Overly melodramatic. (3)
Now:
A man tries to dispose of an ex-girl friend’s body in a Louisiana bayou, but fate is against him, badly. Very atmospheric and readable, but there’s nothing here that couldn’t be foretold from the first paragraph on. (2)
September 21st, 2022 at 9:42 am
I’ve enjoyed all the Talmage Powell stories I’ve read. You’re right about Powell’s stories being atmospheric and eminently readable!
September 21st, 2022 at 11:58 am
Atmospheric, yes. What this story did is to convince me to never live anywhere near bayou country — as if I ever would!
September 21st, 2022 at 5:28 pm
But, I will reiterate, there is no such thing as a non-melodramatic Powell story… I tend to enjoy them as well, but turning it down to 11 might not’ve hurt some of them…