The Beasts of Valhalla by George C. Chesbro, © 1985 hardback, Atheneum
This is the 18th in my series of Forgotten Books
Beasts of Valhalla by George C. Chesbro
George C. Chesbro is well known among the mystery readers but not quite so much with the science fiction readers. But he should have been. He did a series of detective novels featuring Dr. Robert Frederickson, a professor of criminology from New York City who also is known as Mongo the Magnificent, an acrobatic dwarf circus performer, and his brother Garth, a rather large New York City police officer. The novels all had a science fiction element to them. Initially there were three novels SHADOW OF A BROKEN MAN (1977), CITY OF WHISPERING STONE (1978), and AN AFFAIR OF SORCERERS (1979).
You will notice there is a six year gap between the third novel and this one, the fourth in the series. Over at www.dangerousdwarf.com Chesbro explains that he was approached with a great advance and contract for a mainstream suspense thriller (not a Mongo mystery) which eventually became TURN LOOSE THE DRAGON (1982). Plans changed, the book became an orphan and was finally published with no acclaim, no advertising, and next to no sales. The day job which had been left behind suddenly had to be reacquired. Eventually Chesbro decided to do a novel and proposed four novel sequence featuring Mongo with elements of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and Richard Wagner’s RING OF THE NIBELUNGEN opera sequence. An editor eventually saw the novel and proposal, bought the novel, and the four books became sort of one bigger novel. As much as it hurts to say and it hurt Chesbro, I am glad the events went the way they did. THE BEASTS OF VALHALLA is one of my favorite novels of all time, not just in mystery or science fiction but through all literature.
The plots on Mongo novels are never simple. This one starts with the death of a favorite nephew and a return home to middle America which he despised growing up. Dwarfs are never common anywhere but small town Nebraska was Hell to Mongo. Only Garth was able to save him from relentless torture at the hands of the “big” normal kids. The nephew has died as the result of what appears to be a bad homosexual relationship with the younger brother of one of Mongo’s chief torturers, Coop Lugmore. Coop does not believe his brother was a ‘fag’ so he wants to hire Mongo to prove the deaths were more than what they appeared to be.
And they were more than what they appeared to be. Garth and Mongo find themselves the recipients of an experimental drug that begins to change their lives. Mongo starts to grow scales and webbing, Garth begins to develop a heavy fur. They leave a path of destruction as they try to find their way through the path the clues have laid out for them. There are conspiracies; communes; private armies; madmen; Nobel Prize winners; mathematical theories; messiahs; a giant; and an intelligent cursing gorilla that drops the F bomb in every sentence because that was they way she was trained to express herself. There is a Damascene blade knife named Whisper. The names are reminiscent of LORD OF THE RINGS and DER RING DES NIBELUNGENS – Siegfried, Sigemund, and Auberlich Loge, the gorilla Gollum, Mr. Baggins, Stryder London, the giant Hugo Fasolt. Sadly there is no Sam Gamgee or Brunnhilda. Mongo is referred to as Frodo in one section when his private eye cases as used in a fantasy game constructed by some of the characters. There is even a Mount Doom and some dragons.
It’s an odd mish-mash of a book that really works for me and began a very controversial sequence for Chesbro, continuing with events from this novel into SECOND HORSEMAN OUT OF EDEN and THE COLD SMELL OF SACRED STONE. These novels were published as “mysteries” but they could never have occurred in our universe. They were science fiction novels and at least one was reviewed in LOCUS magazine. Mongo was never Philip Marlowe and after these books there was never a chance that he would be a normal private eye.
George Chesbro published 13 Mongo novels between 1977 and 1996. A final novel LORD OF ICE AND LONELINESS was published in France in 2006 and has never had an English language edition. He also did three novels featuring Chant, an American ninja working the Pacific Northwest as by David Cross (1986 – 1987), though Chant did eventually appear in a Mongo novel as did Veil Kendry, the hero of VEIL (1986). Unfortunately, George Chesbro died in November 2008 at the age of 68. He may be gone but he is not forgotten by me and a rabid few.
I have to thank my friend A.T. Campbell for a nice conversation we had a week or two ago which included Chesbro and that final French Mongo. That was the impetus for pulling this one off the shelf. Before the big book sale of 2007, I had a nice set of Chesbro’s books with all the hardbacks (except the UK THE GOLDEN CHILD film novelization) and my copy of THE BEASTS OF VALHALLA was signed, thanks to Bill Crider. I subsequently picked up an ex-library copy of the book which is what I read this time. The book was disintegrating in my hands as I read it. Obviously someone had enjoyed it over the years. The book is currently still in print in a trade paperback format. I checked ABE Books and there are 117 copies available ranging from $1 to some very pricy $150+ collector’s copies. There are two signed hardback copies available on eBay as I write this. So if you are interested, check it out. The early books all had paperback editions and you might just want to start at the beginning as some characters from the very first novel reappear here but there is enough explanation that you have no trouble following it.
Series organizer Patti Abbott hosts more Friday Forgotten Book reviews at her own blog, and posts a complete list of participating blogs.
Another great pick.
This may be the second or third time I’ve heard of this book and always mean to look for it. Thanks for the usual great review.
I never understood why the Mongo books weren’t more popular. Sure, they were quirky. But they were great fun!
‘He did a series of detective novels featuring Dr. Robert Frederickson, a professor of criminology from New York City who also is known as Mongo the Magnificent, an acrobatic dwarf circus performer, and his brother Garth, a rather large New York City police officer.’ You hooked me! sounds great.
And, as you almost address, Chesbro was also a bit of a hero in the gay community, for his sympathetic and above-board portrayal of homosexual characters…
I hear people complaining all the time that there aren’t any original ideas or sleuth protagonists, and yet a series like this with such unusual and memorable characters doesn’t do all that well (despite having 13 books in the series)? I’d love to see how they adapted it for TV, but in these CSI “pretty people” days, it probably wouldn’t get made.
One I’ve heard of. Thanks, Scott, for bringing it to my attention. FFB strikes again!
Paul and BV – As you can see from Bill and George’s comments, this is a pretty fabulous series. I loved it from the first book. There are a few weaker entries in the series. I was not real fond of the third book AN AFFAIR OF SORCERERS but with BEASTS it takes off and runs strong for several books.
Paul – I was unaware of the gay community loving hs work, but it makes sense.
Rick – If you have not read the series, I think you will find it fits well with your msyteries and science fiction. That is, if you still have room for new books after the move.
OK, todd – for some reason I wrote Paul’s name again. Mea culpa.
I loves me some Mongo. Glad to see I’m not the only one who remembers him fondly. I’d heard of Mongo some time beforehand, but didn’t actually get into the series until the Mysterious Press releases. It took me a few years to track them down, but I was eventually able to find all the older volumes by hunting through the used bookstores.
It’s sad that these books weren’t more popular–with their goulash of mystery, suspense, SF, fantasy and horror elements, it seems like they’d appeal to the same folks who like Dean Koontz and F. Paul Wilson. And it’s doubly sad that Chesbro just seemed to drop completely out of sight in the later years of his life–don’t know whether he stopped writing or whether he just wasn’t able to secure a publisher. To me, the last couple of books in the series seemed weaker than the earlier books. This is the first I’ve heard of a last Mongo novel published in France, though. I may have to track down a copy and try out my rusty French.
I also enjoyed Chesbro’s Chant and Veil novels. FYI, there were actually 2 novels featuring Veil (apart from his appearances in the Mongo series)–”Veil” and “Jungle of Steel & Stone.”
I had the Veil novels and just forgot to list it. Mike, you might want to check out the dangerousdwarf website. There are several non-series things that Chesbro worked on at the end of his life. He also did a novelization of a French film that only appeared in French – CRY FREEMAN. I’ve never seen either of those. I did have PRISM which was apparently semi-autobiographical (if I recall correctly, and it is late on Friday and I don’t have time to check). But chek out the website. Many cool things to read and lots of books available.
If the Flash Gordon strip hadn’t already made Mongo a magical word, Mel Brooks did it with “Candygram for Mongo.” I’m already sold.
Great writeup, Scott! As another rabid Mongo fan, it saddens me how quickly Chesbro’s work, and especially the Mongo books, seems to be vanishing from the public eye.
PRISM was essentially auto-biographical with some names changed. It’s subtitled “A Memoir as Fiction.” He had planned another volume, but a lack of interest in the first one killed his plans.
Chesbro’s agent tried valiantly to find a U.S. publisher for the last Mongo novel, but without success. The plot would be pretty controversial for it has a very low opinion of religion (as did Chesbro), and that was one of the problems U.S. publishers had with it.
Like Joe Lansdale, George Chesbro’s books are very popular in France, which is how the last Mongo book was published there.
Hunter
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Webmaster for DangerousDwarf.com
Just have to mention, another non-Mongo but great book by Chesbro was BONE. A man comes to in Central Park, in the pouring rain. He doesn’t remember his name or anything about his past, but a social worker is trying to coax him into her van. In his hand is a human femur.
Good to see some love for Chesbro’s work. I’ve read and enjoyed all but the last two of the Mongo books, but Beasts holds a special place in my heart, because it was the first one I read. My hometown library happened to have a copy, and when my 12-year-old self read it, I was hooked from the first page. Chesbro never quite got the recognition he should have, and I’m glad to see other people recognize his talent; I recommend his books every chance I get.
Wow, surprising to see so many Mongo fans posting, I thought I was one of a very few! Surprised no one has mentioned the brief period where it looked like a Mongo movie might get made with Peter Dinklage as Mongo. With the books off the shelves foer several years, it looks like that may never happen, but it’s too bad. It would have been great to see Dr. Frederickson on the big screen….
I read the first 4 Mong books back in the early 80′ and did’t know there was more of them. I was thinking that it would be great for someone to do a movie with Peter Dinklage, based on the books. I it would be a hit combing the dective/sci-fi story line. Dinklage has the looks & acting skill to carry the sexy reputation that Mongo had.
I’ve read most of Chesbro’s books. I love his Mongo books and definitely enjoyed the Chant books and Veil books that I have been able to find. And I agree, Peter Dinklage would be great as Mongo.