Leonid Kaslov – Barry Reese – Writer of Badass heroes

Major Events specific to certain stories and novels are included in brackets. Some of this information contains SPOILERS for The Peregrine, Lazarus Gray, Gravedigger and other stories.

~ 800 – Viking warrior Grimarr dies of disease but is resurrected as the Sword of Hel. He adventures for some time as Hel’s agent on Earth. [The Sword of Hel].

~ 1620 – Gwydion fab Dôn is captured by the witch Rhianna in France. She punishes him by binding his spirit to a bundle of rags. [“Gwydion,” The Adventures of the Straw-Man Volume One]

1748 – Johann Adam Weishaupt is born.

1750 – Guan-Yin embarks on a quest to find her lost father, which takes her to Skull Island [Guan-Yin and the Horrors of Skull Island].

1774 – On June 23, 1774, General Benjamin Grove led the British forces through the air en route to Sovereign. What he did not know was that several local militia groups lay in wait for him. The resulting battle had been ferocious and deadly for both sides — in the end, only two men were left, one representing each side of the conflict: General Grove himself and a local youth by the name of Emmett Hain. [“The Choice,” The Adventures of the Straw-Man Volume One]

1776 – Johann Adam Weishaupt forms The Illuminati. He adopts the guise of the original Lazarus Gray in group meetings, reflecting his “rebirth” and the “moral ambiguity” of the group. In Sovereign City, a Hessian soldier dies in battle, his spirit resurrected as a headless warrior.

1782 – The man that would eventually be known as Gideon Black is born. [The Second Book of Babylon]

1793 – Mortimer Quinn comes to Sovereign City, investigating the tales of a Headless Horseman [Gravedigger Volume One]

1802 – Gideon Black’s son is born and the chain of events that leads to Gideon being bonded with a suit of armor forged in Hell begins. Gideon is transformed into Babylon, a force for cosmic retribution. [The Second Book of Babylon]

1835 – Lucy Hale goes to work at Mendicott Hall. She meets Byron Mendicott and Lilith. [The Chronicles of Lilith]

Continue reading Timeline of the Reese Unlimited Universe – Updated 2/17/2023

Over on Amazon.com, a reader from Canada has posted a review of The Adventures of Lazarus Gray Volume Nine. Alphonse Dupuis gave the book 5 stars and said the following:

In the ninth instalment of the “new pulp” hero series “Lazarus Gray”, Barry Reese continues the storyline set up in the previous novel and concludes it with an action packed smash to the senses!

It’s Assistance Unlimited vs Murder Unlimited! The adventure may begin in Sovereign City but shifts to the mythological realm of Asgard, culminating in a final battle deep within the hollow earth with the existence of the entire world at stake!

In addition to the Black Terror & The Golden Amazon, Reese has introduced another public domain hero to the team (which I hope will return in future volumes). It would be great to see this character’s unbreakable patriotism lending itself to the upcoming battles against fascist forces during WW2.

Reese always does his homework when introducing mythological tales and characters to his stories. The addition and handling of ancient Norse gods in this volume was well done and hints are left that we may see them return in future adventures.

Unlike Volume eight, this novel consists of one main story told throughout the book compared to a series of short stories with one central theme linking all of them together. Reese is able do both “story styles” successfully and consistently gives the reader an enjoyable pulp-style adventure.

As a fan of the Reese Unlimited imprint, I really like the mixing of original characters with public domain/pastiche characters. In saying that having Lazarus Gray joining forces with The Revenant & Ki-Gor in a Hollow Earth tale would be awesome. An uneasy Darkling/Leonid Kaslov alliance vs the evil Warlike Manchu would be a just what the doctor ordered!

Looking forward to future installments!

Thanks for the kind words, Alphonse! I’m glad you enjoyed book nine, which was one of my favorites to write. I agree that the Norse elements seemed to fit right in with the rest of the series. I like your idea for a Darkling/Kaslov team-up, as well. Definite shades of the Shadow and Doc Savage in that one! We’ll see if I can fit such a thing into my schedule.