Black Hand Gang

What happens when the First World War meets pulp science fiction?

This month we read the novel: Black Hand Gang (the first in the No Man’s World trilogy) by Pat Kelleher. The book depicts a fictional battalion of British soldiers who are transported from the Somme to a strange alien world. As a result we discuss supernatural horror and the war, the use of slang, and whether this book was written explicitly for Chris.

References

Pat Kelleher, Black Hand Gang (No Man’s Word Book 1) (2011)

Daniel Dafoe, Robinson Crusoe (1719)

Dennis Wheatley, The Devil Rides Out (1934)

Pat Barker, Regeneration (1991)

Neil Gaiman, The Sandman (1989 – present)

Juno Dawson, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven (2022)

Reginal Hill, The Wood Beyond (1995)

Blackadder Goes Forth, BBC TV (1989)

Pat Mills, Charley’s War (1979-1986)

Brian Lumbley

HG Wells

HP Lovecraft

Other episodes

Agatha Christie & The Seven Dials Mystery

June 2, 2026 No Comments

What happens when a classic Agatha Christie story is reimagined with the memory of war lingering behind it?

For King and Country

May 11, 2026 No Comments

Was patriotism in the First World War really shared by all, or was it shaped and enforced from above?

My Soul, A Shining Tree

March 1, 2026 No Comments

What does the First World War look like when it arrives not as a battle, but as an invasion of home, family,