Known as “Electronic Adventures” and “Science-Adventure Stories,” Rick Brant lives on Spindrift Island off the coast of New Jersey, where his father heads the Spindrift Foundation, a group of scientists that work for the Federal Government. The series is divided between stories that take place in the United States and in foreign countries. The Spindrift Foundation sends scientific expeditions to various foreign locations, with Rick sent along as an assistant. Goodwin was a popular science writer with a strong technical background and a sense of style unusual in the juvenile adventure-series field, which he would incorporate into the stories such as infra-red devices and Geiger counters. The books are suspenseful, well-plotted, atmospheric, and enriched by humor and acute characterization as well as personal experience. Exotic locales such as tropical islands, the Philippine jungles, and the Himalayas are given vivid and well-researched depictions, as are a variety of specialized hobbies and professions, such as scuba diving, infrared photography, home rocketry, and the inevitable espionage work. Like the Ken Holt mystery series, the tales appeal to a slightly older audience than do comparable Grosset & Dunlap series. (Ken Holt had a crossover cameo in The Flying Stingaree, and Rick lent some of his gadgets to Ken in The Mystery of the Plumed Serpent, by agreement of the two authors.)
In The Whispering Box Mystery (1948), Rick and Scotty race against time to stop a ring of spies from using a paralyzing weapon to steal government secrets. In Stairway to Danger (1952), Rick and Scotty battle a hardened and desperate criminal in an abandoned amusement park. In The Pirates of Shan (1958), Rick and Scotty search for Spindrift scientists kidnapped by pirates in the Philippines. In other adventures they travel to Egypt, encounter a Civil War ghost, discover spies are masquerading as space aliens with an experimental UFO, and are kidnapped by hostile natives in Nigeria. You can tell how enjoyable these novels are – and collecting them is half the fun, not just reading them.
I recently read The Caves of Fear (1951) and found it to be a tad unique. The first third was slow for the proper (and necessary build up and introduction of characters), the second third was intriguing and the final third action-packed and exciting. In this novel, Rick, Scotty, and Dr. Zircon (who also doubles as their bodyguard) travel to the Himalayas at the request of U.S. Agent Steve Ames, and are reunited with Chahda, the Hindu boy who is a friend of theirs. Their goal is to discover the location of where nuclear materials are being mined, and to keep the nuclear materials out of the wrong hands. Their travels take them to Singapore, then seek out something referred to as “The Golden Mouse,” while avoiding a Chinese man with a glass eye, and the mysterious and dangerous figure known as “Long Shadow.”
As with any series that I enjoy reading, I take my time and spread them out. I have been reading a novel or two a year from this series, usually as I come across them at affordable prices at conventions. For many of the books in this series, they can be purchased for about $10, more if graded upon condition. The final four in the series did not go into multiple reprints like the earlier volumes, so those do fetch a higher price. The dust jackets are more difficult to find due to their frail nature so if you find one with the dust jacket, be prepared to pay a few more dollars. I recently struck gold with The Caves of Fear (1951) for $10 with dust jacket.
If you have watched all the Jonny Quest television adventures and seek additional adventures in the same vein, I recommend the Rick Brandt Electronic Adventures. The first two combined are a fantastic read. The Caves of Fear became my second favorite having read the first seven.
