The Desert Demons

[Dave]

My order is in for the new DOC -- e-mail reports the book shipped
Saturday. Waiting.....

Dave

[Dave]

Arrived yesterday. Nice looking sturdy book. Pricey, but it's not
like the librarywill be getting a copy, and a brand-new paperback that
I'll only keep for three days can run close to ten bucks nowadays.
DESERT DEMONS likely wil be on my shelves for the rest of my life, and
be reread, so good deal.

Reading slowly, to make it last. Murray always had the perfect
Robeson voice, and it is still there -- for DOC, the guys, major
characters, and even minor ones. Maybe his DOC talks a little too
much, but that's a small quibble.

To be Continued..

Dave

[Dave]

This is good stuff. Murray writes a real DOC SAVAGE adventure. Just
too long, like most things nowadays. And in concession to mondern
sensabilities, he ends up having things explained in conversation
rather than Dent's four paragrphs of exposition.

Still reading -- having to make this one last.

on page 197 DOC uses an exclamation point in conversation

Dave

[Robert Gurskey]

This is good stuff.  Murray writes a real DOC SAVAGE adventure.  Just
too long, like most things nowadays.  And in concession to mondern
sensabilities, he ends up having things explained in conversation
rather than Dent's four paragrphs of exposition.
Still reading -- having to make this one last.
on page 197 DOC uses an exclamation point in conversation
Dave

I finished it last night. Will Murray needs a copy editor.

[Kent Allard]

Post by Robert Gurskey
I finished it last night. Will Murray needs a copy editor.

That's not a good review - especially when one considers the source material.
The pulps were not exactly a model for great editing...

Then again, today's newspapers don't hold a candle to the pulps. Editing seems
to be a lost art these days...

[Robert Gurskey]

Post by Kent Allard

Post by Robert Gurskey
I finished it last night. Will Murray needs a copy editor.

That's not a good review - especially when one considers the source material.
The pulps were not exactly a model for great editing...
Then again, today's newspapers don't hold a candle to the pulps. Editing seems
to be a lost art these days...
--
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts and minds of men? The Shadow do!
--Flip Wilson

That's why I wish Will would chuck out all the abandoned chapters,
partial outlines and snippets of Doc Savage material left by Lester
Dent and just write his own Doc Savage book. I read enough of his
Destroyers to know that he can come up with a good plot.

[Chuck]

Post by Robert Gurskey

In article

Post by Robert Gurskey
I finished it last night. Will Murray needs a copy editor.

That's not a good review - especially when one considers the source material.
The pulps were not exactly a model for great editing...
Then again, today's newspapers don't hold a candle to the pulps. Editing seems
to be a lost art these days...
--
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts and minds of men? The Shadow do!
--Flip Wilson

That's why I wish Will would chuck out all the abandoned chapters,
partial outlines and snippets of Doc Savage material left by Lester
Dent and just write his own Doc Savage book. I read enough of his
Destroyers to know that he can come up with a good plot.

I fully agree with that assessment.

Chuck

[Anim8rFSK]

Post by Chuck

Post by Robert Gurskey

In article

Post by Robert Gurskey
I finished it last night. Will Murray needs a copy editor.

That's not a good review - especially when one considers the source material.
The pulps were not exactly a model for great editing...
Then again, today's newspapers don't hold a candle to the pulps. Editing seems
to be a lost art these days...
--
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts and minds of men? The Shadow do!
--Flip Wilson

That's why I wish Will would chuck out all the abandoned chapters,
partial outlines and snippets of Doc Savage material left by Lester
Dent and just write his own Doc Savage book. I read enough of his
Destroyers to know that he can come up with a good plot.

I fully agree with that assessment.
Chuck

Can I be greedy and want both the old unfinished stuff (well, except
FLIGHT INTO FEAR) and new original material as well?

[Dave]

1. Editting IS a lost art.

2. They won't publish 50,000 word novels anymore

DESERT DEMONS would have been much tighter with 5,000 to 10,000 words
peeled off, but you can't fault Murray here; the pro's rule is
"rewrite only to editorial demand", andhad it been shorter, they
likely would have asked more more.

Fair enough DOC adventure. Not going to rankit with SARGASSO,
WEREWOLF, or SPOOK LEGION, but I think you'd be hard put to come up
with many post-1939 DOC's that are better.

DAVE