Doc Savage: The Miracle Menace

[l***@gmail.com]

In almost exactly the same situation I found myself in with Death's Dark Domain, I'm sorry to say that I am putting this new Doc Savage novel on the shelf after reading only one-quarter of the way through The Miracle Menace. I just can't read this anymore -- the characters seem more like caricatures and the story is looking for an engaging plot, rather than being one.

It turns out that The Miracle Menace is made up of two distinct stories, alternating chapters, that are then combined 2/3 of the way through the novel. One, which had no relation to Doc Savage, is an unpublished novelette by Dent called Spook. Reading these chapters, it is clear why the novelette is (and should remain) unpublished. It just isn't very good. Every other chapter, the Doc chapters, are written by Will Murray. The "collaboration" falls flat.

Looking at the review ratings for the recent Doc novels on Amazon, it is not a coincidence that Skull Island has more five and four star reviews than the previous three Doc novels combined. And I'm not talking about combining Doc and King Kong, I'm talking about the fact that this is an original Doc Savage novel -- not based on an outline, not writing as a collaboration with an unpublished story or a fragment of underdone potato (oops, how did a quote from A Christmas Carol get inserted here?). There is a lesson in these Amazon ratings: that Doc readers respond strongly to original work. Yes, a few good stories did originally come out of Dent's unpublished papers in the last two decades, but now that these stories have long been mined, it's time to put the Kenneth Robinson/Lester Dent fragments aside and write new, original Doc Savage novels.

[Dave]

I'm halfway through, and I'm trying, but it's hard. There are these alternate chapters without DOC and the guys, and I'm "who cares, this is just padding out the word count." Do they think there has to be 400 pages in a book in order for people to shell out $24.99?

This is rough going. And if the whole "time travel" thing doesn't turn out to be some kind of gag, I'll be seriously offended

Dave

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by Dave
I'm halfway through, and I'm trying, but it's hard. There are these alternate chapters without DOC and the guys, and I'm "who cares, this is just padding out the word count." Do they think there has to be 400 pages in a book in order for people to shell out $24.99?
This is rough going. And if the whole "time travel" thing doesn't turn out to be some kind of gag, I'll be seriously offended
Dave

Hi Dave,

I may try to pick it up again a bit later, though I feel much like you.

Have you read William Preston's latest homage to Doc, UNEARTHED? It is only available in a Kindle edition -- but it is so worth reading:
www.amazon.com/Unearthed/dp/B00AW5CDQM

Steve

[Dave]

Steve

Every page gets harder and harder to turn. You just can't conceive that anybody would pick this book and be so gosh-wow impressed that they'd be thinking, Where is there more stuff like this!"

I avoid homages whenever -- been burned too often

Dave

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by Dave
Steve
Every page gets harder and harder to turn. You just can't conceive that anybody would pick this book and be so gosh-wow impressed that they'd be thinking, Where is there more stuff like this!"
I avoid homages whenever -- been burned too often
Dave

Hi Dave,

Yes, many homages are poor in quality. I call Preston's work "homage" because he never mentions Doc by name -- he can't. "Unearthed" is an amazing solo adventure that takes place in 1925. "Clockworks", told mostly from the viewpoint of a criminal scientist who has recently undergone a brain operation, takes place in 1965. To quote from one review (not mine):

"Preston has given us three new Doc Savage stories - the best Doc tales of the New Pulp era - and the character is never mentioned by name.

Yes, you did read the above statement correctly. And I know what you're thinking: "Hey, isn't Will Murray doing Doc?" Mr. Murray's Doc Savage novels are great reads and each can easily be tacked onto the existing canon of tales, which ended in 1949, and not be out of place. He is to be commended for his ability to channel Lester Dent and provide us...with more classic Doc adventures.

However, William Preston is giving us a Doc Savage for the 21st Century."

Check out his stories.

Steve

[ThePulp.Net editor]

William Preston's "Old Man" stories have been appearing in ASIMOV'S
every year or so. His next story, "Each in His Prison, Thinking of the
Key," is supposed to be published in the March/April issue.

As Steve says, despite being homages, they are *very* good stories and
*well* worth reading. There are three so far: "Helping Them Take the Old
Man Down," "Clockworks," and "Unearthed" — each set in different time
periods and told from different viewpoints.

He's planning a fifth and final one at some point.
--
William Lampkin

http://ThePulp.Net
Your link to the online world of the pulps!

Yellowed Perils: Thoughts and Comments on the World of the Pulps
http://www.thepulp.net/yellowedperils/

[Dave]

I finished it. That's about all I can say. I know nowadays publishers think you have to have at least an inch-thick brick of a book in order to justified the price-point they want, but I would have been happy with half the pages (and none of the time travel or ESP). Especially disappointing since it comes right after SKULL ISLAND, the strongest entry we've had in the series

Dave

[Robert Gurskey]

Post by Dave
Steve
Every page gets harder and harder to turn. You just can't conceive that anybody would pick this book and be so gosh-wow impressed that they'd be thinking, Where is there more stuff like this!"
I avoid homages whenever -- been burned too often
Dave

So this is worse than Flight into Fear? My hardcover arrived the other day, but I have to finish something else before I start.

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by Robert Gurskey

Post by Dave
Steve
Every page gets harder and harder to turn. You just can't conceive that anybody would pick this book and be so gosh-wow impressed that they'd be thinking, Where is there more stuff like this!"
I avoid homages whenever -- been burned too often
Dave

So this is worse than Flight into Fear? My hardcover arrived the other day, but I have to finish something else before I start.

Hard to say, as the reviews for Flight Into Fear were such that I never picked it up. What both have in common (if I remember correctly) is that they merged a non Doc Savage narrative into a Doc Savage Novel, though in different ways. Who knows, you may like it!

[Dave]

If I read FLIGHT INTO FEAR, this is worse, if only because it's longer