Customer Reviews

The Hand of Fu-Manchu

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this, the third of 14 Fu Manchu books that Sax Rohmer gave the world, Comm. Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie continue to battle the evil genius Fu Manchu. This book introduces the Si-Fan, a mysterious Eastern organization dedicated to conquering the Western world. The book follows directly from the previous two volumes, and includes several familiar characters. Thus, a reading of the previous books is recommended before going into this one. I'd give this book one star less than the previous two, if only because, as good a writer as Rohmer is, some of the sections of the book are, for me anyway, too vaguely drawn. The geography of the Si-Fan house and of the chapel of Monkswell, for example, are quite hard to picture; your imagination will be working overtime in these sections. (Perhaps this is deliberate on the part of the author?) Several plot points (Hale's mysterious chest, a woman who may or may not be a supreme Empress of sorts) are left in the air, possibly to be resolved in future volumes. There ARE some outstanding set pieces in the book, including the forced operation on Fu-Manchu's bullet-ridden skull and the insect-guarded labyrinth under Graywater Park. The book also features poisonous flowers, an opium den, mysterious codes, a hashish house, kidnappings, fires, leopards, storms and on and on. The pace, as usual for the Fu books, is quite breathless. There's no way that a reader will be bored.

Dr Fu Manchu has been a sort of anti-hero for me since I was fifteen and found a book about him at the Tulsa Public Library The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, That was 65 years ago. I had collected all of Sax Rohmer's books in hard-bound editions but had to sell them when I was forced, for medical reasons, to give up my house and library. I am therefore glad to find many reprints of the Fu Manchu stories in paperback so that I can replace some of my lost books at a reasonable cost.

The Chinese Doctor I love to hate returns in another action packed mystery adventure. Each of these books is better than the last. Rohmer paints a vivid picture of early 20th century London, and the seething underbelly in which his stories take place.

My copy contained quite a few typographical errors. I contacted Echo Library regarding these, as well as plans to print more of the Fu Manchu series, but it sounds like there are none. As most of the remaining books are out of print, I truly felt like I was losing a friend when I finished this book.

THE HAND OF FU-MANCHU (original title: THE SI-FAN MYSTERIES) was first published in 1917. It follows on directly from THE RETURN OF DR. FU-MANCHU and completes Rohmer's original FU MANCHU trilogy. Like the first two entries in the series, the book's episodic quality betrays it's magazine serial origins. The closest equivalent to Rohmer's breathtaking, non-stop literary set pieces is an INDIANA JONES movie. Rohmer is far superior because he remains rooted in the classic mystery style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Join tireless Nayland Smith (Burmese Police Commissioner), his loyal companion/narrator Dr. Petrie, Superintendant Weymouth of Scotland Yard, eccentric Egyptologist Sir Lionel Barton, and the beautiful and exotic slave girl, Karamaneh as they take on the brilliant, deadly, but always honorable Dr. Fu-Manchu, the seductive Zarmi, the wizened John Ki, and Fu-Manchu's mysterious daughter. THE HAND OF FU MANCHU is a sterling example of a bygone era when morality was black and white and books like this were nothing more than good, clean fun.

For a long time, I have had an affection for the old, pulpy adventure stories from around the turn of the last century. Probably my favorite author would be Edgar Rice Burroughs with his Tarzan novels. Also noteworthy were such writers as H. Rider Haggard, Robert Howard, Arthur Conan Doyle and James Hilton. While all these authors took the reader to lost and strange worlds, Sax Rohmer brought the mystery home with his Fu Manchu books.

In Rohmer's third book in the series, The Hand of Fu Manchu, the Chinese villain is up to his old tricks. As the story opens, Fu Manchu is assumed dead, but as is typical in these sorts of stories, you should never make such a presumption without a body. Soon enough, the heroes Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie (who bear more than a passing resemblance to Holmes and Watson) learn that Fu Manchu is alive though seriously wounded.

The book is actually an episodic series of adventures where the heroes and villains play cat-and-mouse in London. As with Rohmer's other books, this book is filled with demeaning language about the Chinese (and other non-whites), all of whom are considered sinister and duplicitous. An adult reader, wise to Rohmer's quaint views, might still enjoy the story if it is written well, like the Tarzan books (with their own antiquated views on race). Unfortunately, Rohmer is not really a good writer.

The principal flaw is that Smith and Petrie are dull characters. Smith is without flaws and seems to have no life outside of his mission to stop the "Yellow Peril". Petrie, at least, is able to notice women: he is, at the beginning of the book, engaged to the beautiful Karamaneh, though it is clearly a superficial love, as she seems to have no personality and really only exists to be constantly kidnapped and enslaved by Fu Manchu. Compared to such bland heroes, one has to almost cheer for Fu Manchu despite Rohmer's intentions; Fu Manchu is the more interesting character.

Even with Fu Manchu, though, we rarely get truly get great villainy. It is sort of like a Road Runner cartoon; you actually root for the coyote even if his schemes are doomed to fail. Actually, it's hard to fathom how Fu Manchu became one of the great villains in literature as Rohmer's writing is rather stiff and rarely exciting. I somehow made it through three Fu Manchu books, always hoping for something better. My constant disappointment, however, makes it unlikely that I will attempt a fourth. If you want to experience fun writing from this era, try the other writers I've mentioned.