Customer Reviews

The Terror of Fu Manchu - Collector's Edition

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I take no position on the negative stereotype purportedly fostered by Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu and the Si-Fan. By way of observation only, I do find it interesting that those offended will always have the assurance that the Devil Doctor is a thing of fiction while villains of Europe and the Americas are all too real, and therefore not so easily dismissed (ex. Roman Emperor Caligula, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Rev. Jim Jones, etc., etc.).

For this reason, among others, taking up the reins from Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward, aka Sax Rohmer and penning a new Fu Manchu novel is a task not to be taken lightly. I don't know if Rohmer's Fu Manchu stories were the one-draft-and-then-to-press manuscripts so prevalent by the `30s and `40s in American fiction magazines (pulps). They don't read like it. The vocabulary was vast and diverse; sentences were long, but necessarily so. Importantly, Rohmer was able to convey a sense of atmosphere in the context of a culture entirely foreign to most readers. The plots were somewhat complicated - not convoluted. Rohmer tossed in a few red-herrings but the story unwound slowly, subtly, with witty dialogue usually told in the first person. Other than perhaps the red-herrings, none of these conventions were prevalent in `30s and `40s American pulp fiction. So, in my opinion, Sax Rohmer's work was a cut above.

Consequently, I had my doubts that Mr. Maynard - an American, Mid-Westerner of modern sensibilities - could pull off anything resembling the work of a distinguished, turn-of-the-century, English novelist, set in turn-of-the-century England. My doubts were misplaced. Mr. Maynard nailed it. I know now that it means something when the estate of the original author specifically selects a writer to carry on the tradition, as happened here.

The Terror of Fu Manchu is a pleasure to read. It's all here; the intelligence, vocabulary, wit and charm found in the original Fu Manchu titles abound. Mr. Maynard wedged his story amidst the original third installment to the Fu-Manchu series - The Si-Fan Mysteries (U.S. title: The Hand of the Fu-Manchu) - and does so seamlessly. Better, the pacing is picked-up a notch or two and perhaps even the level of mature content is amplified from the originals, albeit tastefully and appropriately.

To speak in much detail about the storyline and plot would give too much away. Suffice to say that it is a bit complicated - not convoluted - with a red-herring or two, but otherwise a lean piece of work coming in at 190 pages (and that's the ever-so-slightly extended hardcover edition with the bonus epilog). I was a bit put-off when the plot resorted to what appears to be divine intervention at a certain, crucial point in the story, but, then again, little else can stay the hand of the Si-Fan and its evil mastermind.

It is not enough to say that William Patrick Maynard channeled the first author of the Fu Manchu adventures; he has improved upon the original. That is the best compliment, and the highest recommendation I can give.

Respectfully,

Chris Yates

The novel is not only a continuation of Sax Rohmer's original series, but also ties in very closely to Cay Van Ash's previous pastiches, TEN YEARS BEYOND BAKER STREET and THE FIRES OF FU MANCHU. The plot of THE TERROR OF FU MANCHU is derived from a cryptic reference to the unrecorded cases of the "Six Snowmen" and "Ursula Trewlaney" in Van Ash's TEN YEARS BEYOND BAKER STREET. The new novel transpires in December 1913 during a gap in Rohmer's THE HAND OF FU MANCHU. Fu Manchu competes with occultist to discover a powerful talisman. Although the climactic battle is closer to Rohmer's BROOD OF THE WITCH QUEEN, the book is an engrossing adventure that captures the spirit of the early Fu Manchu books. Rare poisons, formidable dacoits, a giant snake, a crocodile and a monstrous demon threaten Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie. There are some enticing elements for the Rohmer aficionado. Gaston Max from THE YELLOW CLAW and THE GOLDEN SCORPION plays a major supporting role in the novel. There is an intriguing connection to Rohmer's Morris Klaw in a dream that Dr. Petrie experiences. There are also references to French mystery characters such as Fantomas and the Vampires from Louis Feuillade's serial. There's also a nod to Lovecraft's Old Ones. The Collector's Edition contains an extra short story set in 1929 that is a sequel to the events of the novel.

This is a great continuation of a famous series. Mr. Maynard does an excellent job with this old-style, mystery thriller. The abundant research for background and history is clearly evident. If you're a fan of Charlie Chan or Sherlock Holmes, you'll love this. I look forward to the next...

I have been a Fu Manchu fan since 1959. I have read every single book in this series, so it's always exciting when a new adventure comes along. Sax Rohmer was a master storyteller and Cay Van Ash continued this process. Both of these gentlemen were British and Van Ash was absolutely brilliant in his works. It was with a bit of reservation when I learned that William Patrick Maynard was from Ohio, but I had to try the book anyway. How would he handle the tone of the originals? What about the British language and references? I needn't have been concerned at all because Mr. Maynard has exceeded all expectations. Not only does he retintroduce familiar characters and places from the original works, he also has the language down pat. He may jump from encounter to encounter, but it is all tied together in the end, no loose plot threads. And as always, it's good to see Dr. Fu Manchu back again in all his villainous glory, assisted by Peko. What would a Fu Manchu book be without little Peko? Once I started this book I simply could not lay it down. This is a testament to Mr. Maynard as the originals affected me the same way. The murders described here are every bit as weird and sometimes graphic as anything conceived by Rohmer or Van Ash and there is an air of expectation waiting for them to be explained away by Sir Denis Nayland Smith. It was like a trip down memory lane with old friends, and I can't wait for the next book to come out. This book is highly recommended by this writer to anyone who is a Fu Manchu fan. You won't be disappointed.

Like the other reviewers I am a major Sax Rohmer fan and welcome Mr. Maynard and others to continue the series. However after reading this work I was reminded of Mark Twain's remark to his wife when she adopted swearing to shame him into swearing off vulgar language, "You have the words right but the delivery is lacking." There are moments when Maynard captures perfectly the post-Edwardian/pre-WWI world of Nayland Smith and his arch-nemesis. Smith and Fu Manchu's characteristics and mannerisms are perfectly captured, he even reintroduces a well drawn Gaston Max, another Rohmer protagonist into the story seamlessly. Manchu's sublime villainy is drawn with a master stroke. Unfortunately the character of Dr. Petrie who is at the forefront of this novel and a more unlikeable character is difficult to imagine. Dim-witted, blundering and naive time & again as the story develops made me want him killed off quickly so Smith and Max could dominate. Sadly this was never the case. Dr. Petrie suffers so many incidents of head trauma brought on by his own blunders that by the end the book I'm amazed he's still functioning.

Like Rohmer's efforts, remarkable coincidences pile upon one another moving the story line along at a galloping pace. Yet there are curious elements that seem out of whack. The near sexual tension that exists in Petrie's feelings toward Smith is disconcerting and unexplained, making Petrie's one sexual encounter with Greba Eltham unconvincing. The pseudo-occultism and philosophical musings ranging from half-baked Theosophy, Gnosticism, agnosticism & orthodoxy seemed forced and wooden and digresses from the business of good story telling.

I do hope we see more Fu Manchu works from Mr. Maynard in the future and watch his story telling skills develop and mature. Highly recommended to all Sax Rohmer devotees.