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Fu Manchu #10
The Island of Fu Manchu
This book, the 10th of 14 in the Fu Manchu series, is a direct continuation of the previous installment, "The Drums of Fu Manchu." Hence, a reading of that previous volume is fairly essential before going into this one. In the present volume, Sir Dennis Nayland Smith continues his ongoing battle against the evil doctor, aided again by narrator Bart Kerrigan and by Europe's foremost archeologist, Sir Lionel Barton, who figured so prominently in books 1, 4 and 5 ("The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu," "The Daughter of Fu Manchu" and "The Mask of Fu Manchu"). This book is the wartime entry in the Fu series, and takes place in blackout London; it then hops over the pond for action in the Big Apple, the Panama Canal Zone and in Haiti. This time around, the Fu man has completed his air and naval forces and has concentrated them in a base hidden in an extinct Haitian volcano.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
8 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Sax Rohmer
438books121followersAKA Arthur Sarsfield Ward (real name); Michael Furey.
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (15 February 1883 - 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham to a working class family, Rohmer initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time.
He worked as a poet, songwriter, and comedy sketch writer in Music Hall before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing weird fiction.
Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His physician and family friend, Dr. R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. It is believed that Rohmer may have exaggerated his association in order to boost his literary reputation as an occult writer.
His first published work came in 1903, when the short story The Mysterious Mummy was sold to Pearson's Weekly. He gradually transitioned from writing for Music Hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.
He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the Music Hall entertainer) he issued the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, was serialized from October 1912 - June 1913. It was an immediate success with its fast-paced story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters—Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw, and The Crime Magnet—made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid authors of the 1920s and 1930s.
Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru.
After World War II, the Rohmers moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of influenza ("Asian Flu").
There were thirteen books in the Fu Manchu series in all (not counting the posthumous The Wrath of Fu Manchu. The Sumuru series consist of five books.
His wife published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black in 1954 under the pen name, Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and Cay Van Ash, her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy, published in 1972.
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (15 February 1883 - 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham to a working class family, Rohmer initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time.
He worked as a poet, songwriter, and comedy sketch writer in Music Hall before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing weird fiction.
Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His physician and family friend, Dr. R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. It is believed that Rohmer may have exaggerated his association in order to boost his literary reputation as an occult writer.
His first published work came in 1903, when the short story The Mysterious Mummy was sold to Pearson's Weekly. He gradually transitioned from writing for Music Hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.
He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the Music Hall entertainer) he issued the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, was serialized from October 1912 - June 1913. It was an immediate success with its fast-paced story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters—Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw, and The Crime Magnet—made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid authors of the 1920s and 1930s.
Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru.
After World War II, the Rohmers moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of influenza ("Asian Flu").
There were thirteen books in the Fu Manchu series in all (not counting the posthumous The Wrath of Fu Manchu. The Sumuru series consist of five books.
His wife published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black in 1954 under the pen name, Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and Cay Van Ash, her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy, published in 1972.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 24, 2022
I had previously read 4 of 's Dr. Fu Manchu's thriller / adventure / fantasy series. So I kind of knew what to expect when I read . And as usual, it didn't let me down. British spy / investigator Nayland Smith and his friend Bart Kerrigan, along with intrepid explorer / architect Professor Barton, travel to England, the US, Panama and ultimately Haiti as they try to stop Fu Manchu from taking over the world and also if time permits, rescuing Kerrigan's lover (or is she an enemy), the exotic Ardatha.
In this adventure, you've got Fu Manchu's marmoset, held hostage by Barton. You've got shriveled heads, green hands (unattached to anything), the mysterious snapping fingers (heard before bodies are murdered and drained of all their blood) and even zombies!!! Ardatha appears and disappears and appears again and doesn't seem to remember Kerrigan.
Fu Manchu keeps us guessing. Whose side is he actually on? His mysterious organization the Si-Fan seems to have splintered and some are working against him. What is he doing in Haiti? How does the voodoo queen, Mamaloi, tie into the whole scene? Is she on his side or against?
As usual, you've got to put blinders on somewhat. Fu Manchu is leader of the 'yellow' peril, the Haitian voodoo ceremonies are savage, bestial.. But ultimately, it's a page turning, at times ponderous (yes, Kerrigan WE KNOW YOU MISS ARDETHA!!!), but it's still non-stop, fantastic action with lots of supernatural, mystical elements, more than enough to keep you occupied. (3 stars)
In this adventure, you've got Fu Manchu's marmoset, held hostage by Barton. You've got shriveled heads, green hands (unattached to anything), the mysterious snapping fingers (heard before bodies are murdered and drained of all their blood) and even zombies!!! Ardatha appears and disappears and appears again and doesn't seem to remember Kerrigan.
Fu Manchu keeps us guessing. Whose side is he actually on? His mysterious organization the Si-Fan seems to have splintered and some are working against him. What is he doing in Haiti? How does the voodoo queen, Mamaloi, tie into the whole scene? Is she on his side or against?
As usual, you've got to put blinders on somewhat. Fu Manchu is leader of the 'yellow' peril, the Haitian voodoo ceremonies are savage, bestial.. But ultimately, it's a page turning, at times ponderous (yes, Kerrigan WE KNOW YOU MISS ARDETHA!!!), but it's still non-stop, fantastic action with lots of supernatural, mystical elements, more than enough to keep you occupied. (3 stars)
June 26, 2018
The Island of Fu Manchu doesn’t feel like the other Sax Rohmer novels that I’ve read. Oh, it’s narrated in first person and it has the overarching plot line about saving the world from the machinations of the evil Chinese mastermind, leader of the Si Fan tong in trying to take over the world. It has mysterious disappearances, double-crosses, and pulp adventure pseudo-science. Of course, there is also the anti-climatic aspect of a series built around the machinations of a single supervillain. One has a sense that even blocking the immediate scheme is only a brief lacuna in the ongoing war. Even if there might be what appears to be a definitive victory and a happy ending, one can always expect the next book.
So, the undersea entrance to a base headquartered in a volcano so similar to Verne’s Mysterious Island, the pseudo-scientific secrets unveiled in that base so similar to H. G. Wells on steroids, or the convenient deus ex Nayland Smith experiences as per The Shadow’s or Green Hornet’s drivers and informants seem all too predictable. Maybe, as a veteran pulp adventure reader, I should have been prepared for these, but they just seemed tired in The Island of Fu Manchu.
Despite my feelings of “been there, done that� when reading this novel (and finding it far too easy to put it down), there were a couple of touches I appreciated. First, let me just say that I felt some empathy toward the Chinese doctor which I hadn’t experienced in other novels. I felt like, within his evil master plan, he was actually offering a temporary truce, a functional partnership against the Nazi menace. For what it’s worth, Fu Manchu’s offer seemed tantamount to working with the Soviet Union in World War II—the enemy of my enemy. The resolution of the offer wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
Second, I was amused that Sax Rohmer, an Irish writer (as so many that I would call great—Samuel Becket, Lord Dunsany, James Joyce, C. S. Lewis (an odd pairing, I know), George Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker (although the writing may have been wooden, the concepts were not), Oscar Wilde, and W. B. Yeats, among many) telling the story of a British Secret Service agent should employ an Irish narrator (Brad Kerrigan) to tell the story. Even more, I liked the Irish pride implicit in a comment that Fu Manchu makes to Kerrigan: “’Although you belong to a wiser and more imaginative race,� said Dr. Fu Manchu, ‘as I have already observed, you are curiously English in your outlook.’� (p. 189) I apologize to readers of English descent, but I couldn’t help chuckling as I read that.
The Island of Fu Manchu seemed “tired� to me. Some of the pseudoscience seems to have, in my mind, jumped the shark. Maybe this is a personal problem, but I’m not certain that I will be reading any more of these in the future. On the other hand, as an avid pulp adventure reader, I can’t promise that I won’t.
So, the undersea entrance to a base headquartered in a volcano so similar to Verne’s Mysterious Island, the pseudo-scientific secrets unveiled in that base so similar to H. G. Wells on steroids, or the convenient deus ex Nayland Smith experiences as per The Shadow’s or Green Hornet’s drivers and informants seem all too predictable. Maybe, as a veteran pulp adventure reader, I should have been prepared for these, but they just seemed tired in The Island of Fu Manchu.
Despite my feelings of “been there, done that� when reading this novel (and finding it far too easy to put it down), there were a couple of touches I appreciated. First, let me just say that I felt some empathy toward the Chinese doctor which I hadn’t experienced in other novels. I felt like, within his evil master plan, he was actually offering a temporary truce, a functional partnership against the Nazi menace. For what it’s worth, Fu Manchu’s offer seemed tantamount to working with the Soviet Union in World War II—the enemy of my enemy. The resolution of the offer wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
Second, I was amused that Sax Rohmer, an Irish writer (as so many that I would call great—Samuel Becket, Lord Dunsany, James Joyce, C. S. Lewis (an odd pairing, I know), George Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker (although the writing may have been wooden, the concepts were not), Oscar Wilde, and W. B. Yeats, among many) telling the story of a British Secret Service agent should employ an Irish narrator (Brad Kerrigan) to tell the story. Even more, I liked the Irish pride implicit in a comment that Fu Manchu makes to Kerrigan: “’Although you belong to a wiser and more imaginative race,� said Dr. Fu Manchu, ‘as I have already observed, you are curiously English in your outlook.’� (p. 189) I apologize to readers of English descent, but I couldn’t help chuckling as I read that.
The Island of Fu Manchu seemed “tired� to me. Some of the pseudoscience seems to have, in my mind, jumped the shark. Maybe this is a personal problem, but I’m not certain that I will be reading any more of these in the future. On the other hand, as an avid pulp adventure reader, I can’t promise that I won’t.
June 30, 2014
Good pulp reading with a noir quality. Written long before James Bond: Doctor No, the Island of Fu Manchu has pretty much the same plot. Nayland Smith, British detective and international man of adventure, struggles to stop a Chinese genius in his secret Caribbean base from destroying the balance of the world. Along the way he encounters sinister agents of the Si-Fan while his trusty partner, Bart Kerrigan, searches for the missing love of his life, the beautiful Ardatha.
The book is not politically correct by today's standard (possibly not even by the standards of its time 1930s-40s). Racist stereotypes abound, most notably of course is Doctor Fu Manchu himself. So, know what you are getting before opening the book.
Aside from the chafing racism, the adventure of the story is fun, winding its way from the docksides of the Thames, to New York, Panama and Haiti, the book explores unexplained deaths by means of "snapping fingers", a plot to cripple the US Navy and secret mysteries that can bring the living back from the dead.
The only let down is the end. Rushed and quite convenient in my opinion. The book's best qualities are the feel of ever growing danger and the twists and turns leading to the final battle.
The book is not politically correct by today's standard (possibly not even by the standards of its time 1930s-40s). Racist stereotypes abound, most notably of course is Doctor Fu Manchu himself. So, know what you are getting before opening the book.
Aside from the chafing racism, the adventure of the story is fun, winding its way from the docksides of the Thames, to New York, Panama and Haiti, the book explores unexplained deaths by means of "snapping fingers", a plot to cripple the US Navy and secret mysteries that can bring the living back from the dead.
The only let down is the end. Rushed and quite convenient in my opinion. The book's best qualities are the feel of ever growing danger and the twists and turns leading to the final battle.
September 25, 2018
Our old friend, the insidious evil doctor Fu Manchu, returns in "The Island of Fu Manchu,� the tenth book in Sax Rohmer’s classic mystery series. Although a few of the Fu Manchu books are a bit "trite" in spots, and at times they certainly have the feel of the "pulp fiction" genre. Admittedly as well, some of the later books - as this one - are getting a little “tired� and are not as fresh as some of the earlier ones. Nevertheless, the Fu Manchu series is surprisingly well written and in a unique class of its own. Sax Rohmer has gifted us with arguably one the best literary evil geniuses in literature, rivaled by Doyle’s Professor Moriarty, or Fleming’s Ernst Stavto Blofeld of SPECTRE, and even today’s personification of evil � Star War’s Darth Vader.
It's during the war in 1941; Dr. Fu-Manchu issues an ultimatum to the United States government that either they recognize him as a world power or he will destroy the entire U.S. fleet. Sir Dennis Nayland Smith continues his ongoing battle against the evil doctor, aided again by narrator Bart Kerrigan and by Europe's foremost archeologist, Sir Lionel Barton, who has been featured in prior episodes. They pursue Fu Manchu from London to New York, then the to Panama Canal, and finally the land of voodoo—Haiti. There they face the enemy’s deadly combination of advanced technology and deep-rooted voodoo mysticism!
The Fu Manchu novels are worth the time to discover the great, intellectual (and stereotypical) evil genius who is Fu Manchu. As with many of these books, there certainly is some racial stereotyping which reflects the general attitudes prevailing at the time; recall that it was about 100 years ago. Some newer editions of this series are currently being re-released in paperback and more are destined for the Kindle (e-readers) as well. Regardless, Sax Rohmer has created one of the world's iconic, super intelligent villains in Fu Manchu. That alone should be your cue to read some of these classic works.
It's during the war in 1941; Dr. Fu-Manchu issues an ultimatum to the United States government that either they recognize him as a world power or he will destroy the entire U.S. fleet. Sir Dennis Nayland Smith continues his ongoing battle against the evil doctor, aided again by narrator Bart Kerrigan and by Europe's foremost archeologist, Sir Lionel Barton, who has been featured in prior episodes. They pursue Fu Manchu from London to New York, then the to Panama Canal, and finally the land of voodoo—Haiti. There they face the enemy’s deadly combination of advanced technology and deep-rooted voodoo mysticism!
The Fu Manchu novels are worth the time to discover the great, intellectual (and stereotypical) evil genius who is Fu Manchu. As with many of these books, there certainly is some racial stereotyping which reflects the general attitudes prevailing at the time; recall that it was about 100 years ago. Some newer editions of this series are currently being re-released in paperback and more are destined for the Kindle (e-readers) as well. Regardless, Sax Rohmer has created one of the world's iconic, super intelligent villains in Fu Manchu. That alone should be your cue to read some of these classic works.
August 12, 2017
I was wondering what the fuss about Fu Manchu was all about, so when I stumbled upon a used copy in a used bookstore, I bought it.
It was bad. It was really bad. I'm not easily offended, but this series is probably one of the most blatant, racist novel series I've had the displeasure of reading. Fu Manchu is the Chinese moriarty who is hell-bent on purifying the world a la Hitler. He uses arcane methods of murder, utilizing leeches (featured in this novel), caterpillars, and bacteria, in order to kill Western imperialists and other enemies.
The plot progression of the novel was wanting, although I was rooting for Kerrigan to end with Ardatha. This is an extremely racist, offensive novel with few positive traits, but it's a historical document that reminds us of how bad racism was about a century ago.
It was bad. It was really bad. I'm not easily offended, but this series is probably one of the most blatant, racist novel series I've had the displeasure of reading. Fu Manchu is the Chinese moriarty who is hell-bent on purifying the world a la Hitler. He uses arcane methods of murder, utilizing leeches (featured in this novel), caterpillars, and bacteria, in order to kill Western imperialists and other enemies.
The plot progression of the novel was wanting, although I was rooting for Kerrigan to end with Ardatha. This is an extremely racist, offensive novel with few positive traits, but it's a historical document that reminds us of how bad racism was about a century ago.
January 12, 2021
Sigh, on the one hand, this was an excellent adventure novel with all of the hilarious tropes I look for in the genre. No phone call is completed without the line suddenly going dead and the message incomplete. No meeting of dire importance ends without the lights going dead and someone ending up dead or kidnapped when they come back on. It's everything I want in a book of this sort. There are zombies and hidden labs and incredible submarines, a stolen monkey, a brainwashed girlfriend and a secret society plotting world domination.
Unfortunately, it's also incredibly racist and sexist and, yes, a product of its time, but bad enough I wouldn't feel comfortable actually recommending it to anybody.
Unfortunately, it's also incredibly racist and sexist and, yes, a product of its time, but bad enough I wouldn't feel comfortable actually recommending it to anybody.
March 31, 2021
It's not the best of the Fu-Manchu stories, but it is still entertaining. Smith tracks The Devil Doctor to Haiti to find him fixing an army of zombies. The story is a little nothing more than a wild goose chase with a so-so ending but still it is a fun read for those who can't sleep at night, a must read for those studying pulp fiction history, and a required read for those (like me) who are trying to read every book in the series.
March 5, 2022
The Fu-Manchu stories are the kind you feel you are part of living too. The more you read them, the more intense they become and the more part of it you feel.
This one was full of possible big tragedies and Fu-Manchu stepping up another level.
Many of the usual characters, with some extra, were participating again and it was another one if those great stories, which you know one day you will read again.
This one was full of possible big tragedies and Fu-Manchu stepping up another level.
Many of the usual characters, with some extra, were participating again and it was another one if those great stories, which you know one day you will read again.
November 8, 2022
This doesn't have the charm of earlier novels; even spacing them out, maybe I've read too many. Everything's all the same, and the settings just don't pop as in some other books. Nor is the ending (even with time spent in Fu Manchu's company) scary/real enough. An occasional fun read, I probably won't seek any more out now. Contains a rare (and not terribly special) short story featuring Nayland Smith and NOT Fu Manchu.
May 10, 2017
Fu expands his base of operations to Haiti, where he has a secret lab inside a dead volcano and employs believed-dead geniuses whom he's kidnapped and zombified. In other words, a rare mix of Live and Let Die and Atlas Shrugged. (Island came first.)
January 27, 2020
The endless inventiveness of Rohmer's mad genius tech and germ warfare is really impressive. Also, in the way that he always finds a way to defeat the Doctor without ever making him a negligible threat. A quick read and really entertaining.
July 9, 2023
A mishmash of old plot devices from previous volumes in the series and as politically incorrect as ever, Sax Rohmer still manages to squeeze some genuine thrills out of material worn nearly to the bone.
If you must, earlier volumes in the series are recommended over this latter day adventure.
If you must, earlier volumes in the series are recommended over this latter day adventure.
June 21, 2019
Once again, Fu Manchu TRIES TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
August 22, 2011
This book, the 10th of 14 in the Fu Manchu series, is a direct continuation of the previous installment, "The Drums of Fu Manchu." Hence, a reading of that previous volume is fairly essential before going into this one. In the present volume, Sir Dennis Nayland Smith continues his ongoing battle against the evil doctor, aided again by narrator Bart Kerrigan and by Europe's foremost archeologist, Sir Lionel Barton, who figured so prominently in books 1, 4 and 5 ("The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu," "The Daughter of Fu Manchu" and "The Mask of Fu Manchu"). This book is the wartime entry in the Fu series, and takes place in blackout London; it then hops over the pond for action in the Big Apple, the Panama Canal Zone and in Haiti.
This time around, the Fu man has completed his air and naval forces and has concentrated them in a base hidden in an extinct Haitian volcano. His goal seems to be to stymie America's naval forces from his Carribean base. This Fu novel is the most sci-fi-oriented in the series thus far, what with Ericksen disintegrators, the Vortland (invisibility) lamp, antigravity devices, futuristic planes and ships and so on. The volcano lair is reminiscent of Ayesha's home in the great great Haggard novel "She," while the showdown at the end of this book, in that volcanic hideaway, would in turn seem to be the inspiration for Dahl's screenplay for the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice." As in book 6, "The Bride of Fu Manchu," the high point of this book occurs when Fu takes our narrator on a tour of his laboratory grounds, showing off his assorted experiments and biological creations. The book also boasts one of the most suspenseful sequences in the entire Fu series thus far, that in which Smith and Kerrigan infiltrate a voodoo ceremony high atop a Haitian mountain. This sequence is genuinely creepy and exciting. The book also offers Snapping Finger deaths, a treasure map, a mysterious floating green hand, zombies AND a featured role by Peko, Fu's pet marmoset from previous volumes. The reader is always kept engaged by the fast-moving shenanigans, par for the course for a Fu Manchu novel.
I did have some quibbles with this installment, however; these quibbles mainly take the form of internal inconsistencies and inconsistencies with previous books in the series. For example, at one point, Smith refers to his adventure in Khorassan with Lionel Barton. However, in book 5 it is clearly stated that Smith teamed up with Barton in Isfahan, Iran AFTER Barton returned from Khorassan! In another section of this book, Kerrigan refers to his second meeting with Ardatha (in book 9) by a river in Norfolk. However, it was on the Essex marshes that this meeting took place. Kerrigan elsewhere thinks to himself how a street in Panama reminds him of Clovelly in Cornwall; however, a look at a map will show that Clovelly is really in nearby Devonshire. Shall I go on? At one point in the book, Kerrigan is locked in Fu's warehouse and is looking DOWN at the Thames far below. Later on, it is said that he was locked BELOW the warehouse, under water level. HUH!?!? In the Panama scenes, Flammario the dancer is described as wearing a sable cloak. This, after the author speaks of how hot the tropical night was. Does this make sense? Howzabout this: In London, Smith & Co. follow up a clue at 39B Pelling St. A few days later, in New York City, they follow up some clues at 39B Sutton Place! Is this just a crazy kozmik coincidence in the wild wild world of Fu Manchu, or just lazy forgetfulness on the part of the author? Who knows? I might also go on to add that the antigravitic substance in this novel, swainsten, is a bit too similar to the Cavorite in H.G. Wells' wonderful "First Men in the Moon" novel, or that the resolution of the Snapping Fingers deaths doesn't really hang together logically, or that the ending of this book comes too suddenly, but I think you get the idea. The book is certainly flawed. But you know what? Even with all that, Rohmer carries it off, due to his great imagination, wonderful characters and rat-a-tat-tat pacing. The man could have used a better editor, but as far as telling a thriller of a tale goes, the man was tops. And this is yet another fine entry in the Fu Manchu series.
This time around, the Fu man has completed his air and naval forces and has concentrated them in a base hidden in an extinct Haitian volcano. His goal seems to be to stymie America's naval forces from his Carribean base. This Fu novel is the most sci-fi-oriented in the series thus far, what with Ericksen disintegrators, the Vortland (invisibility) lamp, antigravity devices, futuristic planes and ships and so on. The volcano lair is reminiscent of Ayesha's home in the great great Haggard novel "She," while the showdown at the end of this book, in that volcanic hideaway, would in turn seem to be the inspiration for Dahl's screenplay for the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice." As in book 6, "The Bride of Fu Manchu," the high point of this book occurs when Fu takes our narrator on a tour of his laboratory grounds, showing off his assorted experiments and biological creations. The book also boasts one of the most suspenseful sequences in the entire Fu series thus far, that in which Smith and Kerrigan infiltrate a voodoo ceremony high atop a Haitian mountain. This sequence is genuinely creepy and exciting. The book also offers Snapping Finger deaths, a treasure map, a mysterious floating green hand, zombies AND a featured role by Peko, Fu's pet marmoset from previous volumes. The reader is always kept engaged by the fast-moving shenanigans, par for the course for a Fu Manchu novel.
I did have some quibbles with this installment, however; these quibbles mainly take the form of internal inconsistencies and inconsistencies with previous books in the series. For example, at one point, Smith refers to his adventure in Khorassan with Lionel Barton. However, in book 5 it is clearly stated that Smith teamed up with Barton in Isfahan, Iran AFTER Barton returned from Khorassan! In another section of this book, Kerrigan refers to his second meeting with Ardatha (in book 9) by a river in Norfolk. However, it was on the Essex marshes that this meeting took place. Kerrigan elsewhere thinks to himself how a street in Panama reminds him of Clovelly in Cornwall; however, a look at a map will show that Clovelly is really in nearby Devonshire. Shall I go on? At one point in the book, Kerrigan is locked in Fu's warehouse and is looking DOWN at the Thames far below. Later on, it is said that he was locked BELOW the warehouse, under water level. HUH!?!? In the Panama scenes, Flammario the dancer is described as wearing a sable cloak. This, after the author speaks of how hot the tropical night was. Does this make sense? Howzabout this: In London, Smith & Co. follow up a clue at 39B Pelling St. A few days later, in New York City, they follow up some clues at 39B Sutton Place! Is this just a crazy kozmik coincidence in the wild wild world of Fu Manchu, or just lazy forgetfulness on the part of the author? Who knows? I might also go on to add that the antigravitic substance in this novel, swainsten, is a bit too similar to the Cavorite in H.G. Wells' wonderful "First Men in the Moon" novel, or that the resolution of the Snapping Fingers deaths doesn't really hang together logically, or that the ending of this book comes too suddenly, but I think you get the idea. The book is certainly flawed. But you know what? Even with all that, Rohmer carries it off, due to his great imagination, wonderful characters and rat-a-tat-tat pacing. The man could have used a better editor, but as far as telling a thriller of a tale goes, the man was tops. And this is yet another fine entry in the Fu Manchu series.
April 23, 2018
It's 1941 and Dr. Fu-Manchu thoroughly disapproves of the whole World War thing. He issues an ultimatum to the United States government that either they recognize him as a world power or he will destroy the entire U.S. fleet. Sir Dennis Nayland Smith is once again called into action to defeat the Yellow Menace. Smith enlists Bart Kerrigan to narrate and pine for his lost love, and also brings in Sir Lionel Barton because he has actual useful information and skills. They pursue the evil doctor across England, to New York, Panama, and finally Haiti. They encounter Burmese stranglers, shrunken heads, voodoo witch doctors, deadly centipedes, and an undead marmoset. Fu-Manchu reveals some of his newest inventions, including invisibility and an antigravity device stolen straight from H.G. Wells, and explains his organization in the most detail yet.
It's a long book with some distinct elements. Fu-Manchu is sometimes his regular self, being sneaky and nefarious and escaping capture. Other times he follows his new path of tour guide describing his world vision and high tech goodies. Much of this book he is in the odd situation of trying to convince Nayland Smith to join sides with him. And by convince I mean blackmail. This story expounds upon the idea that Fu-Manchu does not consider himself at all evil, and states outright that he should not be considered a criminal. Not to say he considers himself good, he's above such petty distinctions. Fu-Manchu rarely gets the chance to explain himself, so it's nice to get a deeper look into his psyche.
There are some problems with this book. There is much hoopla about the presence of voodoo at work, but when it actually shows up it's hardly remarkable. Not nearly as remarkable as the wildly sci-fi elements of Fu-Manchu's Cloak of Invisibility and cavorite powered airplanes, which Kerrigan accepts rather quickly. Also Nayland Smith has developed the odd habit of talking in staccato and incomplete sentences. Possibly this is due to the amount of time he has to spend bringing Kerrigan up to date on what has happened during his most recent bought of unconsciousness, which happens with appalling frequency. But this is made up for by the chance to find out more about the personality and motives of Fu-Manchu, and to watch Fu-Manchu dispatch enemies within his organization. But mostly because Dr. Fu-Manchu has a secret base INSIDE A FRIGGIN VOLCANO! Sadly not an active one, but a real volcano nonetheless. Is there any part of the Dark Overlord checklist this man hasn't marked off? Every Evil Doctor, be he Dr. No, Doom, Evil, or Horrible is just a pale copy of the original mad genius.
This is the 10th book in the series and what was once amusing has now become tiresome. I speak of the pathetic screeds in the comments section, where invariably someone clutches their pearls, gets a case of the vapours, and goes into a swoon over the overt racism and other inappropriateness of the book. Anybody that does not adhere to their orthodoxy is to be banished, ostracized, shunned, put in the stocks, and branded. There are no public burnings as of yet, but the witch trials have clearly begun. They would have Fu-Manchu relegated to the same fire as Huckleberry Finn, Uncle Tom, and Ivanhoe. This too shall pass. These modern day Puritans always follow the same path, becoming more and more strident until they overstep in their zealotry. They may burn themselves out like in Salem, or Robespierre's Paris, or Cromwell's England, and after a brief Reign of Terror reason will reassert itself. Perhaps they will even become self-aware and voluntarily choose to moderate their actions, thus becoming useful citizens as happened with the Jesuits and the Mormons. In the end the self appointed referees of morality fade away. Until then we'll just have to deal with the idiots who didn't realize that a book with a caricature of a nefarious Chinaman on the front and a description of a yellow menace on the back cover might be somewhat racist in its portrayal of Asians, and survive their outrageously outrageous outrage with patience and grace.
It's a long book with some distinct elements. Fu-Manchu is sometimes his regular self, being sneaky and nefarious and escaping capture. Other times he follows his new path of tour guide describing his world vision and high tech goodies. Much of this book he is in the odd situation of trying to convince Nayland Smith to join sides with him. And by convince I mean blackmail. This story expounds upon the idea that Fu-Manchu does not consider himself at all evil, and states outright that he should not be considered a criminal. Not to say he considers himself good, he's above such petty distinctions. Fu-Manchu rarely gets the chance to explain himself, so it's nice to get a deeper look into his psyche.
There are some problems with this book. There is much hoopla about the presence of voodoo at work, but when it actually shows up it's hardly remarkable. Not nearly as remarkable as the wildly sci-fi elements of Fu-Manchu's Cloak of Invisibility and cavorite powered airplanes, which Kerrigan accepts rather quickly. Also Nayland Smith has developed the odd habit of talking in staccato and incomplete sentences. Possibly this is due to the amount of time he has to spend bringing Kerrigan up to date on what has happened during his most recent bought of unconsciousness, which happens with appalling frequency. But this is made up for by the chance to find out more about the personality and motives of Fu-Manchu, and to watch Fu-Manchu dispatch enemies within his organization. But mostly because Dr. Fu-Manchu has a secret base INSIDE A FRIGGIN VOLCANO! Sadly not an active one, but a real volcano nonetheless. Is there any part of the Dark Overlord checklist this man hasn't marked off? Every Evil Doctor, be he Dr. No, Doom, Evil, or Horrible is just a pale copy of the original mad genius.
This is the 10th book in the series and what was once amusing has now become tiresome. I speak of the pathetic screeds in the comments section, where invariably someone clutches their pearls, gets a case of the vapours, and goes into a swoon over the overt racism and other inappropriateness of the book. Anybody that does not adhere to their orthodoxy is to be banished, ostracized, shunned, put in the stocks, and branded. There are no public burnings as of yet, but the witch trials have clearly begun. They would have Fu-Manchu relegated to the same fire as Huckleberry Finn, Uncle Tom, and Ivanhoe. This too shall pass. These modern day Puritans always follow the same path, becoming more and more strident until they overstep in their zealotry. They may burn themselves out like in Salem, or Robespierre's Paris, or Cromwell's England, and after a brief Reign of Terror reason will reassert itself. Perhaps they will even become self-aware and voluntarily choose to moderate their actions, thus becoming useful citizens as happened with the Jesuits and the Mormons. In the end the self appointed referees of morality fade away. Until then we'll just have to deal with the idiots who didn't realize that a book with a caricature of a nefarious Chinaman on the front and a description of a yellow menace on the back cover might be somewhat racist in its portrayal of Asians, and survive their outrageously outrageous outrage with patience and grace.
February 2, 2015
Sax Rohmer in his book, “The Island of Fu-Manchu� Book Ten in the Dr. Fu-Manchu series published by Titan Books brings us new adventures of Sir Denis Nayland Smith and, of course, the evil Dr. Fu-Manchu.
From the Back Cover: “Imagine a person, tall, lean, and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan…�
The year is 1941, and the world is engulfed in war. Having consolidated his forces, Fu-Manchu seeks to tip the balance of power by launching assaults from a hidden stronghold in the Caribbean. His target: the United States naval forces, just entering the global conflict.
To stop the Devil Doctor, Sir Denis Nayland Smith and his ally, Bart Kerrigan, pick up the trail in London during the blackout, following it to New York, then the Panama Canal, and finally the land of voodoo—Haiti. There they face the enemy’s deadly combination of advanced technology and deep-rooted mysticism!
BONUS FEATURE: The Turkish Yataghan�, the third of the “lost adventures of Nayland Smith.
Afterword by Leslie S. Kilnger
“The Island of Fu-Manchu� reads like the old Movie Serials in that there is plot, action, a cliffhanger, out of danger, more plot, more action then another cliffhanger all throughout the book. I have no complaints. This is one super exciting book. Why Hollywood is not making this series into movies I do not have a clue. “The Island of Fu-Manchu� is a thriller, no doubt about it. Smith faces all kinds of perils as he races to stop this evil man. And the action leaps from London to New York on to Panama then Haiti. Mr. Rohmer writes in a breathless style that will keep you on the edge of your seat, flipping pages as fast as you can read them just trying to keep up with a runaway roller coaster ride story. “The Island of Fu-Manchu� is the perfect read to get your adrenalin going and root for the good guys to conquer a menace that is almost supremely evil. This is a wild ride read and I recommend it highly. This is a high-octane series and I am so glad that Titan Books is bringing the whole series back. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Titan Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.�
From the Back Cover: “Imagine a person, tall, lean, and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan…�
The year is 1941, and the world is engulfed in war. Having consolidated his forces, Fu-Manchu seeks to tip the balance of power by launching assaults from a hidden stronghold in the Caribbean. His target: the United States naval forces, just entering the global conflict.
To stop the Devil Doctor, Sir Denis Nayland Smith and his ally, Bart Kerrigan, pick up the trail in London during the blackout, following it to New York, then the Panama Canal, and finally the land of voodoo—Haiti. There they face the enemy’s deadly combination of advanced technology and deep-rooted mysticism!
BONUS FEATURE: The Turkish Yataghan�, the third of the “lost adventures of Nayland Smith.
Afterword by Leslie S. Kilnger
“The Island of Fu-Manchu� reads like the old Movie Serials in that there is plot, action, a cliffhanger, out of danger, more plot, more action then another cliffhanger all throughout the book. I have no complaints. This is one super exciting book. Why Hollywood is not making this series into movies I do not have a clue. “The Island of Fu-Manchu� is a thriller, no doubt about it. Smith faces all kinds of perils as he races to stop this evil man. And the action leaps from London to New York on to Panama then Haiti. Mr. Rohmer writes in a breathless style that will keep you on the edge of your seat, flipping pages as fast as you can read them just trying to keep up with a runaway roller coaster ride story. “The Island of Fu-Manchu� is the perfect read to get your adrenalin going and root for the good guys to conquer a menace that is almost supremely evil. This is a wild ride read and I recommend it highly. This is a high-octane series and I am so glad that Titan Books is bringing the whole series back. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Titan Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.�
November 5, 2011
1941 год. У доктора Фу Манчу новые планы по захвату мирового господства. В то время, пока в Европе белые убивают белых, Доктор намерен подчинить себе Штаты и их соседей. Новая база Фу находится вблизи Панамского канала, что позволяет ему держать в секретной заводи целый военный флот, который только ждет приказа к выступлению. Единственный человек, осведомленный о местонахождении этой заводи - профессор Бартон, в руки которого уникальная карта португальских конкистадоров. Нейланд Смит убеждает его помочь ему в борьбе с Фу Манчу и немедленно отправиться в Кингстон.
У Смита и Бартона есть третий спутник � молодой военный корреспондент Кэрриган, который после ранения в финнской кампании уже второй месяц умирает от скуки в британской глубинке. Кэрриган также оказывается незаменимым человеком для нового крестового похода Нейланда Смита. Только он может провести встречу с коварным китайцем по обмену заложников. Забрать у доктора девушку, которую он любит, и вернуть ему его любимую обезьянку, случайно оказавшуюся в плену у Бартона.
Последний роман про Фу Манчу совершенно неожиданно оказался довольно симпатичным. К 58 годам Сакс Ромер так и не научился писать и все еще не в состоянии избавиться от своих любимых штампов, но зато у него появилось нормальное чувство юмора� Или это мне это только почудилось? Вдобавок к этому, у книги есть еще один подкупающий момент � это легкие аллюзии на ”Остров сокровищ� Роберта Стивенсона. Приятные аллюзии. (1007.01.17)
У Смита и Бартона есть третий спутник � молодой военный корреспондент Кэрриган, который после ранения в финнской кампании уже второй месяц умирает от скуки в британской глубинке. Кэрриган также оказывается незаменимым человеком для нового крестового похода Нейланда Смита. Только он может провести встречу с коварным китайцем по обмену заложников. Забрать у доктора девушку, которую он любит, и вернуть ему его любимую обезьянку, случайно оказавшуюся в плену у Бартона.
Последний роман про Фу Манчу совершенно неожиданно оказался довольно симпатичным. К 58 годам Сакс Ромер так и не научился писать и все еще не в состоянии избавиться от своих любимых штампов, но зато у него появилось нормальное чувство юмора� Или это мне это только почудилось? Вдобавок к этому, у книги есть еще один подкупающий момент � это легкие аллюзии на ”Остров сокровищ� Роберта Стивенсона. Приятные аллюзии. (1007.01.17)
August 3, 2020
Island of Fu Manchu is #10 in the series, and I must admit I've read them in a rather hop-scotch order, since my stack of pending books (rather like me) is out of sorts. So I've gone from #1, to #3, to #12, to this one - and with the exception of my initial introduction, I think I like this one the best.
Set in 1941, you get a brief whiff of the war in England - but you get plenty of the esoteric. "Island of Fu Manchu" lays the path for Ian Fleming's "Live and Let Die": from England to Panama to Haiti, with voodoo and zombies, death apparently caused by mysterious snapping fingers, and a frightening floating green hand. We also have talking shrunken heads, and missing treasure, which might lead to an ideal underground submarine base desperately needed in wartime by all sides.
Of course, there's the usual cat-and-mouse game of kidnappings, with our narrator Bart Kerrigan, the ubiquitous Nayland Smith, and Sir Lionel Barton (the British expert on Haitian caves...because there had to be one) leading the charge against the genius but barely escaping death. Dr Fu Manchu has the army of the Si Fan behind him, with the help of his beautiful daughter Koreani, as well as the conflicted Ardatha with whom Kerrigan is in love.
My Pyramid edition was 208 pages. Originally published in 1941, you can feel the vintage, but it's entertaining nonetheless.
Set in 1941, you get a brief whiff of the war in England - but you get plenty of the esoteric. "Island of Fu Manchu" lays the path for Ian Fleming's "Live and Let Die": from England to Panama to Haiti, with voodoo and zombies, death apparently caused by mysterious snapping fingers, and a frightening floating green hand. We also have talking shrunken heads, and missing treasure, which might lead to an ideal underground submarine base desperately needed in wartime by all sides.
Of course, there's the usual cat-and-mouse game of kidnappings, with our narrator Bart Kerrigan, the ubiquitous Nayland Smith, and Sir Lionel Barton (the British expert on Haitian caves...because there had to be one) leading the charge against the genius but barely escaping death. Dr Fu Manchu has the army of the Si Fan behind him, with the help of his beautiful daughter Koreani, as well as the conflicted Ardatha with whom Kerrigan is in love.
My Pyramid edition was 208 pages. Originally published in 1941, you can feel the vintage, but it's entertaining nonetheless.
October 7, 2014
Fu Manchu. Voodoo. Zombies. Snapping Fingers Death. Invisible assailants. Floating green hands. A headquarter located in an extinct volcano. Haunting Asian beauties. Anti-gravitational flying devices. Black-outs in wartime London.
Seriously, what's not to like?
Seriously, what's not to like?
January 25, 2016
read SOMETIME in 2009
December 1, 2016
Disintegrator rays, a secret base, zombies... typical fare for Fu-Manchu!!
April 11, 2017
More nonsense from Rohmer. Incredibly "pulpy" fare more H. G. Wells and Jules Verne than Raymond Chandler! This serial type novel has many cliff hangers and very thinly written characters involved in implausible, rather science fiction type adventures. The time period is WWll and the fight for world domination is joined by Fu Manchu. The climax occurs in Haiti and features voodoo and zombies as well as the usual suspects.
If you are in the mood to read something totally non-essential and very light weight, this may be satisfying.
If you are in the mood to read something totally non-essential and very light weight, this may be satisfying.
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