(previously titled: "The Insidious
Dr. Fu-Manchu" in US)
Sax Rohmer
Titan Books
February 14, 2012 / 978-0857686039
Action/Adventure / Period Piece, Late Victorian London (~1910)
Amazon
Reviewed
by Beth E. McKenzie
I initially approached this book with a modicum of awe. The stories
that make up the Mystery of Fu-Manchu are 100 years old. Think of
it! One-hundred years old and there is a fresh audience open and
waiting for what will seem to be a new set of adventures to secure
the freedom and well-being of the peoples of the world!
When I was part way through, I was thoroughly enjoying myself, but
I was less in awe. The books follow what we have come to recognize
as the Holmes/Watson pattern; a driven savant (Commissioner Denis
Nayland Smith) paired with a somewhat unpretentious medical man
(Dr.[no-first-name] Petrie) who is consumed by the antics of his
friend and the need to record their joint exploits. My change in
attitude was not based on disappointment, but by the realization
that many of my favorites are over 100 years old: Tom Sawyer, The
Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, White Fang, The Phantom
of the Opera, Riders of the Purple Sage and, of course, Sherlock
Holmes only start the list.
The work portrays Dr. Fu-Manchu, his dacoits and thugs as the heartless
yellow threat that plans to destroy the English infrastructure and
subjugate her citizens. The story takes us to turn-of-the-century
Limehouse, a neighborhood in London with a reputation for the criminal
element where the Devil Doctor directs his minions from an opium
den. As a period piece it reflects world events and attitudes discussed
in a feature by Victorian scholar Leslie Klinger; negatively stereotypical
in our current world, but curiously relevant as a reflection on
history. The timing of this release is interesting if the yellow
peril is considered a metaphor for the current dearth of production
jobs leaving the US and going to Chinese factories. It will be interesting
to see how we deal with our own yellow threat and whether a modern
Nayland Smith will race to protect the unaware and secure the freedom
and well-being of the US economy.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
The
Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu
Emperor
Fu-Manchu |