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kevin_shepherd's review against another edition
5.0
As a kid in the 1970s I would devour every Doc Savage paperback I could lay my hands on. This is the one that started it all.
infinispace's review against another edition
4.0
(Published #1, Bantam book #1) Had some of these when I was a kid and recently picked up a lot off Ebay on a nostalgic whim. It's about what I expected from memory...uncomplicated, action pulp. Some of the dated dialogue, nearly 100 years old!, is a hoot...which makes reading it even more entertaining. These were written in a completely different era and social atmosphere, and one must sometimes look past the social norms and mores that exist today. It's interesting to note that many superheros that came later (specifically Batman, 1939 and Superman, 1938) can trace their lineage directly to Doc Savage (1933). Doc and his Fabulous Five have no qualms about getting their hands dirty...errrr...bloody. In this first novel there is a lot of killing, some of it bare handed death doled out by Doc. This is a marked difference from the derivative comics which would come later.
For all intents and purposes, Doc Savage was the first superhero...forgotten in time.
For all intents and purposes, Doc Savage was the first superhero...forgotten in time.
thecrankyreader's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to love this book. Instead I found it rather boring. Everytime you thought maybe the characters were going to encounter a problem. Nope super Doc Savage was doing something behind the scenes and saved the day. I may read the second one and hope for something a little better.
jerryg's review against another edition
3.0
A delightfully horrible book. Doc Savage is faster, smarter, and stronger than anyone else and of course the young women fall for him every time. But he has no time, he must save the world. Classic pulp.
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
Straight up: This book is bonkers. I mean, Doc is the best at everything. He has a team of five friends who accompany him on his adventures, all of whom are the best in their fields, but they're not as good as Doc. Whenever they make a discovery during the course of their adventures, he's already figured it out, but he doesn't say anything, because he doesn't want to deprive them of it. He's the strongest, the bravest, the smartest, the most cunning, along with being the bronziest and the golden-eye-est. If this guy wasn't an inspiration for Superman, then I don't know what Siegel and Shuster were doing, because nothing screams "All-American Golden Boy" more than Doc.
The style of the book is ridiculous, too. Bullets are called lead missiles, every character is described by their appearance at least once a page (and, in the case of the female characters, every time they appear), and everything is declared breathlessly. Succinctly. With exclamation points! I'm guessing this is characteristic of pulp fiction, but I'm not familiar enough with it as a genre to say from personal experience.
Despite all that (and the rampant ethnocentrism and latent sexism), it's still a lot of fun to read. It's hard to take the story seriously, what with the characters and the style, but that seems to be the point. It's not meant to be a Great Novel, but a means of escape. It's not written for modern sensibilities, but so long as people can go in to it understanding it as a product of its time, it shouldn't be too bad. I'm not going to read the rest of the series (all 181 of them!), but it was a fun novelty read.
The style of the book is ridiculous, too. Bullets are called lead missiles, every character is described by their appearance at least once a page (and, in the case of the female characters, every time they appear), and everything is declared breathlessly. Succinctly. With exclamation points! I'm guessing this is characteristic of pulp fiction, but I'm not familiar enough with it as a genre to say from personal experience.
Despite all that (and the rampant ethnocentrism and latent sexism), it's still a lot of fun to read. It's hard to take the story seriously, what with the characters and the style, but that seems to be the point. It's not meant to be a Great Novel, but a means of escape. It's not written for modern sensibilities, but so long as people can go in to it understanding it as a product of its time, it shouldn't be too bad. I'm not going to read the rest of the series (all 181 of them!), but it was a fun novelty read.
jonathanrobert's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: What's With That Shirt?
Drinking Buddy: Teetotaler
Testosterone Level: Off the Scale
Talky Talk: Steampunky, When Punky Wasn't Cool
Bonus Factors: Sidekicks, Hideouts
Bromance Status: Holding Out For a Hero
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: What's With That Shirt?
Drinking Buddy: Teetotaler
Testosterone Level: Off the Scale
Talky Talk: Steampunky, When Punky Wasn't Cool
Bonus Factors: Sidekicks, Hideouts
Bromance Status: Holding Out For a Hero
Read the full book report here.
pablov95's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0