186 07/92 The Frightened Fish
The ravings of a madman and the absence of all sea life at a Massachusetts fishing village lure Doc Savage and his crew to a small New England island bristling with gunmen, on a perilous submarine journey through the Panama Canal, and to the ravage coasts of Occupied Japan. There they fall into the clutches of an evil genius long believed dead, a shadowy figure who masterminded World War II… and now wants to plunge humanity into a new Armageddon. Trained by the same teacher, both possessed of the same genius, Doc Savage and this man have fought before. And now, as the world is about to lurch into another global war, Doc Savage must defeat his most loathsome adversary yet…
Don’t let the lack-lustre name fool you, this is one of the best Docs you’ll ever read. The best Will Murray I’ve read for sure. It’s short and fast like a good Doc should be yet tells the “big story” that only Doc can tell. The pacing drags slightly in spots but the story and the interplay between Doc and the Fab Five more than makes up for it. The Doc/Monk scene towards the end alone is more than worth the price of admission. Doc in love? Believe it! A great great Doc!!
This is dark stuff. I don’t think there has been any adventure where Doc has gone through the emotional turmoil he does here. Throw in an interesting mystery and the return of a foe believed to be dead and Will Murray delivers his finest Doc. If Murray wrote this even remotely like Dent would have done, then I am sorry that the original pulps ended in 1949. I think the Doc’s of 1947 through 1949 showed a creative rebirth after the mediocrity of ’45-46. This novel is well worth your time.
This is the best of the Will Murray Docs. The writing is engaging (though not as crisp or as colorful as Lester Dent’s writing), the story is gripping and Murray managed to focus on the Doc Savage we all know and love. Very readable. Recommended.