148h 11/40 The Awful Dynasty

Posted by on Nov 17, 2000 in 1940, Bantam 145-156, bogart, clark, nanovic, novel, pulp, richardson | 3 comments

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When a deadly scarab starts visiting a curse from ancient Egypt on wealthy financiers, Doc and his bold crew face a terrifying death in the mysterious crypts of the most dangerous pyramid on earth.


  • http://www.howardhopkins.com Howard Hopkins

    A very sluggish Bogart tale. When left mostly to his own devices, Bogey could be a sleep-inducing writer. He needed Dent’s substantial revision to create standout tales.

  • Scott Kimball

    A silly, ho-hum story. I still had fun reading it, mainly because the “curse” was supposed to be utterly terrifying and horrible… but here is an example of the curse at work…”There followed a startled cry: ‘Good Lord! There’s something… here…in this room! It…it’s moving…like a big, fat bug!’”
    If that doesn’t get you shaking in your shoes, what will?
    “Good Lord! There… there’s a mouse…in…in this room! It…it’s coming at me! It…it’s stabbing me with a TOOTHPICK! Quick, call Doc Savage!”

  • http://www.thomasfortenberry.net Thomas Fortenberry

    Well, I was going to actually try and seriously review this book, but after reading Scott Kimball’s comments I am laughing too hard.

    Sigh.

    Here is another story that had potential but never delivers. All the elements are here, an ancient Egyptian curse, a beautiful princess, lost treasure, race to the Sahara and a battle in a pyramid. If Dent had written this it would have been spectacular.

    Proof positive that the writer truly matters. It is like a good builder; anyone can have all the right materials like wood and stone handed to them, but an inexperienced builder may just slap together a shoddy lean-to, whereas an architecture could construct a palace.