In the Kingdom of Calbia, the most far-flung plot of the century is already under way. The Man of Bronze and his daring companions join the revolutionary forces of Conte Cozonac but soon find themselves the intended victims of the most fearsome weapons the world has ever seen!

I think this might be one of the most underrated early Docs, maybe because Bantman reprinted it so late into the series. It has some genuinely great moments and is a very solid Doc advenutre. The ending is classic Monk and Ham and I think this was Fred Pfeifer's best paperback cover for the series. Very somber and elegant.

I agree with Hopkins: this is an often overlooked Doc. It is a great Doc Savage tale, with thrilling action, technology, and foreign adventure, plus one with obvious importance because it is mentioned in several other Doc Savages, in asides about his reputation, with people who had heard about the incident, and about repercussions of the secret weapons, war and his kingship. I think it is one of the hallmarks of the series. A touchstone, if you will.

The Kingmaker also is a crucial moment in the Doc Savage mythos. Can you think of anyone better suited to rule? Yet, there is the ethical delimma: how can someone dedicated to serving humanity become ruler of it? This was an ultimate test and one that Doc Savage passed. It proved his character by fire and becomes a monumental achievement in his life.

I also agree that the cover is fantastic. I loved that brooding Doc on the throne (a la Conan the Barbarian, you might say) and it was one of my favorites in childhood.

Thomas Fortenberry

One last thought: I often wondered if this tale, The King Maker, wasn't the basis for Doctor Victor von Doom, technological wizard and mad scientist king of a small Balkan kingdom in Europe.

The parallels are striking and it is easy to conceive of Doctor Doom as an anti-Doc Savage (who is, in fact, the basis of the ethical genius Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four in their New York City skyscraper headquarters atop the Baxter Building, the nemesis of Doctor Doom). I've found a lot of Marvel parallels over the years and believe that Stan Lee was a big time Doc fan. Maybe I'll ask him someday.

Thomas Fortenberry

Echoing some of the earlier comments, I, too, think this is a pretty good story, and I also happen to think that this is Fred Pfeiffer's best cover. It's such an unusual pose for Doc Savage and it captures all that Pfeiffer was good at: distinct planes of light and diffuse colors. According to some histories, this novel may be a collaborative novel between Dent and another writer. It certainly shows more polish than the usual Dent novel. Still, this is a very good Doc Savage novel framed in a world in international intrigue in the Balkins (the site of the origin of World War One).

An excellent adventure that offers a very distinct twist 2/3 of the way through. The Monk vs. Ham conflict is elevated to new heights near the beginning of the book as Monk paints a crimson Harvard flag on Habeas' flank. Hilarious!