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column 016 04/35 The Spook Legion column
 

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The entire city of New York is swept up in a wave of terror, as an evil international conspiracy devises a crime so sinister that only Doc Savage and his five mighty cohorts can halt its fiendish plan. Led by a phantom master criminal with stupefying supernatural powers, the conspiracy sets trap after trap for Doc. Finally, in a fantastic underground empire, the fearless bronze giant and his courageous crew must fight for their lives against a diabolical enemy that cannot even be seen.




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Note: Comments may contain spoilers.

Dave Taggart

A classic Doc Savage idea -- invisible men committing crimes -- with Doc and the gang becoming invisible too! The thing is, it only makes people invisible, not their clothes, so Doc is naked for much of the novel!

- | - June 15, 2003 07:20 AM

Barry Ellis

A couple of fairly interesting plot devices, but this story has never done much for me.

- | - July 21, 2003 08:31 PM

Andrew Salmon

This was the one that did it for me. I had read the first adventure and hadn't liked it so my expectations weren't high going into this one. But boy was it fun! The invisibility ray and Doc and the gang running around naked (though invisible) was just too much!! I was hooked from that moment on and have been enjoying Doc for the last 3 years. Looking forward to many more as I work my way through the series.

- | - July 22, 2003 05:44 PM

Andrew Bowen

I thought this was above average.
Telegraph Edmunds is one of the more competent Evil Henchmen. I thought it made a great scene when a disguised Doc tried to join the gang, and Telegraph kayoed him on the principle of "Why take chances?"
I liked Doc (and Habeas) at the opera. It is nice to know that Doc appreciates high culture.
This was one of the more suspenseful Docs. Until the skunk farm, it was all Doc, Monk, and Ham could do to stay alive. For once, it seemed like they were up against a gang that had their numbers.
I found it very amusing that Ham consistently spoke in a Harvard accent. This is one of the few novels where Gen. Brooks has sounded like a "Hah-vahd" man throughout the book.
On the downside, I thought the death scene of the mastermind was forced, and I would have liked to have seen more of Old Bonepicker. He seemed to have more than a touch of rascal in him.

- | - August 19, 2003 05:38 PM

Tim Lucas

Not in the Top Ten, I grant you, but nevertheless very enjoyable on all counts. With its invisibility sci-fi angle, four-to-the-floor action and numerous fist fights, this would have made a perfect Republic serial. The banter between Ham and Monk is especially arch and amusing. Later retitled THE GHOST LEGION, which is unfortunate because in this context, the word "spook" suggests a fun sort of scare, which is just what the book delivers.

- | - October 7, 2004 02:42 PM

Paul Cook

While I absolutely hated the Bama cover for this book (Bama was never good with machines), I thought the story, while totally far-fetched, was actually gripping and funny in spots. But the train wreck in the end is one of the best-written climaxes in all of the Doc books.

- | - December 3, 2004 03:15 AM

Mark Carpenter

"The Spook Legion" is a mixed bag. The climax, involving Doc and Monk becoming invisible, is terrific. But the setup is long, dull and meandering — the first 12 chapters are nothing but Doc and company chasing various gangs around New York. This is par for the course. The very best Doc adventures (with the exception of the great "Death in Silver") happen outside of the city. "Legion" is a frustrating read that
only gets interesting in the last four chapters.

- | - August 5, 2005 10:10 AM

Lee Dorrance

Another favorite of mine, this one has a great storyline from beginning to end. Doc and Monk's invisible romp through New York is classic, I would recommend reading this one just for those few chapters!

- | - June 9, 2006 09:13 PM


   
   

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