By night, a fabulous city floats like a phosphorescent fantasy over the watery waste of the Pacific. The awestruck sailors who witness this miraculous sight find themselves gifted suddenly with superhuman powers. But by morning the phantasm -- and its magic -- have mysteriously vaporized. Stranger still, why are a certain crime kingpin and beautiful but ruthless heiress fascinated by the unearthly event? To come up -- alive --with an answer, the Man of Bronze will need all his incredible cunning and towering strength. (Bantam renamed this novel: "The Magic Island")

I enjoyed this one. What struck me was the familiar style. This one had the tone of someone sitting you down and telling you a tale. It moved slowly and was dull in parts but the tone set it apart. Also, the fabulous five, especially Monk, were portrayed more as Doc's equals than as "his" men. I liked this since the five are always shown as being men of ability and talent in their respective fields. Although many of the stories TELL us that Doc does not view the five as his subordinates, Ost/The Magic Island SHOWED them as equals. Not a great Doc but a good one.

I found "Ost" to be one of the few excellent Docs of the late 1930s. It moves right along, taking the reader to an exotic local (with a great take on the strange city trope common to pulp fiction) and is filled with blue men chasing Doc and his pals. No one likes the paperback cover. Doc is too old, but the city is captured correctly. I've read this book about three times and while it's not of the caliber of the novels of 1933-1935, it still can please.