Dr. Quake

The Destroyer #5

by Warren Murphy, Richard Sapir

Forber isn't a mad scientist, he's a tectonic technician with a touch for terror who goes by the name "Dr. Quake". California's touchy San Andreas Fault is in danger of being professionally provoked. But it's not Dr. Quake's fault, for someone has split with his earthquake machine. If this dastardly deviant doesn't get a million dollars in cold hard cash he is going to shake down Southern California for a whole lot more. Luckily, shakedowns and natural disasters are just what the doctor ordered for Remo Williams, Korean death master Chiun's trained killing machine, because when it comes to finding weapons of mass destruction, it takes one to find one. After our Destroyer sifts through the blackmail and terror it's the pompous perpetrator who won't be left standing.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Action, Pulp, Martial Arts, Science Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Warren Murphy was an American author, most famous as the co-creator of The Destroyer series, the basis for the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. He worked as a reporter and editor and after service during the Korean War, he drifted into politics.

Murphy also wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 2. He is the author of the Trace and Digger series. With Molly Cochran, he completed two books of a planned trilogy revolving around the character The Grandmaster, The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989). Murphy also shares writing credits with Cochran on The Forever King and several novels under the name Dev Stryker. The first Grandmaster book earned Murphy and Cochran a 1985 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and Murphy's Pigs Get Fat took the same honor the following year.

His solo novels include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Murphy sold over 60 million books.

He started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, to have a vehicle to start The Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Assassin's Handbook 2, The Movie That Never Was (a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never optioned), The Way of the Assassin (the wisdom of Chiun), and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans of the series.

He served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League and the Screenwriters Guild.

Reviews

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remo and Chiun are back to stop blackmailers—but not your traditional type of extortionists. These criminals don’t have secrets to expose, they have invented a device that can cause (or suppress) earthquakes and they are offering to protect (or destroy) areas along the San Andreas fault for a fee. Naturally, other criminal elements are also interested in this process, so Remo and Chiun have their hands full.

Murphy and Sapir are still working to perfect their Destroyer formula. In this book they add a very significant science fiction element, something that will feature in many future books. Remo continues to be rather stupid as a detective, but his plan is designed to draw the bad guys to him so it doesn’t cause him too much trouble. Once again, it’s Chiun who is the stealth star of the novel, bringing his delightfully bizarre way of looking at everything. I once read that the authors had originally planned to kill Chiun off in this book. If true, it’s fortunate that they changed their minds. Chiun is the heart of this series.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[S. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Dr. Quake, Remo and Chiun are summoned to San Aquino County, California to track down who is responsible for blackmailing local officials with the ability to cause earthquakes, a mission that becomes complicated when local mobsters try to horn in on the action.

Five books into the Destroyer series now, and the format has now settled into a comfortable mold. Background info on Cure, Remo, and Chuin for the new reader are brief paragraphs instead of whole pages, and the relationship between Chiun and Remo is pretty much assumed to be common knowledge (to the reader, at least).

Nixon is assumed to still be president based on the time the book was written, but no contextual hints are dropped like in the previous novels. One could assume this was simply due to a lack of relevance to the story. However, the 1972 publication date of this Destroyer novel places its writing around the same time as the release of the Pentagon papers, and Vietnam is repeatedly brought up by multiple characters throughout the story, so the lack of any attention to the identity of the president in this one is, in my opinion, slightly suspect. Looking forward to seeing how Watergate is referenced in futire books.

The plot has very few twists and turns this go around. In fact, the plot is essentially a straight line considering that the main villain's name is the title of the book, and pretty much EVERYBODY calls him by this name from the word go. I'm sure this was obvious to Murphy as well, hence the inclusion of his favorite Mafia goons trying to take over the Earthquake Blackmail racket in their typically bumbling ways. This doesn't mean that Dr. Quake isn't entertaining, but it does mean you aren't going to waste much time trying to figure out what's going on.

HIS NAME WAS REMO: We're finally here! "HIS NAME WAS REMO and he had not read more than one of the geology books shipped to him at the hotel in St. Thomas." Format has been achieved.

THE BAD GUY: Dr. Quake is the first appearance in the Destroyer universe of a Bond-type villain, albeit on a smaller scale (if you consider trying to sink California "smaller"). Dr. Silas Forben runs the Richter Institute in San Aquino, and is known by everybody as Dr. Quake, yet no credible suspicion is placed on him, and Murphy still includes the big reveal at the end. I want to believe that this was all done intentionally by Murphy to subtly underline the absurdity of how Bond-like villains somehow avoid detection while perpetrating insanely grandiose schemes.

REMO & CURE: Remo's first appearance in the book involves him taking out a small-time heroin smuggling operation, during which it is explained that CURE has Remo do these "small assignments" in between "big assignments," so we can rest assured that Remo is acting as low-level vigilant in between squashing national and international threats.

REMO & CHIUN: Remo and Chiun have settled nicely into their routine. There's no explanation needed when Remo calls Chiun "Little Father," and Chiun is along for the ride to lovingly chastise and berate Remo whenever he gets the chance.

REMO’S LADIES: Female characters are restricted to the two femme fatales, Dr. Quake's busty twin daughters Jacki and Jill, who spend most of their time verbally assaulting the local corrupt sheriff and seducing men before forcing their internal organs out of their mouth with a high-powered "water laser." No positive female characters on display this time, I'm afraid. In fact, the only other female characters that get any dialogue are a secretary and a slutty gossiping waitress. The closest we get to a positive female character is the widow of Dr. Quake's victims, and we only get to meet her silently in the background during the funeral. And yes, Remo does have sex with Jacki and Jill, but in his defense they do so with the intention of killing him after exhausting him with sex.

BODY COUNT: Remo racks up 11 kills in Dr. Quake: 7 heroin smugglers in his opening chapter, three mobsters, and Dr. Quake's daughters. I almost didn't count Jacki and Jill in the count because their kills are indirect, but he DOES drop them in the fault line where they are crushed between two tectonic plates, so I feel like that's earned.

I've mentioned in previous reviews that I started reading Destroyer novels when I was seven or eight years old because my Uncle Mark was a horrible babysitter, but I need to bring it up again because the vivid description of Remo's tenth kill - in which he pins a monster to the top of his Cadillac with his own ice pick and runs him through a car wash - has been firmly wedged in my memory for the past forty years.

Chiun only gets 2 confirmed kills this time. It would have been 4, but he takes out a deputy sheriff off screen and says he "suddenly decided to take a nap" with no confirmation of the actual kill, and Dr. Quake's demise due to Chiun's destruction of his earthquake machine is an unintentional death.

[Balkron · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating Scale:
1 Star - Horrible book, It was so bad I stopped reading it. I have not read the whole book and wont
2 Star - Bad book, I forced myself to finish it and do NOT recommend. I can't believe I read it once
3 Star - Average book, Was entertaining but nothing special. No plans to ever re-read
4 Star - Good Book, Was a really good book and I would recommend. I am Likely to re-read this book
5 Star - GREAT book, A great story and well written. I can't wait for the next book. I Will Re-Read this one or more times.

Times Read: 1

One of the first series I read consistently. This series and the Executioner series are responsible for my love of reading and stories.

Characters - Looking back to my younger reading days, I loved Remo Williams and thought he was one of the coolest characters in history. I still think Remo is a good character. Unique in a number of ways even today.

Story - The stories are average and fairly typical. Bad guys going to kill or hurt, Remo is going to kill them first (no way he is going to die not with Chuin as his teacher). Not much in creativity but it really worked for me as a male teenager. I started learning Judo and Karate partly because of Remo.

Overall - I started reading these when I was 16. I enjoyed them up until about age 19. My tastes changed from Military intrigue to Fantasy / SciFi. I would recommend reading these especially for younger males.

NOTE: I am going to rate these all the books in this series the same. Some of the stories are a bit better or a bit worse but I can't find one that I would rate a 2 or 4.

[Andy Rausch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm in the process of re-reading all 153+ Destroyer novels in order. This was the first bad one in the series, at least in my estimation. The first one was the previous low point, although much of that was just a matter of it being burdened with being the first and trying to simultaneously figure out what/who Remo Williams was going to be and also tell an origin story while still trying to provide a book one mission. It was clunky, but it wasn't bad. This one is pretty bad. Maybe not "bad", but certainly not up to par with the better books in the series. It was already clear by book five that Sapir and Murphy would not be capable of churning out three or four books a year without some of them being a mess. They wouldn't start using ghost writers for years, but maybe they should have started earlier. They were great writers--certainly a terrific team--but this was their fourth book of 1972, which is A LOT. It would be hard for ANYONE to be consistent churning out that many books in a year. And this wasn't even their last book of the year! They still had one more, Death Therapy!

The problems with this book: the plot is a mess and the book spends its first third primarily with other characters rather than Remo and Chiun. If those characters were more interesting, this would be no problem. But...

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the big men's adventure series from the 70's than ran an impressive 145 books. The series while an adventure/action story is also full of satire toward much of the mainstream fads and icons of the time. An interesting main character and the sarcastic mentor makes this a funny action/adventure read. This issue the heroes must stop Dr. Quake and his earthquake machine. Recommended

[Jimipez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Love the writing and enjoy watching the characters grow and change as lessons are learned! This series was written in a different era and it's fun to see problems being solved with brains and muscle not high tech junk!

[Richard Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

On my continued survey of 20th century pulp fiction--I take on The Destroyer #5: Dr. Quake.

It's not that great.

Like other pulp fiction, it reads quick, and plenty happens, especially at the end. The language is often sexist and somewhat racist and homophobic--though most of that seems to be in character, coming out of the mouths of gangsters and redneck sheriffs and the like. But some of that is definitely the author, writing intentionally for the perceived audience. (Some of it is the equivalent of "the woman boobily boobied down the stairs.") So that part is interesting and awkward, in roughly equal parts.

Silly plot, of course. Somebody has a machine that can trigger earthquakes and is using it to shake down businesspeople in one particular town, for a few thousand dollars monthly. The machine is ridiculous. But it's just a plot point to get Remo Williams out there, facing the bad guys. Well, bad girls. Women's libbers. Very 70s.

My biggest complaint with the book is that we mostly follow the villains and patsies. I don't really want to spend so much time in the company of unlikable, unpleasant people. We only get a little of the main character until near the end, when he finally gets to show what he's capable of.

And I don't like Remo Williams. At least, not the version in this book. I wonder if he gets better. He is callous and shallow and frivolous. Kinda stupid. Not too amusing. (Though I think I'm supposed to laugh at him for being a goof instead of being annoyed at him for it.) I've got a couple more books on the shelf, so we'll see if I warm up to him.

I've always connected The Destroyer (Remo Williams) and The Executioner (Mack Bolan) in my mind since seeing the books more or less together, both series being read by older relatives when I was a kid back in the 70s. And they have some things in common, enough to explain the crossover appeal. However, so far, I much prefer Mack Bolan. He also has some bad qualities, but he appears to be a more palatable hero. IMO. However, until I've read a few more of this series, it's not a very informed opinion. We'll see.

If I were giving half-point scores, this is more of a 2.5 than a 3--I didn't DNF, but it was on the bubble, and it wasn't great.

It definitely has a macho 70s ethos, and based on that I wouldn't care to recommend this to most readers. Most of them would probably hate it. (That doesn't make it a bad book, in my mind. There should be a wide range of books for a wide range of readers.) If you do find you do like a book in the series, look for dozens like it on the rickety turnstile in the back corner of your local book store. :)

[A. Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even many devoted fans of the series consider this one pretty so-so, but to me the series never improved on it in ONE area, the titillation. I mean of course the scientist's twin daughters, who might or might not know more about the plot than they seem to.

Speaking of titillation, this one more or less breaks a very big rule of the series, and that's the Remo character's extreme control of his libido (one result of his training) - he lets go of that control completely when it comes to the twins. So anyone who doesn't go for VERY graphic sex scenes in Men's Adventure books, but does like very "steamy" ones, would have a reason to like this one.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of 5 in the series written by Sapir and Murphy in '72, this adventure finds Remo and Chiun looking for bad people who can create or prevent earthquakes - for a price.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yet another in the Destroyer series and this one finally gets lurid with its focus on the daughters of the eponymous title character whose sex appeal is as superhuman as Remo and Chiun’s fighting skills. Of course, they are no match for Remo’s own sexual abilities and thus lies the crux of not only this series but the superhero concept in general: where’s the danger, thrill, excitement if you’re invulnerable, etc.? That why they had to introduce kryptonite to Superman and why Peter Parker was always worried about being unmasked because of what it might do to his poor Aunt May if she had a shock. Murphy and Sapir are early to the superhero game and haven’t yet figured out what Achille’s heel to give their super duo.

Worth reading? Not really. Not even for the titillation factor (oh, you don’t know how much of a pun that is).

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the fifth book in the series, the satire element has taken over and there's not much attempt to be "serious" like so many of the other men's adventure novels that were so popular in the 1970's. The author's consistently mock the tropes of those novels, while simultaneously telling a fun, albeit very, very non-"pc" action tale.

A lot of the fun happens in the characterizations of Remo and his "little father" Chiun, as they track down the bad guys amidst one-liners and put-downs.

In this episode, Remo is tasked with keeping the Mafia from acquiring an "earthquake machine" that is also being used to blackmail the US government. As usual, there's lots of wacky hijinks along the away.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is pure non sense which in small doses can be fine. In this one you have an earthquake machine that can cause or prevent earthquakes. Well the inventers are blackmailing a town's richest citizens with it for money. Then the mafia hears about it and want the machine. This is what the Destroyer and his master run into, also there are big breasted twin women who also are dangerous in their own right.

Again hard to recommend this series it's not good but is amusing. Dont know how it lasted so long to be honest. I have several others and will read more but will space them far apart.

[Eric Troup · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only the fifth book in a series which gave us roughly four books a year for decades, so the series is still kind of settling into itself. This is not a bad thing, as far as I'm concerned. The fun is there. The dynamic between Remo and Chiun is starting to grow into what those of us who came into the series from the middle have come to expect. The one warning I will give is that this book, by today's standards, is quite politically incorrect. Some may find that offensive, others may find it refreshing, and still others will find it just is, and not care much, if at all. I belong to the latter category. Still, I thought it should be addressed. That's the biz, sweetheart.

[World's Okayest Brother · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely wretched.

Sent to me by mistake by my father, who said I should read it because I enjoyed adventure books as a kid. I am too old for this kind of jingoism, racism, and misogyny.

The only good character is the old Korean dude, who is still a pastiche of every Orientalist trope you can think of from throughout the 1900s. The action sequences aren't even fun! The authors don't know what sex looks like except to go "OH BOY, BOOBS"

I'm still going to read the next three, because they were given to me, and because I think reading bad books is edifying, but these are really on another level of bad

[Vulco1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remo you did it again!

To be continued

[Dominic · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love 70s Kung Fu movies and James Bond and bad guys getting their butts handed to them, you'll love Remo Williams, the Destroyer series.

[Mark James Wooding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining action story. The authors knew the formula for compelling adventure stories, and they executed it well once again.

[Jeff J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

#5 in the Destroyer series. Remo & Chiun encounter a scheme to trigger the San Andreas Fault. Much chaos ensues.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific

Yet another awesome story of Remo and Chiun. No spoilers. A great story with an awesome ending. I love the humor of these two.

[Paul Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quaketacular

This book shows it's age and many would not like some characters. But to those who love the Destroyer, Remo and Chuin adventures are always fun.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always a good time dump, some better some worse but all of these books are a fun light baggage free read.

[Bobby H · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 star Average writing. A little slow at times. Like the idea of an assassin that is a human weapon.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the stories I've read so far...3.5 stars

[George K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Δόκτωρ Σεισμός", εκδόσεις ΒΙΠΕΡ.

Αυτό είναι το πέμπτο βιβλίο της σειράς, θα διάβαζα τα προηγούμενα πρώτα αλλά δεν τα έχω, όμως δεν είναι πρόβλημα αυτό, λίγο-πολύ είναι αυτοτελή. Καλό θα ήταν, πάντως, όποιος θέλει να διαβάσει τη σειρά, να διαβάσει οπωσδήποτε το πρώτο βιβλίο, μιας και είναι η εισαγωγή. Το Δόκτωρ Σεισμός μου φάνηκε λίγο καλύτερο του πρώτου βιβλίου, μιας και ίσως είχε περισσότερη δράση και πλάκα, αν και αυτό είναι λογικό.

Ποια είναι η ιστορία: Η Καλιφόρνια είναι γνωστή για την ρωγμή του Σαν Αντρέας και ότι είναι από τις πιο σεισμογενείς περιοχές του πλανήτη. Όμως υπάρχει κάποιος που μπορεί να ελέγχει το σεισμό και να τον χρησιμοποιεί κατά βούληση. Και εκβιάζει κάποιους πλούσιους κατοίκους μιας μικρής πόλης αλλά και την κυβέρνηση, και παίρνει λεφτά για να μην κάνει κακό. Έτσι στέλνεται ο Ρέμο Ουίλιαμς, ο Εξολοθρευτής, για να αναλάβει δράση.

Η πλοκή είναι σχετικά απλή, η ιδέα λίγο τραβηγμένη, αλλά η δράση μπόλικη και οι χαρακτηριστικές σκηνές πολλές και σκληρές. Φυσικά υπάρχει σεξ και γραφικές σκηνές βίας, όπως και δυο δίδυμες τρελές θεογκόμενες που σκοτώνουν με ένα πολύ βίαιο τρόπο. Και υπάρχει αρκετό χιούμορ και η ατμόσφαιρα είναι αρκετά ευχάριστη γενικά. Διαβαζόταν πολύ γρήγορα. Παλπ της δεκαετίας του '70, με χαρακτηριστική ατμόσφαιρα εκείνης της εποχής.

Αρκετά καλογραμμένο και με κλασικούς χαρακτήρες που συναντά κανείς σε καλά παλπ μυθιστορήματα (μαφιόζοι, σερίφηδες, σκληροί άντρες και ωραίες γκόμενες). Μου άρεσε.

[Bryan457 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scientist has developed a machine that can produce earthquakes. It is used to extort money from a small town and ultimately from the U.S. government. Remo is sent to find it and the person behind it.

Average plot, but really starting to bring along all the little parts that make this series stand out.

Warning, sex and graphic gory violence.

[Will Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first of the Destroyers that kind of set the tone for the 70's ones to me. Going back and reading them in order has been a bit weird in that regard. The characters are so fleshed out by now and have changed so much over the years. Here, you really see that 70's version of Remo. It's a fun ride.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great bit of manly adventure when Chuin and Remo have to deal with a mad scientist that can create earthquakes.

Lots of action, humor, babes and testosterone. Equal parts James Bond and comic book.

[Chippedpotato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really neat concept, interesting reading as it's set in a recent but older time. Better than the move but when ISN'T the book?
Like a more violent American James Bond....Kinda what Jason Bourne woulda been if he hadn't rebelled/"broke"

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great entry in the series. This book doesn't read right, as if it were ghosted.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great fun. It isn't a serious literary masterpiece but it is definitely fun.