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Doc Savage (Bantam) #25
The Devil's Playground, a Doc Savage Adventure
Vintage Doc Savage Paperback reprinting the 1930's Pulp Magazines
119 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1941
105 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Robeson
913 books134 followersKenneth Robeson was the house name used by Street and Smith Publications as the author of their popular character Doc Savage and later The Avenger. Though most Doc Savage stories were written by the author Lester Dent, there were many others who contributed to the series, including:
William G. Bogart
Evelyn Coulson
Harold A. Davis
Lawrence Donovan
Alan Hathway
W. Ryerson Johnson
Lester Dent is usually considered to be the creator of Doc Savage. In the 1990s Philip José Farmer wrote a new Doc Savage adventure, but it was published under his own name and not by Robeson. Will Murray has since taken up the pseudonym and continued writing Doc Savage books as Robeson.
All 24 of the original stories featuring The Avenger were written by Paul Ernst, using the Robeson house name. In order to encourage sales Kenneth Robeson was credited on the cover of The Avenger magazine as "the creator of Doc Savage" even though Lester Dent had nothing to do with The Avenger series. In the 1970s, when the series was extended with 12 additional novels, Ron Goulart was hired to become Robeson.
William G. Bogart
Evelyn Coulson
Harold A. Davis
Lawrence Donovan
Alan Hathway
W. Ryerson Johnson
Lester Dent is usually considered to be the creator of Doc Savage. In the 1990s Philip José Farmer wrote a new Doc Savage adventure, but it was published under his own name and not by Robeson. Will Murray has since taken up the pseudonym and continued writing Doc Savage books as Robeson.
All 24 of the original stories featuring The Avenger were written by Paul Ernst, using the Robeson house name. In order to encourage sales Kenneth Robeson was credited on the cover of The Avenger magazine as "the creator of Doc Savage" even though Lester Dent had nothing to do with The Avenger series. In the 1970s, when the series was extended with 12 additional novels, Ron Goulart was hired to become Robeson.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 10, 2021
Doc and his crew investigate some seemingly supernatural killings at a mining camp. Not one of the best entries, but it was okay.
September 24, 2024
I've mentioned many times in my Doc Savage reviews that Kenneth Robeson was a house name used by Street & Smith. I've also mentioned that Lester Dent used that house name far more often than any other writer, so much so that he was responsible for almost three quarters of the 'Doc Savage' novels. And I've mentioned the other writers who stepped in here and there as they did so, from Harold A. Davis in June 1934 to, well, here, as this marks the last time a different writer would take on the mantle of Kenneth Robeson for the first time. It fell to Alan Hathway to write this one, his first of four novels in the series, and I'm now looking forward to the other three.
What struck me immediately was how well he set a scene. The descriptions from the very first page are a step-up on the norm for this series and they continue throughout the book. It's simply better prose than tended to be used to tell pulp stories like these. His dialogue isn't quite up to the same standard but it doesn't spoil the chilling effect of the first chapter, as Johnny Pinetree is slashed to death by the Devil's Tomahawks in a flash, all while surrounded by the drums of death beating under a brooding sky now punctuated by streaks of fiery lightning. Too many of these novels feature characters being scared senseless by events that we shrug off but I could buy into the sheer terror that these feel up there in the northern peninsula of Michigan.
All the action unfolds in the vicinity of the Deep Cut mill and mines, run by Pig-iron Heller until he's killed and then ostensibly by Iris Heller, his daughter, because he can't reach his adopted nephew Marquette Heller, who is half Ojibway. Of course, the threat from the Native Americans mean that people want to reach Doc Savage, but he's already on the case, because we recognise little Johnny, who had wandered into the north woods not a month earlier with a remarkable knowledge of hematite and been promptly hired by Pig-iron. One of those people is Mattson Kovisti, who flies to Detroit to meet with Renny at Long Tom's suggestion, only to fall prey to the Devil's Tomahawks right there on the street.
At this point, everything's still positive. Doc's away at the Fortress of Solitude, so his aides have to step up, an approach I wish had been taken more often. And when was the last time that we met Johnny, Renny and Long Tom before Monk and Ham? Had it ever happened before? It certainly should have done and it happens here. However, problems are starting to creep in. For one, while we don't know yet what the Devil's Tomahawks are, when we do eventually find out we'll immediately flash back to that scene in Detroit and say "Huh?" Also, Doc being away is fine, because we know he spends away time at the Fortress of Solitude but we also know that, as Long Tom pointed out to Kovisti, he can't be reached. Except, apparently, now he can.
That's not good and it's not the last example of Hathway slipping up on his 'Doc Savage' lore while writing this book. I have to wonder about who edited it and didn't catch these sort of mistakes either. My other problem is Hathway's reliance on some rather improbable gadgets. Sure, Doc is a genius as are his various aides, in their respective fields, but, while I didn't buy into Ham and Monk being killed when their canoe is bombed on Lake Superior, I also didn't buy into the reason why. Maybe I might buy into the contraption being stable enough to deal with some chemical rocket propulsion system that Monk has conjured up to make it go really fast, but to also turn it into a surprisingly spacious submarine with a built-in laboratory is a few steps too far.
What follows continues to be both positive and negative. It's always a well-described story, in vivid locations and with plenty of local colour. There's always much to praise, whether it's Monk showing off a few new skills, like being able to understand and speak Ojibway, remember the words to 'Hiawatha' when there's need to do so or saving the day in memorable fashion—the ventriloquist trick to make his pig, Habeas Corpus, speak is a literal lifesaver this time out—or the fact that the local Native Americans aren't simply a homogeneous mass but three distinctive groups with distinctive thinking, right down to the status of halfbreeds, and I don't just mean the Indians who are really Brooklynites in disguise. On many fronts, this is the best book in the series I've read in a while.
On the other hand, there's often much to cause disdain, most obviously the use of gadgetry, which Hathway is fond of overusing, albeit in a different way to Lawrence Donovan, who loved his superscience. Doc uses a new gas here that makes anyone who breathes it move in slow motion, which is rather far-fetched. Sure, it's highly visual in a 'Dick Tracy' serial sort of way but it's far from credible. Similarly I didn't buy into Doc being able to pull off so many amazing feats while there's a capsule stuck up his right nostril containing a powerful solvent that can be sneezed out and dripped onto metal handcuffs to melt them. There's a lot wrong with that logic.
The only innovative use of a gadget that worked for me was one that backfired, something that happens far too rarely in this series, given that there are so many ways that they could go horribly wrong. Just run a risk assessment on a capsule full of metal-dissolving solvent stuck up your nose for a start! Doc escapes one mass attack by hurling out globules that break when they hit something solid likes trees, creating a vibrant flame and smoke to cause a distraction, but there's a catch. Throw water on them, as may be natural if you think the forest around you is alight, and it becomes a far more dangerous substance. So, while he could have got away in this instance, Doc safely extinguishes what he started to keep the locals safe and is caught for his trouble. That's refreshing.
The question, of course, is whether all these highly positive aspects outweigh all these highly negative ones, and I'm not sure I can answer that. I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I rolled my eyes at it more than once. I think the deciding vote may come down to what we learn during the finalé. I won't spoil that, beyond it being a good way to answer our running concern about the Deep Cut mine failing because the quality of its iron ore fails to meet commercial grade but someone clearly cares about it so deeply that they'll go to extreme ends to acquire it. What I will say is that the reasoning ties to current affairs in January 1941, when this novel was published in 'Doc Savage Magazine'.
I've been looking at these novels carefully for a couple of years now to see when and how the various writers of this series will acknowledge that there's a World War going on. For the most part, they haven't, keeping a distance from it, one reason why this novel is set around Sault Ste. Marie rather than some exotic nation in a more exotic latitude. When they have, it's rarely factored into the actual plot, a couple of notable exceptions notwithstanding, one of which, 'The Flying Goblin' backfired horribly to eighty years of hindsight. However, in this one, Hathway actually pits Doc against enemy agents, even if it's at a level of abstraction. That's quite an approach for his first novel in the series. Let's see what he comes up in his other three entries over the next year.
Originally posted at the Nameless Zine in January 2024:
https://www.thenamelesszine.org/Voice...
Index of all my Nameless Zine reviews:
https://books.apocalypselaterempire.com/
What struck me immediately was how well he set a scene. The descriptions from the very first page are a step-up on the norm for this series and they continue throughout the book. It's simply better prose than tended to be used to tell pulp stories like these. His dialogue isn't quite up to the same standard but it doesn't spoil the chilling effect of the first chapter, as Johnny Pinetree is slashed to death by the Devil's Tomahawks in a flash, all while surrounded by the drums of death beating under a brooding sky now punctuated by streaks of fiery lightning. Too many of these novels feature characters being scared senseless by events that we shrug off but I could buy into the sheer terror that these feel up there in the northern peninsula of Michigan.
All the action unfolds in the vicinity of the Deep Cut mill and mines, run by Pig-iron Heller until he's killed and then ostensibly by Iris Heller, his daughter, because he can't reach his adopted nephew Marquette Heller, who is half Ojibway. Of course, the threat from the Native Americans mean that people want to reach Doc Savage, but he's already on the case, because we recognise little Johnny, who had wandered into the north woods not a month earlier with a remarkable knowledge of hematite and been promptly hired by Pig-iron. One of those people is Mattson Kovisti, who flies to Detroit to meet with Renny at Long Tom's suggestion, only to fall prey to the Devil's Tomahawks right there on the street.
At this point, everything's still positive. Doc's away at the Fortress of Solitude, so his aides have to step up, an approach I wish had been taken more often. And when was the last time that we met Johnny, Renny and Long Tom before Monk and Ham? Had it ever happened before? It certainly should have done and it happens here. However, problems are starting to creep in. For one, while we don't know yet what the Devil's Tomahawks are, when we do eventually find out we'll immediately flash back to that scene in Detroit and say "Huh?" Also, Doc being away is fine, because we know he spends away time at the Fortress of Solitude but we also know that, as Long Tom pointed out to Kovisti, he can't be reached. Except, apparently, now he can.
That's not good and it's not the last example of Hathway slipping up on his 'Doc Savage' lore while writing this book. I have to wonder about who edited it and didn't catch these sort of mistakes either. My other problem is Hathway's reliance on some rather improbable gadgets. Sure, Doc is a genius as are his various aides, in their respective fields, but, while I didn't buy into Ham and Monk being killed when their canoe is bombed on Lake Superior, I also didn't buy into the reason why. Maybe I might buy into the contraption being stable enough to deal with some chemical rocket propulsion system that Monk has conjured up to make it go really fast, but to also turn it into a surprisingly spacious submarine with a built-in laboratory is a few steps too far.
What follows continues to be both positive and negative. It's always a well-described story, in vivid locations and with plenty of local colour. There's always much to praise, whether it's Monk showing off a few new skills, like being able to understand and speak Ojibway, remember the words to 'Hiawatha' when there's need to do so or saving the day in memorable fashion—the ventriloquist trick to make his pig, Habeas Corpus, speak is a literal lifesaver this time out—or the fact that the local Native Americans aren't simply a homogeneous mass but three distinctive groups with distinctive thinking, right down to the status of halfbreeds, and I don't just mean the Indians who are really Brooklynites in disguise. On many fronts, this is the best book in the series I've read in a while.
On the other hand, there's often much to cause disdain, most obviously the use of gadgetry, which Hathway is fond of overusing, albeit in a different way to Lawrence Donovan, who loved his superscience. Doc uses a new gas here that makes anyone who breathes it move in slow motion, which is rather far-fetched. Sure, it's highly visual in a 'Dick Tracy' serial sort of way but it's far from credible. Similarly I didn't buy into Doc being able to pull off so many amazing feats while there's a capsule stuck up his right nostril containing a powerful solvent that can be sneezed out and dripped onto metal handcuffs to melt them. There's a lot wrong with that logic.
The only innovative use of a gadget that worked for me was one that backfired, something that happens far too rarely in this series, given that there are so many ways that they could go horribly wrong. Just run a risk assessment on a capsule full of metal-dissolving solvent stuck up your nose for a start! Doc escapes one mass attack by hurling out globules that break when they hit something solid likes trees, creating a vibrant flame and smoke to cause a distraction, but there's a catch. Throw water on them, as may be natural if you think the forest around you is alight, and it becomes a far more dangerous substance. So, while he could have got away in this instance, Doc safely extinguishes what he started to keep the locals safe and is caught for his trouble. That's refreshing.
The question, of course, is whether all these highly positive aspects outweigh all these highly negative ones, and I'm not sure I can answer that. I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I rolled my eyes at it more than once. I think the deciding vote may come down to what we learn during the finalé. I won't spoil that, beyond it being a good way to answer our running concern about the Deep Cut mine failing because the quality of its iron ore fails to meet commercial grade but someone clearly cares about it so deeply that they'll go to extreme ends to acquire it. What I will say is that the reasoning ties to current affairs in January 1941, when this novel was published in 'Doc Savage Magazine'.
I've been looking at these novels carefully for a couple of years now to see when and how the various writers of this series will acknowledge that there's a World War going on. For the most part, they haven't, keeping a distance from it, one reason why this novel is set around Sault Ste. Marie rather than some exotic nation in a more exotic latitude. When they have, it's rarely factored into the actual plot, a couple of notable exceptions notwithstanding, one of which, 'The Flying Goblin' backfired horribly to eighty years of hindsight. However, in this one, Hathway actually pits Doc against enemy agents, even if it's at a level of abstraction. That's quite an approach for his first novel in the series. Let's see what he comes up in his other three entries over the next year.
Originally posted at the Nameless Zine in January 2024:
https://www.thenamelesszine.org/Voice...
Index of all my Nameless Zine reviews:
https://books.apocalypselaterempire.com/
July 30, 2017
This is one of only four books written by Alan Hathway which may explain why it took me so long to read (over a week when I normally devour them in a few days). Even though Doc Savage books aren't that complicated to write, there was something off in its style. I didn't know this when I started it, but I when I sensed this wasn't a Lester Dent book, I looked it up to confirm my suspicion. However, one thing Hathway did, that I did appreciate was include a wide cast of characters making it more difficult to determine the hidden nemesis. In fact, there were a surprising number of characters in this slim volume.
The quick rundown: The plot is fairly convoluted, even for a Doc book. The Indians, both real and disguised (the villains are disguised with makeup and speak with a NY accent) are terribly stereotyped, and the secret weapon is rather bland. This is certainly a forgettable Doc adventure.
The quick rundown: The plot is fairly convoluted, even for a Doc book. The Indians, both real and disguised (the villains are disguised with makeup and speak with a NY accent) are terribly stereotyped, and the secret weapon is rather bland. This is certainly a forgettable Doc adventure.
May 19, 2025
Of the later Doc Savage saga’s, this one was pretty good. Most of the action takes place up in Canada out near Lake Superior. Little Johnny is first on the scene when a mining outfit is being threatened my a mysterious death. Angry spirits of Ojibway Native American Indians are on the warpath, threatening all white men who do not leave the Ojibway native lands.
Doc Savage has all of his aides in on this caper.
The book was authored by Alan Hathaway and published January 1941. Hats off to Mr Hathaway for a tight plot that closely follows the usually Doc Savage stories.
Doc Savage has all of his aides in on this caper.
The book was authored by Alan Hathaway and published January 1941. Hats off to Mr Hathaway for a tight plot that closely follows the usually Doc Savage stories.
May 9, 2017
Much as I like Doc Savage, this one didn't work for me. Way too many Native American stereotypes, all the more ridiculous for having natives in war paint threatening to go "on the warpath" in 1941.
June 29, 2019
Got a little confused keeping track of a lot of characters, but I enjoyed some of the technology ideas and adventures near the end.
April 28, 2023
Well here we are, #25 down. This adventure was like Doc Savage dances with wolves. Mid you, ther is a lot of indian racism in this but that's the time it was written in. This was an alright adventure, interesting and quick read. But I have to mention the one thing that got me...Doc had a capsule of a chemical that could eat through metal UP HIS NOSE!?! And a fake toenail that was really a knife!? Is he the man of bronze or the 6 million dollar man? I'll let you decide. I'm really afraid to know what he has hidden up his butt.
As usual, this adventure gave us plenty of comedy fodder, like:
'The man in the doctor's uniform had a peculiar-looking face.' (Thats not a nice thing to say about ugly people..oops)
'There was a slapping sound as if a fist had plowed into an unprotected jaw.' (or in other words, somebody had just been slapped)
'A lot of unimportant gangsters were killed' (the red shirts of the Doc Savage world)
'It sent a queer feeling up and down Monk's spine.' (Consult your doctor if queer feelings up and down the spine continue because this might mean you are alergic to Doc Savage)
'Three figures got out of the plane. The first one was a rotund, sleek-looking man.' (that was Curly, Moe and Larry followed)
'THE plane's motor spluttered jerkily as the pilot brought it down to a bumpy landing.' (Becky, did you see that planes motor? What a sputtering jerk)
"The Indians aren't going to frighten me, N. Nathan Nathanialson," she said grimly.' (The N stands for' Not Nathan')
"The phone," she said. "It is dead." (Dun, dun, dunnnn! Next week on Doc Savage!)
'The dapper lawyer sensed that things were probably going to happen.' (and they probably did happen)
'He looked like a walking example of successful pernicious anaemia.' (Thank you, I think)
"Listen," Johnny cut in. "The rancorous sound of vengeance." (Yeah, that's what we'll call our band!)
"Wow!" Monk yelped. "Lamp the beavers."(You want to set fire to wildlife? Is that legal? Could you do that back in the day?)
"I got the rat!" a voice shouted.' (thats nice, now let Mickey Mouse go)
For those who are still reading this (you know who you are and you should be ashamed of yourselves) our superamalgamated Count was a measley 2 - This adventures Jehoshaphat count faired a little better with 3 and our Holy cow count won with 8. So theres some facts to amaze your friends with. (If you have any)
Oh well, on to the next one...
As usual, this adventure gave us plenty of comedy fodder, like:
'The man in the doctor's uniform had a peculiar-looking face.' (Thats not a nice thing to say about ugly people..oops)
'There was a slapping sound as if a fist had plowed into an unprotected jaw.' (or in other words, somebody had just been slapped)
'A lot of unimportant gangsters were killed' (the red shirts of the Doc Savage world)
'It sent a queer feeling up and down Monk's spine.' (Consult your doctor if queer feelings up and down the spine continue because this might mean you are alergic to Doc Savage)
'Three figures got out of the plane. The first one was a rotund, sleek-looking man.' (that was Curly, Moe and Larry followed)
'THE plane's motor spluttered jerkily as the pilot brought it down to a bumpy landing.' (Becky, did you see that planes motor? What a sputtering jerk)
"The Indians aren't going to frighten me, N. Nathan Nathanialson," she said grimly.' (The N stands for' Not Nathan')
"The phone," she said. "It is dead." (Dun, dun, dunnnn! Next week on Doc Savage!)
'The dapper lawyer sensed that things were probably going to happen.' (and they probably did happen)
'He looked like a walking example of successful pernicious anaemia.' (Thank you, I think)
"Listen," Johnny cut in. "The rancorous sound of vengeance." (Yeah, that's what we'll call our band!)
"Wow!" Monk yelped. "Lamp the beavers."(You want to set fire to wildlife? Is that legal? Could you do that back in the day?)
"I got the rat!" a voice shouted.' (thats nice, now let Mickey Mouse go)
For those who are still reading this (you know who you are and you should be ashamed of yourselves) our superamalgamated Count was a measley 2 - This adventures Jehoshaphat count faired a little better with 3 and our Holy cow count won with 8. So theres some facts to amaze your friends with. (If you have any)
Oh well, on to the next one...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2016
The first Doc Savage story appeared in 1933 and the series ran in pulp and later digest format into 1949. Bantam reprinted the entire series in paperback with wonderful, iconic covers starting in the 1960's. Doc was arguably the first great modern superhero with a rich background, continuity, and mythos. The characterizations were far richer than was common for the pulps; his five associates and their sometimes-auxiliary, Doc's cousin Pat, and the pets Chemistry and Habeas Corpus, all had very distinctive characteristics and their byplay was frequently more entertaining that the current adventure-of-the-month. The settings were also fascinating: Doc's Fortress of Solitude, the Hidalgo Trading Company (which served as a front for his armada of vehicles), and especially the mysterious 86th floor headquarters all became familiar haunts to the reader, and the far-flung adventures took the intrepid band to exotic and richly-described locations all over the world. The adventures were always fast-paced and exciting, from the early apocalyptic world-saving extravaganzas of the early days to the latter scientific-detective style shorter works of the post-World War Two years. There were always a few points that it was difficult to believe along the way, but there were always more ups than downs, and there was never, ever a dull moment. The Doc Savage books have always been my favorite entertainments... I was always, as Johnny would say, superamalgamated!
February 10, 2016
Of all the pulp era heroes few stand out above the crowd, Doc Savage is one of these. With his 5 aides and cousin he adventures across the world. Fighting weird menaces, master criminals and evil scientists Doc and the Fab 5 never let you down for a great read. These stories have all you need; fast paced action, weird mystery, and some humor as the aides spat with each other. My highest recommendation.
March 22, 2011
Read the reprint by Sanctum Books, paired with Quest of Qui. The first time I read TDP I wasn't impressed. Probably because Bantam had published it around the same time that it was issuing classics like The Spook Legion and Fortress of Solitude.
Interestingly, I found TDP a better read the second time through. Probably because I've read more of books ghosted by Alan Hathaway.
Interestingly, I found TDP a better read the second time through. Probably because I've read more of books ghosted by Alan Hathaway.
December 14, 2013
Drums and Indians and bloody killings. This middle-period (1941) Alan Hathway-penned adventure was a surprising choice to be reprinted so early (#25) by Bantam. Still, since it's easily the best of the four Hathway Docs, no problem.
June 21, 2012
Not a bad Doc. Bizarre deaths, a First Nations background. Even a Finn or two running around. Fun read.
January 18, 2017
read some time in summer 1968
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews