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Doc Savage (Bantam) #51
Haunted Ocean
An awesome power haunts the sea, paralyzes New York City and brings the most powerful nations of the world to their knees. Deep in the frozen Arctic an astonishing army of naked men and the forces of international greed challenge the invincible Man of Bronze for the strange secret of the so-called Man of Peace!
140 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
8 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Robeson
915 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 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 12, 2025
Doc Savage! The greatest pulp hero of all? I picked up this Doc adventure ( it's the 51st in the series) in a rather beat up condition at a used bookstore--for a buck. I have to confess I was not a Doc Savage fan as a kid, although I thought those Bantam paperbacks of the 60s had some great covers! I was reading Edgar Rice Burroughs and science fiction by Robert Heinlein and others. It was reading Philip J. Farmer's "bio" about Doc that got me interested in reading the books by "Kenneth Robeson" (Lester Dent). I have enjoyed them for what they are--good fast pulp fiction and I particularly enjoy seeing Doc's crew helping (and hindering) him, especially the apelike Monk. I also like it that most of Doc's adventures are set in the 1930s, such as this one. I understand this one was written by Lawrence Donovan, not Dent, using the Kenneth Robeson name. I have read only 10 or so Doc Savage books, including Farmer's bio and also his Doc Savage book, "Escape from Loki," and this one is one of the poorer efforts, probably because it's not by Dent-or Farmer. I give it *** because I like the setting, which is Norway, a country I've always wanted to visit-to see the fjords( of course!)! At least, in this book, I got to visit the fjords with Doc and his men!
October 15, 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 26, 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 27, 2016
Truth be told, "Haunted Ocean" is one of only two Doc Savage tales written by pinch-hitting writer Laurence Donovan that contribute much of anything to the Doc canon. As such, it's notable. But it's not much more than decent. It's unusually coherent and comparatively grounded for a Donovan tale, which means it's still a little ridiculous. As far as I'm concerned, take this and the legitimately pretty good "Cold Death" and flush the rest of the Donovans.
September 21, 2023
This was another quick read. All I could think was, Barton do this, Barton do that.. Barton.. Barton.. BARTON!! Wow, racism abounds in this one. Plus, oh great, another character with a hard to read overly exaggerated accent, yeah! (grumble, grumble)
It did give us some literary fodder, such as:---------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter I. DEAD MAN AT THE Door - "THERE'S a dead man just outside your door." (Is that a dead man outside your door or are you happy to see me... Oh, it's really a dead guy. Ewww. Gross. )
Ham indicated two round, black objects equipped with timing triggers. (No they're Oreos.. YES THEY'RE BOMBS!)
"Professor Jasson must have been overtaken by some form of killing dementia," (OH sure, that's the answer! Killing Dementia! Thanks Einstein, how's about you leave the doctoring to the professional)
He had caught what might have been the odor of burned almonds. (Or it could have been the disco fever, or killing dementia.. how the hell should I know? I'm not a doctor)
"This is the President of the United States speaking," (And your dial is set to station P.R.E.Z. All president, all the time. Your home for Lincoln and Clinton in the morning)
His English was faultless. (And his faultless was English)
"Guess he's all O.K.," said another man. (You wanna beat us up because we kidnapped you and tied you up and all, but you're alright in my book)
Six unwavering guns were fixed upon his middle. Combined fire could have sliced him to pieces. (How? Did they fire knives? Gotta keep an eye out for them new fangled machete firing guns)
"Was he alone at that time?" (Does he need some company, is he free on Saturday?)
His remarkable senses were not of an occult character. (Because he was never formally trained at Hogwarts. That's why he's Doc Savage and not Doc Wizard Savage)
In addition to her mask, the woman wore an enveloping hood. (If she's wearing a hood then how do you know she's wearing a mask underneath?)
A macabre laugh came from the invisible man. (Now he's going up against the Invisible Man?!? Who can't Doc beat?)
Doc's acute senses picked up a ticking. He judged it was some device for timing. (Duh)
The navy must be laid up. The army must be disbanded. (Then the Air Force will finally be #1!! Yeah!)
He gave no reason for his belief. (I don't have to, I Doc Savage, deal with it!)
"But I do not believe in sea serpents, and if those are not the horns of some monsters, I'm crazy!" (You're crazy)
Ham shivered, then said quickly, "One of 'em's banking, Doc.!" (They have money invested in stocks and bonds and their 401k)
"Dot iss goot!" spoke a voice with a broad accent. "Ven do ve haff der price to puy?" (Well sure.. Wait.. What?)
"Zarkov," stated Doc (Now Doc is taking on Dr. Hanz Zarkov? Boy, Flash Gordon is gonna be pissed!)
With Kama beside him, Doc Savage led the way. (When it comes to Doc Savage, karma is always on his side)
The faithful Monk and the red-headed girl were undoubtedly going to certain doom. (OH well, sucks to be them)
"You are a funny, ugly, kind-hearted man," (Well which is it? Make up your mind!)
We also had a few (insert your own joke here) lines, like:-------------------------------------------
They were working furiously to get their motor going.
And he had spoken of men who went naked.
The bronze man knew that Renny's thongs had Been cut
The nearly nude figure of Knut Aage was no longer rigid.
The strangely naked, and equally strangely silent men were blond and tall.
"I believe the superstitious fishermen would hesitate to touch It."
Just in case you we wondering (I know you're not) our Superamalgamated count was a scrawny 2, Barton was said 29 times followed closely by Holy Cow at 30. But they were all beat out by Knut Aage which was said a whopping 72 times.
Oh well, 51 adventures down... On to the next one....
It did give us some literary fodder, such as:---------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter I. DEAD MAN AT THE Door - "THERE'S a dead man just outside your door." (Is that a dead man outside your door or are you happy to see me... Oh, it's really a dead guy. Ewww. Gross. )
Ham indicated two round, black objects equipped with timing triggers. (No they're Oreos.. YES THEY'RE BOMBS!)
"Professor Jasson must have been overtaken by some form of killing dementia," (OH sure, that's the answer! Killing Dementia! Thanks Einstein, how's about you leave the doctoring to the professional)
He had caught what might have been the odor of burned almonds. (Or it could have been the disco fever, or killing dementia.. how the hell should I know? I'm not a doctor)
"This is the President of the United States speaking," (And your dial is set to station P.R.E.Z. All president, all the time. Your home for Lincoln and Clinton in the morning)
His English was faultless. (And his faultless was English)
"Guess he's all O.K.," said another man. (You wanna beat us up because we kidnapped you and tied you up and all, but you're alright in my book)
Six unwavering guns were fixed upon his middle. Combined fire could have sliced him to pieces. (How? Did they fire knives? Gotta keep an eye out for them new fangled machete firing guns)
"Was he alone at that time?" (Does he need some company, is he free on Saturday?)
His remarkable senses were not of an occult character. (Because he was never formally trained at Hogwarts. That's why he's Doc Savage and not Doc Wizard Savage)
In addition to her mask, the woman wore an enveloping hood. (If she's wearing a hood then how do you know she's wearing a mask underneath?)
A macabre laugh came from the invisible man. (Now he's going up against the Invisible Man?!? Who can't Doc beat?)
Doc's acute senses picked up a ticking. He judged it was some device for timing. (Duh)
The navy must be laid up. The army must be disbanded. (Then the Air Force will finally be #1!! Yeah!)
He gave no reason for his belief. (I don't have to, I Doc Savage, deal with it!)
"But I do not believe in sea serpents, and if those are not the horns of some monsters, I'm crazy!" (You're crazy)
Ham shivered, then said quickly, "One of 'em's banking, Doc.!" (They have money invested in stocks and bonds and their 401k)
"Dot iss goot!" spoke a voice with a broad accent. "Ven do ve haff der price to puy?" (Well sure.. Wait.. What?)
"Zarkov," stated Doc (Now Doc is taking on Dr. Hanz Zarkov? Boy, Flash Gordon is gonna be pissed!)
With Kama beside him, Doc Savage led the way. (When it comes to Doc Savage, karma is always on his side)
The faithful Monk and the red-headed girl were undoubtedly going to certain doom. (OH well, sucks to be them)
"You are a funny, ugly, kind-hearted man," (Well which is it? Make up your mind!)
We also had a few (insert your own joke here) lines, like:-------------------------------------------
They were working furiously to get their motor going.
And he had spoken of men who went naked.
The bronze man knew that Renny's thongs had Been cut
The nearly nude figure of Knut Aage was no longer rigid.
The strangely naked, and equally strangely silent men were blond and tall.
"I believe the superstitious fishermen would hesitate to touch It."
Just in case you we wondering (I know you're not) our Superamalgamated count was a scrawny 2, Barton was said 29 times followed closely by Holy Cow at 30. But they were all beat out by Knut Aage which was said a whopping 72 times.
Oh well, 51 adventures down... On to the next one....
November 15, 2024
Haunted Ocean began in the middle of the action as did The Boss Of Terror; evidently, the word originated from the Street & Smith corporate office to shorten the Doc Savage stories, no doubt serving as a cost cutting measure; thus, the reader is thrown right into the story's action. I find these shortened stories are not as enjoyable to read as the earlier “Doc’s” … the art of “telling the story” is sacrificed in these shortened versions … it makes for an overly complicated mess for the reader to decipher.
Nevertheless, Haunted Ocean moves right along at a fast clip. Doc has been busy trying to solve the mystery of a strange phenomenon that occurs in various isolated areas of the world. He learns this strange phenomenon is electrical in nature and originates under the North Sea; by Chapter VII, Doc and the crew have pinpointed the origination of the mysterious phenomenon and are heading to Norway in one of Doc’s fast planes.
Lester Dent's pinch hitting author experiments with a science fiction angle in this adventure, which explains the story's abbreviated beginning. Doc and the guys have a rough time in the far north with four of the five adventurers literally getting into a very tight spot at the end of the story, but Doc prevails as he rescues his crew in dramatic fashion and solves the mystery of Haunted Ocean.
The story has a sprinkling of “political incorrectness,” and it was indeed a “complicated mess,” due to its haphazard beginning ... hence the two star rating. **
Nevertheless, Haunted Ocean moves right along at a fast clip. Doc has been busy trying to solve the mystery of a strange phenomenon that occurs in various isolated areas of the world. He learns this strange phenomenon is electrical in nature and originates under the North Sea; by Chapter VII, Doc and the crew have pinpointed the origination of the mysterious phenomenon and are heading to Norway in one of Doc’s fast planes.
Lester Dent's pinch hitting author experiments with a science fiction angle in this adventure, which explains the story's abbreviated beginning. Doc and the guys have a rough time in the far north with four of the five adventurers literally getting into a very tight spot at the end of the story, but Doc prevails as he rescues his crew in dramatic fashion and solves the mystery of Haunted Ocean.
The story has a sprinkling of “political incorrectness,” and it was indeed a “complicated mess,” due to its haphazard beginning ... hence the two star rating. **
December 1, 2024
Haunted Ocean is a "Doc Savage" novel by Kenneth Robeson. Kenneth Robeson was the house name Street and Smith Publications used as the author of their popular Doc Savage novels. 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, and W. Ryerson Johnson.
I love reading these old pulp novels from time to time. I read about 80%+ of the Doc Savage novels when I was a teenager but that was a very long time ago. I have been trying to find them again in the Bantam editions I read in my youth. I have found several of them in used bookstores and have bought several from online aftermarket bookstores.
In this one, Doc Savage and his men are in the thick of it again. The action is classic Doc Savage, filled with good old-fashioned adventure and gadgets that always seem to be there when the hero needs them. You can relax and escape for a little while. A good read in the Doc Savage series.
I love reading these old pulp novels from time to time. I read about 80%+ of the Doc Savage novels when I was a teenager but that was a very long time ago. I have been trying to find them again in the Bantam editions I read in my youth. I have found several of them in used bookstores and have bought several from online aftermarket bookstores.
In this one, Doc Savage and his men are in the thick of it again. The action is classic Doc Savage, filled with good old-fashioned adventure and gadgets that always seem to be there when the hero needs them. You can relax and escape for a little while. A good read in the Doc Savage series.
February 3, 2018
5 for nostalgia. Not a Lester Dent but a Lawrence Donovan story. Good but somewhat confusing at times. Had to go back to remind myself who was who. A somewhat more emotional Doc.
Cool that the idea of solar cells is featured in this story. Patented in 1935 and this story was written in 1936. While Donovan clearly didn't understand the photovoltaic principle, he had half the element correct. (Not selenium alone but the photovoltaic effect in Cadmium selenide (CdSe), a photovoltaic material still used today.)
Cool that the idea of solar cells is featured in this story. Patented in 1935 and this story was written in 1936. While Donovan clearly didn't understand the photovoltaic principle, he had half the element correct. (Not selenium alone but the photovoltaic effect in Cadmium selenide (CdSe), a photovoltaic material still used today.)
September 11, 2020
This one was not one of my favorite Doc Savage adventures. The mystery was very vague as far as I was concerned and the ensuing adventure did not seem to have much cohesion. At least in other stories things rolled along towards the end but this time it did not seem to get anywhere, it just wandered. Too bad. I would like to feel that all Doc Savage adventures hang together on the strength of their simple premise, terse prose and repetitive nature of constantly relaying details about Doc and his crew.
November 1, 2019
Standard adventure-mystery tale with the superhuman exploits of Doc Savage. There is a unique sort of artificial solar power as the driving plot device in this story. It was interesting to read about the imagined technology and implications of this power source. Submarines are a favorite technology/vehicle of mine, so this tale had a little extra going for it in my opinion. Nothing else really outstanding here besides the biology sci-fi and northern cultures included as setting and characters.
December 24, 2018
Great Doc Savage adventure in the Arctic!
June 6, 2022
I enjoyed this Doc Savage adventure. Doc and all of his men are fighting the menace of the Man of Peace. This Man of Peace has a weapon that stops all powered machines as well as weapons. He is black mailing the nations of the world to destroy all weapons.
Johnny is with five other international diplomats that are kidnapped and are missing for much of this saga. Doc and his crew must go from NYC to the Norwegian icy fjords to help save Johnny and solve this mystery. Doc, Monk and Ham even get to meet with the President of the United States.
Lawrence Donovan is back in the authors seat for this one.
Johnny is with five other international diplomats that are kidnapped and are missing for much of this saga. Doc and his crew must go from NYC to the Norwegian icy fjords to help save Johnny and solve this mystery. Doc, Monk and Ham even get to meet with the President of the United States.
Lawrence Donovan is back in the authors seat for this one.
December 26, 2007
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May 5, 2009Haunted Ocean by Kenneth Robeson
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews