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The Sins of Severac Bablon
"A man at once wealthy and generous? An improbable being -- but not impossible!" Standing among the milling party-goers, Sir Richard observes this to his millionaire host -- having just read news about Severac Bablon, a mysterious figure who has given monetary assistance to 2,000 men suddenly thrown into unemployment, in Canada. Moments later, a hush falls over this assemblage of London's wealthiest and smartest -- for they find themselves surrounded by a ring of identically dressed men -- with handguns drawn! In "The Sins of Severac Bablon," Sax Rohmer, creator of the sinister villain Fu Manchu, unveils a case to baffle Chief Inspector Sheffield of Scotland Yard.
306 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1914
About the author
Sax Rohmer
548 books125 followersAKA Arthur Sarsfield Ward (real name); Michael Furey.
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (15 February 1883 - 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham to a working class family, Rohmer initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time.
He worked as a poet, songwriter, and comedy sketch writer in Music Hall before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing weird fiction.
Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His physician and family friend, Dr. R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. It is believed that Rohmer may have exaggerated his association in order to boost his literary reputation as an occult writer.
His first published work came in 1903, when the short story The Mysterious Mummy was sold to Pearson's Weekly. He gradually transitioned from writing for Music Hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.
He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the Music Hall entertainer) he issued the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, was serialized from October 1912 - June 1913. It was an immediate success with its fast-paced story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters—Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw, and The Crime Magnet—made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid authors of the 1920s and 1930s.
Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru.
After World War II, the Rohmers moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of influenza ("Asian Flu").
There were thirteen books in the Fu Manchu series in all (not counting the posthumous The Wrath of Fu Manchu. The Sumuru series consist of five books.
His wife published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black in 1954 under the pen name, Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and Cay Van Ash, her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy, published in 1972.
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (15 February 1883 - 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham to a working class family, Rohmer initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time.
He worked as a poet, songwriter, and comedy sketch writer in Music Hall before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing weird fiction.
Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His physician and family friend, Dr. R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. It is believed that Rohmer may have exaggerated his association in order to boost his literary reputation as an occult writer.
His first published work came in 1903, when the short story The Mysterious Mummy was sold to Pearson's Weekly. He gradually transitioned from writing for Music Hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.
He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the Music Hall entertainer) he issued the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, was serialized from October 1912 - June 1913. It was an immediate success with its fast-paced story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters—Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw, and The Crime Magnet—made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid authors of the 1920s and 1930s.
Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru.
After World War II, the Rohmers moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of influenza ("Asian Flu").
There were thirteen books in the Fu Manchu series in all (not counting the posthumous The Wrath of Fu Manchu. The Sumuru series consist of five books.
His wife published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black in 1954 under the pen name, Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and Cay Van Ash, her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy, published in 1972.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 3, 2013
A sort of Jewish Robin Hood operating in London in the early years of the twentieth century, unfortunately the book does pander to the stereotype of the rich, mean Jew, but at the same time the book's hero is a far more interesting Jewish character. As with many of Rohmer's early books this story is obviously made up of several connected short stories. The early chapters of the book are great as is the finish, but some of the middle lacks sparkle and is rather repetitive. A nice change from Fu Manchu, with a more sympathetic master criminal.
November 30, 2019
Sax Rohmer creates a mashup of his two most famous characters, Dr. Fu-Manchu and Gaston Max. Severac Bablon is a mysterious criminal mastermind, with apparently limitless wealth, uncounted numbers of minions who follow him religiously, the ability to appear and disappear practically at will, and a near hypnotic ability to inspire people. He is also a genius with encyclopedic knowledge and a master of disguise and quick change artist.
Severac Bablon is some kind of modern day Robin Hood. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor. But not just any rich, only the really miserly ones who never give to charity. And not just misers, but Jewish misers. Bablon blackmails rich Jews into publicly giving huge sums of money to worthy causes, his goal being to reclaim the good name of Jewry and wipe away the stereotype of the greedy Jew. The entire book is a series of episodes where Bablon uses various ingenious techniques to fleece rich Jews of their money. The targets grow increasingly desperate in their attempts to stop him, placing themselves in unassailable positions surrounded by guards, but Bablon gets to them anyway. Eventually the best of Scotland Yard, the Pinkerton Agency, and the World's Most Famous Detective, a Frenchman, are involved. And one of Bablon's favorite victims is none other than John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt.
As with all Sax Rohmer novels, it builds inevitably to a massively unsatisfying conclusion.
Severac Bablon is some kind of modern day Robin Hood. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor. But not just any rich, only the really miserly ones who never give to charity. And not just misers, but Jewish misers. Bablon blackmails rich Jews into publicly giving huge sums of money to worthy causes, his goal being to reclaim the good name of Jewry and wipe away the stereotype of the greedy Jew. The entire book is a series of episodes where Bablon uses various ingenious techniques to fleece rich Jews of their money. The targets grow increasingly desperate in their attempts to stop him, placing themselves in unassailable positions surrounded by guards, but Bablon gets to them anyway. Eventually the best of Scotland Yard, the Pinkerton Agency, and the World's Most Famous Detective, a Frenchman, are involved. And one of Bablon's favorite victims is none other than John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt.
As with all Sax Rohmer novels, it builds inevitably to a massively unsatisfying conclusion.
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November 13, 2022It is hard to leave this book with out feeling an urge to become a real life Several Bablon. I live in a county that has a dearth of affordable housing for the elderly and those working minimum wage jobs. It is fun imagining people like George Soros or Bill Gates or other millionaire/billionaire liberals being forces to divert a small portion of their wealth from their culture warping/feel good antics to projects that truly improve and better the lives and well being of the average American. On top of that, this is a well written action book about one person achieving and amazing goal against all odds.
May 7, 2019
All Sax Rohmer novels are great reads...
January 29, 2015
Sax Rohmer was the pseudonym of British author Arthur Sarsfield Wade. He was interested in Ancient Egypt the Orient and the occult which showed through his novels. His best known character is probably Fu Manchu who was an aristocratic Chinese criminal and genius. He wrote The Sins of Severac Bablon in 1912 the year before The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu. The Sins of Severac Bablon has a Jewish main character who gives detectives a good run for the money. You have a backdrop set with the infamous Scotland Yard. His ���������sins��������� were the blackmail robbery and kidnap he uses to force the rich to donate huge sums to good causes. Bablon is determined to make peoples impressions of the Jews improve by making them have generosity. He establishes a sway over the group of Jewish financiers who control the economies in Europe. And he avoids the war which is brewing by forcing them to refuse the loan which certain countries are trying to raise in order to launch an attack on Britain.
The book is well written and the manner of descriptions and use of wording makes the book an excellent read. You get a new spin on the Robin Hood genre with Severac and find that he is just as easy to love. His efforts although illegal did aid in helping the people. It���������s entertaining and mysterious.
The book is well written and the manner of descriptions and use of wording makes the book an excellent read. You get a new spin on the Robin Hood genre with Severac and find that he is just as easy to love. His efforts although illegal did aid in helping the people. It���������s entertaining and mysterious.
February 11, 2017
Pretty much what I was expecting from this book. The writing definitely felt more fluid than Rohmer's first novel, The Mystery of Fu Manchu. There will be some who find the handling of the Jews in the book to be offputing. The largest drawback, in my mind, was the sort of cropped ending with which the novel is concluded.
February 14, 2013
The biggest problem with many of Sax Rohmer's stories is that his villains are so un-villainous. They're often trying to do good, and are only villains because they're opposed to a corrupt establishment. The Sins of Sumuru is another example of this - the villain is trying to create world peace by overthrowing warmongers, rather like Verne's Captain Nemo. In this case, Severac Bablon is forcing corrupt capitalists to confront the effects of their business decisions, and making them realize that, for example, throwing thousands out of work to make an extra million bucks is pretty heartless. So all the way through, I was rooting for the so-called bad guy.
However, it's a great pulp action story, filled with all the things you'd expect. Well recommended.
However, it's a great pulp action story, filled with all the things you'd expect. Well recommended.
January 2, 2014
Well-to-do Londoners are being targeted by an anti-capitalist Robin Hood character who "persuades" them to hand over money for good causes. The events are closely followed by a Fleet Street journalist.
December 6, 2016
Not one of Rohmer's best or more endearingly ridiculous like his Fu Manchu tales, but a lot of fun and nicely paced.
January 7, 2013
Fun pulpy mystery.
April 8, 2017
A fairly quick easy mysterious read. Who is this Severac Bablon? I still don't know and that's probably why I didn't give it more stars.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews