The Hate Genius

Doc Savage (Bantam) #94

by Kenneth Robeson (House Name), Lester Dent

World War II is drawing to a close. Hitler rigs an assassination of a look-alike double in a daring plot to save his ruined Reich — then disappears. America calls on its greatest hero — Doc Savage — to track down this most evil of adversaries and stop the phony martyrdom. Joining him in this last-ditch crusade are a wide assortment of Allied agents — one of whom may be the fleeing Fuhrer himself! (Originally published as "Violent Night")

Genres: Adventure, Pulp, Fiction, Science Fiction

119 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Kenneth 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.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hate Genius 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.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fantastic concept ruined by crap execution.
Concept: Hitler's on the run, escaping Europe via neutral Lisbaon. The double he left behind will be assassinated in 48 hours, ostensibly by the Allies; that will convince Germany to fight to the last man, allowing Hitler to shit on the world one last time.
The execution: thuddingly boring. Dent often padded pages of his WW II novels with exposition and this is one of them. People constantly turn out to be someone they're not, then it turns out they're really the person we first thought, every reveal coming with a page or two of exposition. With the clock ticking, Doc wastes time on a ridiculous ruse to scare his cousin Pat back to the states and out of danger. It's a flop.
I was, though, saddened by the conviction (common in times past) that Germany's defeat would discredit Nazism for all time. If only.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doc adventure read in the 80s

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doc Savage vs Hitler should not be this dull.
Great idea that results in one of the weaker books of the series.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[James Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a typical Doc Savage story. An interesting concept though.

[Russ Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one of the better Doc Savage books, but I enjoyed it. Kinda different.

[Ronald · Rating 2 out of 5]

read some time in 1979