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Gaston Max #1
The Yellow Claw
The Yellow Claw is a 1915 crime novel by Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward, known better under his pseudonym, Sax Rohmer. The story features Gaston Max, a Parisian criminal investigator and mastery of disguise, and his battle with Mr. King, a master criminal similar to Rohmer's earlier Fu Manchu character.
427 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1915
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192 people want to read
About the author
Sax Rohmer
494 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 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 30, 2023
Nice early Pulp era Yellow Peril story. A good mystery plot. Recommended
January 17, 2015
The review from afar – No. 28
2015 forward to these overseas reviews:
Thanks to Project Gutenberg for supplying me with books for an old Kindle 3G.
The Yellow Claw is a crime novel written by the prolific Sax Rohmer. While it does involve some sensationalist elements and there is a strong Yellow Peril theme to the book, it is a much more normal whodunit/mystery novel than any of the Fu Manchu books. That is mostly due to the personalities and actions of the two main detectives: Inspector Dunbar of Scotland Yard and Detective M. Gaston Max of the Surete (known to most Americans via the Pink Panther movies. The Surete, that is, not M. Max.)
Dunbar is a professional Detective and investigator. He tackles crime when and where he sees it in a no-nonsense way that is intended to bring a conviction rather than make headlines on Fleet Street. Rohmer writes him as a serious character who leads more junior Detectives. If the novel had only included Dunbar and Scotland Yard, we’d be talking about it as a Police Procedural or a precursor to that genre. But, there is also Gaston Max.
Max is a brilliant Detective and (in the words of the novel) the finest and most famous one in Europe. Sounds a bit like a certain Belgian… but this was written and published a year before Christie wrote The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Max is another clear-headed thinker who looks at a problem and sees not only the present course of action, but also what must happen in the future in order to bring about the desired result. He works more directly and less conventionally than Dunbar. He undertakes his investigations undercover in a way that apes Holmes instead of Gregson or Lestrade.
This is the first novel to feature these characters and I somehow skipped over it and read their subsequent adventure (The Golden Scorpion) first. They are different stories, but the split of viewpoints is somewhat similar. I have to say that this is probably the better book.
Like Rohmer’s later novel Dope featuring Red Kerry, this is about drugs, society (or at least well-to-do) people, and drug merchants in early 20th century London. Since the drug is opium, it necessarily involves Asians and Limehouse. A bit more on that below for those who won’t mind a spoiler or two.
I suspect I am not alone in thinking that the conclusion of the novel falls a bit flat. Was Rohmer planning on bringing back characters other than Max and Dunbar (and others working for Dunbar)? I don’t know I haven’t done any checking on that, but even so it is a bit unsatisfying. However, it is still a pretty good crime story and one that is worth reading – if only to contrast it to the evil mastermind bent on world domination formula set by the Fu Manchu novels.
Four (4.0) languid Poppy Stars with a side of True Crime and a pair of noteworthy sleuths.
You can get this book for free from the Gutenberg Project site.
August 9, 2015
When a mysterious woman is murdered at Henry Loureoux's apartment, Scotland Yard inspector Dunbar investigates with a note that the woman left behind written to a Mr. King. When M. Gaston Max from Paris comes to help the case, things begin to get crazy. Can they find out who Mr. King is and stop the crazed murderer from striking again and can they find Henry's Butler Soames before he ends up in danger and where is Henry Loureoux's wife? All these questions will be answered when you read this for yourself.
This was a pretty good Mystery who-dun-it thriller story. If you like these types of stories, definitely check it out. This book is available for free on feedbooks and wherever books are sold.
This was a pretty good Mystery who-dun-it thriller story. If you like these types of stories, definitely check it out. This book is available for free on feedbooks and wherever books are sold.
June 10, 2021
This is my first standalone Sax Rohmer book. I have been heavily acquainted with his Fu Manchu series but I thought it would be interesting to read something different,. Although when I say different The Yellow Claw doesn’t actually stray too far from his usual writing standard.
Essentially the same story as Fu Manchu, but with an Agatha Christie skin grafted on it, the protagonists are average people and government agents who are trying to solve a murder which leads them to the trail of a powerful Eastern criminal mastermind, in this case the elusive Mr. King. The main detectives are also reminiscent of Christie’s characters too,including the mysterious French detective Gaston Max. In the same way that Nayland Smith is Rohmer’s idealised depiction of Sherlock Holmes, the portrayal of M. Max is evocative of an equally famous Belgian sleuth - although Gaston Max predates Hercule Poirot about a year before Agatha Christie started drafting the character - the same hallmarks are there: plays mind games with his suspects, uses native dialects in his speech, fancy dresser etc.
There’s some decent coverage from each of the characters but there were a few times where I felt like it was stalling, some scenes are told in 3-4 chapters when I think it could have been told in one. The mystery is set up well enough but it drags occasionally and doesn’t feel like it amounts to much when the action gets cranked up a gear, aside from one or two important facts.
It’s taken me a while but I am slowly reading through the back catalogue, but at the same time they are guilty pleasures. So on to the next one, whenever that may be.
Essentially the same story as Fu Manchu, but with an Agatha Christie skin grafted on it, the protagonists are average people and government agents who are trying to solve a murder which leads them to the trail of a powerful Eastern criminal mastermind, in this case the elusive Mr. King. The main detectives are also reminiscent of Christie’s characters too,including the mysterious French detective Gaston Max. In the same way that Nayland Smith is Rohmer’s idealised depiction of Sherlock Holmes, the portrayal of M. Max is evocative of an equally famous Belgian sleuth - although Gaston Max predates Hercule Poirot about a year before Agatha Christie started drafting the character - the same hallmarks are there: plays mind games with his suspects, uses native dialects in his speech, fancy dresser etc.
There’s some decent coverage from each of the characters but there were a few times where I felt like it was stalling, some scenes are told in 3-4 chapters when I think it could have been told in one. The mystery is set up well enough but it drags occasionally and doesn’t feel like it amounts to much when the action gets cranked up a gear, aside from one or two important facts.
It’s taken me a while but I am slowly reading through the back catalogue, but at the same time they are guilty pleasures. So on to the next one, whenever that may be.
January 7, 2015
This novel has an antiquarian almost "penny dreadful" feel about it. Gaston Max is a renowned French detective who has come to London on the trail of a Chinese syndicate who are setting up opium dens around the world. They have snared would be socialites and people who have acquired the opium habit while on diplomatic service in China. The French Surete has established that a considerable sum of money has come into the Paris opium den through a bank cheque drawn on the account of Henry Leroux, in whose London flat a woman has died.
Max is a master of disguise. He sets up a honey trap to ensnare Mr King by posing as an opium addict who wishes to use the services of the London den. In some ways Max is a forerunner of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. He basically works alone, playing his cards very close to his chest until he is very sure of his deductions, and he relies very heavily on logic.
On the other hand the author can be seen to be in the mould of Conan Doyle with very detailed descriptions of both characters and settings. The language is a little dated, at times using vocabulary many readers would recognize as obsolete.
I was particularly interested in the timing of this plot, set before World War One, which attributes corruption in high places to the Asiatic influences, a little ironic as it was the British who intentionally introduced opium to China through trade in the 1840s.
Max is a master of disguise. He sets up a honey trap to ensnare Mr King by posing as an opium addict who wishes to use the services of the London den. In some ways Max is a forerunner of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. He basically works alone, playing his cards very close to his chest until he is very sure of his deductions, and he relies very heavily on logic.
On the other hand the author can be seen to be in the mould of Conan Doyle with very detailed descriptions of both characters and settings. The language is a little dated, at times using vocabulary many readers would recognize as obsolete.
I was particularly interested in the timing of this plot, set before World War One, which attributes corruption in high places to the Asiatic influences, a little ironic as it was the British who intentionally introduced opium to China through trade in the 1840s.
January 17, 2021
Yet another mysterious, suspenseful and complex tale from one of my favorite authors. Remember, this is the writer who invented Dr. Fu Manchu. He was able to create such fabulous descriptions of the area in which the tale takes place that the stories remain, to me, unforgettable. Very entertaining!
August 8, 2012
A typical Edwardian melodrama in which Gaston Max and Inspector Dunbar go underground to the opium dens of London to discover the secrets of Ho-Pin, he of the yellow claw, and how he is affecting the London hob nobs and how he inveigles them and others into his net.
In a very Gothic setting at times, although the above ground London scenes are admirably described, Max and Dunbar encounter all sorts of problems before they finally sort things out.
In a very Gothic setting at times, although the above ground London scenes are admirably described, Max and Dunbar encounter all sorts of problems before they finally sort things out.
January 30, 2022
OK mystery listening 🔰😀
A will written old time murder mystery adventure by Sax Rohmer with interesting will developed characters and a story line set in London. I would recommend this novel to readers of British novels. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or 🎶 listening 🔰to novels 2022🏰🏡
A will written old time murder mystery adventure by Sax Rohmer with interesting will developed characters and a story line set in London. I would recommend this novel to readers of British novels. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or 🎶 listening 🔰to novels 2022🏰🏡
February 21, 2019
A fairly predictable detective novel. After dragging on too long in the beginning, the last 1/4 of the book was pretty good.
July 19, 2018
It's1915 and mystery writer Henry Leroux receives quite a shock. An unaccompanied woman he does not know demands entry into his apartments. Then she dies. Then the shock comes, as he finds that she is not wearing stockings! He nearly swoons at the sight of her bare ankle. The only clue to her death is part of a note with the name Mr. King. Scotland Yard begins an investigation which reveals the name of the woman and results in the disappearance of Mr. Leroux's servant. His wife is also unaccounted for, supposedly in Paris but not responding to any messages. Europe's greatest detective, Gaston Max of the Sûretés, shows up and takes over the case. He reveals that the mystery involves a worldwide opium ring led by the mysteriuos Mr. King, and uses his amazing skills to track down and infiltrate the lair of Mr. King.
A really well written mystery that follows many different characters, and Gaston Max proves himself to be a master detective with many useful skills. It's entertaining to see the thoughts of upper class gentlemen and ladies of Edwardian England and how things have changed dramatically over the years. For instance, a taxi driver is noted for the fact that less than a decade earlier his taxi had been driven by a horse. Really good writing, but shares the common plot of Sax Rohmer's stories in that it ends suddenly and unsatisfactorily. One major character simply disappears, most likely dead but it's never made clear. A good detective novel.
A really well written mystery that follows many different characters, and Gaston Max proves himself to be a master detective with many useful skills. It's entertaining to see the thoughts of upper class gentlemen and ladies of Edwardian England and how things have changed dramatically over the years. For instance, a taxi driver is noted for the fact that less than a decade earlier his taxi had been driven by a horse. Really good writing, but shares the common plot of Sax Rohmer's stories in that it ends suddenly and unsatisfactorily. One major character simply disappears, most likely dead but it's never made clear. A good detective novel.
December 28, 2021
My second Sax Rohmer book of the festive period and another well-paced action-packed read.
In this story, a woman arrives at a writers flat and immediately expires before revealing who she is and why she was there. the crime is investigated by the no-nonsense Inspector Dunbar of Scotland Yard who is later joined by the more flamboyant French Detective M. Gaston Max of the Surete who believes the death is linked to an international drug ring running sumptuous opium dens for the upper classes in major cities of the world.
The action follows thick and fast, slinky Chinese maidens, ‘modern’ bohemian artists (these sections probably read even more amusingly now than they were surely intended to be then), extortion and drug abuse. There is a great section where Max inveigles his way into the nest of vipers that inhabit the opium den in London’s east-end docklands.
I am not spoiling it for you in the least when I say that the lead criminal is (gasp!) a ‘wily oriental’. In fact, he seems virtually interchangeable with Fu Manchu although the latter had already appeared a few years before this book. There are definitely some nods to Holmes here, the exciting climactic scene certainly reminiscent of one of the Holmes novels and perhaps might even detect a bit of Sheil’s Count Zaleski in its lush orientalism.
Rohmer is, of course, no Doyle (or Shiel), but this is very enjoyable hokum and definitely a page-turner with plenty of twists and turns as it rattles along.
However, I don’t believe I had ever (knowingly) read the specific term ‘Yellow Peril’ in a novel (though there were earlier racist depictions of ‘orientals’ notably Shiel’s novel ‘Yellow Danger’, 1898) but Rohmer uses it in this one and perhaps the use of misspelt English for Ho-Pin “Good mowring” for “good morning” might also grate on some but neither of these elements especially bothered me. These are not in the same league as the “dirty low Jew” anti-semitism that appears in some novels of the late Victorian age, Dickens Fagin anyone? Du Maurier's Svengali? Anyway, you can decide. It's freely available on Project Gutenberg.
In this story, a woman arrives at a writers flat and immediately expires before revealing who she is and why she was there. the crime is investigated by the no-nonsense Inspector Dunbar of Scotland Yard who is later joined by the more flamboyant French Detective M. Gaston Max of the Surete who believes the death is linked to an international drug ring running sumptuous opium dens for the upper classes in major cities of the world.
The action follows thick and fast, slinky Chinese maidens, ‘modern’ bohemian artists (these sections probably read even more amusingly now than they were surely intended to be then), extortion and drug abuse. There is a great section where Max inveigles his way into the nest of vipers that inhabit the opium den in London’s east-end docklands.
I am not spoiling it for you in the least when I say that the lead criminal is (gasp!) a ‘wily oriental’. In fact, he seems virtually interchangeable with Fu Manchu although the latter had already appeared a few years before this book. There are definitely some nods to Holmes here, the exciting climactic scene certainly reminiscent of one of the Holmes novels and perhaps might even detect a bit of Sheil’s Count Zaleski in its lush orientalism.
Rohmer is, of course, no Doyle (or Shiel), but this is very enjoyable hokum and definitely a page-turner with plenty of twists and turns as it rattles along.
However, I don’t believe I had ever (knowingly) read the specific term ‘Yellow Peril’ in a novel (though there were earlier racist depictions of ‘orientals’ notably Shiel’s novel ‘Yellow Danger’, 1898) but Rohmer uses it in this one and perhaps the use of misspelt English for Ho-Pin “Good mowring” for “good morning” might also grate on some but neither of these elements especially bothered me. These are not in the same league as the “dirty low Jew” anti-semitism that appears in some novels of the late Victorian age, Dickens Fagin anyone? Du Maurier's Svengali? Anyway, you can decide. It's freely available on Project Gutenberg.
March 19, 2023
Il delitto di mezzanotte è un giallo, ambientato a Londra.
Il tutto inizia con la presentazione di uno scrittore abbastanza importante Henry Leroux, che una sera nel suo appartamento avviene l’inverosimile.
Si presenta una donna alla sua porta, con una semplice camicia da notte e una pelliccia; la signora si trova in uno stato di panico, ma sopratutto sembra in fin di vita, così Henry va a chiedere aiuto al suo amico, nonché Dottore Cumberly. Al ritorno dei due, poco dopo scattata la mezzanotte, i signori entrati in casa, trovano la signora nello studio di Henry in fin di vita.
Da lì, inizieranno delle vicissitudini, dopo entreranno in gioco il detective Dumbar con la sua spalla destra, e un rinomato detective francese Gaston Max.
Inizieranno le indagini, e piano piano si capirà che questa banda coinvolta, fa parte di un giro losco di Oppio. Un giro abbastanza grande, che comprende un po’ di paesi nel mondo. Da Londra a Parigi, da San Francisco negli Emirati Arabi.
Questa banda è associata al misterioso, nonché rinomato Signor King, che nessuno conosce la sua identità.
Gaston e Dumbar, riusciranno a trovare il colpevole? Riusciranno a smascherare questa banda e capire finalmente chi si nasconde dietro al signor King?
Un libro scritto nel 1990, quindi un bel po’ datato, oserei dire. Ma vi direi, non è male.
Un libro di 126 pagine, quindi voi direte che si legge in manco due ore, invece no. Almeno per me, ovvio. Ho avuto qualche difficoltà a continuarlo, mi intrigava la storia, ma non a tal punto che mi facesse avere quell’avidità di portarlo a termine in poco.
Nel complesso è stata una lettura piacevole, ma per il finale no.
Totalmente apatico con l’amaro in bocca. Delusa, troppo.
Mi sarei aspettata un finale diverso, quindi non saprei dirvi.
Come vi ho già detto, per il restante è un libro piacevole da leggere, suddiviso in tre parti, con capitoli corti e precisi. Senza troppe descrizioni, senza troppi giri di parole, bello diretto, che ti fa capire cosa asta succedendo in quell’istante.
Ma per quanto mi riguarda, ero partita nel dargli 3 stelle su 5, ma il finale mi ha totalmente smontato, quindi 2 su 5.
Il tutto inizia con la presentazione di uno scrittore abbastanza importante Henry Leroux, che una sera nel suo appartamento avviene l’inverosimile.
Si presenta una donna alla sua porta, con una semplice camicia da notte e una pelliccia; la signora si trova in uno stato di panico, ma sopratutto sembra in fin di vita, così Henry va a chiedere aiuto al suo amico, nonché Dottore Cumberly. Al ritorno dei due, poco dopo scattata la mezzanotte, i signori entrati in casa, trovano la signora nello studio di Henry in fin di vita.
Da lì, inizieranno delle vicissitudini, dopo entreranno in gioco il detective Dumbar con la sua spalla destra, e un rinomato detective francese Gaston Max.
Inizieranno le indagini, e piano piano si capirà che questa banda coinvolta, fa parte di un giro losco di Oppio. Un giro abbastanza grande, che comprende un po’ di paesi nel mondo. Da Londra a Parigi, da San Francisco negli Emirati Arabi.
Questa banda è associata al misterioso, nonché rinomato Signor King, che nessuno conosce la sua identità.
Gaston e Dumbar, riusciranno a trovare il colpevole? Riusciranno a smascherare questa banda e capire finalmente chi si nasconde dietro al signor King?
Un libro scritto nel 1990, quindi un bel po’ datato, oserei dire. Ma vi direi, non è male.
Un libro di 126 pagine, quindi voi direte che si legge in manco due ore, invece no. Almeno per me, ovvio. Ho avuto qualche difficoltà a continuarlo, mi intrigava la storia, ma non a tal punto che mi facesse avere quell’avidità di portarlo a termine in poco.
Nel complesso è stata una lettura piacevole, ma per il finale no.
Totalmente apatico con l’amaro in bocca. Delusa, troppo.
Mi sarei aspettata un finale diverso, quindi non saprei dirvi.
Come vi ho già detto, per il restante è un libro piacevole da leggere, suddiviso in tre parti, con capitoli corti e precisi. Senza troppe descrizioni, senza troppi giri di parole, bello diretto, che ti fa capire cosa asta succedendo in quell’istante.
Ma per quanto mi riguarda, ero partita nel dargli 3 stelle su 5, ma il finale mi ha totalmente smontato, quindi 2 su 5.
June 21, 2017
A brilliant crime thriller. It's an interesting read and very hard to put down. The ending was unexpected but all the same I was glad that I read it.
May 5, 2018
Hyvä, kevyesti naposteltava jännäri. Lieviä yhtäläisyyksiä Poirotiin ja Holmesiin. Vanha suomennos ihanasti pullollaan vanhoja, nykyään pois käytöstä olevia sanoja.
October 1, 2018
Quite exciting.
January 21, 2012
First, if you have never read Sax Rohmer before, DO NOT start with this one. Start with Rohmer's "The Green Eyes of Bâst" or "The Golden Scorpion" (free for Kindles). Although "The Yellow Claw" does have some interesting plot ideas, it does drag in spots; however, it makes up for it in the last third of the book. So, read this one (which has Rohmer's French detective, Gaston Max) later. Rohmer is most famous for creating the infamous character of Fu Manchu who later became even more famous in the black and white movies of the 30's. Fu Manchu was portrayed in various films by Boris Karloff in the 1930's. Several of the first Fu Manchu novels are also available for free on the Kindle or search out the actual books in used bookstores - they are worth the time to discover the great, intellectual (and stereotypical) evil genius who is Fu Manchu.
October 22, 2014
If you're interested in pulp fiction (not the movie, but the actual, um, fiction), this is probably of decent historical interest, as it's got mysterious underground chambers, opium addicts, and a French detective who seems like a clear model for Hercule Poirot (whom I know was Beligan), though Gaston Max is much more two-fisted.
Having said that, it's not a decent enough mystery adventure to outweigh the really amazing racism and sexism that are in this book's DNA. It's really fundamentally about the fear of the evil Chinese corrupting white women.
Like I said, it's of historical interest, and it's got some things to recommend it (I enjoyed the character of Soames) but if you're just looking for pulp action, you can find something worthwhile without wading into the foetid swamp of hatred and fear that was Rohmer's imagination.
Having said that, it's not a decent enough mystery adventure to outweigh the really amazing racism and sexism that are in this book's DNA. It's really fundamentally about the fear of the evil Chinese corrupting white women.
Like I said, it's of historical interest, and it's got some things to recommend it (I enjoyed the character of Soames) but if you're just looking for pulp action, you can find something worthwhile without wading into the foetid swamp of hatred and fear that was Rohmer's imagination.
January 18, 2016
Free download from Project Gutenburg.
Gaston Max is certainly an interesting and engaging character although he doesn't appear all that much: a bit like a cross between Holmes and Poirot working for The Surete.
The story is a pretty standard and not very politically correct "Yellow Peril" yarn but not as good, in my opinion, as The Fu Manchu series which I read avidly in my teens over half a century ago. Evil Moriarty-like oriental mastermind, opium dens in Limehouse etc. etc.
Although it is quite a good page-turner it is spoilt by a very unsatisfactory ending, with this reader anyway, being left in the dark a bit as to who the villain Mr King, really was and whether he survived or not. Perhaps it was left up in the air in order that he could be resurrected in a later book. I'll have to read the others sometime to find out.
Gaston Max is certainly an interesting and engaging character although he doesn't appear all that much: a bit like a cross between Holmes and Poirot working for The Surete.
The story is a pretty standard and not very politically correct "Yellow Peril" yarn but not as good, in my opinion, as The Fu Manchu series which I read avidly in my teens over half a century ago. Evil Moriarty-like oriental mastermind, opium dens in Limehouse etc. etc.
Although it is quite a good page-turner it is spoilt by a very unsatisfactory ending, with this reader anyway, being left in the dark a bit as to who the villain Mr King, really was and whether he survived or not. Perhaps it was left up in the air in order that he could be resurrected in a later book. I'll have to read the others sometime to find out.
August 4, 2013
Longer and slower than most of Rohmer's works, this is still a gripping yarn of London's Chinatown and opium dens. Much of the first half of the book follows one of master-criminal "Mr. King's" minions and gives more of a look at the inside workings of the criminal organisation than you would expect from Rohmer. Master detective Gaston Max only appears in he second half of the book which is more typically Rohmer-esque. "Mr. King" is well handled and kept at arms length which works very well, the book is also helped by being a straight through narrative and not a series of interconnected magazine stories as so many of Rohmer's books are.
April 7, 2013
I gave this book only 1 star because of its blatant Eurocentrism, racism and lack of a meaningful story. Rohmer has done better in other tales; this is definitely one of his weaker efforts. The characters fall flat, the plot barely bends (much less twists) and, while The Quest for the Sacred Slipper leaned towards early 20th century views, this book reflected them like a mirror, to our collective detriment. It was very disappointing to have nothing magical, supernatural or even all that mysterious happen. Appropriate for Rohmer collectors, but everyone else shouldn't bother.
April 4, 2016
Unfortunately it was a sign of the times that racist remarks were freely written and accepted by many authors, Sax Rohmer was no different.
That sad fact aside, this series of books was written by the masterful Sax Rohmer where there is no dull moment, no chance of catching your breath, and all the reasons why he was such a great author in each book. A style all his own written at a time when harlots, whores and racy clothing wasn't needed to capture and maintain a readers attention.
Fantastic character development. I couldn't put this book, or any of his other Fu Man Chu works, down.
That sad fact aside, this series of books was written by the masterful Sax Rohmer where there is no dull moment, no chance of catching your breath, and all the reasons why he was such a great author in each book. A style all his own written at a time when harlots, whores and racy clothing wasn't needed to capture and maintain a readers attention.
Fantastic character development. I couldn't put this book, or any of his other Fu Man Chu works, down.
June 11, 2013
Conceded that Gaston Max is not the bumbler that Nayland Smith is. But on the other hand this book doesn't have any of the hilariously inefficient methods for killing that make Fu Manchu entertaining. The result is a rather dull and predictable narrative based on nothing but the hope that we will be shocked, shocked by the idea that there could be a rather nice establishment run by Chinese mobsters providing opiates to rather posh self-destructive clients in London.
March 27, 2014
Like most of Rohmer's pulp novels from this time, the villains are of Asian decent and peddle the ever dangerous opium! The ending is rather abrupt, with no firm resolution for the characters, although most everything is wrapped up. The pacing is good until the end, which again, is a bit too abrupt. The main character is an amusing man, but he doesn't work as well alone as some of Rohmer's other detective/doctor duos. A decent enough read, but nothing spectacular.
May 7, 2011
Interesting (free download to my Kindle) murder mystery that leaves one question unanswered -- the story is about the use of opium in London. It was a terrible scourge, and this story has the Chinese as the villains. I liked it but I'm not sure I'd read it again. I don't know when it was published but the author died in 1959.
February 12, 2022
Unexpected Pleasure
I have read ads and comments about Sax Rohmer's books, and always they are insulting. But this book was a great story! Well written, very expressive and literate, and harshly judging of the terrible opium trade. A good creepy murder mystery that I recommend, and pay no attention to the politically correct snobs who insult Rohmer's writings.
I have read ads and comments about Sax Rohmer's books, and always they are insulting. But this book was a great story! Well written, very expressive and literate, and harshly judging of the terrible opium trade. A good creepy murder mystery that I recommend, and pay no attention to the politically correct snobs who insult Rohmer's writings.
June 8, 2012
A little slow going although it was interesting to read a novel where the main character takes so long to make an entrance. One he does, however, the story picks up. As Rohmer fan, I enjoyed this one but others new to the author might want to start with his Fu Manchu novels.
July 27, 2023
a crazy racist book by a crazy racist author. if you don't get up in arms about the horrible morality of a artwork then this book is for you my friend. if you are racist and want a wild story, this book is for you, you evil piece of shit.
February 4, 2011
Early YELLOW PERIL story. Written before first Fu Manchu story, contains Fu Manchu prototype. Concerns opium use among upper class London women. If you like Rohmer, you will like this adventure.
May 28, 2013
Murder mystery of it's time with evil stereotypical Chinese-run opium dens in Limehouse.
October 12, 2013
A genuine page turner. You had to find out what was going to happen next.
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