The Sargasso Ogre

Doc Savage (Original) #8

by Kenneth Robeson (House Name), Lester Dent

WHO IS DOC SAVAGE?

To the world at large, Doc Savage is a strange, mysterious figure of glistening bronze skin and golden eyes. To his amazing co-adventurers - the five greatest brains ever assembled in one group - he is a man of superhuman strength and protean genius, whose life is dedicated to the destruction of evil-doers. To his fans he is one of the greatest adventure heroes of all time, whose fantastic exploits are unequalled for hair-raising thrills, breathtaking escapes and bloodcurdling excitement.

THE SARGASSO OGRE

A ruthless attempt on the life of one of Doc’s crew thrusts the Man of Bronze and his incomparable companions into a chilling new adventure. From the ancient, skull-lined catacombs of Alexandria to a fantastic sea of floating primitive life where they unravel the centuries-old mystery of the Sargasso, Doc Savage and his men once more pursue the perverse agents of evil!

Genres: Adventure, Pulp, Science Fiction, Fiction, Action, Fantasy, Mystery

140 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1933

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

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

When one of Doc’s aides is threatened, Doc and his crew embark on a ship-board adventure against one of his greatest physical adversaries and in a truly remarkable setting: the Sargasso Sea, a living breathing mythic site all its own where all the flotsam and jetsam and derelict ships of the ocean have converged into a floating muck that has become a home to a sort of lost civilization. The tale is packed with all the Doc Savage tropes that one hopes for: physical fights, gun fights, cutting edge scientific devices (for the 1930s), a mysterious plot, disguises, captured good guys with daring escapes and rescues, and of course, the incomparable mental acuity and foresight of one Clark Savage Jr.

This early Doc Savage adventure, penned by the originator of the series, Lester Dent is often listed among fan favorites, and very often in the top 5. It’s easy to see why. For me, the early Doc adventures are the best because they include all 5 of his aides and the Monk-Ham banter is kept to a minimum. These early stories are also somewhat linked together with this one actually mentioning that Doc and the boys having just completed an adventure in The Lost Oasis.

While the Bantam paperback editions list this as #18, the original order would place it as #8. Regardless, this one’s a keeper.

[Forrest · Rating 4 out of 5]

The eighth Doc Savage tale (or #18 in Bantam's wacky reprint order) was originally published in October 1933, and it's a corker.

Following directly on the events of The Lost Oasis, Doc and his gang find themselves swept up in a high-seas mystery while returning home from Egypt. The story is tight and moves along nicely, and the villain is truly worthy of Doc (I love the way his name, Bruze, conveys his violent nature while also recalling Doc's own "man of bronze" moniker). The setting and supporting characters are just weird enough to seem both utterly exotic and strangely plausible, and the occasional purple excesses of Lester Dent's writing style are largely kept in check. Yep, this is a good one.

[Jeffry · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a kid this was one of my favorite Doc Savage books. I loved the setting and I loved the cover art. I found the Idea of a graveyard for ships very compelling. It's extreamly dated but that makes it all the more fun to read.

[Randy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sargasso Ogre was published in the October, 1933 issue of Doc Savage Magazine. It was a sequel to The Lost Oasis; in that adventure, the reader may remember that Doc and his crew discovered a diamond mine operation that was using slave labor to mine the diamonds; this story is a follow-up of that one. The Sargasso Ogre opens with a hit man who was hired by a mysterious person to kill Long Tom and keep Doc Savage and his crew from sailing on the ship that was to transport the recovered diamonds back to New York.

Long Tom was tricked into accompanying the hit man where he was almost murdered, but Doc happened to be in the company of Long Tom at the time and was able to rescue him; apparently, he had momentarily stepped away. After he rescued his compatriot, they witnessed a brutal attack on the hit man and his gang. Nevertheless, they had a ship to catch that sailed shortly after midnight from Alexandra, Egypt, where this story begins, to New York. The other guys were on the ship when Doc and Long Tom arrived; after Doc explained why he and Long Tom were late, the crew was elated and were looking forward to another thrilling adventure. I’m sure they and the readers will not be disappointed as the story progresses. So far, this reader has not been disappointed … the first four chapters of The Sargasso Ogre have been quite interesting.

The Sargasso Ogre started out strong but wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be; in fact it went downhill beginning in Chapter V. It is primarily a story of modern-day piracy … and that’s about it. There’s a lot of gunplay and Doc keeps busy outwitting the modern-day pirates, but he ultimately prevails. Lester throws in a little humor here and there in the story and includes an interesting plot twist, which I will not reveal. He ends The Sargasso Ogre in an abrupt manner, as he seems in a hurry to wrap this one up, but the modern day pirates are eradicated in a big way and the unorthodox means of escaping the Sargasso Sea is discovered.

This thrilling Doc Savage adventure is almost too fantastic to believe, but as I’ve previously mentioned in these reviews, you don’t have to believe these fictional adventures to enjoy reading them. The Sargasso Ogre is not quite as good as some of the other Doc Savage adventures, but it is an enjoyable read and is worthy of four stars. ****

 

[Dan Mushalko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doc's eighth adventure is worth reading for the opening couple of paragraphs alone. Author Dent has fully hit his stride with not only the recurring characters, but masterfully setting the tone of the stories. From this novel on, most of these adventures start with wonderfully crafted openings. I won't write a spoiler -- read the first few lines for yourself to learn from a storytelling master!

The story itself is very strong. It's an unusual, highly creative adventure -- taking Doc and his five scrappy companions from sinister back alleys in urban Egypt to a city (comprised of abandoned ships) floating in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean's Sargasso Sea. The details of the city, how the denizens live, its history, and the challenges it presents to Doc in ultimately saving the day are outright visionary. It's easy to see how the concept of "Waterworld" had roots stretching back decades to this work.

Some consider this the best adventure tale in the Savage saga. I'm not one of them. There are several to come which are its equal, at the very least. It IS among the best, though. So why not give it a full five stars?

The racism isn't quite so bad in this one. Instead, sexism replaces it -- and in a way that is not only disruptive to modern sensibilities, but disrupts the flow of the story's internal logic. We learn of a group of people resisting the oppressive usurper of the ship-nation's government. They're all women, functionally sharp, strong, modern-day Amazons. Despite having successfully warded off armed attack after armed attack before Doc's arrival, in one battle scene about half of the group fearfully scream like Ann Darrow in Kong's grip. And several pester Doc not with questions of survival or battle strategy, but with the latest fashions coming out of New York. To quote a line from the book, "The intricacies of the feminine mind were beyond any psychology."

That unravels the intricacies of an otherwise supremely crafted adventure.

[Solitairerose · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sargasso Ogre is one of the early Doc Savage novels. Like most of the Doc Savage pulps, it reads like a movie serial, with peril waiting constantly, lots of action, daring escapes, and a sense that anything can happen on the pages.

Lester Dent, under the name Kenneth Robeson, puts together a story that starts in Egypt and moves quickly to a battle on an ocean liner and ends in a strange Sargasso sea filled with lost ships, civilizations the live on the ships, and a group of criminals who seem to have the upper hand on Doc Savage and his men as they stay one step ahead of them.

Dent’s writing is serviceable, not spending a lot of time describing things, and only giving the broad outlines of characters. Heroes are heroes because they are good people, villains are villains because they are simply bad people, and they clash over and over again until the heroes win. The network of abandoned ships that have been cobbled together into a kind of floating island maze gave the story some unique aspects, which stood out. We also have Doc and his Fabulous Five away from their normal gadgets and having to go with a reduced arsenal, which led to a story with them in more danger than usual.

A pulp novel is pure melodrama, with catastrophes overlapping until the conclusion, and this one did a solid job of that. If you already know the Doc Savage novels, you’ll enjoy this one, but this won’t convert anyone into a fan who wasn’t one already.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sargasso Orge is a "Doc Savage" novel by Kenneth Robeson. Kenneth Robeson was the house name used by Street and Smith Publications 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
W. Ryerson Johnson
I love reading these old pulp novels from time to time. I recently came across several of them in a used bookstore and snapped them up. I read about 80%+ of the Doc Savage novels when I was a teenager but that was a very long time ago.
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 fashion adventure and with 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.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is truly a wild and weird adventure, beginning in Alexandria, Egypt and ending up in the Sargasso Sea, amid a virtual city of crippled ships. Not only do we meet one of Doc's most powerful foes, but we also meet a civilization of women who live on one of the aforementioned crippled ships. A very good entry in the series -- fast-paced and bizarre.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

Really enjoyed this old time slice of pulp action.
The action was pretty much non stop from start to finish, it felt a tighter read to me than some other DS books I have read, the ending was a bit of a letdown though as the action built up and then bang it was over. Hence the loss of half mark.
Otherwise solid read and a definite recommendation

[Steve Patton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wake me when it is over...

OK, I get that this was not written for a 55 year old, however, it was painful. It went 18 chapters too long.

However, before I digress too much, a little background and history I found out about Doc Savage. He is considered the first, and original super hero. All Marvel and DC superheroes can trace their roots to one person...Doc Savage. The Fortress of Solitude in the Antarctic? Doc Savage originated it...Superman must have taken over after Doc Savage left. But literally, DC stole the Fortress of Solitude from Doc Savage. The Doc Savage series of books was originally written in the early 1930s...I believe 1933 was the first book (for those contemplating, Superman came along in 1938, some 5 years later, and the Fortress of Solitude would be after that, in 1958).

I realized soon after starting The Sargasso Ogre that a memory came back to me...my Ray Sting character was fashioned after Doc Savage (and Nick Fury) and I had completely forgot since reading the book. It was a nice, and now funny, memory to revive after so long.

The other piece to this is that I was probably 8-14 when I originally bought this book, and at that age I went for the cover, no so much content - which left me jumping into the middle of a series rather than starting with the first book (The Sargasso Ogre is Book 18)

The Sargasso Ogre is the story of Doc Savage and his five unique friends (five friends each with unique looks and talents) taking diamonds that are Doc's and worth billions, from Alexandria to the US (may have been UK - I slept during the book since then). On the way their boat is hijacked and taken to the Sargasso Sea...where unfortunately we spend the next 18 chapters...give or take. You will be despising sushi by the time you finish the book.

I would have liked to have seen more out of Doc's friends, as they have unique abilities and characteristics, but aside from two small incidents, they never come into play...they are just there. It is all about Doc, Doc, Doc...and more Doc. I wanted to be a fan of this book, but just couldn't. I realize it was written at a different time and place...maybe then I would have liked it.

Or, maybe I would have liked reading the original...

Yes, unfortunately, like with the Hardy Boys, the book has been scrubbed and rewritten for a "modern" and "woke" and "tolerant" generation. Doc no longer kills bad guys, he just knocks them all unconscious...he does carry a specialized and highly accurate SMG that is of his own creation, but by a cats whisker he can't seem to hit anything at 600 RPM. He is OK however, with wounding, maiming and let dying, or even frying to a crisp (now, that's not outright killing evil is it). I didn't like the passivism...Doc is a superhero, take care of the bad guys however you need to.

So, I may have liked the original books, the way the Author intended them to be written - I will never know because they cost too much, even if available. I think a real Hardy Boys book goes for something like $400 these days.

The book really had so much going for it, everything is written in three sentence paragraphs, but it fell quite flat in the end...literally. You'll have to read the book in order to understand that pun.

Sorry, after thought here...it was kind of like if MacGyver had worn a cape...

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Returning from their last adventure, upon leaving Egypt Doc Savage and his companions have their ocean liner hijacked by modern day pirates and taken to the Sargasso Sea. Doc Savage finds himself working to protect both the passengers of his ocean liner and a shipful of beautiful castaways while dealing with well-entrenched enemies led by the titular "Sargasso Ogre."

This was one of the better entries in the Doc Savage series so far. It felt a bit more grounded than some previous installments (i.e., no giant poisonous bats this time), but it included exotic locations, an interesting antagonist, and plenty of action.

Doc's companions didn't seem especially effective this time, so Doc is left to do most of the heavy lifting. The women presented in the story were surprisingly well-rendered for the time. Their leader instantly falls for "woman-proof" Savage, of course, but she and her crew prove to be brave and resourceful.

Bruze, the "Sargasso Ogre," is one of the more interesting opponents portrayed in the series so far. He's physically intimidating, but in his one hand-to-hand combat with Doc he immediately realizes he is outmatched, and spends rest of the book actively avoiding another fight, instead relying on animal cunning to put Savage in danger. The moment in which he receives his comeuppance is rather abrupt, but it makes for an exciting scene of poetic justice.

[Kent Archie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't really recommend Doc Savage books. I read some as a kid and wanted to see how they held up.
The answer is not very well. The treatment and even descriptions of women and non-Americans (or maybe non-wealthy people) are unpleasant. The adventures themselves are fun and interesting and if you can skip over the parts that were acceptable 70+ years ago but make you cringe now, then try one out. You don't have to start with the first book, these are pretty standalone and tell you what you need to know.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another adventure in the lives of Doc & his men. They take a ship homeward and the ship is taken by a gang of men who are never called pirates. Doc meets a beautiful woman, whom he really doesn't notice because he never notices women as anything other than people. As with many of the Doc Savage stories it ends as if the next chapter is missing.

[Michael Sigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sargasso Ogre was Lester Dent's all-time favourite Doc Savage story he wrote. To me, that really set up a big expectation, especially since the 8 or so before it weren't all that good. This one is better than alot of its predecessors.
...
Doc's still a terrible ass, though.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Doc adventure that I read back in the 70s.

[Morgan Chalfant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pulpy goodness.

[Ted Wenskus · Rating 4 out of 5]

For pulpy fun, one of the better ones in the series!

[Craig · Rating 4 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!

[Kara Jorges · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sargasso Ogre begins in Alexandria, Egypt, where Doc and his five pals are about to board an ocean liner to return home from Africa. Their departure is nearly hampered by an attempt on Long Tom’s life, but Doc saves the day and he and his five friends board the “Cameronic” in plenty of time. Things on board aren’t as they should be, though. The captain and crew behave as strangely as the foggy weather they ship encounters for a week straight, and when the sky clears, they find the ship has drifted several thousand miles off course—to the heart of the Sargasso Sea. There, Doc and company find a huge graveyard of derelict ships trapped in thick masses of seaweed, but most oddly of all, this strange “island” is inhabited not only by the bad guys who brought them there, but by other unfortunates whose ships drifted there from all over the world. It’s up to Doc and his gang to keep the villain known as the Sargasso Ogre from retaking the “Cameronic” and finding a way back to civilization.

This book bore all the trademark excitement and humor I have come to expect from Doc Savage, from the many combat and chase scenes to interesting villains and side characters. Though the tide of public opinion seems to be turning Doc into a bit much of a goody two-shoes, it was still exciting stuff.

[Duane Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another top notch adventure from the man of Bronze, this time set on a boat, as he goes up against a foe that is almost his equal.

But other than that great page turner, this issue also gave us some great Literary Lines such as: "But I believe I have perfected a device for killing harmful insects with atomic streams." (Oh Atomic energy, what CAN'T you do!)

'He was a little old grandma of a man.' (Hey, leave my Grandma out of this!)

'Like a monster lost in the soupy fastness of another sphere, the Cameronic plowed ahead.' (Because saying 'fog' is so 1932)

'But they might as well have tried to spear an enraged bumblebee with toothpicks.' (Hey! An enraged bumblebee with a toothpick killed my father!)

'They were of all nations, these devils, but brothers at heart.' (we kill and steal and bomb and shoot, but we're softies underneath)

'He went directly to the high poop.' (*SNICKER*)

Also this issues 'Insert your own joke here' line of:
'It spanked them back.' (Yep..I'm just gonna leave that here.)

For those keeping a running tab (don't you have a life?) this issues superamalgamated count was Zero again. But the "Wallah" Count was 9 and the "Holy Cow" count was 9 as well.

But all kidding aside, this was one of the best Doc adventures I've read so far. So, on to the next one...

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Doc Savage stories and, I think, one of the best of the original series. The villain is not a mad scientist, but rather a man who has a physical strength that comes close to rivalling Doc's own. Add to that a very agile, criminal mind, and you have a worthy adversary for the Man of Bronze and his crew of Five Specialists.

Bruze (yes, you are pronouncing it correctly) is a modern-day pirate who uses the Sargasso Sea as a giant, water-borne web. Also in the mix is a civilization that grew out of the vessels captured over the centuries by the Sargasso. Bruze is a recent addition, who figured out a clever way to escape the Sargasso and then use a massive crew of around 40 cutthroats to prey on ships for almost a decade before running afoul of Doc.

That's all you get, anything else really would spoil a great example of why the Pulps and their characters are still so popular today.

Find it! Buy it! READ IT!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The exotic travel means for this Doc Savage adventure is a cross-Atlantic cruiseship and the thrilling local is the Sargasso sea. The story starts off with a bang as a murder attempt is made on Long Tom in the Catacombs beneath Alexandria. Doc battles a crew of cutthroats seeking to maroon the ocean liner and the very elements themselves in the form of the Sargasso sea. Like the adventure before it, there seems to be no way out--no conveyance that could get the team back to civilization. Unusual in this book, however, is the villain is close to Doc in physical strength and fighting ability; Doc is not so sure of overcoming the heavily muscled man who works out (physically) with a regime nearly as difficult as Doc's!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking forward to re-reading this one. My memory of it when I was younger was of a dark and brooding tale set for the most part in near darkness as Doc battles the evil Sargasso Ogre, a man named Bruze who is almost Doc's match physically . . . almost. The story runs back and forth through the Sargasso Sea, with one of the most important elements being Doc's desire not to immediately defeat the villain because the villain is the only one who knows how to escape the Sargasso! This was a pre-Bermuda Triangle era, so the Sargasso was the mysterious place where ships went in and never came out. A well-crafted story, this one.

[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.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best adventures of the Supreme Adventurer! "The Sargasso Ogre" features a good and haunting setting, good action, a good villain (it's very rare for a villain to tackle Doc as equal, and this one does!), a good cast of side characters.

It's certainly one of the finest on the long list of Man of Bronze adventures!

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very cool setting can't save this sadly boring Doc Savage adventure.
The villain is bland and the plot mostly involves a lot of running around. Couple good action scenes, but otherwise a rare letdown from an usually brilliant series.

[Keith B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very first Doc Savage book I read. My grandmother gave to to me and I remember laying on her couch and devouring it. Re-read on the trip home from her place (I was about 8yrs old at the time and it was a 9hr car trip). Hooked from that point on

[Mark Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was somewhat different from the other Docs that I've read. Not one of the best ones.

[Dale Rosso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good entry in Doc Savage series.

[Bruce Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been ages since I read a Doc Savage book. Very clever and not dated at all. The end seemed to take forever but it was a good read. I'll read some more.