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Sumuru #2
The Slaves of Sumuru
Of Sins of Sumuru, the Manchester Evening News wrote: Dr. Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer's celebrated character, gives way to a woman -- Sumuru --in this new novel. But Rohmer's sure touch remains. His feminine epitome of wickedness is as fine a piece of imaginative character drawing as the notorious doctor, and the suspense of a well-knit plot never relaxes one iota. Slaves of Sumuru is another equally absorbing of Rohmer's stories of mystery and imagination -- a story of murder and violence -- again featuring the enigmatic woman who all men feared and few men knew.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
About the author
Sax Rohmer
509 books124 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 4, 2019
Sumuru comes to New York City to collect another beautiful socialite for her nefarious schemes. Since that job is going so well she takes the time to deal with Jimmy Hoffa. Roving problem solver Drake Roscoe has been detailed by the FBI to rescue the socialite and stop Sumuru if he can. He enlists the aid of a British reporter and they try with limited success to understand the woman they are dealing with.
Sumuru continues her strange plan of ridding the world of ugliness and replacing it with beautiful people. Mostly she just hates men. Roscoe is aware that he is dealing with a worldwide conspiracy and that he is out of his depth. At very turn it is revealed that Sumuru has her hand in every pot. His investigation touches on what is certainly just a trivial part of an overall plan, but the details of this plan are barely hinted at, other than the generic goal of ridding the world of ugliness by killing off the petty Hitlers as they appear. Most of the book is Sumuru toying with Roscoe and the police, calling him at home, drugging him and letting him go, allowing herself to be seen and disappearing, a cat and mouse game that is so blatant that her main henchman begs her to stop playing with danger.
Most detective stories would be considered a failure if the detectives so rarely succeeded as they do here. But mostly the book is about Sumuru and building her up as a fascinating yet enigmatic villain. Roscoe is clearly outmaneuvered at every turn and before he even takes a step. Everyone works for Sumuru, and he does not even know what her real plan is. Collecting gorgeous women and killing off ugly men one at a time seems a very slow path to world domination.
It's not clear that Sumuru really has a Master Plan, but one thing is learned; Sax Rohmer really has a thing for French women.
Sumuru continues her strange plan of ridding the world of ugliness and replacing it with beautiful people. Mostly she just hates men. Roscoe is aware that he is dealing with a worldwide conspiracy and that he is out of his depth. At very turn it is revealed that Sumuru has her hand in every pot. His investigation touches on what is certainly just a trivial part of an overall plan, but the details of this plan are barely hinted at, other than the generic goal of ridding the world of ugliness by killing off the petty Hitlers as they appear. Most of the book is Sumuru toying with Roscoe and the police, calling him at home, drugging him and letting him go, allowing herself to be seen and disappearing, a cat and mouse game that is so blatant that her main henchman begs her to stop playing with danger.
Most detective stories would be considered a failure if the detectives so rarely succeeded as they do here. But mostly the book is about Sumuru and building her up as a fascinating yet enigmatic villain. Roscoe is clearly outmaneuvered at every turn and before he even takes a step. Everyone works for Sumuru, and he does not even know what her real plan is. Collecting gorgeous women and killing off ugly men one at a time seems a very slow path to world domination.
It's not clear that Sumuru really has a Master Plan, but one thing is learned; Sax Rohmer really has a thing for French women.
August 22, 2008
The Slaves of Sumuru, originally published in 1951, is the second of Sax Rohmer’s delightfully entertaining pulpy crime/adventure novel featuring the beautiful mysterious female criminal mastermind Sumuru. Sumuru and her organisation are dedicated to the elimination of ugliness and violence from the world. Their dream is a world of beauty, run by beautiful women. Their methods are ingenious and ruthless, but mostly non-violent. In this second instalment Sumuru, referred to by her followers in terms of awe as Our Lady, has switched the focus of her activities from Europe to New York. From her headquarters in one of New York’s tallest skyscrapers (a headquarters fitted out like an eastern palace, complete with a swimming pool for her pet barracuda) Sumuru is recruiting wealthy American women to assist in her plans to extend her private empire. It’s up to Drake Roscoe, square-jawed American secret service operative, and his friend McKeigh, an English newspaper reporter, to thwart her plans.
What makes the Sumuru novels interesting is Rohmer’s fairly sympathetic portrayal of Sumuru. She gets to explain her philosophy, and her contention that a world run by men has been a world of endless horror, violence, corruption and ugliness is hard to refute! Not only is she not especially evil, she’s also clearly far more intelligent than her adversaries. Rohmer’s admiration for Sumuru is obvious. She may be, in theory, the villain, but she’s a remarkably attractive villain. Rohmer’s style is outrageously pulpy, but it’s enormous fun. The Sumuru novels are somewhat unusual and wildly entertaining pulp fiction, and I’m thoroughly enjoying them.
What makes the Sumuru novels interesting is Rohmer’s fairly sympathetic portrayal of Sumuru. She gets to explain her philosophy, and her contention that a world run by men has been a world of endless horror, violence, corruption and ugliness is hard to refute! Not only is she not especially evil, she’s also clearly far more intelligent than her adversaries. Rohmer’s admiration for Sumuru is obvious. She may be, in theory, the villain, but she’s a remarkably attractive villain. Rohmer’s style is outrageously pulpy, but it’s enormous fun. The Sumuru novels are somewhat unusual and wildly entertaining pulp fiction, and I’m thoroughly enjoying them.
February 3, 2016
The second of the Sumuru series by Sax Rohmer (far better known as the author of the Fu Manchu series) is very similar to the first but I feel a shade better. I found it interesting that most pulp/adventure/crime series such as this tend to have the same crew of cops or investigators attempting to hunt down the criminal mastermind but this one is different in that a new group gets an attempt to catch Sumuru in each novel.
Sumuru is also an interesting character because her goals are not entirely bad. This is not a James Bond type villain that is out to rule the world (or destroy it) for their own ends. Rather she believes society can be improved by eliminating the negative elements such as mob bosses or other major criminals. Of course this is pulp fiction written just after WWII so the fact that she also desires to eliminate most men from the world’s population (warmongers) and preserve the most beautiful and intelligent women for the betterment of society make this series a delightful comic-book style adventure. The cat and mouse action between the characters make this work and I found myself not minding at all the fact that Sumuru keeps getting away with her evil schemes.
Sumuru is also an interesting character because her goals are not entirely bad. This is not a James Bond type villain that is out to rule the world (or destroy it) for their own ends. Rather she believes society can be improved by eliminating the negative elements such as mob bosses or other major criminals. Of course this is pulp fiction written just after WWII so the fact that she also desires to eliminate most men from the world’s population (warmongers) and preserve the most beautiful and intelligent women for the betterment of society make this series a delightful comic-book style adventure. The cat and mouse action between the characters make this work and I found myself not minding at all the fact that Sumuru keeps getting away with her evil schemes.
May 6, 2012
I bought a copy of this at the Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention which was held about a week ago.
Clearly, this is not Great Literature. I admit, though, that it was a guilty pleasure. This novel, written in a hard-boiled style, is about a secret organization founded by the beautiful and brilliant Sumuru, which seeks to eradicate violence and ugliness from the world. Sumuru's secret agents comprise mostly of beautiful women, and a few handsome male associates. Secret agent Drake Roscoe attempts to thwart Sumuru's plans.
A question faced by the detectives, and also by me, the reader, is: Are Sumuru's goals really so bad? For example, a person causing social disruption, say a mobster, would be a prime target for Sumuru. She would quietly get rid of that person.
In the novel, one the detectives working with Drake Roscoe becomes smitten with one of Sumuru's agents, and converts to her organization. What would I do if I was investigating Sumuru's organization? I can't give a definite answer...
Clearly, this is not Great Literature. I admit, though, that it was a guilty pleasure. This novel, written in a hard-boiled style, is about a secret organization founded by the beautiful and brilliant Sumuru, which seeks to eradicate violence and ugliness from the world. Sumuru's secret agents comprise mostly of beautiful women, and a few handsome male associates. Secret agent Drake Roscoe attempts to thwart Sumuru's plans.
A question faced by the detectives, and also by me, the reader, is: Are Sumuru's goals really so bad? For example, a person causing social disruption, say a mobster, would be a prime target for Sumuru. She would quietly get rid of that person.
In the novel, one the detectives working with Drake Roscoe becomes smitten with one of Sumuru's agents, and converts to her organization. What would I do if I was investigating Sumuru's organization? I can't give a definite answer...
gave-up
July 24, 2011I didn't actually finish this - evil beautiful female supervillain (or is she?) - but the usual preliminary caution about all characters etc being the product of the imagination and bearing no resemblance to anything in reality was particularly apposite for this work. It's bad enough having one lovely woman with improbable violet eyes, but there were at least two.
I see that this was actually part of a series produced by Rohmer in later life - some 40 years after the first adventures of Fu Manchu. The passage of decades had not produced any development or improvement in style, characterisation or general plausibility. On the other hand, Rohmer must have pleased some readers since the Fu Manchu books were still being reissued in the 1970s (one can only hope with retro ironic intent).
I see that this was actually part of a series produced by Rohmer in later life - some 40 years after the first adventures of Fu Manchu. The passage of decades had not produced any development or improvement in style, characterisation or general plausibility. On the other hand, Rohmer must have pleased some readers since the Fu Manchu books were still being reissued in the 1970s (one can only hope with retro ironic intent).
March 8, 2014
The second book in Sax Rohmer's Sumuru series. A better read than the first if taken on it's own, but if read after the first the similarities in plot let it down somewhat, in fact other than in the details at times it seems to be the same book over again, only with the action moved from London to New York . A policeman is after Sumuru he ropes in his friend a journalist who promptly falls for one of Sumuru's minions, Sumuru is almost captured but escapes... That's the plot of the first two books, I wonder if book three will be any different?
March 6, 2009
I know that this book and the books in the pulp fiction genre were written a while back but I found this book really hard to finish. The hard boiled detective stuff doesn't appeal to me I guess. The story was quite good but I found the pace frustratingly slow and I also got fed up with the bad grammar so I deleted the book before I was even halfway through it. (Awaits criticism on my bad grammar).
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews