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The Quest of the Sacred Slipper

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With the theft of the sacred slipper, rumored to have been worn by the great Prophet himself, came a wave of outrageous horror. Weird, supernatural feats accompanied its movement from the Near East to a London museum. Mutilation, even murder, threatened all who came near it. It was as if a horde of phantoms had descended upon London, whose guardians were soon plunged into fear and dread. And then the truth emerged. Behind these inhuman outrages was a secret group of fanatics--Assassins--trained from childhood to wreak havoc on all who dared disturb their sacred relics. Not even the best men of Scotland Yard seemed able to apprehend them. For, in some mystical way, this phantom band had never been seen or even heard...

189 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1913

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About the author

Sax Rohmer

495 books125 followers
AKA 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.

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5 stars
18 (14%)
4 stars
34 (26%)
3 stars
57 (44%)
2 stars
13 (10%)
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6 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Mike.
511 reviews137 followers
December 31, 2014

The review from afar – No. 17

Re-revised forward to these overseas reviews:
Since emulating a yo-yo, I continue to rely on the old-style Kindle 3G for any non-technical reading. I tip my hat to the fine folks at Project Gutenberg: virtually every title I have or will be reading in the near future comes from them.


The Quest of the Sacred Slipper is another rough-and-tumble story of Eastern Evil meeting Western Civilization. In this lurid tale, the prolific and commercially successful Sax Rohmer (Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward) has a gang of murderous Muslims chasing after a slipper once worn by the prophet Mohammed. I say murderous, but most often they merely cutoff the limb that may have touched the relic or its container. This is to maintain the purity of the relic since only those anointed should be allowed to touch it.

Until a detailed reveal the string of people whose arms have been hacked off (by a single sword/scimitar cut) is most mysterious. On the side of “good” is an English newspaperman, Cavanaugh who befriends the archeologist who stole the slipper (and who dies of course). Despite his own association with the slipper Cavanaugh manages to escape maiming – partly because he has had the wisdom not to touch the slipper and partly because he has earned the respect of the leader of the cult that seeks to retrieve it.

This man, Hassan of Aleppo (yes, the city, not the Shriners Temple) is the villainous mastermind who seeks to recover the blessed footwear and dish out retribution to the unbelievers. Villainy is relative, of course. Prof. Deeping who “appropriated” the item was a villain in their eyes (as are all who continue to keep the slipper from Hassan).

But there is another who seeks the relic, also. A slick, successful American thief wants to grab it and make a retirement off it. This complicates everyone’s lives as the relic is now being grabbed and re-grabbed by three different factions. (It takes a sojourn in the British Museum for a time.) Dexter isn’t as successful as he had hoped with rather permanent ramifications.

Because this is a Sax Rohmer pulp adventure, we have the East-West culture clash, mystic/religious secrets and/or rituals, a maniacal fanatic (often also a genius), the whiter-than-white hero/protagonist, the hero’s associate/sidekick, and the alluring, mysterious femme (often a femme fatale). The success of the formula reminds me a lot of Michael Moorcock’s days when he was churning out the Eternal Champion stories: both authors had a good story in mind, often re-used similar/identical plot elements, and kept things moving with action and changes of location.

Whether you appreciate good, trashy novels or not, this is an enjoyable yarn. Another check box in the non-Fu Manchu column! Three and one-half (3.5) well-earned Stars.

You can get this book for free from the Gutenberg Project site.
Profile Image for Julie Davis.
Author 5 books320 followers
February 28, 2021
This is a really wonderfully narrated Librivox book. It is the usual over-the-top thriller/adventure from Sax Rohmer so I loved it, having a real weak spot for that sort of light reading. The hero is a clueless dum-dum most of the time but I guess someone's gotta be or how would we feel clever? Even so the last couple of chapters were a real surprise. I enjoyed this a lot.
Profile Image for MB Taylor.
340 reviews27 followers
November 28, 2015
I mostly read The Quest of the Sacred Slipper a chapter or two at time while waiting; not a particularly compelling 'have to finish it now' kind of book. Although the end read like Rohmer felt like he had to finish it now; maybe he had reached some arbitrary limit (e.g., page count) or deadline or maybe his interest/inspiration just failed. In any case it ended with an amazing and unsatisfying abruptness.

Rohmer created one character/series that insures his continued fame (or maybe infamy), Fu Manchu; several lesser known series; and a handful of stand-alone novels. This is one of the stand-alones.

When reading The Quest of the Sacred Slipper it felt like a predecessor to Fu Manchu even though it was published in 1914, after the first Fu Manchu novel (1913). The villain, Hassan of Aleppo, is the diabolical head of the Hashishin. Unfortunately he's not quite as evil or as interesting as Fu Manchu. Nor is the main character, reporter Mr. Cavanagh (I assume he has a first name but I don't know that Rohmer ever tells us what it is), as resourceful or as fearless as Fu Manchu's nemesis, Denis Nayland Smith.

However, in some ways Cavanagh is a more interesting hero than Smith; or he could have been had Rohmer been so inclined. Cavanagh fits into the mold of an ordinary man pulled into events beyond his depth. Towards the end of the novel, when the events have clearly taken their toll, Cavanagh agrees that what he wants is "... peace; ... to be able to sleep in comfort; ... to know I'm not likely to be murdered on the next corner." Hardly the admission of a steadfast and unwavering hero.

Like the Fu Manchu novels, The Quest of the Sacred Slipper is not without overt racism; although here the evil Orientals are Moslems rather than Chinese (Rohmer's terms, not mine). Not a book for the easily offended.
Profile Image for James.
256 reviews3 followers
August 19, 2018
A slipper supposedly worn by the Prophet Mohammed is stolen and the curse...
Similar to his stories of Fu Manchu which I enjoy listening to on old time radio podcasts. Could just change names of the characters which the author most likely did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
303 reviews1 follower
February 16, 2013
Last summer I found three Sax Rohmer books in a local antique store. This one is inscribed in pre-ball point pen ink ‘In hoc signo vincimus’ (by this sign we will conquer) on the frontispiece.

Originally published in 1913, the characterization of “others” (i.e. Arabs, Assyrians, dwarves, women) reflects the viewpoints of the times. However, the plot points are fast-paced with twists and turns more common to modern crime procedurals (NCIS, etc.) than the usual plodding pace of pre-modern thrillers.

I enjoyed the book – it’s a fun read with constant action and mysterious happenings. It’s a great way to step into the world view of a hundred years ago. While the racism is disappointing, it’s neither surprising nor particularly venomous; usually it’s just typical ethnocentric arrogance, deliberately mixed with fear of ‘the other.’ What else creates more fear than the unknown entity?

I won’t be posting quotes as usual, since the use of language is straightforward rather than elegant or heartbreaking. However, the characterizations are sketched beautifully against the background of what the writer (and characters) believe to be modern (and thus, sober, rational) England at the height of her empire. The tension arises through their confrontation with unknown, mysterious and supernatural powers wielded by (what was to them) an exotic enemy. See if you can figure out how each trick is done . . .
Profile Image for Neil.
503 reviews6 followers
August 27, 2016
A non-stop Sax Rohmer yarn. A slipper believed to belong to the prophet Mohammed has been stolen by a British archaeologist and a Muslim sect are after all who come into contact with it, the leader of the sect Hassan of Aleppo, is very much a stand in for Rohmer most famous creation Fu Manchu. The complexity of the schemes to recover and steal the slipper are complicated even more by an American gangster, who is also after it, for his own ends. The who thing is totally unbelievable, and probably racist, but darned good fun. My copy, a 1925 Pearson's edition, also contains an unrelated Sax Rohmer short story "The Red Mist."
Profile Image for Judy.
486 reviews
May 6, 2011
Sax Rohmer died in 1959; I do not know when this book was published (I downloaded it for free onto my Kindle). The "bad guys" were followers of an ancient sect of Muslims, in current-day England, seeking retribution for the theft of one of Mohammed's slippers. In light of the present terrorism perpetrated by some Muslims, this book should have been a warning to anyone who might have read it when it was first published.
Profile Image for CATHERINE.
1,483 reviews8 followers
May 12, 2013
Old fashioned, Indiana Jones style adventure based on a sacred slipper that if you touch it you lose a hand. Then someone steals the slipper ... The description of the lovely lady is very poetic and the writing concerning her is quite beautiful at times. Otherwise nothing exceptional very much a boys own adventure with a definite slant that anyone foreign is evil. The ending was also very abrupt.
54 reviews1 follower
September 19, 2009
I read this in 2 days. Awesome old school pulp tale! The sacred slipper of Mohammed gets stolen by an archaeologist. It then ends up in London with the king of Hasim's (assassins) trying to get it from the museum. Great old school yarn.
Profile Image for Stuart Dean.
771 reviews7 followers
September 10, 2019
Pulp mystery written in 1913. A British archeologist loots the Sacred Slipper of the Prophet from Mecca and for some reason the Muslims are upset with him. The first sign is when a cruise ship porter gets his hand cut off. Then in England somebody gets dead. A London newspaper man gets involved by accident, and along with a Scotland Yard inspector he tries to keep the Ancient Order of
Assassins from retrieving the slipper and/or killing him. The head of the Order himself is present, and so is the most famous thief in America, which makes it very hard for Scotland Yard to keep the slipper from being stolen and for other people to get their hands cut off. Of course, given that this is a Sax Rohmer tale, there is a mysterious and beautiful purple-eyed woman showing up at regular intervals.

It's entertaining as an action/mystery from the old days. Many unlikely coincidences, some last minute escapes, and the thieves are far smarter than the cops. Moves along quickly, jumps at times, and has a usual Sax Rohmer ending. Is rare for books of the period that the Englishman is actually self-aware enough to realize that stealing a Holy Relic for the British Museum might not be an action above reproach.
675 reviews34 followers
January 3, 2018
It took very little effort to read this book.

It's less racist than usual for Sax Rohmer, which is good. He has a very low opinion of everybody east of Europe, but there appears to be some grudging respect for Islam, which is interesting.

The bad guy of the book is Hassan of Aleppo, who is the leader of the brutish Thuggee, who are a collection of every cliche but also stoned as hell. Seriously, the bad guys of this hundred-year-old novel are always proceeded by the "pungent, penetrating, seductively Oriental*" odor of hashish, "with a smell much like the burning of Indian hemp.*" At one point our hero, the stalwart British war correspondent, accidentally inhales some hashish smoke that had been blown through a mail slot through a long black tube to catch him unawares, and he sinks into unconsciousness for a couple hours and more-or-less hallucinates that he's a cop. It's not an amazingly amusing thing but it's close.

There's really no reason why people could not produce books exactly this hackneyed and cliche and sell them all day. This is practically begging to be a fantasy series. Just change the names.

*Not quite quotes.
Profile Image for N.R. Tomasheski.
Author 2 books8 followers
August 5, 2018
Another enjoyable read from Rohmer. In this adventure, journalist Cavanagh finds himself inextricably tangled in the matter of a stolen object, the titular Sacred Slipper, said to have belonged to Mohammed and protected by a secret society. Everyone who touches the object suffers, at a minimum, the loss of the offending hand and, at the worst, the loss of one's life. Following Rohmer's typical approach, there's lots of seemingly supernatural activity that is found to be mundane trickery. He is one of the unsung masters of this technique. As always, it's a quick read, with action on every page that drives the reader to turn to the next.
I've mentioned in my earlier reviews a characteristic that holds: Eastern culture in general is treated with respect, though there is the occasional cringe-worthy language, and the female character has quite a bit of agency.
Profile Image for Morven.
Author 5 books23 followers
January 29, 2020
There are some very thorough reviews here, which I recommend reading. I'm not going to repeat much of what they say except to say that the portrayal of "the other" is racist, but par for the course for the time.

I read it because I like reading supernatural fiction and had never read Rohmer before. Judging it on that aspect, I'd say it's good. You aren't sure what is causing injury and death. Also, the action and tension is fairly good.

Do I feel guilty reading a racist book? No, because the way the racism is presented, you see how others unlike the author were regarded at that time, and you have hope that we are indeed moving forward in treating others as ourselves.
Profile Image for Yibbie.
1,403 reviews54 followers
July 11, 2023
A penny-dreadful if ever there was one. Death stalks every chapter in a completely outlandish, shocking manner. The villains are dastardly to an obnoxious extreme. The hero seems to be, not just bulletproof, but death proof to the extreme. The heroine is beautiful in the extreme. Have you noticed that there are a lot of extremes? That would be the one word to describe every event and person in this story.
Despite all of that… I had fun with it. By the end, I couldn’t wait to see what crazy situation would pop up next. So if you need an escape, this would be perfect.
There were a couple of swear words.
6,726 reviews5 followers
September 10, 2021
Entertaining listening 🔰😀

Another will written thriller adventure mystery novella by Sax Rohmer with interesting will developed characters. The story is set in London turn of the century where a slipper in great 👍demand by a number of bad 👎 guys leads to great adventure. I would recommend this novella to readers of British mysteries. Enjoy the adventure of reading or listening 🔰2021 🏰😃
Profile Image for David Allen.
Author 4 books14 followers
January 7, 2024
The usual froth involving an emotional British narrator, a bewitching exotic woman, mysterious Eastern sects and a fanatical mastermind. However, this is in the Middle East, not China, the protagonist doesn't end up with the woman, Fu Manchu is nowhere in sight and the sacred slipper is a religious relic that even the authorities admit is better off in local hands rather than the British's. Casually racist at times, definitely a product of its era, but a fun read.
Profile Image for Furor Germanicus.
3 reviews
January 30, 2023
This not the best Rohmer book I’ve read, but it could have been great. 98% or so of the book is what you would have expected from the “Lord of strange deaths”. What ruins it is the odd and abrupt end of the book. It’s not like him, so the explanation has to be that it was some deadline or page count that had been reached or perhaps that he was at some conflict with the publisher. So it’s a pity.
Profile Image for Charles J Kilker.
78 reviews3 followers
February 19, 2019
Quest of the Sacred Slipper

An excellent story. Story dragged a little at the end but otherwise was excellent. Another great story by Sax Rohmer.
Profile Image for for-much-deliberation  ....
2,690 reviews
February 22, 2015
A sacred Moslem relic is stolen, and the relic's guardian, Hassan of Aleppo and his entourage will terrorise, kill or mutilate whomsoever gets in their path to reclaiming it. Unfortunately the innocent Cavanaugh becomes a target...

A rather exciting classic mystery adventure by Rohmer, recommended for anyone seeking some classic mystery solving entertainment...
Profile Image for Neil Davies.
Author 91 books57 followers
December 15, 2015
Excellent gripping adventure, and the only reason it gets 4-stars instead of 5 is that the ending was a bit abrupt. I felt it needed to be drawn out more or there needed to be some kind of short "epilogue". Other than that, a wonderful read.

The edition I had also had a short story, 'Red Mist', in the back, which was very enjoyable too. A nice bonus.
Profile Image for Nancy Thormann.
259 reviews4 followers
January 22, 2015
This book had a lot of twists and turns and had an unexpected ending. I needed a good pot boiler like this. It's made me interested in more books by Sax Rohmer and I'm looking into to getting more of them.
Profile Image for Jack.
2,879 reviews26 followers
February 2, 2014
Adventure story from a century ago whose villains are Moslems from the Middle East. Nothing changes, does it ?
2,940 reviews7 followers
May 3, 2016
read some time in 1995
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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