Thrillers and Thrillers

Just Finished

Yesterday I finished the second Dr. Fu-Manchu thriller by Sax Rohmer. My review of the book is below.











"The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu is the second book of the Fu-Manchu thrillers by Sax Rohmer. Originally published in 1916, it is true pulp fiction at its best and the stuff that those old Hammer movies were made of and could have been one of those Saturday matinee serials I used to enjoy as a kid. (Do you remember those? Before the main feature started, they would show a 10 or 15 minute 'serial' and it would end with the hero hanging off of a cliff or facing twenty gunmen. How would he survive? Wait until next week!)
Fu-Manchu is a cunning, evil genius trying to take over the world and to destroy his arch enemy Nayland Smith and his faithful companion, Dr. Petrie. Smith has been back in Burma and has heard that Fu-Manchu is still alive and has returned to England to get his revenge on them. The book is a series of incidents that find Smith and Petrie trying to find Fu-Manchu and battle his Dacoits and other implements of his terror. The beautiful Karamaneh, the woman of mystery from the first book, returns. Whose side is she on? Can Petrie and Smith trust her? Petrie definitely wants to, as she is forever on his mind and a constant distraction. The steady Inspector Weymouth of Scotland Yard also assists when he can. All in all, it's a wandering thriller and Smith and Petrie find themselves in dangerous situation after situation. How will it all end up? Wait until next week. (3 stars)"

After I finished it, I realised that I've read a few of these thrillers in the past few weeks, series that I've slowly been collecting over the past few years. What genre are they really? Well, they're definitely thrillers. The heroes / heroines can be larger than life. They battle powerful, evil villains, or maybe they are the villains? They are entertaining, action-packed and often unrealistic, but for all that, enjoyable escapes from reality and mindless entertainment. I usually have 4 books on the go, so I've decided that at least one will continue with this genre.

Currently Reading

My next book will feature Peter O'Donnell's heroine, Modesty Blaise. Peter O'Donnell wrote 13 books featuring Modesty and her partner, Willie Garvin. They were written between 1965 and 1991. I've bought 10 so far, all published by Pan Books. Modesty is the ex-leader of a criminal organisation who has turned good. She is independently wealthy and she regularly is asked by the English Secret Service to help solve cases that they don't have the wherewithal to sort out themselves. She is put in dangerous situations, life-threatening, of course and must rely on her skills in armed combat or with weapons, plus her wits to survive and be successful. Very entertaining stories so far. I've completed 3 so far and enjoyed them all. The description of A Taste For Death is below.






"In their fourth exhilarating caper a whirlwind of action sweeps Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin from the underworld of Panama to the blast furnace of the Sahara as they tangle with enemies old and new...
Gabriel - who needs Dinah, beautiful but blind, to trace the treasure of Domitian Mus, Tribune of Rome...
Wenczel -  a master swordsman in chain mail with whom Modesty must fence for her life, stripped to black briefs...
Delicata - the grotesque giant with a taste for death - Garvin's in particular."

Other Series

These are some of the other series that might fall into this genre, or is it a sub-genre? I've read some of them this past year and hope to start or continue some of the others over the next three months.

1. John Buchan (Richard Hannay series).  John Buchan was a prolific writer. He was also a popular Governor - General (the Queen's representative) of Canada. The Hannay books start with The Thirty-nine Steps, a book that has been made into at least two movies, the one with Robert Donat is a favourite of mine. When I found out that it was a book, I got it as soon as I found a copy and enjoyed it immensely. Then as I researched Buchan a bit more, I realised that Hannay was the main character in five books -

1. The Thirty-nine Steps (1915)
2. Greenmantle (1916)
3. Mr. Standfast (1919)
4. The Three Hostages (1924)
5. The Island of Sheep (1936)

Hannay is an average man, a mining engineer, who finds himself caught up in many dangerous, action-filled situations and uses his wits to overcome the odds and often saves his country. I've read four of the books, finished The Island of Sheep this past year. It remains only The Three Hostages to finish the series; maybe this year or next year for sure.

2. Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter of Mars / Tarzan of the Apes, etc). American writer, Burroughs, was also a prolific writer. As a kid, I enjoyed his John Carter of Mars series of 10 books at least twice. In fact I wore out the original series and had to replace all but the two featured books later on. It was an excellent series, John Carter, a Cavalry officer, finds himself on Mars and ends up sorting out all of the issues as he battles enemies of all sorts. Fascinating, unique series. This past year I finally decided to try the Tarzan books. Burroughs wrote 25 books in this series between 1912 and 1965. I finally read the first book, which introduces Tarzan, this year. I have the second book, The Return of Tarzan, on my bookshelf, awaiting my attention.

3. Bernard Cornwell (Sharpe). I've been reading this series since early in the 2000's. I've also enjoyed the TV movies based on the books very much. Sharpe's Tiger, the first book was written in 1997. It introduces Soldier Sharpe, part of the English army in India, who saves Wellington during a battle. Sharpe not only faces off against England's enemies; whether in India, or in Europe where he battles Napoleon's forces, but also against his purported allies, many of whom are jealous of his success or just plain hate him for one reason or another. Sharpe becomes an officer over the course of the books and must forever have to prove himself to other officers. It's an excellent series. I've read the first twelve so far, having finished Sharpe's Battle this year. Still lots to go, although I do have to find quite a few more. Next in line will be Sharpe's Company.

4. Clive Cussler (Dirk Pitt / Isaac Bell, etc). Cussler is another prolific writer. He has written about the adventures of Dirk Pitt, the NUMA files, the Oregon files and Isaac Bell. I have purchased the first book in each of these series, but thus far have only read the first book in the Isaac Bell series, The Chase. Bell is a Pinkerton's agent in the early 1900s, smart, technically proficient and just a darn great agent. I liked the first story and hope to read another of Cussler's books before year end. The question is, do I continue with The Wrecker (Isaac Bell #2) or do I try one of his others?

5. Ian Fleming (James Bond, 007). I read a few of the Bond books as a youngster; they were sexy and full of action.... at least to a 12 year old like me. Since 2001, I've been buying the series and have all 14 on my bookshelf. I love the Pan editions. I've read 10 so far, next in line will be On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963).

6. C.S. Forester (Horatio Hornblower). Forester has written so many more books than his Hornblower series, such as The African Queen, but this series fits the category. Another series that I started in the 2000's. Jo and I also enjoyed the TV series based on the books, which starred Ioan Gruffud as young Hornblower. He's a unique character and the stories are all entertaining sea adventures. There are 11 books in the series, published between 1937 - 1967. I've read eight so far and am still trying to find two more of the books. I finished two books in the series this past year, including The Happy Return.

7. George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman). Flashman is a direct counterpoint to Sharpe. He is basically a coward who looks out only for himself. But, he also manages to come out smelling like a rose at the end of his adventures, sometimes to his own surprise. Now I say this having only read the first book so far, Flashman (1969). I have slowly been collecting this series of 12 books (I have 8 so far, but not the 2nd yet). I want to continue with the series, I guess the question is do I dare skip the second book or wait until I find it?

8. John P. Marquand (Mr. Moto). Mr. Moto is an anti-hero, a Japanese spy during WWII, very pragmatic and willing to do anything to achieve his aims. From 1935 - 1947, Marquand wrote 6 Mr. Moto books. I have found 4 so far and completed the 4th this past year. My search for the remaining two continues.

9. Anthony Morton (The Baron). Creasey was an English writer who wrote under many pseudonyms; JJ Marric (Inspector Gideon), Anthony Morton (The Baron), John Creasey (Doctor Palfrey / Department Z), etc. I've had three of his Baron books for many years and have yet to crack one. He wrote the Baron books from 1937 - 1979. I plan to read The Baron and the Stolen Legacy (1962) as my first try at the series.












10. Peter O'Donnell (Modesty Blaise). I mentioned this series at the beginning as I am reading the 4th book.

11. George Revelli (Commander Amanda Nightingale). Call this series erotic pulp fiction. Amanda is a British spy who works against the Nazis and must avoid torture and other abuses. There were 5 books in the series and they are difficult to find. I have managed to read the first three; Commander Amanda Nightingale, Resort to War and Amanda in Spain. The books were written between 1969 - 1978.

11. Kenneth Robeson (Doc Savage). This was another of those series that I used to read in high school. Doc Savage is almost superhuman, muscular, golden flecked eyes and at the same time, a genius. Accompanied by his gang of unlucky assistants, all scientific geniuses but also more than capable of putting up a good fight, Savage battled evil geniuses from all over; and who wanted to destroy the earth. It was an entertaining series, as I recall. I found 3 books in the series back last year and am looking forward to trying one to see if it is as entertaining as I remember it.

71. Murder Mirage
79. The Devil Genghis
94. The Hate Genius






12. Sax Rohmer (Dr. Fu-Manchu). I also highlighted this series at the beginning. It started the whole conversation. I have purchased 7 of the series so far and have just completed the 2nd book.

So there you go, a bare minimum for this category. There are so many more possibilities but maybe this might give you some ideas on books to start with.

Enjoy your week!