After 40 years I finally did it, I read a Doc Savage novel. Doc has been a favorite of my father’s for his whole life and I knew that sooner or later I would end up reading one of his books. Little did I realize that the first Doc Savage book I would read would be a newer version of the books written by the late great Lester Dent (co-creator of Doc Savage) and Will Murray, and not one of my father’s old classic paperbacks from the 1960’s. The only question I have is, “What took me so long?” The story was entertaining and I found Doc and his gang to be an interesting mix of characters. I now understand why my dad was so interested in these stories and I plan to follow his path and read more. Great fun from a by-gone era. ( )

Doc Savage has returned! After a decade plus out of the limelight, Doc is back in an all-new, old-again adventure. Will Murray has resurrected another "lost tale" from Lester Dent and breathed new life into the series. It is a vintage Doc adventure with all the gang on board, plus beautiful Pat. Luckily, this is also one of the scientific-themed tales, which are my favs.

Now to the criticisms: Yes, there are a few places where a typo slips past or the style becomes a bit uneven. This may be where original Dentian text bumps into modern Murray overlay; I do not know. But, you could tell slight differences (as if the feel of the story went awry here or there). Mainly -- if you are a true fan and have read all the adventures -- you could sense when the story wasn't Dent's, the same way you can tell with the other ghosts. Likewise, at times his use of the aids was not as proficient as Dent's versions. Johnny doesn't speak scholarese as fluently, whereas Renny fails to contribute as much door-bashing as usual (in fact Doc twice knocks the panels out of doors instead of Renny. Tsk, tsk... Doc must protect those surgical hands). Holy cow! Superamalgamate me already!

However, as one person complained about the vintage speech/style of the writing, I will defend that. Murray does a very good job capturing that lost "flavor" in his slang and even grammar. Murray also does his research thoroughly and often mentions the clothes, cars, technologies, architecture/places, pop culture references, etc. with an authentic eye. Thought it was a nice touch and difficult to pull off. After all, this is vintage Doc of the same 30s-WWII era, not a transposed modern Doc awakened in the 21st Century a la The Sleeper or Captain America.

Despite the long wait and any minor deficits in this particular book, the return of Doc Savage is most welcome! Can't wait to read Murray's next in the new adventures. ( )

Will Murray needs a copy editor. At times this books reads as if Prof Littlejohn (he of the big words) wrote it. And the use of 1930s slang that is no longer used made me scratch my head on occassion.

I wish Will would just forget about Lester Dent's forgotten outlines, partial chapters and various detrius, and just write his own original Doc Savage adventure. I know he can do it.

Despite all this haranging, it was a good read and all Doc Savage fans should get it. ( )