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Fu Manchu #18
The Destiny of Fu Manchu
Michael Knox is the brash and arrogant assistant of renowned archaeologist Dr. Spiridon Simos. A chance encounter with a beautiful Egyptian woman at Dr. Simos' wedding in Corfu leads the young man on a whirlwind journey to Cairo where he barely survives the terrifying reincarnation of the ancient Pharaoh Khunum-Khufu. A chain of events quickly unfold that embroils Knox with obsessive British agent, Sir Denis Nayland Smith, and his pursuit of the master criminal, Dr. Fu Manchu. Slowly, the young man begins to piece together the threat posed to the world as Fu Manchu and his seductive, but sadistic daughter Koreani tear the dread secret society, the Si-Fan, apart. Before Michael Knox can act on the intelligence in his possession, he must first survive death in a myriad of strange guises from a savage gorilla trained to crush a man's spine to the unrelenting pursuit of Margarita, the disarming dwarf assassin who brings terror to the Orient Express, to one thousand poisonous butterflies unleashed at the Munich Conference as Europe teeters on the brink of a Second World War. As madness sweeps the globe, one hedonistic young man must examine his own life as he realizes the world's future hangs in the balance. The action moves swiftly from Greece to Egypt to Africa to Europe in a breathtaking battle of ideologies as Sax Rohmer's infamous creation seeks to realize THE DESTINY OF FU MANCHU...
264 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2012
2 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
William Patrick Maynard
16 books7 followersWilliam Patrick Maynard was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His passion for writing began in childhood and was fueled by an early love of detective and thriller fiction. He was licensed by Sax Rohmer's Literary Estate to continue the Fu Manchu thrillers. THE TERROR OF FU MANCHU, published in 2009, was a Pulp Factory Awards nominee for Best Pulp Novel. THE DESTINY OF FU MANCHU was published in 2012 was a Pulp Ark Awards nominee for Best Pulp Novel.
His short fiction has appeared in THE RUBY FILES (2012/Airship 27), GASLIGHT GROETESQUE (2009/EDGE Publishing), TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN (2009/Black Coat Press), and LES COMPAGNONS DE L'OMBRE (2010/Riviere Blanche).
He is a former weekly columnist for The Cimmerian and is currently a weekly columnist for The Black Gate. His articles have been published in the magazines Blood 'n' Thunder, Van Helsing's Journal, and The Official Magazine of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society. He was nominated for a Rondo Award for Best Article of 2010 for a contribution to Van Helsing's Journal.
He recently collaborated with Tom Bleecker on the screenplay adaptation of Bleecker's new novel, TEA MONEY. Forthcoming projects include THE OCCULT CASE BOOK OF SHANKAR HARDWICKE, THE TRIUMPH OF FU MANCHU, a hardboiled detective novel entitled LAWHEAD, and a short story collection.
His short fiction has appeared in THE RUBY FILES (2012/Airship 27), GASLIGHT GROETESQUE (2009/EDGE Publishing), TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN (2009/Black Coat Press), and LES COMPAGNONS DE L'OMBRE (2010/Riviere Blanche).
He is a former weekly columnist for The Cimmerian and is currently a weekly columnist for The Black Gate. His articles have been published in the magazines Blood 'n' Thunder, Van Helsing's Journal, and The Official Magazine of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society. He was nominated for a Rondo Award for Best Article of 2010 for a contribution to Van Helsing's Journal.
He recently collaborated with Tom Bleecker on the screenplay adaptation of Bleecker's new novel, TEA MONEY. Forthcoming projects include THE OCCULT CASE BOOK OF SHANKAR HARDWICKE, THE TRIUMPH OF FU MANCHU, a hardboiled detective novel entitled LAWHEAD, and a short story collection.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 12, 2018
Dr. Petrie has been kidnapped (again). His wife Kara has also been kidnapped (it's her job). Archeologist Michael Knox stumbles across a plot by Dr. Fu-Manchu to reinstall himself as President of the Si Fan. It involves a lost Egyptian artifact also sought by the current head of the Si Fan, a man in an iron mask. Sir Nayland Smith saves Knox from certain death at the hands of Fah Lo Suee and enlists him in his eternal battle against Fu-Manchu. Knox wants no part of it but finds himself embroiled in the battle, along the way meeting Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and present at the Munich conference with Adolf Hitler and Il Duce. He is drugged (repeatedly), kidnapped (repeatedly), and sexed up by Fah Lo Suee (again repeatedly). He flies in a whirlybird, a zeppelin, goes on his very first parachute jump, sees the Gestapo in action, and befriends a tame gorilla. And never really knows what the hell is going on.
Knox enters the fray as is usual, coopted by Nayland Smith without his permission. But this time it's different. Knox does not enter as the usual patriot happy to help. Instead, he spends much of his time trying to get away. He is more like a regular man dropped unaware into a Fu-Manchu novel. He immediately reaches the conclusion that everyone he meets is insane. Dr. Fu-Manchu is insane. Fah Lo Suee is insane. The man in the iron mask is insane. Hitler is insane. And so is Nayland Smith. He is completely stunned that the Commissioner of a far off British province has seemingly unlimited power. "Get me out of here!"
The best part is Knox himself. Rarely have I encountered a protagonist of such low character. When we first meet him he is trying to seduce Kara, despite knowing that she is married and her husband missing. After she rebuffs his advances he decides a late night visit to her room is in order. When he meets another man at her door his response is, "Oh goody! Hope she's up for a threesome." Knox has no redeeming characteristics. He is a cad, a womanizer, an admitted and obvious coward, and his first response to any sort of questioning is to lie. He is not the loveable rogue, nor the deadly but personable pirate, not even the truly evil but honorable genius like Fu-Manchu. He's just scum, and doesn't become any more likeable as the novel progresses. Usually these characters learn the error of their ways and somehow redeem themselves. Knox avoids doing so repeatedly despite many opportunities.
Like many such pastiches this is an all star novel. Many of the characters from earlier novels appear, even if only briefly. While it's not uncommon for Fu-Manchu to only make brief appearances, here Nayland Smith disappears for great swathes of the novel. Fu-Manchu and the man in the iron mask both have world shattering plans, but it's not clear who is responsible for what atrocity as Fah Lo Suee is working for both sides. Knox spends much of the time drugged and hypnotized, and always confused and appalled at the actions of those around him. He finds both the Si Fan and the British government equally callous in their treatment of regular people, and he's not wrong.
This book also does us a solid by finally revealing how Fu-Manchu had previously escaped from the center of the Great Pyramid, a question left unanswered for many decades. Knox also provides us with the most accurate and succinct description of Sir Denis Nayland Smith ever voiced.
Smith, "Getting captured was not part of the plan."
Knox, "So you're brilliant, but inept."
Knox enters the fray as is usual, coopted by Nayland Smith without his permission. But this time it's different. Knox does not enter as the usual patriot happy to help. Instead, he spends much of his time trying to get away. He is more like a regular man dropped unaware into a Fu-Manchu novel. He immediately reaches the conclusion that everyone he meets is insane. Dr. Fu-Manchu is insane. Fah Lo Suee is insane. The man in the iron mask is insane. Hitler is insane. And so is Nayland Smith. He is completely stunned that the Commissioner of a far off British province has seemingly unlimited power. "Get me out of here!"
The best part is Knox himself. Rarely have I encountered a protagonist of such low character. When we first meet him he is trying to seduce Kara, despite knowing that she is married and her husband missing. After she rebuffs his advances he decides a late night visit to her room is in order. When he meets another man at her door his response is, "Oh goody! Hope she's up for a threesome." Knox has no redeeming characteristics. He is a cad, a womanizer, an admitted and obvious coward, and his first response to any sort of questioning is to lie. He is not the loveable rogue, nor the deadly but personable pirate, not even the truly evil but honorable genius like Fu-Manchu. He's just scum, and doesn't become any more likeable as the novel progresses. Usually these characters learn the error of their ways and somehow redeem themselves. Knox avoids doing so repeatedly despite many opportunities.
Like many such pastiches this is an all star novel. Many of the characters from earlier novels appear, even if only briefly. While it's not uncommon for Fu-Manchu to only make brief appearances, here Nayland Smith disappears for great swathes of the novel. Fu-Manchu and the man in the iron mask both have world shattering plans, but it's not clear who is responsible for what atrocity as Fah Lo Suee is working for both sides. Knox spends much of the time drugged and hypnotized, and always confused and appalled at the actions of those around him. He finds both the Si Fan and the British government equally callous in their treatment of regular people, and he's not wrong.
This book also does us a solid by finally revealing how Fu-Manchu had previously escaped from the center of the Great Pyramid, a question left unanswered for many decades. Knox also provides us with the most accurate and succinct description of Sir Denis Nayland Smith ever voiced.
Smith, "Getting captured was not part of the plan."
Knox, "So you're brilliant, but inept."
March 16, 2013
The Destiny of Fu Manchu
Having recently read the terror of Fu Manchu I decided to read the sequel to William Patrick Maynard’s first Fu Manchu Novel. I found the follow up to be a novel I truly enjoyed. This one did not follow the exploits of Dr. Petrie, who was captured in the beginning of the book, but rather an adult version of one of the children he had saved some twenty years earlier in the previous volume.
The adventure begins in Egypt and then returns to Britain and soon all over Europe and Asia, as a race against time ensues to put a halt to Fah Lo Suee’s (Here calling herself for most of the novel ‘Helga Gruamann’) grand scheme as she worked for her father, the devil Doctor, Fu Manchu.
Fu’s plot was devilishly evil and would destroy most of the world’s population if successful. This tale took place before the start of World War II, in fact the world was on the brink of war, but for now pre-occupied with Fu Manchu and his Si-Fan’s evil machinations, even to the point of Britain and France foolishly joining with Germany and Hitler, as well as Mussolini and Italy to stop Fu Manchu’s evil.
There were several very good fast paced sections of this book that as a whole held my attention perfectly. I thought this book was excellent. It was a classy, superbly written mystery and adventure novel about one man caught up in something far larger than he had ever envisioned existing. It brought that man’s view of the world to a new level, making him realize there are far larger concerns out there then he had ever imagined.
William Patrick Maynard’s ‘Destiny of Fu Manchu’ is a thoroughly satisfying novel that engrosses the reader in rich locales as well as its insidiously evil plots and macabre characters and sinister situations.
Five well deserved stars.
Having recently read the terror of Fu Manchu I decided to read the sequel to William Patrick Maynard’s first Fu Manchu Novel. I found the follow up to be a novel I truly enjoyed. This one did not follow the exploits of Dr. Petrie, who was captured in the beginning of the book, but rather an adult version of one of the children he had saved some twenty years earlier in the previous volume.
The adventure begins in Egypt and then returns to Britain and soon all over Europe and Asia, as a race against time ensues to put a halt to Fah Lo Suee’s (Here calling herself for most of the novel ‘Helga Gruamann’) grand scheme as she worked for her father, the devil Doctor, Fu Manchu.
Fu’s plot was devilishly evil and would destroy most of the world’s population if successful. This tale took place before the start of World War II, in fact the world was on the brink of war, but for now pre-occupied with Fu Manchu and his Si-Fan’s evil machinations, even to the point of Britain and France foolishly joining with Germany and Hitler, as well as Mussolini and Italy to stop Fu Manchu’s evil.
There were several very good fast paced sections of this book that as a whole held my attention perfectly. I thought this book was excellent. It was a classy, superbly written mystery and adventure novel about one man caught up in something far larger than he had ever envisioned existing. It brought that man’s view of the world to a new level, making him realize there are far larger concerns out there then he had ever imagined.
William Patrick Maynard’s ‘Destiny of Fu Manchu’ is a thoroughly satisfying novel that engrosses the reader in rich locales as well as its insidiously evil plots and macabre characters and sinister situations.
Five well deserved stars.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews