The Laugh of Death / The King of Terror

Doc Savage (Bantam) #119, 120

by Kenneth Robeson (House Name)

The Laugh of Death
Doc's trusty crew suddenly disappears. The only clue is an unearthly laughter that arises from nowhere and destroys the will. Doc, alone, must save his sidekicks before they die-but when the laughter attacks him, The Man Of Bronze becomes the helpless puppet of evil!

The King of Terror
A ruthless madman is plotting to rule the world. His ingenious plan involves an enigmatic woman, a psychotic surgeon, and a strange and powerful fog that muddles men's minds. First, they have to kill Doc Savage. And Doc's vengeance begins only after he is dead!

216 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1984

About the author

Kenneth Robeson was the house name used by Street and Smith Publications as the author of their popular character Doc Savage and later The Avenger. Though most Doc Savage stories were written by the author Lester Dent, there were many others who contributed to the series, including:

William G. Bogart
Evelyn Coulson
Harold A. Davis
Lawrence Donovan
Alan Hathway
W. Ryerson Johnson

Lester Dent is usually considered to be the creator of Doc Savage. In the 1990s Philip José Farmer wrote a new Doc Savage adventure, but it was published under his own name and not by Robeson. Will Murray has since taken up the pseudonym and continued writing Doc Savage books as Robeson.

All 24 of the original stories featuring The Avenger were written by Paul Ernst, using the Robeson house name. In order to encourage sales Kenneth Robeson was credited on the cover of The Avenger magazine as "the creator of Doc Savage" even though Lester Dent had nothing to do with The Avenger series. In the 1970s, when the series was extended with 12 additional novels, Ron Goulart was hired to become Robeson.

Reviews

[Dennis]

The Laugh of Death begins with Doc Savage at his Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic. The Fortress of Solitude has been rebuilt, with the help of Eskimos in the surrounding area. The structure is made to look like ice peaks to blend in better. Most of the story takes place for the most part in and around New York City, with brief trips to the nation’s capital. Doc ventures through this story mostly on his own. Monk makes his entrance about two-thirds of the way through the book. The rest of Doc’s men, along with cousin Pat, are mentioned during the mystery. They have been captured and Doc is searching for them, worried. They are found at the d of this yarn but play no role. Still, this was an interesting story. The authors seem to have matured in their Doc Savage writing for some time now. This book does not have the identity of the evil ringleader until the end reveal. Thank goodness! That trope is overly done. The real life war seeps through into Doc Savages’s world.

The Laugh of Death was written by Lester Dent and published October, 1942.



The King of Terror is a sprawling and entertaining yarn. It is about a mysterious gas and a plot to take and replace world leaders. Doc is accompanied in this story by Monk and Ham, the others are in Europe on war business. The tale starts in New York City before they go to Tahiti, then a mysterious island before finishing in Hidalgo. The first part of the book, Doc is laying low after an assassination attempt is made on Doc’s life. Monk and Ham are the main characters throughout the first half of the book. They are disguised as South Americans and speak in horrible accents while others mock their speech. I loved the fact that the story covered various localities in the book, making for an interesting read. Once again, Monk meets the most beautiful girl that he has ever seen in his life. Also, another story in which Monk and Ham’s pets are not mentioned.

The King of Terror was written by Lester Dent and published April, 1943.

[Craig]

The first Doc Savage story appeared in 1933 and the series ran in pulp and later digest format into 1949. Bantam reprinted the entire series in paperback with wonderful, iconic covers starting in the 1960's. Doc was arguably the first great modern superhero with a rich background, continuity, and mythos. The characterizations were far richer than was common for the pulps; his five associates and their sometimes-auxiliary, Doc's cousin Pat, and the pets Chemistry and Habeas Corpus, all had very distinctive characteristics and their byplay was frequently more entertaining that the current adventure-of-the-month. The settings were also fascinating: Doc's Fortress of Solitude, the Hidalgo Trading Company (which served as a front for his armada of vehicles), and especially the mysterious 86th floor headquarters all became familiar haunts to the reader, and the far-flung adventures took the intrepid band to exotic and richly-described locations all over the world. The adventures were always fast-paced and exciting, from the early apocalyptic world-saving extravaganzas of the early days to the latter scientific-detective style shorter works of the post-World War Two years. There were always a few points that it was difficult to believe along the way, but there were always more ups than downs, and there was never, ever a dull moment. The Doc Savage books have always been my favorite entertainments... I was always, as Johnny would say, superamalgamated!

[Little Timmy]

Of all the pulp era heroes few stand out above the crowd, Doc Savage is one of these. With his 5 aides and cousin he adventures across the world. Fighting weird menaces, master criminals and evil scientists Doc and the Fab 5 never let you down for a great read. These stories have all you need; fast paced action, weird mystery, and some humor as the aides spat with each other. My highest recommendation.

[Ronald]

read The King of Terror some time in 1985