The Terror in the Navy

Doc Savage (Bantam) #33

by Kenneth Robeson (House Name)

A bizarre dictator unleashes a deadly force against the United States the mightiest vessels in the U.S. armada are sunk; warplanes are pulled from the clouds; even Doc Savage's impenetrable sky fortress is ripped from the stratosphere! And the brash, strutting Braun demands one hundred million dollars in ransom from a nation in chaos. Only the Man of Bronze dares challenge the crushing power of this phantom force!

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Pulp, Science Fiction, Pulp Adventure, Mystery

122 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

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

[Tony Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all the Doc uses. Good science fiction

[Joel Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one's got all the stuff I like in a Doc Savage story: weird science, strange inventions, fisticuffs, and everyone's favorite unofficial aide to Doc Savage--the copper-haired adventure-junkie Patricia Savage.

A weird invisible force is pulling Naval ships into the depths of the ocean one by one, snatching planes from the sky, and hurling sailors thirty feet in the air.

In this story, we learn that Doc Savage is the inventor of the Zephyr, a lighter-than-air ship, constructed of a super-light metal that has thousands of cells inside made from an incredibly strong light-weight cloth perfected by the chemist, Monk--one of Doc's most ornery aides. This cloth is also used to create a very thin parachute that Doc is wearing beneath his clothing.

We also learn that the future of lighter-than-air travel is dependent upon the success of this Zephyr zeppelin. In the course of the story, the ship is destroyed so that might explain why we don't have Zephyr ships in the modern day...

Other inventions include a chemical that Doc Savage puts in bullets which he fires at an escaping boat to mark it. He later tracks it with another invention that allows him to see in the infrared spectrum to find the boat. A paralytic gas invented by Monk is used to incapacitate some criminals.

Doc's only real weakness, women, is illustrated by his discomfort around India Allison who is described as being gorgeous and having a very similar figure to Pat Savage's, except with more curves and less sinew. Whether Doc's discomfort stems from the fact that he truly doesn't understand them or perhaps they pose the only real temptation to his iron will the story does not explicate.

In the end, the super-science that is sinking Navy ships turns out to be a clever ruse. All the real super-science (except explosives) is invented and used by Doc and his crew to save the day.

[J.S. Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still remember that afternoon as a teenager when I picked up "Terror in the Navy" by Kenneth Robeson. It's a pleasant memory that stays with me. I had no idea it would change how I felt about books. Until then, reading felt like work. This book? I finished it in one sitting and loved it.

This Doc Savage adventure grabbed me from chapter one. The story jumps right into action. No slow parts, just pure adventure with a superhuman hero who could solve any problem.

Doc Savage is incredibly smart and strong. Kenneth Robeson makes it all feel real. When Doc uses some wild invention to escape trouble, you believe it.

Fast pacing. Short chapters with cliffhangers. Every page made me want to keep reading.

This was pure entertainment. That's exactly what I needed.

That afternoon turned into an obsession. I bought every Kenneth Robeson book I could find. Doc Savage got me into adventure fiction for life.

"Terror in the Navy" won't win literary awards, but it's pure fun. If you want a book that completely absorbs you, this works.

Sometimes the best books just make you forget everything else.

Good for: Adventure fans, Indiana Jones lovers, anyone wanting escapism
Similar books: The Shadow novels, early James Bond

What book got you into reading? Share your story!

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. It was a fun book. It also happen to be the very first Doc Savage adventure that I ever read. It was decades ago. The book was my older brothers which I borrowed and read as a teen.

In this adventure, Doc has his full crew as well as his cousin Patricia. It’s always a treat when Pat is sling for the fun. One point of incongruity with the Doc Savage world. This book has a gang spying on Doc from a hot air ballon moored to a wharf. They are using telescopes to spy on Doc through his windows on the 86th floor of his offices. He later replaces the windows with one-way windows to spoil spying. However, wait a moment! Doc had installed tinted windows two adventures ago during The Derrick Devil mystery. Shame on you Mr. Dent.

All of the action takes place in and around New York City with brief visit to Washington, DC and then eventually out into the Atlantic. Over all, this was a satisfying read.

This book was authored by Lester Dent and published April of 1937. This book is the 50th Doc Savage novel that was originally published.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Terror in the Navy is a "Doc Savage" novel by Kenneth Robeson. Kenneth Robeson was the house name Street and Smith Publications used as the author of their popular Doc Savage novels. 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, and W. Ryerson Johnson.
I love reading these old pulp novels from time to time. I read about 80%+ of the Doc Savage novels when I was a teenager but that was a very long time ago. I have been trying to find them again in the Bantam editions I read in my youth. I have found several of them in used bookstores and have bought several from online aftermarket bookstores.
In this one, Doc Savage and his men are in the thick of it again. The action is classic Doc Savage, filled with good old-fashioned adventure and gadgets that always seem to be there when the hero needs them. You can relax and escape for a little while. A good read in the Doc Savage series.

[Robert D · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better Doc Savage stories, though the author's portrayal of Pat is very misogynistic. Something is mysteriously targeting the US Navy's ships and causing them to veer off course and crash. Doc is brought into the affair early on as the evil doers have been spying on him prior to starting their plan. Once things get going Doc sets his men on the spying device that he was aware of from the beginning. As predictable Doc's men are slowly captured.

A disgruntled inventor announces to the navy that he knows whats been causing the ships to crash and will sell them device to counter the problem. In his messages to the navy the inventor states it is all a plan of an unnamed foreign power getting ready to attack the US. The inventor operates through several dead-drop systems to avoid Doc finding him.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Terror in the Navy is one of the early Doc Savage pulps by Lester Dent, and I believe it was one of the first to disappoint me at the time; I'd read several Doc adventures that were fantastic, with foils for the Man of Bronze ranging from dinosaurs to denizens from lost jungle and underground civilizations. So the mundanity of this tale seemed a letdown.

But that was then, and now I'm able to appreciate the cleverness and audacity and meticulous planning that went into the "terror" unleashed upon the U.S. Navy, and how Dent does an excellent job maintaining the sense of mystery and horror that shrouds the actual plot. Knowing the truth here in this follow-up read did not detract from my experience, and actually enhanced my appreciation.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The United States Navy is under attack. Something -- seemingly a mysterious, invisible force -- is sinking ships and pulling planes out of the air. Doc Savage and his crew try to find out what is really happening. A good, faced-paced story. It's always nice when these stories include Pat Savage, Doc's spunky cousin who loves to be a part of his adventures even though Doc disapproves because he feels women should not be involved in these dangerous escapades (remember, these stories were written in the 1930s-1940s).

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun pulp novel featuring Doc Savage.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this Doc Savage story. I thought it was a good blend of action, characters and story.

[Joan Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, it's a comic book. But sometimes it's fun to have the good guys "Good" and the bad guys "Bad" uncomplicated. A respite from all the space wars I've encountered.

[Duane Olds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Doc adventure. But it did seem to paint the Navy as being really gullable and easy to take over but that's fine with me, I'm former Air Force. This one did have a little sexism in it towards Pat but not a bad adventure at all.

As always, we were treated to some great lines, like:-----
“Keep your shirt on,” said the hairy “Fuzzy.” (whos first name was Harry ironicaly)

"Doc Savage is my cousin. I have a beauty establishment uptown where I charge outrageous prices, and the customers like it.” (Jeez lady, calm down, I don't want your life story)

'Chapter 4 THE MAN OF METAL' (isn't that Supermans thing? Metal, Steel..whatever)

“We’ve got to keep track of that balloon! Get a plane! Get an airplane!” (Ummm, its a big lit up baloon in the sky. I think you'll be able to keep track of it, it's not like its going to speed away)

'That was an airplane, a little streamlined trick which looked cute from that distance.' (wow, from far away that plane is sexy)

“These two birds are the ponies’ necks!” (Is that better than being a horses ass? I'm asking for a friend)

"Gleeps!" (like zoinks Scoob!)

"That stuff must have been brewed by a witch!" (or my mother in law, am I right guys?)

'it was still dark now, of course--' (Duh idiot.. Of course)

'True, the hair on his chest was moderate.' (and he brushed it 100 times every day)

'Doc Savage took the man by the arms first, and got the gun, then grasped the fellow’s neck' (So Doc got hold of him, took the gun, then gave him a neck mesage?)

It also gave us a few (insert your own joke here) lines:---------
'It was like a fat wiener'

“We popped your bony pal, here" and 'Von Zidney scowled, then got erect.'

For those who are playing Doc Savage bingo, we had the return of the Superamalgamated count with 2, losing to the Holy cow count that clocked in at 11

Oh well...On to the next one...

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover says this is the 33rd of Doc's adventures, reprinting in paperback from from its original pulp magazine publication in the 1937. It contains all the classic pulp elements, but I can't say it's the most exciting Doc Savage adventure I've ever read. I enjoyed the banter between Monk and Ham, as usual. And the banter, such as it was, between Doc and his cousin Pat is also fun: Pat wants to be in on the action, but Doc doesn't want his female cousin in danger at all. She finds a way to be involved anyway, of course. The author drops the usual batch of red-herrings to make it seem like different characters are actually behind the goings-on, although it's fairly obvious early on who is actually in charge. A fun, breezy read and not one that requires a lot of deep thought.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even the appearance of Doc Savage's gorgeous cousin Pat can't save this tale from mediocrity. Really, with, say, "Quest of the Spider," "The Red Skull" and "The Yellow Cloud," it's among the weaker pre-1940 tales written by primary Doc Savage author Lester Dent. Certainly by "The Terror in the Navy" (April 1937), Dent was writing in a more sophisticated style than in the early days, so that's a plus. But overall, this is an ordinary Doc Savage tale.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A foreign power develops a mysterious force that can pull planes out of the sky and suck ships under the water. Is the US Navy doomed? Will the government pay $100 million to Braun, who claims he can save everyone? Or will Doc Savage figure out how to stop this thing? A solid entry in the series with an ingenious scheme.

[Andrew Salmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of my personal favorites. Doc on a big scale.

[Keith B · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 for nostalgia. Flying through the series again. Some of the stories give Doc a little more of a human feel, especially when they feature cousin Pat Savage.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

possibly read in winter 1969