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Fu Manchu #14
The Wrath of Fu Manchu
The last Fu Manchu novel, posthemously published.
Short Stories including: The Eyes of Fu Manchu, The Word of Fu Manchu, The Mind of Fu Manchu
Short Stories including: The Eyes of Fu Manchu, The Word of Fu Manchu, The Mind of Fu Manchu
244 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
About the author
Sax Rohmer
546 books125 followersAKA Arthur Sarsfield Ward (real name); Michael Furey.
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (15 February 1883 - 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham to a working class family, Rohmer initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time.
He worked as a poet, songwriter, and comedy sketch writer in Music Hall before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing weird fiction.
Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His physician and family friend, Dr. R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. It is believed that Rohmer may have exaggerated his association in order to boost his literary reputation as an occult writer.
His first published work came in 1903, when the short story The Mysterious Mummy was sold to Pearson's Weekly. He gradually transitioned from writing for Music Hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.
He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the Music Hall entertainer) he issued the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, was serialized from October 1912 - June 1913. It was an immediate success with its fast-paced story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters—Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw, and The Crime Magnet—made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid authors of the 1920s and 1930s.
Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru.
After World War II, the Rohmers moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of influenza ("Asian Flu").
There were thirteen books in the Fu Manchu series in all (not counting the posthumous The Wrath of Fu Manchu. The Sumuru series consist of five books.
His wife published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black in 1954 under the pen name, Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and Cay Van Ash, her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy, published in 1972.
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (15 February 1883 - 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu.
Born in Birmingham to a working class family, Rohmer initially pursued a career as a civil servant before concentrating on writing full-time.
He worked as a poet, songwriter, and comedy sketch writer in Music Hall before creating the Sax Rohmer persona and pursuing a career writing weird fiction.
Like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, Rohmer claimed membership to one of the factions of the qabbalistic Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rohmer also claimed ties to the Rosicrucians, but the validity of his claims has been questioned. His physician and family friend, Dr. R. Watson Councell may have been his only legitimate connection to such organizations. It is believed that Rohmer may have exaggerated his association in order to boost his literary reputation as an occult writer.
His first published work came in 1903, when the short story The Mysterious Mummy was sold to Pearson's Weekly. He gradually transitioned from writing for Music Hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication. In 1909 he married Rose Elizabeth Knox.
He published his first novel Pause! anonymously in 1910. After penning Little Tich in 1911 (as ghostwriter for the Music Hall entertainer) he issued the first Fu Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, was serialized from October 1912 - June 1913. It was an immediate success with its fast-paced story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the worldwide conspiracy of the 'Yellow Peril'. The Fu Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters—Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw, and The Crime Magnet—made Rohmer one of the most successful and well-paid authors of the 1920s and 1930s.
Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu Manchu, Sumuru.
After World War II, the Rohmers moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of influenza ("Asian Flu").
There were thirteen books in the Fu Manchu series in all (not counting the posthumous The Wrath of Fu Manchu. The Sumuru series consist of five books.
His wife published her own mystery novel, Bianca in Black in 1954 under the pen name, Elizabeth Sax Rohmer. Some editions of the book mistakenly credit her as Rohmer's daughter. Elizabeth Sax Rohmer and Cay Van Ash, her husband's former assistant, wrote a biography of the author, Master of Villainy, published in 1972.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 22, 2011
"The Wrath of Fu Manchu" is the 14th and final book in Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu series. I refer here to the original DAW publication of 1976, which included four short stories dealing with the good doctor, as well as some other Sax Rohmer stories not related to the series but interesting in their own right. The four Fu stories serve as mere footnotes or codas to the previous 13 novels, but all are interesting, and a must for Fu completists.
The first two stories in the book, "The Wrath of Fu Manchu" and "The Eyes of Fu Manchu," fill in the gaps between the last novels of the series. "Wrath" is certainly the best of the bunch, and features the final appearance of Fah Lo Suee, Fu's daughter. In this one, Fu threatens to contaminate the gold supply of Fort Knox (years before Auric Goldfinger hatched a similar scheme!), and Nayland Smith infiltrates a meeting of the Council of Seven to stop him. It is a pretty suspenseful tale. The high point of "Eyes" is a cameo appearance by Dr. Petrie, the narrator of the earliest Fu novels. In this story, Fu kidnaps a scientist and tries to make him work on Fu's life-prolongation experiments. It is a short but satisfying tale.
The remaining two Fu stories in the book are "The Word of Fu Manchu," in which freelance journalist Malcolm Forbes (!!!) accompanies Smith as he tries to find out how a CID agent has been killed, and "The Mind of Fu Manchu," in which the good doctor steals the plans for a flying saucer. These last two stories are short shorts and are over very quickly; sadly, they are anticlimaxes to a wonderful series of books.
The other, non-Fu stories in the collection are a mixed bag, some in the supernatural vein, many tales of Egyptian adventure. In "Nightmare House," a curse from the Middle Ages afflicts a lonely estate in Cornwall. "The Leopard-Couch" tells of an ancient Egyptian curio that houses the spirit of a dead priestess. "The Mystery of the Fabulous Lamp" is a sweet little O. Henryish story of a couple that buys a lamp that changes that couple's life. "A Date at Shepheard's" treats of modern-day (i.e., 1950) Egypt and how the harem customs have persisted. "The Mark of Maat" is also a tale of modern-day (1944) Egypt, and deals with the strange vengeance that that ancient deity seems to exact on a tomb raider. "The Treasure of Taia" is a beautifully written--almost poetically written--story of the plot against a struggling archeologist, again in 20th century Egypt. "Crime Takes a Cruise" is a delightful thriller set in Port Said, in which a young American girl and an Irish secret serviceman join forces to flush out a dealer in Nazi treasures. Finally, there is the supernatural tale "A House Possessed," in which an English estate is cursed by a student of Nostradamus himself. This tale does elicit some nice shuddery moments. Many of the stories just mentioned are unsatisfying, in that mundane explanations are presented for events that the reader would probably prefer to remain unexplained or supernatural.
As usual, Rohmeresque anachronisms and inconsistencies are present. For example, in "Nightmare House," events are described that supposedly took place around the time of the second Plantagenet (the early 1200s). However, harquebusses (a type of musket) are being used, and they didn't come in until around the 1400s! These harquebusses are also said to shoot arrows. Did muskets shoot arrows back then? Somehow, I doubt it! In "A House Possessed," the house is supposed to have been built before 1640, based on designs by English architect John Vanbrugh. But Vanbrugh wasn't born until 1664! Like I said, Rohmer was in critical need of a good copy editor, and, sadly, never seemed to get one. Still, the book has ample charms, and I do recommend it.
The first two stories in the book, "The Wrath of Fu Manchu" and "The Eyes of Fu Manchu," fill in the gaps between the last novels of the series. "Wrath" is certainly the best of the bunch, and features the final appearance of Fah Lo Suee, Fu's daughter. In this one, Fu threatens to contaminate the gold supply of Fort Knox (years before Auric Goldfinger hatched a similar scheme!), and Nayland Smith infiltrates a meeting of the Council of Seven to stop him. It is a pretty suspenseful tale. The high point of "Eyes" is a cameo appearance by Dr. Petrie, the narrator of the earliest Fu novels. In this story, Fu kidnaps a scientist and tries to make him work on Fu's life-prolongation experiments. It is a short but satisfying tale.
The remaining two Fu stories in the book are "The Word of Fu Manchu," in which freelance journalist Malcolm Forbes (!!!) accompanies Smith as he tries to find out how a CID agent has been killed, and "The Mind of Fu Manchu," in which the good doctor steals the plans for a flying saucer. These last two stories are short shorts and are over very quickly; sadly, they are anticlimaxes to a wonderful series of books.
The other, non-Fu stories in the collection are a mixed bag, some in the supernatural vein, many tales of Egyptian adventure. In "Nightmare House," a curse from the Middle Ages afflicts a lonely estate in Cornwall. "The Leopard-Couch" tells of an ancient Egyptian curio that houses the spirit of a dead priestess. "The Mystery of the Fabulous Lamp" is a sweet little O. Henryish story of a couple that buys a lamp that changes that couple's life. "A Date at Shepheard's" treats of modern-day (i.e., 1950) Egypt and how the harem customs have persisted. "The Mark of Maat" is also a tale of modern-day (1944) Egypt, and deals with the strange vengeance that that ancient deity seems to exact on a tomb raider. "The Treasure of Taia" is a beautifully written--almost poetically written--story of the plot against a struggling archeologist, again in 20th century Egypt. "Crime Takes a Cruise" is a delightful thriller set in Port Said, in which a young American girl and an Irish secret serviceman join forces to flush out a dealer in Nazi treasures. Finally, there is the supernatural tale "A House Possessed," in which an English estate is cursed by a student of Nostradamus himself. This tale does elicit some nice shuddery moments. Many of the stories just mentioned are unsatisfying, in that mundane explanations are presented for events that the reader would probably prefer to remain unexplained or supernatural.
As usual, Rohmeresque anachronisms and inconsistencies are present. For example, in "Nightmare House," events are described that supposedly took place around the time of the second Plantagenet (the early 1200s). However, harquebusses (a type of musket) are being used, and they didn't come in until around the 1400s! These harquebusses are also said to shoot arrows. Did muskets shoot arrows back then? Somehow, I doubt it! In "A House Possessed," the house is supposed to have been built before 1640, based on designs by English architect John Vanbrugh. But Vanbrugh wasn't born until 1664! Like I said, Rohmer was in critical need of a good copy editor, and, sadly, never seemed to get one. Still, the book has ample charms, and I do recommend it.
May 29, 2018
The final writings of Sax Rohmer, including four Fu-Manchu stories and eight others. The Fu-Manchus are regular Fu-Manchu fare. Fu-Manchu launches a devious plan involving alchemy or anti-gravity, Nayland Smith tries to stop him, his handsome assistant falls for a mysterious yet beautiful girl, then it ends suddenly. Too short for the normal escapes from numerous escape proof traps of the novels, these are Fu-Manchu condensed to his most nefarious. Not surprisingly similar to the early day Fu-Manchu shorts and thus enjoyable.
The other eight stories are Weird Tales style murder mysteries or ghost stories. All involve either a haunted house or a rare Egyptian artifact. The kind of thing found in old 40s or 50s detective magazines or early horror comics. Altogether more prosaic stuff, nothing remarkable.
The other eight stories are Weird Tales style murder mysteries or ghost stories. All involve either a haunted house or a rare Egyptian artifact. The kind of thing found in old 40s or 50s detective magazines or early horror comics. Altogether more prosaic stuff, nothing remarkable.
October 1, 2021
The Wrath of Fu-Manchu is a collection of Sax Rohmer short stories, four of which feature the titular character and a further eight unrelated stories to round out the selection. The four Fu-Manchu stories are interesting for the character’s fans and nice to have if you’re a completist. With a few exceptions, the remaining stories are quite formulaic, featuring the exotic locales (mostly Egypt) and beautiful, mystical women one comes to expect in Rohmer’s stories. One standout is included, a haunted house tale in the English tradition of Christmas ghost stories that concludes the anthology.
I wouldn’t recommend this book for newcomers to the series. It is much better to start with one of Rohmer’s earlier novels and return to “Wrath” once you have an idea of his style.
I wouldn’t recommend this book for newcomers to the series. It is much better to start with one of Rohmer’s earlier novels and return to “Wrath” once you have an idea of his style.
January 31, 2023
I was going to give this book four stars but then I realized that not all readers appreciate short story collections as much as I do. Plus, some readers may be feel tricked when they find out that this is a short story collection.
I knew going into this book that this is a collection of short stories, but what I didn't know was that not all of the short stories in this collection featured the infamous villain Dr Fu-Manchu.
Fair warning, this is the final book in The Fu-Manchu Series. It's a nice way to top things off, but a bad place to start if you are new to Dr Fu-Manchu. I would recommend reading this book after you read at least four Fu-Manchu stories (The Mystery of Fu-Manchu, The Bride of Fu-Manchu, The Shadow of Fu-Manchu, and Re-Enter Fu-Manchu).
I knew going into this book that this is a collection of short stories, but what I didn't know was that not all of the short stories in this collection featured the infamous villain Dr Fu-Manchu.
Fair warning, this is the final book in The Fu-Manchu Series. It's a nice way to top things off, but a bad place to start if you are new to Dr Fu-Manchu. I would recommend reading this book after you read at least four Fu-Manchu stories (The Mystery of Fu-Manchu, The Bride of Fu-Manchu, The Shadow of Fu-Manchu, and Re-Enter Fu-Manchu).
April 13, 2024
An odd collection of short stories 75 to over 100 years old and full is typos, seems thrown together carelessly. I was expecting these to all be deliciously politically incorrect Fu Manchu/Neyland Smith battles and there were a few, this was not the case. The several Fu Manchu stories suffered in comparison to novel length books as the suspense was very soon over. There were several horror stories set amongst the country manors of England that were equally as weak, sometimes hard to follow and with no familiar characters they were forgettable. The best this had to offer were some disconnected weird mysteries in Egypt before, during and right after WWII, they being the best of the lot.
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February 1, 20163 stars from Sandy: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
January 31, 2016
read this SOMETIME in 2009
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews