Hex & The Running Skeletons

Doc Savage Sanctum Editions #21

by Kenneth Robeson (House Name), William G. Bogart, Lester Dent

Hex
From the moment Miles Billings arrived in a little town near Salem Corners called Witches’ Hollow, Hannah the witch began her reign of terror. While innocent people were being “hexed” and reduced to mumbling nonsense, The Man of Bronze went into action, risking his own life and those of his bold allies. Doc Savage plunged into nightmare horrors to subdue the most terrifying Master of Crime alive.
Authored by William G. Bogart & Lester Dent.

The Running Skeleton
Doc Savage and his crew are suddenly guinea pigs in an experiment of terror -- and a fiendish gang of gun slinging skeletons are out to skin them alive.
Authored by Lester Dent.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

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

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read of the William G. Bogart ghosted Doc Savage (rewritten by Lester Dent prior to a 1939 Halloween publication) fares better now than when I first tackled it way back when. Probably because I've a better feel for how these pulp tales flow and create atmosphere in brief/tight passages. This one doesn't have the seat-0f-the-pants feel of Dent's early works, but if were given more space it's possible to imagine a heady climax. I'd say it's worthy of 3-1/2 stars, and would get a solid 4 to 5 if it had been allowed such a spectacular fight to the finish.

The original pulp cover is certainly spooky but the Bantam reprint cover certain makes one smile.

[Ronald]

read The Running Skeletons some time in 1987