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Gaston Max #3
The Day the World Ended
Rohmer, born Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward, who wrote also as Michael Furey, was a prolific English mystery writer, best known for the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu and his opponents Denis Nayland Smith, Dr. Petrie, named after the Egyptologist Flinders Petrie, and the beautiful Karamaneh, the source of Petrie's daydreams. Gaston Max, Sax Rohmer's rather dapper French detective, and the greatest criminal investigator in Europe, makes his third appearance in The Day the World Ended. This story is closer to mainstream science fiction than any other Sax Rohmer work. It begins as a seemingly supernatural tale of vampires and strange men dressed in armor roaming castle walls. Max makes a late appearance: only to reveal that he has been present all along-in disguise. The seemingly supernatural is then revealed as the work of a strange scientist who is attempting to use his scientific achievements (including a death ray) to conquer the world.
314 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1929
About the author
Sax Rohmer
509 books124 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 5, 2021
Major characters:
Brian Woodville, correspondent for The Daily World, our narrator
Mme. Yburg
Marusa Yburg, her daughter
Gaston Max of the Surete, a.k.a. M. Paul, a flamboyant Frenchman
John Lonergan, US Secret Service, a.k.a. Aldous P. Kluster, Rev. Josiah Higgins
Anubis, master of Felsenweir castle, and cult leader
Nestor, a chemist
Locale: Baden-Baden, Germany
Synopsis: Brian Woodville, correspondent for The Daily World (and our narrator), is in Baden-Baden, Germany to investigate a story of giant bats haunting the local cemetery, and rumors of vampires. He is awaked at 3AM in his hotel by a voice warning him he has three days to leave Baden-Baden.
His first day he makes the acquaintance of:
a mysterious woman, Mme.Yburg.
a flamboyant Frenchman, M. Paul
a typical US tourist, Aldous Kluster
and initially considers all three of them adversaries. He meets an enchanting young lady, Marusa. He visits the cemetery to find Mme. Yburg has a key, and he sees a giant bat descend on the mausoleum of the Felsenweirs.
The second day he journeys into the Black Forest and finds a spot overlooking the Felsenweir castle, supposedly empty. But he sees guards in armor patrolling the grounds. He then finds Aldous Kluster is really John Lonergan of the US Secret Service, and M. Paul is really Gaston Max of the Surete. They form an alliance.
They discover the castle is the source of mysterious energy fields, and that these fields had been previously reported disrupting radio communications in New England, coinciding with a visit there by Mme. Yburg.
Their attempts to infiltrate the castle are hindered by the energy fields surrounding it, and they wind up prisoners of Anubis, master of the castle; who has a plan to destroy the world. Woodville's love interest Marusa is in the castle also, and now she appears to be one of the enemy. Woodville, Max, and Lonergan are the only hope to foil Anubis' plan and save the world from destruction.
Review: I always thought Sax Rohmer, being author of the Fu Manchu books, was an inscrutable oriental himself - and I was astounded to find he is a regular guy named Arthur Ward. But oh, what fun! This book is more a science fiction adventure/romance than a mystery, featuring the mysterious Black Forest, cemeteries, mausoleums, giant bats, a castle complete with drawbridge and guards in armor.
Some interesting aspects are the foreshadowing of inventions we take for granted today - remember, this is 1929 - remote controls, miniaturized cell-phone like radios, tracking of people by tags (similar to our RFID tags) worn on the wrist, and aerial (drone-like) surveillance.
One loose end left hanging was the explanation of the failed experiments in Hartford, Connecticut. It is mentioned they failed, and although disrupting radio throughout New England, no explanation is provided nor is it tied into the plot in any way. That story line was simply dropped.
If you really enjoy stories featuring giant flying bats, be sure to seek out The Curse of Doone by Sydney Horler (1930), a Mystery League title.
Brian Woodville, correspondent for The Daily World, our narrator
Mme. Yburg
Marusa Yburg, her daughter
Gaston Max of the Surete, a.k.a. M. Paul, a flamboyant Frenchman
John Lonergan, US Secret Service, a.k.a. Aldous P. Kluster, Rev. Josiah Higgins
Anubis, master of Felsenweir castle, and cult leader
Nestor, a chemist
Locale: Baden-Baden, Germany
Synopsis: Brian Woodville, correspondent for The Daily World (and our narrator), is in Baden-Baden, Germany to investigate a story of giant bats haunting the local cemetery, and rumors of vampires. He is awaked at 3AM in his hotel by a voice warning him he has three days to leave Baden-Baden.
His first day he makes the acquaintance of:
a mysterious woman, Mme.Yburg.
a flamboyant Frenchman, M. Paul
a typical US tourist, Aldous Kluster
and initially considers all three of them adversaries. He meets an enchanting young lady, Marusa. He visits the cemetery to find Mme. Yburg has a key, and he sees a giant bat descend on the mausoleum of the Felsenweirs.
The second day he journeys into the Black Forest and finds a spot overlooking the Felsenweir castle, supposedly empty. But he sees guards in armor patrolling the grounds. He then finds Aldous Kluster is really John Lonergan of the US Secret Service, and M. Paul is really Gaston Max of the Surete. They form an alliance.
They discover the castle is the source of mysterious energy fields, and that these fields had been previously reported disrupting radio communications in New England, coinciding with a visit there by Mme. Yburg.
Their attempts to infiltrate the castle are hindered by the energy fields surrounding it, and they wind up prisoners of Anubis, master of the castle; who has a plan to destroy the world. Woodville's love interest Marusa is in the castle also, and now she appears to be one of the enemy. Woodville, Max, and Lonergan are the only hope to foil Anubis' plan and save the world from destruction.
Review: I always thought Sax Rohmer, being author of the Fu Manchu books, was an inscrutable oriental himself - and I was astounded to find he is a regular guy named Arthur Ward. But oh, what fun! This book is more a science fiction adventure/romance than a mystery, featuring the mysterious Black Forest, cemeteries, mausoleums, giant bats, a castle complete with drawbridge and guards in armor.
Some interesting aspects are the foreshadowing of inventions we take for granted today - remember, this is 1929 - remote controls, miniaturized cell-phone like radios, tracking of people by tags (similar to our RFID tags) worn on the wrist, and aerial (drone-like) surveillance.
One loose end left hanging was the explanation of the failed experiments in Hartford, Connecticut. It is mentioned they failed, and although disrupting radio throughout New England, no explanation is provided nor is it tied into the plot in any way. That story line was simply dropped.
If you really enjoy stories featuring giant flying bats, be sure to seek out The Curse of Doone by Sydney Horler (1930), a Mystery League title.
June 28, 2023
An Englishman, a Frenchman and an American walk into a world-domination scheme…
The Englishman says “I’ll be most nervous, but keep good records, and of course fall instantly in love with a beautiful woman, just like any Radium Age SF hero”.
The Frenchman says “That’s not just in Radium Age SF, mon ami. As for me, I’ll move around a lot, go here and there and notice as much as you two - and like you two I won’t actually do that much throughout the adventure. I’ll also be as adept as you two at re-stating that the solution to the pending apocalypse is calling in the cavalry after we run around a lot. I shall also compare notes, as well as any Englishman or American. Oh! And I will be the one who can, with a minimum of props and make-up, suddenly and crucially look identical to one of the villains to the point of meeting up with some of his associates and none of them can tell I’m not him. I’ll even do something that would give me away, except by sheer luck it will turn out that my strange behaviour will happen to be a habit of the villain.”
The American says “You can’t top me for perfect disguise, and constantly changing identities, my French friend. I’m the Sherlock Holmes stand-in for this adventure, let me assure both of you. I shall figure out the most, disappear and reappear the most, and shall somehow fade into the background a bit despite all my charisma. Now let’s get out there and encounter, flee from, discuss, and plan to call in the troops on, the giant vampire bats and the hideous, mad evil genius, while also gazing at, fearing, running from or saving as necessary, the two mysterious and beautiful women who can’t seem to stay out of the cemetery or the ancient ruins.”
The punch line? It still manages to be a fun book, particularly the first half. My penchant for Radium Age Science Fiction over the last few years has led to some other potboilers and adventure romps that have got this one beat, either in the area of ahead-of-its-time inventiveness (or inventions!), or with a better plot featuring more effective heroes. For me, this was at the level of The Begum’s Fortune by Jules Verne, or Spacehounds of IPC by E. E. “Doc” Smith (though this Rohmer offering doesn’t suffer from getting as talky as the Smith). Thankfully, no Fu Manchu…though the villain here, with a sonic slaughter fetish among other distinguishing characteristics, is perhaps not the highlight of the book; his gear and allies are more impressive.
The Englishman says “I’ll be most nervous, but keep good records, and of course fall instantly in love with a beautiful woman, just like any Radium Age SF hero”.
The Frenchman says “That’s not just in Radium Age SF, mon ami. As for me, I’ll move around a lot, go here and there and notice as much as you two - and like you two I won’t actually do that much throughout the adventure. I’ll also be as adept as you two at re-stating that the solution to the pending apocalypse is calling in the cavalry after we run around a lot. I shall also compare notes, as well as any Englishman or American. Oh! And I will be the one who can, with a minimum of props and make-up, suddenly and crucially look identical to one of the villains to the point of meeting up with some of his associates and none of them can tell I’m not him. I’ll even do something that would give me away, except by sheer luck it will turn out that my strange behaviour will happen to be a habit of the villain.”
The American says “You can’t top me for perfect disguise, and constantly changing identities, my French friend. I’m the Sherlock Holmes stand-in for this adventure, let me assure both of you. I shall figure out the most, disappear and reappear the most, and shall somehow fade into the background a bit despite all my charisma. Now let’s get out there and encounter, flee from, discuss, and plan to call in the troops on, the giant vampire bats and the hideous, mad evil genius, while also gazing at, fearing, running from or saving as necessary, the two mysterious and beautiful women who can’t seem to stay out of the cemetery or the ancient ruins.”
The punch line? It still manages to be a fun book, particularly the first half. My penchant for Radium Age Science Fiction over the last few years has led to some other potboilers and adventure romps that have got this one beat, either in the area of ahead-of-its-time inventiveness (or inventions!), or with a better plot featuring more effective heroes. For me, this was at the level of The Begum’s Fortune by Jules Verne, or Spacehounds of IPC by E. E. “Doc” Smith (though this Rohmer offering doesn’t suffer from getting as talky as the Smith). Thankfully, no Fu Manchu…though the villain here, with a sonic slaughter fetish among other distinguishing characteristics, is perhaps not the highlight of the book; his gear and allies are more impressive.
September 2, 2018
Brian Woodville is an adventure journalist who has investigated odd stories from all over the world, most recently the deep Amazon. He is assigned a strange story in the Black Forest of Germany involving mysterious deaths and giant bats. He sets out to discover the truth about these apparent vampiric attacks in the bucolic village of Baden-Baden. He encounters reticent locals, strange foreigners, and a beautiful noble woman. And a voice from nowhere tells him that he has three days to leave Baden-Baden, with the implied threat of personal peril.
This book is divided into two parts. The first follows Woodville as he tries to unravel the mysterious of the supposed vampires. He makes the acquaintance of a gorgeous Polish woman and her odd American companion and a boisterous Frenchman, but discovers little else other than seeing a giant bat at a haunted cemetery and discovering an abandoned castle. Then the story changes drastically. I will not go into detail but suddenly Woodville finds he is not alone in his investigation and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
The first part of the book is so strange that I was starting to believe that I was reading a horror story with magic and the supernatural. Gaston Max does not appear for a good 100 pages. When he does he brings few answers, choosing instead to mention that he has many theories as to what is going on which he will reveal later, but by the time he provides his explanations most of it has already been revealed. He is still entertaining and supremely skilled in his own peculiar ways, especially that of disguise.
Sax Rohmer's works are always good due to his mastery of language. His descriptive powers are amazing. His proclivity for using the same characters with different names not so much. And, as usual, the ending is sudden, unlikely, and basically unsatisfying. But that's what you get with Rohmer.
This book is divided into two parts. The first follows Woodville as he tries to unravel the mysterious of the supposed vampires. He makes the acquaintance of a gorgeous Polish woman and her odd American companion and a boisterous Frenchman, but discovers little else other than seeing a giant bat at a haunted cemetery and discovering an abandoned castle. Then the story changes drastically. I will not go into detail but suddenly Woodville finds he is not alone in his investigation and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
The first part of the book is so strange that I was starting to believe that I was reading a horror story with magic and the supernatural. Gaston Max does not appear for a good 100 pages. When he does he brings few answers, choosing instead to mention that he has many theories as to what is going on which he will reveal later, but by the time he provides his explanations most of it has already been revealed. He is still entertaining and supremely skilled in his own peculiar ways, especially that of disguise.
Sax Rohmer's works are always good due to his mastery of language. His descriptive powers are amazing. His proclivity for using the same characters with different names not so much. And, as usual, the ending is sudden, unlikely, and basically unsatisfying. But that's what you get with Rohmer.
March 23, 2018
Basically a mad scientist story, a plot to destroy all life on earth.
April 3, 2026
“But the first step forward from the gate in that cold moonlight demanded an effort of will that I could never forget. The step taken, I proceeded with growing confidence. This is the way of things. But it’s a way hard to learn and harder to follow.”
April 18, 2014
A wonderfully over the top story from Sax Rohmer, probably the best novel of his I've read. The story gets off to a flying start and keeps up the pace until around the last quarter, which is something of a let down, the story would have probably been better if the supernatural elements had been real, the conclusion is overly hurried and unsatisfying, and the villain no match for Fu Manchu. But all the same for at least most of the book this is Sax Rohmer at the top of his game, even if not up to the earlier sections the last part of the book is better than whole novels of his.
October 15, 2009
After reading one of the Fu-Manchu novels--novels I associated with my grandmother--and not being very impressed, I decided to try one of his non-Fu-Manchu books. It was better.
July 30, 2016
Pretty typical Rohmer.
May 26, 2016
read some time in 1987
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews