What do you think?
Rate this book
Doc Savage (publication order; no omnibus) #181
Up from Earth's Center
A shipwrecked lunatic, a mysterious cavern, and a plump little man with a fear of fire lead Doc on his strangest and most legendary adventure ever - straight to the gates of hell itself!
"Up from earth's center by the seventh gate,
I rose and on the throne of Saturn sat-
And many a knot unraveled by the road,
But not the master knot of human fate-"
OMAR KHAYYAM
"Up from earth's center by the seventh gate,
I rose and on the throne of Saturn sat-
And many a knot unraveled by the road,
But not the master knot of human fate-"
OMAR KHAYYAM
80 pages, Paperback
49 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Robeson
918 books134 followersKenneth 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 8, 2010
The final of 181 initially published Doc Savage novels has The Man of Bronze fighting the forces of Hell itself. Since the Lester Dent (writing as usual under the house name of Kenneth Robeson) had no idea the series was about to end, it's a little strange he took the final bow of Doc and Co. into Lovecraft territory. Dent's writing is at it's usual crisp style- short and too the point with no verbiage wasted. However, there is quite a bit of information about yachting and sail boating at the beginning of the book, suggesting that Dent had done his homework.
The novel begins with the discovery of a castaway on an island off the coast of Maine. Psychiatrist Dr. Karl Linningen has been sailing his yacht, the Mary Too, on a extended vacation. On the Canadian island of Campobello he discovers Gilmore, a geologist who's been missing for months after disappearing in a cave. Gilmore is certain he's been in hell and is sure the rescue party is a group of demons sent to take him back. Dr. Karl decides to take him to the nearest shore. Naturally, Doc Savage just happens to be in the town were they moor.
This is a more subdued, economy Doc Savage. There is some mention of his sidekick John "Renny" Renwick, but he never makes an appearance. Ditto for "Long" Tom, the electrical engineer. "Monk" Mayfair and "Ham" Brooks are the only two who follow along for the ride.
When Doc makes it back to the yacht, Gilmore has vanished from a locked room. They break down the door to find the mysterious Mr. Wail. Wail is one of the strange and more interesting creations in the Savage universe. He's a short little chubby man who claims to have been a Jr. devil sent from hell to fetch Gilmore back. He provides the comedy relief which is normally Monk's job.
The final portion of the book has Doc and company traveling down a deep cavern, in pursuit of the bad guys. But Doc ends up in a subterranean lair filled with fantastic creatures right out of The Mountains of Madness. Are they fiends from the underworld or hallucinations from an unknown gas? Dent leaves the answer open.
You can't help but wonder where Dent was going with this story line. Did he plan another adventure using the same sub-terrain? Dent wasn't known for re-using characters in his stories. It's hard to believe he would take Doc Savage, super scientist detective, into fantasy land.
But we'll never know.
The novel begins with the discovery of a castaway on an island off the coast of Maine. Psychiatrist Dr. Karl Linningen has been sailing his yacht, the Mary Too, on a extended vacation. On the Canadian island of Campobello he discovers Gilmore, a geologist who's been missing for months after disappearing in a cave. Gilmore is certain he's been in hell and is sure the rescue party is a group of demons sent to take him back. Dr. Karl decides to take him to the nearest shore. Naturally, Doc Savage just happens to be in the town were they moor.
This is a more subdued, economy Doc Savage. There is some mention of his sidekick John "Renny" Renwick, but he never makes an appearance. Ditto for "Long" Tom, the electrical engineer. "Monk" Mayfair and "Ham" Brooks are the only two who follow along for the ride.
When Doc makes it back to the yacht, Gilmore has vanished from a locked room. They break down the door to find the mysterious Mr. Wail. Wail is one of the strange and more interesting creations in the Savage universe. He's a short little chubby man who claims to have been a Jr. devil sent from hell to fetch Gilmore back. He provides the comedy relief which is normally Monk's job.
The final portion of the book has Doc and company traveling down a deep cavern, in pursuit of the bad guys. But Doc ends up in a subterranean lair filled with fantastic creatures right out of The Mountains of Madness. Are they fiends from the underworld or hallucinations from an unknown gas? Dent leaves the answer open.
You can't help but wonder where Dent was going with this story line. Did he plan another adventure using the same sub-terrain? Dent wasn't known for re-using characters in his stories. It's hard to believe he would take Doc Savage, super scientist detective, into fantasy land.
But we'll never know.
September 21, 2014
Finally, the last of the Doc Savage pulps, as they were published by Street and Smith, anyway. After forty years, I finally finished all 181 original adventures!
This story was much better than it's reputation, since it was dealing with something completely out of Doc's normal depth: The actual (or supposed) supernatural. Doc and Monk manage to actually get into Hell itself, and get out again. Though naturally Doc has a much more plausible explanation for what happened to them. The build up to the climax is interesting, though Mr. Wail doesn't make much of an antagonist - he's much more annoying than anything else.
This story was much better than it's reputation, since it was dealing with something completely out of Doc's normal depth: The actual (or supposed) supernatural. Doc and Monk manage to actually get into Hell itself, and get out again. Though naturally Doc has a much more plausible explanation for what happened to them. The build up to the climax is interesting, though Mr. Wail doesn't make much of an antagonist - he's much more annoying than anything else.
November 5, 2020
A psychiatrist asks Doc's help on a case involving a geologist who seems to be insane and the mysterious, uncanny Mr. Wail. The latter claims that he's a devil from Hell, which the geologist accidentally stumbled into. Has to be insanity or some kind of crazy hoax, right?
That was Lester Dent's original concept for the last of Doc Savage's pulp run. However his editor thought that would be a cheat, so we got the only straight supernatural adventure in the series. The denizens of Hell are sufficiently monstrous it's a shame Dent didn't write some horror.
This one starts slow and talky, but once it gets going it makes a fitting finalé for the pulp magazine.
That was Lester Dent's original concept for the last of Doc Savage's pulp run. However his editor thought that would be a cheat, so we got the only straight supernatural adventure in the series. The denizens of Hell are sufficiently monstrous it's a shame Dent didn't write some horror.
This one starts slow and talky, but once it gets going it makes a fitting finalé for the pulp magazine.
May 9, 2025
I have never read a doc Savage novelette before. I'm sure this was not the one to start with. A bunch of rigmarole about demons apparently hopping between people as they try to conceal an opening into hell revealed by an earthquake. The opening is 15 miles below the Earth's surface, and was discovered by one of the protagonists, an amateur spelunker.
I assumed that the Doc Savage stories were proto-Avengers adventures, about a group of gifted if emotional experts learning about and resolving various crises and unexplainable events.
This is all smoke and mirrors.
For a serious depiction of devils and demons, I heartily recommend the collection Devil's Day by James Blish.
I assumed that the Doc Savage stories were proto-Avengers adventures, about a group of gifted if emotional experts learning about and resolving various crises and unexplainable events.
This is all smoke and mirrors.
For a serious depiction of devils and demons, I heartily recommend the collection Devil's Day by James Blish.
August 25, 2018
Read this final Doc novel in 1991
February 4, 2013
Meh. Didn't have the same feel as the early Doc Savage stories. Doc's way more emotional than he used to be, and the feuding between Monk and Ham feels much more serious and nasty.
A key element of the early Doc Savage stories was that no matter how mystical things seemed, there was always a rational, material explanation for everything. (Like the original Scooby Doo stories.) In this one (and it's not a spoiler because it's mentioned right in the plot summary), Doc finds an entrance to Hell. Literal Christian Hell, under the earth. And the only non-mystical explanation offered is even less plausible than it being really Hell.
The story was short, jerky, and very unsatisfying.
A key element of the early Doc Savage stories was that no matter how mystical things seemed, there was always a rational, material explanation for everything. (Like the original Scooby Doo stories.) In this one (and it's not a spoiler because it's mentioned right in the plot summary), Doc finds an entrance to Hell. Literal Christian Hell, under the earth. And the only non-mystical explanation offered is even less plausible than it being really Hell.
The story was short, jerky, and very unsatisfying.
May 6, 2016
read SOMETIME in 2000
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews