Capsule Review Archive – The Sargasso Ogre by Kenneth Robeson
This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 30, 2018.
The Sargasso Ogre (Doc Savage #8)
By Kenneth Robeson (House Name)/Lester Dent – Street & Smith – 1933
Review by Robin Marx
Returning from their last adventure, upon leaving Egypt Doc Savage and his companions have their ocean liner hijacked by modern day pirates and taken to the Sargasso Sea. Doc Savage finds himself working to protect both the passengers of his ocean liner and a shipful of beautiful castaways while dealing with well-entrenched enemies led by the titular “Sargasso Ogre.”
This was one of the better entries in the Doc Savage series so far. It felt a bit more grounded than some previous installments (i.e., no giant poisonous bats this time), but it included exotic locations, an interesting antagonist, and plenty of action.
Doc's companions didn't seem especially effective this time, so Doc is left to do most of the heavy lifting. The women presented in the story were surprisingly well-rendered for the time. Their leader instantly falls for “woman-proof” Savage, of course, but she and her crew prove to be brave and resourceful.
Bruze, the “Sargasso Ogre,” is one of the more interesting opponents portrayed in the series so far. He's physically intimidating, but in his one hand-to-hand combat with Doc he immediately realizes he is outmatched, and spends rest of the book actively avoiding another fight, instead relying on animal cunning to put Savage in danger. The moment in which he receives his comeuppance is rather abrupt, but it makes for an exciting scene of poetic justice.
★★★☆☆
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