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American
Agent Tony McKay has a reason to hate the Communists -- they
killed his father -- and he is just the man Sir Denis Nayland
Smith needs for a daring mission. Passing easily for Chinese,
he is sent undercover to a remote district of Northern China
to find out why there appear to be zombies wandering around.
, The Cold Men are Dr Fu-Manchu's latest experiment, and soon
Tony finds himself in jail and in trouble. But what are the
Russians up to?
The Yellow Peril rides again! Fu-Manchu first appeared in
print in 1913 and has appeared in film, TV and more ever since.
Now Titan Books are reissuing Rohmer's books for a new generation;
what do they have to offer modern readers? Plenty of well-paced
excitement for one thing, as only writers of an earlier era
knew how to produce. There is no introspection, here just
the characters getting on with their missions in exotic locations,
albeit with a dash of romance and a fantastic element. This
makes the book a real retro read, relaxing and exciting all
in one with nothing to hold up the plot or add a touch of
melancholy, a great choice for a winter night. This entry
in the series is set in 1959 during the Cold War but, has
many parallels with modern current affairs from germ warfare
to the involvement of China and Russia on the world's stage.
Some modern readers might worry that these books are racist,
but it is important to remember that they are not historical
novels written for modern tastes but reprints of books published
many years ago. Fu Manchu and some of his minions are villains,
but there are plenty of good Chinese characters. Book thirteen
in the series is not the best place to start reading these
pulp classics, but the character of Fu Manchu is so well known
many readers will already know what to expect. Better though
to go back and read through the whole series for the treat
that it is.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
The
Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu
Emperor
Fu-Manchu
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