Doc Savage: Mr. Calamity (The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage Book 22)

I didn't Like it. OMG I LOVED IT!!!! Clearly the best of the Will Murray era! The love for the "old" stories comes through loud and clear! The plot was great, the writing crisp and tight and the characterization spot on. Nice to see an episode without Monk and Ham for a change and the threat lived up to the hype. But I save my real praise for the second story even more! "Valley of Eternity" was exciting and very surprising. Loved the "list " of the past ladies that were under consideration (trying hard not to spoil here, folks!) and although there were of a couple of those I would have included (Midnat D'Avis and Edna Danielsen, for example), it was a great read and the characters were handled so well. Last; while I am glad to see Mr. Murray's next effort with a crossover, I can't get enough of his Docs and hate that there may not be another this year! That to me is the hallmark of a good read, I guess, that I hated when I was done. Anyways, thanks so much and may your work continue! "and through it all the work of Savage would go on!"

While certainly not a bad novel, "Mr. Calamity" is one of the weaker Kenneth Robeson tales penned by Mr. Murray. The pacing is a bit sluggish, the villain(s) really not all that memorable, and the surprise reveal at the end... unsurprising. Still, it incorporates elements from a classic Doc adventure of the 1930s in a logical fashion. More importantly Will Murray GETS these characters. He captures their voices and personalities with unfailing accuracy and anything he writes with the Savages and the Amazing Five is going to be enjoyable regardless of the story framework they happen to be a part of. As for "The Valley of Eternity" it also remains true to Lester Dent's vision but still takes the series in a very different direction which undoubtedly gives Doc the greatest challenge of his eventful life. The comedic elements presented here flow naturally from the story's premise and make this a terrifically entertaining read. Highly recommended.

Catch me visiting Wyoming anytime soon! One of the most violent places Doc and his team have visited, death was threatened or occurred from shooting, hanging, drowning, falling from great heights, parachuting, and car wrecks. Further, the threats were constant, hardly allowing the reader to breathe. Action was plentiful, as were dire situations, and once again Dent and Murray concentrated on Pat Savage (MeToo of a different variety) and Doc’s aides other than Monk and Ham, which is refreshing. Supporting characters also were likeable and played important roles. More to the negative, the McGuffin was a plot device used in an earlier adventure, just utilized by a different criminal, and so the denouement was not as eye-opening as usual. Knowing that Dent had lived in this area made me appreciate the locale descriptions more, but I can understand from his approach that he didn’t particularly like the area very much. The Valley of Eternity was dangerous for an entirely different reason. I began to feel that Murray was writing a brief and ignominious end to the Doc Savage saga, and it scared the hell out of me! While the story explained many things, and was one of those personal affairs that Doc is rarely forced to face, I read the story with increasing dread, thinking “no, no, no, noooo”! Nonetheless, it sort of opened a new chapter for Doc and Pat, with plots or subplots for future stories. Not the best Doc stories, but still worth the read!

The first story in this book is the standard Doc Savage stuff, and will be pleasing to fans of the bronze blockbuster. But the second story is probably the best Doc tale Will Murray has ever written. I won't spoil it, other than to say that Doc comes in marvelously human within, and I couldn't let up until I finished it. There aren't that many quasi-pulp stories I can say that about. I hope Will uses this story as a jumping-off point, because I want to see more in this vein. I'm superamalgamated about it!

Mr. Calamity:Lots of gunfights. Would have been Will's best Doc effort if had been tightened up and edited down to 200 pages from 400 pages. Lots of gunfights. Am I repeating myself? Yep, that was my major problem with the story. Lots of gunfights.Valley of Eternity:Much shorter than the main story, so that was a plus for me. Guess I prefer the mysterious Doc. This version of Doc seemed out of character and more of a buffoon instead of a brilliant man. The story is supposed to be a comedy, but I just felt embarrassed for Doc.Still, both stories are Doc Savage stories and not awful. I did like that Pat was more involved. It's definitely nice to have a strong female character mixed in with the male team, even if she does seem to get terrified and overwhelmed more easily than the men.

I read these novels for simple reasons: Escape and enjoyment. They are escapes from my everyday world and are just fun. The idea that there is a bit of mystery mixed with humor and great character development are bonuses. Having a "Doc" story about his greatest weakness (ladies) makes it even better.

Two of my favorite Doc Savage novels of recent years, one a modern Western adventure (and a sequel to one of the true Doc classics), the other an emotional story where the Man of Bronze confronts his greatest enemy: his own heart. Highest recommendation.

A new type of adventure for Doc Savage and I absolutely enjoyed the whole story. This wild Adventures are something new to me but I still enjoyed the story. Looking for more series to read , old and new.

Best Doc Savage by Murray yet.

Really slow adventure story dissapointed

Il est de retour ! enfin ! Le père de tous les super-héros ! toujours absent de l'édition française, Doc Savage existe aux Sates . Will Murray reprend quelques trames préparées par Lester Dent, le principal auteur originel et nous livre de nouvelles aventures . C'est toujours le même plaisir de lire ces nouvelles aventures, sous réserve de pouvoir le faire en Anglais; si c'est votre cas, je vous recommande ce volume et les autres de la même collection.

This is a typical Doc Savage adventure. A bit of a surprise ending. The extra story was a nice bonus.