Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Quick Review: The Lost Oasis by Kenneth Robeson


The Lost Oasis was the first Doc Savage paperback that I picked up to read and it instantly won me over from my other preferred hero at the time, Warner Paperback Library's The Avenger (another old pulp hero enjoying a popular renaissance in the 1970's).

Oasis had been abandoned by an unknown schoolmate of mine on a window shelf, where it sat for a few weeks fading in the spring sun, before I finally opted to try it out.

"While seeking to solve the mystery of " the trained vampire murders," Doc Savage and his amazing crew suddenly find themselves prisoners of Sol Yuttal and Hadi-Mot aboard a hijacked Zeppelin. Their deadly destination is a fabulous lost diamond mine guarded by carnivorous plants and monstrous, bloodsucking bats." This particular Doc adventure truly has it all; high adventure, exotic locales, memorable villains, and Doc's entire crew - the Fabulous Five - are all on hand for the perilous trek into the desert via dirigible.

The Lost Oasis remains my personal favorite Doc Savage story and I encourage anyone who loves old-school-style adventure stories to seek it out. Many comic book & genre icons owe a hearty thanks to Lester Dent's terrific Doc Savage tales, up-to-and-including Harrison Ford's soon-to-be-back-in-theaters Indiana Jones.

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