It might cost me a stamp on my Pulp card, but I must confess I have yet to 'get the hang' of Doc Savage. I find the original stories (I have read to date) to be too clunky. Yes, Dent pours on the action but it's obvious he's thinking action first, explanations later. And I never find the explanations satisfactory.
Though, I do find the concept and setup as having potential. The team. The Empire State building headquarters. The Fortress of Solitude.
Perhaps, if I'd read some of those tales (and saw those Bama 1960s covers!) as a boy, I might not be so critical. But coming in cold as an adult--they just don't work for me.
There are many Doc Savage pastiches out there. I do wonder if any of them might make things gel better.
Enter Craig McDonald's THE ADVENTURES OF ZANA O'SAVIN.
These are different. As much as they have all the pastiche characters, it's hard to refer to these as pastiche. McDonald has infused this series with a fantasy element that makes it all work. You see, Doc O'Savin is a tulpa--a being manifested from pure thought and will. Created by Lester Dent's own intensity and belief in his own fiction.
This gives McDonald the springboard to weave the team through historical events, provide pulpy action, and give it all depth. I just finished the third entry, THE DEATH KILLERS, and it's a doozy torn from today's headlines.
This is a neat series. Recommended.
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