The Sargasso Ogre 10/1933
(Monk, Ham, Renny, Long Tom, Johnny) (Cairo, Egypt; Middle of the Atlantic Ocean)
Publishing Order 8# Bantam 18
Cover Artist - James Bama
(Disclaimer- With some of my books I'm writing more of reflection than a review so reader be warned)

This is where I come clean about my Doc Savage infatuation. I was introduced to Doc Savage at the Yolo County Library. They had a paperback rack with an honors system that you would return to the books. No checking them out besides that they jotted a line down for the book you took. I’m not sure I returned many of the ERB or Doc Savage books I “borrowed” from the rack. My other source of Doc Savage books was Orpheus Used Books which at times had them for sale at 99cents. I would scrounge the need $1.06 which included tax on a weekly basis hoping they would have one of the books.
Although I fell in love with the adventures I read them sporadically, often rotating them with other books as was my habit. Being a comic reader, reading 5 or 6 books at one time wasn’t a stretch of my mental juggling skills. By the time I was in high school, I was still reading but had found some recreational habits that weren’t conducive to retention of everything I read. Eventually I would amass 50 of the Doc Savage books but I may have only read 25 of them at best. I followed the comics closely including the Marvel Curtis Magazines but fell off on reading the reprint adventures. This confession brings me to today where there are only a few Doc Savage books I out and out remember reading but as I’m delving into this hobby wholeheartedly there are others that bring back the sense of finding an old friend.
The Sargasso Ogre is one of those old friends. My first Doc book was The Man of Bronze, followed at sometime by Brand of the Werewolf, The Lost Oasis and The Sargasso Ogre. Rereading The Sargasso Ogre was the cliche of putting on an old favorite sweater but because of aforementioned recreational endeavors not fully remembered.
This adventure ties directly into the previous adventure The Lost Oasis. Doc and crew are in Cairo after Lost Oasis with a large amount of uncut diamonds ( I want to say buttload as a nod to my students) waiting to sail home on an ocean liner. Although there is some action in Cairo itself introducing the exotic assassin Pasha Bey, the main action is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in the fabled Sargasso Sea.
Lester Dent wrote enough to make me look up the Sargasso Sea and I tripped out at the time because it was a real thing. A little more mysterious in the early 70’s than now since it has been investigated. The mythical stranding of boats over the years had more to do with the prevailing winds dieing than with the seaweed trapping the boats. Still to a young teenager, the thought of this graveyard of boats in the middle of the ocean was fascinating.
Reading this adventure again, I felt the same enjoyment I did back then. This is a pure Doc adventure with his aides playing the part of “damsel in distress” having to be saved either individually or as a group on various occasions. Doc shows off his medical skills, his strategy skills and even his fighting skills which are sorely tested by the villain of the story. This is a no nonsense Doc leaving his charm behind but demonstrating his leadership ability.
Introduced in this adventure is Kina La Forge never to be seen after this but it would be great to read a sequel to her story. She appealed to my adolescent fantasies with her red hair, flamboyant dress and the pirate like attitude. Not much time is spent on Kina but she always stayed with me. She was that familiar surprise when I reread the story.
Like The Lost Oasis this one grabbed my imagination, the derelict boats acting like the dirigible in Lost Oasis. Best way I can recommend The Sargasso Ogre is to say it has made me look forward to the challenge I’ve set myself of reading all the Doc Savage adventures. ( )