On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House #4) 4Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: On the Banks of Plum Creek
Series: Little House #4
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: MG Historical Fiction
Pages: 172
Words: 55K
Publish: 1937

This took about two years and it is evident that Wilder is expecting the target audience to grow with each book, as they’ve gotten consecutively longer.

I continue to enjoy each book quite a bit and while the story is very idealized, it is still a good snapshot into what families went through in the late 1800’s as they spread out west. Death in its many forms are showcased and it is no wonder so many settlers died. I wouldn’t have wanted to live during that time no matter what. They had to have a certain “spirit” and I know I don’t have what it takes.

I’ve had my issues with “historical” fiction in the past, where writers make up total bullshit on a wholesale level and insert it into a non-fiction framework thus making it very unclear what is historical fact and what is the totally made up bullshit from their sick brains. As you can tell, I am not a fan of that model. This avoids that by being fiction. This is a story and nothing BUT a story. It would give a young reader an idea of what life was like but they wouldn’t come out of these books thinking this was a history book. Laura doesn’t meet Abe Lincoln or Paul Bunyan or help Edison invent the telephone or give Mark Twain an idea for a novel. I approve of that model of historical fiction.

So Imperator Bookstooge approves this book.

★★★★☆

From Grokipedia

Settlement and early life in Minnesota

In the opening chapters of the book, the Ingalls family travels by covered wagon from their previous home in Kansas to a new homestead along Plum Creek in Minnesota. Pa trades their horses Pet and Patty, along with other items, to Mr. Hanson for the land, a dugout home built into the creek bank, crops, and oxen. Laura discovers the entrance as a "door in the ground" at the creek's edge, initially startling her with its unexpected appearance. The dugout proves snug and clean, with smoothed dirt walls, a hard-packed floor, a hay ceiling, and grass growing on the roof. Pa reassures the family that the arrangement is temporary and expresses strong optimism about the fertile land producing a bountiful wheat crop to fund a better home.The family quickly adapts to their new surroundings, with early chores including carrying water from a nearby spring and fashioning beds from willow boughs to avoid sleeping directly on the floor. Laura and Mary spend time playing along the creek, making necklaces and whistles from rush stems, blowing bubbles, and watching tiny fish nibble at their toes in the clear water. Pa builds a wooden fish trap under a waterfall to catch larger fish, which Ma cooks for family suppers, supplementing their food supply. In the evenings, Pa plays his fiddle inside the dugout, providing music that creates warmth and contentment for the household. The family maintains a hopeful outlook, dreaming of prosperity from the coming harvest and enjoying the beauty of the wild plum thickets, willows, and rolling prairie.With the arrival of spring and the wheat sprouting green, Pa buys lumber on credit and constructs a proper frame house on a knoll near the creek. The new home features two downstairs rooms, a lean-to, an attic bedroom for the girls, real glass windows, and a surprise cookstove for Ma. The family delights in moving out of the dugout into the bright, clean wooden structure with its fresh lumber smell and gleaming windows. Ma adds white curtains trimmed in calico and decorates shelves, marking the transition to a more comfortable life on Plum Creek.

School, community, and family routines

After settling into their life near Walnut Grove, Laura and Mary attended school for the first time, marking an important milestone in their education and social exposure. The school was taught by Miss Eva Beadle, and Laura enjoyed learning to read while appreciating the company of other children, including classmates from the Kennedy family, Maud, and the Oleson siblings. However, tensions arose with Nellie Oleson, the storekeeper's daughter, who bullied Laura by pulling her hair, dictating games, and mocking her as a "country girl" due to perceived differences in wealth and background. Interactions with townspeople centered heavily on the Oleson family, whose general store made them prominent in the community. Nellie frequently bragged about her possessions and insulted Laura and Mary's clothing or circumstances, such as flaunting a fur cape while taunting Laura that her father could not afford one. Social reciprocity emerged when Laura and Mary attended a party at the Olesons' luxurious home, where Nellie selfishly guarded her toys—including a lifelike wax doll—and grabbed the largest piece of cake. The Ingalls family returned the invitation with a country party at their home, where Nellie's rudeness prompted Laura to lure her into Plum Creek, resulting in leeches clinging to Nellie's legs as a form of childish revenge. The Ingalls family incorporated regular church attendance into their weekly routine, traveling to the new church in town every Sunday for services led by the gentle Reverend Alden, with hymns sung by the congregation and Sunday school taught by Mrs. Tower. Holidays, particularly Christmas, brought community joy through a church celebration featuring Laura's first Christmas tree, a sermon, hymn singing, and gifts sent from eastern church members to the congregation. Daily family life revolved around chores, with Laura and Mary assisting Ma with household tasks and helping on the farm while fishing in the creek during leisure moments. The family studied lessons together, often with Ma guiding the girls' education at home. Evenings provided warmth and unity, as Pa serenaded the family with songs on his fiddle after supper, prompting everyone to join in singing and creating a sense of contentment. Through these experiences, Laura navigated personal growth amid feelings of jealousy toward Nellie's material advantages and social standing. Her conflicts with Nellie highlighted contrasts between town luxury and country simplicity, as well as selfishness versus kindness, reinforcing moral lessons about treating others with respect and finding satisfaction in family bonds rather than possessions. These everyday interactions fostered Laura's understanding of friendship, reciprocity, and self-control despite provocations.

Natural disasters and family trials

The Ingalls family experiences profound hardship when a massive plague of grasshoppers descends upon their Minnesota farm, devouring the promising wheat crop that Pa had counted on to pay off debts for their new house and stove. The insects arrive in overwhelming numbers, eating every green thing in sight and stripping the fields bare despite the family's desperate attempts to drive them away with smoke and fire. [21] With no harvest to sell, the family faces financial ruin, prompting Pa to walk a long distance east to find temporary work on farms beyond the reach of the infestation in order to earn money and support them. The grasshoppers soon lay eggs in the soil, threatening future crops. Pa returns home before winter. A brutal winter follows, bringing severe blizzards that isolate the prairie. In December, Pa ventures to town for supplies but is caught in a severe three-day blizzard on his return journey, forcing him to seek shelter in a haystack and leaving the family uncertain of his safety. Ma ties a rope from the house to the stable to navigate the blinding snow while performing chores, and she keeps Mary, Laura, and Carrie occupied with games, stories, and household tasks to preserve their morale during the long confinement indoors. Pa finally returns home safely on Christmas Eve, reuniting the family in profound relief and joy despite the absence of presents or festive trimmings, underscoring their endurance through hardship. In spring, the grasshopper eggs hatch, and the young insects devour the new crops. After persisting, the swarm mysteriously departs by flying west together in a glittering cloud, providing relief from further destruction. The family faces continued economic trials but maintains hope for recovery.

Characters

The Ingalls family

The Ingalls family forms the central focus of On the Banks of Plum Creek, depicted as a close-knit pioneer unit navigating life in Minnesota. Charles Ingalls, known as Pa, serves as the optimistic and resourceful provider, trading possessions, plowing fields, constructing the family home, and traveling for work to support the household during hardships. He maintains a positive perspective, returning home with reassuring news that severe weather would prevent future grasshopper plagues. Pa is also musical, playing his fiddle to lull the family at day's end. [22]Caroline Ingalls, known as Ma, is practical and nurturing, emphasizing manners, education, and proper conduct while acting as a steady role model for her daughters. [23] She approaches difficulties with optimism, performs demanding domestic tasks tirelessly, and guides the children through gentle instruction rather than harsh discipline. [23]Laura Ingalls, the protagonist and narrator, is a curious, spirited, and resilient girl who observes her surroundings keenly and perseveres through challenges with an indomitable spirit. [24] She displays impulsive tendencies balanced by courage and hard work, showing gradual growth toward maturity. [25]Mary Ingalls, Laura's older sister, is responsible and gentle, consistently demonstrating obedience, politeness, and ladylike behavior in contrast to Laura's more impulsive traits. [26]Carrie Ingalls, the youngest daughter, has a minor role, appearing primarily within the family context without significant individual actions or development highlighted. These portrayals draw from Laura Ingalls Wilder's own family. [27]

Neighbors and townspeople

The townspeople of Walnut Grove play significant roles in the community life depicted in On the Banks of Plum Creek, with the Oleson family standing out as owners of the general store and central figures in town interactions. Their children, Nellie and Willie, serve as rivals and antagonists to Laura, with Nellie portrayed as a spoiled, haughty girl who brags about her possessions, fine clothes, and social superiority while frequently looking down on others as inferior "country" folk. Willie, her brother, joins her in displaying unkind and exclusionary behavior toward Laura and Mary. The town features multiple storekeepers, including Mr. Oleson, who operates the main mercantile establishment central to community gatherings, and Mr. Fitch, who runs a separate store. Mr. Beadle manages another store alongside his duties at the post office, making these figures key points of contact for townspeople and settlers alike. Reverend Alden serves as the local minister, leading church services and Sunday school classes that bring the community together for religious observance and social support. The school teacher, described as a lovely young woman, instructs the local children in the town schoolhouse, providing formal education to Laura, Mary, and their classmates. Nearby neighbors include the Nelson family, Norwegian settlers living close to the Ingalls, who participate in community efforts such as livestock trading and cooperative responses to local challenges. Their daughter Anna and other local children, including members of the Kennedy family and individuals like Maud, attend school and contribute to the social fabric of the area. These secondary characters reflect the diverse mix of settlers and townsfolk shaping daily life in Walnut Grove.

The Last Psyker (Warhammer 40K: Astra Militarum) 3.5Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Last Psyker
Series: Warhammer 40K: Astra Militarum
Author: Shawna Lawless
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 35
Words: 11K
Publish: 2025

Now this was a good short story. A planet has supposedly been cleared of Chaos Cultists and it’s up to a small group of soldiers, along with a Psyker, to make sure the city is truly clear. Surprise, surprise, the cultists are alive and well and the most powerful of them wants to open a gateway to Chaos and invite a Demon into the world. She plans to use the Imperial Psyker as a host, to save herself. Nothing goes right for anybody and only one soldier survives while none of the cultists do. The demon is free however and inhabits the lone survivor.

And that is the Warhammer 40,000 universe in a nutshell. No matter what you do, you’re screwed over. By the enemy, by your own side, by some completely unknown.

When I’m in a good emotional space, I can handle that and not only handle it, but like it. It’s the redheaded step-brother of Cosmic Horror and I’ve talked about my relationship with THAT genre enough. The same applies to WH40K. Today was a good day so I liked this :-)

★★★✬☆

From the Publisher:

The average soldier is wary of psykers, having been told since birth they are dangerous and unpredictable. One such primaris psyker is tempted to turn his back on a regiment of fellow warriors who despise him.

READ IT BECAUSE

The relationship between primaris psykers and the regiments they're attached to is nearly always strained. This story takes a closer look at just how tenuous it can be.

THE STORY

Karleth, a primaris psyker, is despised and feared by the troopers he accompanies into battle. Only the pragmatic Captain Ollana seems to value his function. When their regiment is sent to investigate a planet evacuated during the outbreak of the Great Rift, Karleth is targeted by forces more appreciative of his gifts…

• All of My Warhammer 40K Reviews

Mishra's War Machine - MTG 4E

 

Old school Magic was tough. You wanted a big creature, you had to PAY for it, and not just in terms of paying mana either (tapping a land to generate a mana thus making the land unusable for anything else until your next turn). And the color chart meant something back then too. So a 5/5 creature than any color could use needed to some serious drawbacks to make up for its strengths. And Discarding a card every turn is a big drawback. So you, as a player, had to determine if you could get enough advantage out of this one card to make it worth including in your deck.

Nowadays cards pretty much just have advantages and players choose the best advantageous card. Bunch of modern day pansies clutching their pearls....

The Forged Coupon and Other Stories (The Russians) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Forged Coupon and Other Stories
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Translator: Unknown
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 189
Words: 58K
Publish: 1911

Moralistic tales from Tolstoy near the end of his life (several of the stories were published posthumously).

While I enjoyed reading about the domino effect (for good and bad) in The Forged Coupon, the rest of the stories were so typically Russian (emotional outbursts from someone with the maturity of a 16 year old) that I couldn’t enjoy them. A big part of that is Tolstoy supposedly using the Bible to bolster his arguments. The problem was that he was only using the parts he wanted (the Gospels) and pretty much ignored the entire foundation of the Old Testament and all of the rest of the New Testament. The Bible has a lot to say about government, governance, how people are to react to authority and also such subjects as nationally waged wars and the death penalty. It also addresses how employers are supposed to treat their employees, how employees are supposed to act towards their employers, how people are to treat one another.

All subjects that can be gone into deeply and yet succinctly if needed. Yet Tolstoy, a mature man in his 80’s (I believe he was that old. He was nearing the end of his life anyway), acts like a stupid, dimwitted teenager and allows his emotions to sweep aside everything and dictate his decisions. His distaste of the Orthodox Church and the Corrupt Government shape his decisions as much as any rationale thinking does and I can’t stand that.

Sigh. This is what happens when you decide to read the complete works of someone who wrote fiction, non-fiction and a mix. Things get messy.

★★★☆☆

From Wikipedia and Bookiepedia

The Forged Coupon

The story is divided into two parts. In Part I, schoolboy Mitya is in desperate need of money to repay a debt, but his father angrily denies him assistance. Dejected, under the instigation of a friend Makhin, Mitya simply changes a 2.50 rouble bond coupon to read 12.50 roubles, but this one evil deed sets off a chain of events that affects the lives of dozens of others, when his one falsehood indirectly causes a man to murder a woman at the end of Part I, and then seek redemption through religion in Part II.

Having written the novella in his dying years, after his excommunication, Tolstoy relishes the chance to unveil the "pseudo-piety and hypocrisy of organized religion." Yet, he maintains an unwavering belief in man's capacity to find truth, so the story remains hopeful, especially in Part II, which shows that good works can affect another as in a domino effect, just as evil does in Part I.[2] The novella has also been translated with the title "The Counterfeit Note" and "The Forged Banknote."

After the Ball

Ivan Vasilievich is telling a story to his friends. The tale opens with Ivan Vasilievich pining after the beautiful Varenka B., daughter of Colonel B. Ivan recounts to his friends the events of the night, during which he danced with Varenka and witnessed the colonel dance with her. He notes how deeply he fell in love with Varenka and grew to admire her father during the course of the night.

Later that night after the ball, Ivan Vasilievich is unable to sleep due to his infatuation with Varenka, so he leaves his home to go on a walk. As he wanders the street towards Varenka's home, he witnesses the running of a gauntlet by a Tartar who has deserted the military. Colonel B. oversees the flogging of the Tatar. Upon recognizing the face of Varenka's father, Ivan Vasilievich feels sick. The colonel pretends as if he did not see Ivan. While Ivan does not think the deed evil, Ivan is confused by the soldiers' unwavering adherence to military rules and tries to understand the brutality that he witnessed. He is unable to understand, and his love for Varenka dissipates. Ultimately, Ivan Vasilievich eschews his planned course of life, ultimately refusing to marry or enter the civil or military services.

Alyosha the Pot

As a young child, Alyosha lived in a village and was nicknamed "the Pot" after he broke a milk pot. At 19, his father sends him to live with a merchant's family working as a yard-keeper (дворник). As the family begins to assign him nearly all of the housework and errands, he does everything without complaint. Alyosha's father collected his salary, but Alyosha got to keep the occasional tip. Alyosha spoke very little, was not educated, and did not know formal prayers—instead, he "prayed with his hands", crossing himself. After a year and a half, Alyosha began to feel that the cook, Ustinia, took pity on him. "He felt for the first time in his life that he--not his services, but he himself--was necessary to another human being".[3] Alyosha falls in love with Ustinia and eventually asks her to marry him, but the merchant dislikes the idea and Alyosha's father forbids the marriage. Alyosha agrees and ceases to discuss marriage with Ustinia. For the first and only time in the story, Alyosha breaks his lighthearted, laughing demeanor and cries.

Later during Lent, Alyosha falls while he clears snow from the roof. On the third day, he died quietly, having calmly accepted his impending death. "He lay in wonderment, then stretched himself, and died."

My Dream (also known as What I Saw in My Dream)

An aristocrat has thrown off his daughter, who ran away and had a child out of wedlock. His pride won’t allow him to forgive her and she refuses to come back to the empty life she had before. Reconciliation occurs when they see each other at her rented room.

There are no guilty people

An unfinished diatribe against the death penalty, supposedly based on Biblical Principles.

The Young Tzar / Tsar

In which the Tsar of Russia has a dream where Jesus tells him he is responsible for everything happening in Russia and to be a good man.

• The Russians

• Leo Tolstoy

• Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• Ivan Turgenev

• Nikolai Gogol

About Bookstooge (2026 Edition)

 It has been about 2 years since my last repost of my "About" page. While those of you who have been following me for some time are quite familiar with the content of this post, I have found it always helps the newer people to acclimatize. And Mr Zip looks forward to seeing you all too!

Here are some things to know about me that might make your interactions a tiny bit easier. If you still have questions,  you can always email me:

Bookstoog eat proto nmail do tcom

1) I am a pretty devout Christian. Weird personal mix of Baptist and 7th Day Adventist. To over-simplify it, that means I believe in the Bible literally and I go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday. It also means that it influences what I read, how I read and how I review.

2) I am a Man. I cannot state this boldly enough or enough times. Be prepared. Mancakes Ahead!

3) I like Science fiction, Fantasy, Classics [1900’s and earlier] and mysteries. I’ll read other stuff, but not regularly. As I’ve gotten older, my tastes have broadened though, so chances are pretty good you’ll see more than what I listed there..

4) I tend to read 100+ books a year.

5) Of the 5 Love Languages, [quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch] my main one is Words of affirmation. Or just words :-) Which means that I tend to post and comment quite a bit. I am NOT a once a week poster.

6) To go along with #1, I graduated from a non-accredited Bible school, so I’ve got a working man’s knowledge of how to be a Pastor, just not the actual degree. Or the temperament.

7) I am NOT a people person. People wear me out, even online. Then I say things that later I sometimes regret. Then I need chicken fingers to recover!

Mr Zip has such sights to show you!

8) I am happily married to Mrs Bookstooge. For some reason she really loves me. Weird, huh?

9) If you disagree with something in my posts or reviews, feel free to say so; IF you want to actually have a conversation with someone who disagrees with you. Most times I will try to move such conversations to email.

10) I have a list of criteria for those I choose to follow. It might explain why I don’t follow you.

11) I am a land surveyor. I work outdoors year round in New England. The picture below is of me. It typifies why I like being a surveyor.

The Bride of Fu-Manchu (Dr Fu-Manchu #6) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Bride of Fu-Manchu
Series: Dr Fu-Manchu #6
Author: Sax Rohmer
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Pulp Mystery
Pages: 288
Words: 69K
Publish: 1933

After the disaster that was the stupidfest known as The Mask of Dr Fu-Manchu, I was much relieved to get a more levelheaded narrator. He’s a new young guy, which meant that there was probably going to be a new young girl and sure enough, in the opening scene, fate destined lovers run across each other on a deserted beach.

Throughout the book it is revealed that Fu-Manchu has kidnapped and mind-enslaved the greatest minds across the world and made them loyal to himself. They have been working on various problems and so the bad Doctor is now supplied with all sorts of super-science weapons. One is a new form of the black plague, carried by a hybrid fly of sorts. Fu-Manchu plans on releasing them on a global scale and thus depopulate the world before it knows what hit it. Unfortunately, his scientists haven’t overcome the climate of Russia and so Fu-Manchu gives up the whole plan in a sulky huff.

Dr Petrie apparently dies, we find out he has a daughter (who was thought to have died as an infant) and said daughter is the new love interest for the new narrator. All very sappy and emotional.

There is also two scenes where the narrator and Sir Denis Nayland Smith have Doctor Fu-Manchu within their power while he is in an opium induced coma. Neither can bring themselves to kill the Doctor because it “wouldn’t be honorable and goes against the conscience”. Oh, I almost threw my ereader against the wall at that point. If you aren’t willing to end Evil, then you are abetting it. Of course I realize it is plot-armor but it still reflects Rohmer’s general world view and it’s a terrible one.

★★★☆☆

From Blackgate.com

The Bride of Fu Manchu introduces readers to a new narrator/hero in the form of the young botanist, Dr. Alan Sterling. As the book opens, Sterling is in France along with Dr. Petrie. They have both been called in to investigate a strange new epidemic that has stricken the Riviera.

Sterling comes ashore on Ste. Claire and discovers a beautiful girl on an otherwise deserted beach. The introductory scene is a long and evocative one and will be instantly familiar to James Bond fans as a clear influence on Ian Fleming. The girl is called Fleurette and likens herself to the goddess, Derceto. She is the property of the mysterious Mahdi Bey, who owns the great house on Ste. Claire. A strange sonic trumpet sounds and Fleurette rushes back to her master’s home, leaving Sterling both smitten and frustrated by their brief but tantalizing encounter.

Returning to Petrie’s rented villa on the Riviera, Sterling can’t get Fleurette out of his head. Falling asleep, he has a queer dream of a purple cloud covering New York from which a dragon emerges. A Chinese figure (whom the reader will recognize as Dr. Fu Manchu) and Fleurette are riding the dragon.

Petrie awakens him and tells him about the latest victim of the plague that has struck the Riviera. During the course of their conversation, the reader learns that Petrie attended the University of Edinburgh with Sterling’s father and that in recent years he has become a world-renowned expert on tropical diseases. It isn’t very long before Sterling begins to suspect that Petrie is exhibiting early signs of the epidemic himself.

While working on his research, Sterling is startled to discover a Chinaman spying on him from the garden. He is unable to catch the intruder, but has his first encounter with a frantic Sir Denis Nayland Smith, who has just arrived from London. Taking Smith inside to see Petrie, they discover the doctor has collapsed and appears to be near death.

Sterling informs Smith the epidemic is a man-made hybrid of the sleeping sickness and the plague that is spread by crossbreeding the tsetse fly with the rat-flea. Smith sees the hand of Dr. Fu Manchu in this plot and quickly brings Sterling up to speed. Passing reference is made by Sterling to Petrie’s ill-fated hobby of trying to break the bank at Monte Carlo, in truth one of the author’s real-life preoccupations.

The comatose Petrie’s one chance at life is to be administered the antidote he was working on at the time he succumbed. Smith prepares the solution with Sterling’s aid and injects his old friend with the untested serum. Within an hour of being hospitalized, Petrie shows signs of stabilizing. Their joy is short-lived upon learning the epidemic has spread through Europe, North America, and Australia.

Sterling keeps vigil at Petrie’s bedside during the night and is startled to find the Chinaman who had been at the villa now peering through the window of Petrie’s hospital room. Before he can investigate further, a nurse enters and introduces him to Petrie’s newly-arrived wife, Karamaneh. Sterling is struck by her beauty and finds he is barely able to control himself around her. He struggles to prevent her from kissing her still-comatose husband, but she heeds Sir Denis’s warning that no one may touch Petrie. Karamaneh departs, leaving a disoriented Sterling feeling guilty for the wanton lust that possessed him.

Nayland Smith arrives to relieve Sterling and, after learning of the Chinaman at the hospital window, quickly concludes that Mrs. Petrie is being impersonated by Fah lo Suee, the daughter of Fu Manchu. He congratulates Sterling for having saved Petrie’s life, but warns him he will be a marked man as a result of his interference. While driving back to the villa, Sterling is nearly run off the Grand Corniche by a Rolls Royce driven by an African chauffeur. As the vehicle speeds by, he catches a glimpse of Fleurette and a wizened old man he assumes must be the mysterious Mahdi Bey. Longtime readers will of course know that Sterling has just had his first glimpse of Dr. Fu Manchu.

Sterling returns to the villa and discovers the servant unconscious and Petrie’s laboratory and study have been ransacked. Convinced that Dr. Fu Manchu is searching for the antidote Petrie discovered, he tries to ring Sir Denis at the hospital, only to learn the telephone wires have been cut. Before he can act, the electricity goes out and the villa is plunged into darkness. Hearing Fah lo Suee and the Chinaman outside his door, he fires his pistol and hears the Chinaman fall to the floor. Gas begins pouring through the shutters and after recognizing the odor of Mimosa, Sterling loses consciousness.

When he recovers, Sir Denis is at his side. Sterling learns that the formula to the antidote is in the hands of the enemy and Dr. Petrie’s condition is worsening. Petrie’s life is dependent upon their French and German colleagues’ abilities to perfect the antidote. A weakened Sterling collapses as readers are left eager to know what will happen next.

After Alan Sterling recovers consciousness, Sir Denis insists he dine out that evening in Monte Carlo to take his mind off the terrible situation with Dr. Petrie. Complying with his wishes, Alan drives to Monaco and spends some time at a casino trying to apply Petrie’s (really Rohmer’s) complicated system to break the bank, to no avail. While dining that night, he is startled to spy Fleurette at another table dining with a Russian nobleman and Mahdi Bey.

Observing them in public, Sterling convinces himself that Fleurette must be Mahdi Bey’s mistress. This devastates him as he has idealized her as his virginal dream girl since first glimpsing her on the beach at Ste. Claire. Sterling’s reverie is broken when he spies the Chinese agents of Dr. Fu Manchu in the restaurant. He then hears the mysterious sonic trumpet sound once more. He doesn’t understand the connection, but he is now certain that Mahdi Bey is somehow mixed up in the dangerous business and Fleurette with him.

Before he can ponder matters further, he is called away to the telephone where he receives the terrible news that Dr. Petrie has passed away in the hospital. Sterling’s grief turns to rage and he follows a Chinaman out into the garden, intending to exact revenge. The man runs from Sterling, who shoots at him twice. Believing he has killed the man, Sterling is startled to find the Chinaman was only playing possum. The man wraps his legs around Sterling’s neck and quickly chokes him into unconsciousness.

Sterling recovers consciousness in a strange laboratory where he encounters Mahdi Bey, who reveals that he is Dr. Fu Manchu. Only then does Sterling realize this was the man he saw in his queer dream before he had ever set eyes upon him. Dr. Fu Manchu explains that Sterling is to become one of his companions. He is escorted to the botany room where he is to work with a German botanist that Sterling believed died five years before. Sterling begins questioning his sanity when faced with this seemingly impossible situation.

Shock builds upon shock as Sterling is introduced to the other companions, all men of scientific genius the world believes dead. All of them are alive and serving Dr. Fu Manchu in his laboratory. Interestingly, some of these characters have featured in other books in the series. The scientific advances Fu Manchu has made on the backs of these geniuses astounds Sterling, but none more than the hideous hairless hybrid of man, beast, and insect that lumbers down the corridor.

Free to explore his new home, Alan encounters Fleurette and is delighted to learn the man she calls Mahdi Bey is her guardian who has raised her since childhood. They are interrupted by Fah lo Suee, who takes him to her father. During their brief conversation, Sterling comes to view Fu Manchu’s daughter as an unexpected ally.

His audience with Dr. Fu Manchu is a distressing one. Sterling is to be made a companion, which involves receiving an injection which would appear to make the subject docile. Fu Manchu discusses the Si-Fan’s plans for the Western world while he prepares opium for himself.

Mention is made that drowning the world in gold is his ultimate goal (as we shall see in the following book). Fu Manchu recommends Sterling read Apologia Alchemiae by Dr. Watson Councell.

Sterling is taken to Companion Yamamata, who administers the injection to bring him into the Si-Fan. Fah lo Suee was true to her word and Sterling realizes she has switched the formula so that no change overcomes him. Sterling plays along and does his best to act the part of the enthusiastic initiate to this New World Order. Through their conversation, Sterling learns the hairless hybrid was a homunculus that escaped its incubator and died a short time later. When Sterling declares his desire to kneel at Dr. Fu Manchu’s feet, Companion Yamamata informs him gravely that everyone kneels at the Master’s feet.

Brought before Dr. Fu Manchu, Sterling discovers the old man’s pupils are dilated from his opium habit. Sterling is given a ring which conceals a miniature radio from which he will receive directions in Morse code. Sterling retires to his room, where he has another queer dream; this one is a premonition of Nayland Smith. He is awakened by Fah lo Suee.

Fu Manchu’s daughter explains why she allowed him to escape the mind control drug. She will aid his escape if he takes Fleurette with him. She explains her father’s plan is to make Fleurette his bride so that she may bear him a son. Fah lo Suee does not wish to be supplanted by a male heir and so Alan Sterling and Fleurette will benefit from her desire to thwart her father’s plans. In the meantime, Sterling remains a prisoner of Mahdi Bey’s fantastic estate on Ste. Claire, where the greatest minds of the last century live beyond death to toil for the glory of the Si-Fan.

Our narrator and hero, botanist Alan Sterling has found himself a Companion of the Si-Fan along with numerous other scientific geniuses conscripted into their service after falling victim to the catalepsy-inducing drug that leads the outside world to believe them dead. Fah lo Suee, the daughter of Fu Manchu, has conspired to prevent Sterling from being subjected to her father’s mind control drug in order to use him as a pawn to remove Fleurette, raised since childhood to bear Fu Manchu a son, from the household.

Attempting to escape, Sterling stumbles upon Fu Manchu in an opium trance. He considers murdering him to avenge Dr. Petrie’s death, but finds he is unable to lift a hand against him for some unknown reason. Retracing his steps, Sterling works to find an escape route through the elaborate cave system that leads from Mahdi Bey’s estate down to the beach at Ste. Claire. Rohmer builds suspense well as Sterling’s path through the dark is made more dramatic as he becomes aware someone is stalking him. Both Sterling and the reader are startled to learn the pursuer is none other than Nayland Smith.

Sterling brings Smith up to speed about what he has discovered in Mahdi Bey’s estate and tells him for the first time about Fleurette. Smith informs him that he had Petrie’s coffin exhumed and discovered the body inside was not Petrie’s, but rather that of the dacoit that Sterling shot and killed when Fah lo Suee broke into Petrie’s villa in search of the plague antidote. Smith explains he believes Fah lo Suee managed to inject Petrie with the catalepsy-inducing drug when she visited him at the hospital posing as his wife. Fu Manchu must have stolen Petrie’s “corpse” from the mortuary and replaced it with the body of his dead servant. The hope remains that Petrie is alive and may yet be saved from serving Fu Manchu as a Companion of the Si-Fan.

Smith explains that under the guise of Mahdi Bey, Fu Manchu has used the scientific geniuses at his Riviera estate to augment and crossbreed several strains of plague. Smith believes he intends to blackmail the governments of the world into paying for an antidote. Rohmer’s use of biological warfare predates Ian Fleming’s plot of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by thirty years. Both books also begin with the hero meeting a beautiful and tragic female protagonist on the beach at the Riviera. Fleming credited Rohmer as a general influence, but On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Dr. No are the two James Bond titles that most clearly show Rohmer’s Fu Manchu series as a model.

Smith details his daring infiltration of Mahdi Bey’s estate. Like Sterling, he came upon Fu Manchu in his drugged state, but found himself unable to resist his towering psychic powers. Smith had a more perilous path to finding the escape route through the underground tunnel network. Just then, Sterling’s wrist watch emits a signal. He explains he is being recalled. Smith urges him to return and try to locate Petrie. He hurries back inside the cave system and is surprised to learn it was Fleuerette who called him.

Sterling is startled to learn that Fleurette is also infatuated with him and jealously believes Sterling is one of Fah lo Suee’s lovers. He assures her of his love for her and asks her to help him find Petrie. Fleurette takes him to Petrie’s cell and helps him to revive the doctor. Petrie is shocked upon first glimpsing Fleurette’s face but does not explain why. He writes the perfected formula to the antidote and passes it to Sterling. While Alan tries to convince Fleurette to leave with him and Petrie, she tells him his only chance is to escape on his own for she can never leave Mahdi Bey’s household. An alarm sounds and the section doors seal off Sterling and Fleurette from escape. Fleurette is terrified that Sterling will be discovered in her apartment. Alan is left wondering why visitations are forbidden.

The two lovers are brought before Fu Manchu. Sterling is shocked to find a subservient Fah lo Suee on our knees before her father with her head hung low in shame. Fu Manchu explains to Sterling he has learned of his daughter’s plot to prevent a male heir from supplanting her and of Sterling’s intended role. He has also learned that Sterling and Fleurette are in love with one another. Fu Manchu warns him that if he has taken Fleurette’s virginity, the work of eighteen years will be undone. The Devil Doctor also explains that his intent with his biological plagues is to decimate the population of the West to allow the East to more easily rule the world. As Sterling is taken from the room, he sees Fah lo Suee suspended from the ceiling by her wrists as her father brandishes a whip.

Sterling realizes his love for Fleurette has cost him his life, Petrie’s life, and the chance for the antidote ever reaching the outside world. He is left to die in a room filled with genetically engineered giant plague-carrying insects. Sterling manages to escape and is rescued by Nayland Smith who is leading a raid on Mahdi Bey’s estate. Regrettably, the raid was detected and by the time they reach the living quarters, they discover the estate has been abandoned with no trace remaining of Fu Manchu, Petrie, Fleurette, or any of the scientific geniuses who make up his willing slaves. Smith clings to hope they may yet overtake the villains when they try to escape on the Riviera. In the meantime, he is overjoyed to learn Petrie is alive and that the antidote to the deadly plague is in their hands

Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Alan Sterling lead the police raid of Mahdi Bey’s Riviera estate. Moving deep below sea level in the underground catacombs, they find themselves cut off by steel doors which descend on both sides. Fearing for their lives and plunged in darkness, they are startled to hear the voice of Fu Manchu informing them he is leaving by submarine and that Dr. Petrie and Fleurette go with him. He explains he is sparing their lives only because Sir Denis and Sterling spared his when they both encountered him in his opium trance.

Smith and Sterling manage to climb through an opening in the catacombs and descend into the underground stream and swim across until they can climb the rocks leading to the beach at St. Claire. Sir Denis notes that Petrie could never have made the journey to the submarine in his weakened condition and sees evidence of oil trails that suggest that another party has left the beach via motorboat. The question remains where the motorboat will meet up with the submarine. Smith suspects their destination would be a yacht with which to transport the party to the rendezvous.

While on the way to the Prefect of Police’s office, Smith explains to Sterling the tragedy that befell Petrie and his wife eighteen years ago, when their three week old baby daughter passed away unexpectedly. Smith suggests the baby girl may actually have been a victim of Fu Manchu’s catalepsy-inducing drug and that Fleurette is the Petries’ long lost daughter. Sterling realizes that is why Dr. Petrie was startled when he saw Fleurette, because of her strong resemblance to her mother.

At the Prefect of Police’s office, Sir Denis discovers a yacht from Argentina, the Lola, has recently departed from Monaco and is the property of Mahdi Bey. Certain this is the vessel on which Fu Manchu, Fleurette, and Dr. Petrie have sought refuge, Sir Denis organizes plans to intercept the vessel before it reaches the submarine. Precious time is lost as Smith is forced to appeal to diplomatic contacts in order for the French authorities to cooperate with British intelligence in a surprisingly realistic turn of events that only builds suspense for the reader.

Sir Denis and Sterling board a naval destroyer that overtakes the yacht. Rohmer completely surprises the reader by having the Lola overtaken before reaching its rendezvous and Fu Manchu placed under arrest. Dr. Petrie is found to be recovering his strength and is elated at the reunion with his now fully grown daughter. Fleurette and Alan are reunited with Petrie’s blessing. The doctor wires Kara with the extraordinary news.

Rohmer again allows the power of bureaucracy to be felt on proceedings. While Fu Manchu is under arrest in Paris, he appeals to the Chinese legation. Despite the dossier on him, Nayland Smith has no evidence to tie him to any crime, even the recent plague outbreak. Sir Denis has retained a French consul to try to arrange extradition to London. Fu Manchu has his own attorney in Paris, Maitre Foli, who is a member in good standing of the Si-Fan and the most celebrated attorney in France. Hope of extradition looks slim.

The ending comes as an unexpected shock to the reader. Maitre Foli has a private meeting with his client and then departs for the Chinese legation. When Sir Denis and Sterling enter Fu Manchu’s cell, they find Maitre Foli wearing Fu Manchu’s robes. Fu Manchu has made good his escape, disguised as the respectable Maitre Foli. The old attorney accepts the fact that his role in allowing Fu Manchu to escape justice will end his long career in disgrace and result in a prison sentence for what remains of his life. His chilling final words to Smith and Sterling that close the novel is that his life is a small price to pay to see that Fu Manchu’s work continues. Flabbergasted readers doubtless turned their mind back to Fu Manchu’s cryptic threat to Sterling to hold onto Fleurette if he can as a clear indication of what is in store in the next book in the series.

• The Mystery of Dr Fu-Manchu

• The Return of Dr Fu-Manchu

• The Hand of Dr Fu-Manchu

• The Daughter of Dr Fu-Manchu

• The Mask of Dr Fu-Manchu

Please Pass the Guilt (Nero Wolfe #45) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Please Pass the Guilt
Series: Nero Wolfe #45
Author: Rex Stout
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 138
Words: 51K
Publish: 1973

Sadly, this confirms that my love of the Nero Wolfe stories are only when they take place between the 1920’s and 1940’s. These last couple of books taking place in more recent times just don’t work for me. The mysteries aren’t any worse and the writing is still top notch, but the cultural settings that have crept in really annoy me and dull my overall enjoyment. It is the difference between “going to the bathroom” and “taking a shit on the can”. They both convey the same info, but one is gauche and crass and crude.

These are not “my” Nero Wolfe stories. I read them but I feel like I’m going through the motions just to finish the series more than anything. I definitely would not have been entranced by Stout’s writing if I had started these later books first. Glad I started at the beginning.

★★★☆☆

From Grokipedia

The novel opens when Dr. Edwin Vollmer, a physician and occasional collaborator with Nero Wolfe, requests assistance in identifying a guilt-stricken patient who refuses to reveal his name and suffers from hallucinations of blood on his hands, a condition resembling Lady Macbeth syndrome. Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's legman, tricks the man into exposing his driver's license, identifying him as Kenneth Meer, executive assistant to Amory Browning at the Continental Air Network (CAN), a major television company. This revelation connects Meer to the recent unsolved murder of CAN vice-president Peter J. Odell, who died instantly when a bomb detonated in a desk drawer known to contain Browning's whiskey bottle.Odell's wealthy widow, Madeline Odell, hires Wolfe with a substantial retainer to prove that her husband's death resulted from corporate rivalries at CAN, where ambition for the presidency fueled intense competition. Wolfe and Archie investigate the central puzzle: why Odell entered Browning's office and opened the booby-trapped drawer, and whether the bomb was intended for Browning or someone else. Their inquiries reveal that Odell had planned to sabotage Browning by adding LSD to his whiskey, hoping to impair him during a decisive board meeting that would select CAN's next president; Odell opened the drawer to retrieve or dispose of the LSD after Browning was warned and avoided drinking it.The investigation uncovers that the bomb was planted by Kenneth Meer, who suffers crippling guilt for causing Odell's death. Meer had targeted Helen Lugos, Browning's secretary, due to his obsessive unrequited love for her after she became involved with Browning, placing the explosive in the drawer knowing she would open it during routine duties. Odell's unexpected action turned the attempted murder into a deadly mistake driven by personal vendetta rather than corporate chicanery. Wolfe assembles the suspects in his office, uses tape-recorded evidence and cross-checked alibis to expose the motive and mechanics, and resolves the case when Meer attempts to bomb Wolfe's brownstone but fails, collapsing into a complete breakdown before authorities intervene.

Major characters

The major characters in Please Pass the Guilt revolve around the familiar investigative team of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, alongside the individuals connected to the bombing at Continental Air Network (CAN). Nero Wolfe, the obese genius detective renowned for his deductive brilliance, reclusive habits, aversion to leaving his brownstone home, and passions for cultivating orchids and gourmet cuisine, takes on the case partly to meet pressing financial obligations such as rent. Archie Goodwin, his energetic and resourceful assistant, narrates the story, conducts fieldwork, handles client relations, and manages external inquiries with his characteristic wit and initiative. The primary client is Madeline Odell, the wealthy widow of the victim Peter J. Odell, who hires Wolfe to investigate her husband's death. Peter J. Odell, a vice president at CAN responsible for development, is the murder victim killed in an office explosion. Key figures at CAN include Amory Browning, a pudgy, balding vice president and rival whose desk drawer triggered the fatal blast; Kenneth Meer, Browning's guilt-ridden assistant who appears under the alias Ronald Seaver and plays a central role in the case's initial mystery; Helen Lugos, Browning's secretary; Dennis Copes, a nervous rival colleague; Sylvia Venner, a prominent television personality on CAN programming; and Cass R. Abbott, the aging president of the network. Wolfe draws on his recurring freelance operatives for support: Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin, and Orrie Cather, skilled investigators who assist with surveillance, interviews, and other fieldwork. Police involvement comes from Inspector Cramer and Lieutenant Rowcliff of the New York Police Department. Minor characters include Dr. Edwin Vollmer, Wolfe's physician friend; Charlotte Haber, secretary to Madeline Odell; Theodore Falk, a tanned CAN board member and friend of the victim; James Farquhar; and Nasir ibn Bekr, who raises a possible terrorist connection as a red herring.

• All My “Nero Wolfe” Reviews