A review by lfro2013
The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This was a pretty fun one, a suitable number of twists and turns and I enjoy the entire lack of self-awareness on the part of the author. You have to have something of a willingness to either forgive, overlook, or accept the racism apparent in this kind of Yellow Peril book. E.g.:

Abel Slattin shrugged his shoulders, racially...

Or:
"Be pleased to enter," he said in his harsh, negro voice.

And quite frequently:
Sometimes a yellow face showed close to one of the streaming windows; sometimes a black-eyed, pallid face, but never a face wholly sane and healthy. 

You've just got to kind of let this happen, I found myself guffawing incredulously at the way he describes anyone that's not a white Englishman quite often. I do find it to be a very interesting snapshot into the life and mindset of the time, and it's a fairly fun yarn as well if you can overlook the author's prejudices. 
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