Hachette India

The Fu Manchu Omnibus (3-books-in-1)

Sax Rohmer

"The most brilliant criminal mind to have existed in generations!"

Dr. Fu-Manchu is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character was so successful that it featured in cinema, television, radio, comic strips and comic books for over 90 years, and he has also become an archetype of the evil criminal genius and mad scientist, while lending his name to the Fu-Manchu moustache.

The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu (aka The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu)

It's the age of secret societies, opium dens and dark villains. Into this world comes a super villain Dr. Fu-Manchu. Denis Nayland Smith and, his Watson, Dr Petrie pursue their quarry across continents and through the back alleys of London. As victim after victim disappears at the hands of the Devil Doctor, Smith must thwart his murderous designs before it is too late.

The Return of Dr Fu-Manchu (aka The Devil Doctor)

The devious doctor returns to Britain and continues the battle between Denis Nayland Smith and his friend and associate (and narrator), Dr. Petrie with the alluring and bewitching beauty Karamaneh a key factor for both sides.

The Hand of Fu-Manchu (aka The Si-Fan Mysteries)

Dr. Petrie is called back from Egypt by Nayland Smith's. Fu-Manchu is back in his third outing and this time the Devil Doctor is not alone he is now backed by a shadowy and deadly terrorist organization the Si-Fan assassins that seeks to change the balance of global power, and they will stop at nothing.

Sax Rohmer

Sax Rohmer was the pseudonym of Arthur Henry "Sarsfield" Ward. His first published work was issued in 1903, when the short story "The Mysterious Mummy" was sold to Pearson's Weekly. Rohmer's main literary influences seem to have been Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle and M.P. Shiel. He gradually transitioned from writing for music hall performers to concentrating on short stories and serials for magazine publication.

He wrote the first Fu-Manchu novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, first published in a serialisation from October 1912 to June 1913. It was an immediate success, with its story of Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie facing the supposed worldwide conspiracy of the larger-than-life criminal mastermind that also played into the trope of the 'Chinese peril'. The Fu-Manchu stories, together with his more conventional detective series characters Paul Harley, Gaston Max, Red Kerry, Morris Klaw (an occult detective), and the Crime Magnet made Rohmer one of the most successful and financially successful authors of the 1920s and 1930s.

The first three Fu-Manchu books were published between 1913 and 1917; but it was not until 1931 (some 14 years after the third book in the series) that Rohmer returned to the series with Daughter of Fu Manchu. The reason for the long interval was that Rohmer wanted to be rid of the series after The Si-Fan Mysteries. The first three books had been successfully filmed by Stoll in the twenties as a pair of serials. In the 28 years from 1931 to 1959, Rohmer added a further 10 books to the Fu-Manchu series, meaning the series totals 13 books in all (not counting the posthumous short story collection The Wrath of Fu Manchu and Other Stories). The Fu Manchu series was criticized by the Chinese government and Chinese communities in the U.S. for what was perceived as negative ethnic stereotyping.

Rohmer also wrote several novels of supernatural horror, including Brood of the Witch-Queen. Rohmer was very poor at managing his wealth, however, and made several disastrous business decisions that hampered him throughout his career. His final success came with a series of novels featuring a female variation on Fu-Manchu, Sumuru.

After World War II, Rohmer moved to New York only returning to London shortly before his death. Rohmer died in 1959 due to an outbreak of Asian Flu.