But What About the Bear?

Reading Challenge: a book with an eccentric character.  In The Polar Treasure, by Kenneth Robeson, Doc Savage and his five companions are definitely eccentric.  They are self-made millionaires who each specialize in a science such as chemistry, archaeology, electronics, engineering, and law.  Savage tries to aid a blind violist see and ends up saving his wife and daughter who have been stranded in the Arctic for 15 years.  Why aren't they dead?  Maybe because the Eskimos have helped them.  We also discover that the ocean liner the family had been on was carrying treasure, run aground, pirates had stolen the treasure, two pirate captains contested who owned the treasure, a map only revealed through x-rays was tattooed on the musician's back, and that Inuit was the language of learning in this novel.  Roxey Vail, the daughter of the blind violinist Victor Vail, falls in love with Doc Savage.  We are reminded that he cannot love a woman as it would be too distracting from his adventures.  We are also reminded of Savage's two-hour routine for improvement, the institute where all criminals he captures go for rehabilitation, and the special mercy bullet shooting guns he invented.  I thought this novel to be a bit dull and less exciting that the others.  I am sure it was all formulaic when it was originally written.


I have never been to the Arctic Circle, but I cannot imagine that a stranded woman with an infant daughter would survive for 15 years, much less allowing the daughter to grow up into a strong woman.  I realize the Eskimos, who are portrayed as savage and evil, might have helped her, but it seemed they were always on the run from them, so not likely.  What did they eat?  Where did they stay? Why didn't they leave?I was disappointed that a polar bear was dispatched easily by Doc Savage, intended for meat and fur, only to be left behind in the adventure.  Again, Savage miraculously chokes the bear to death, allowing his escape.  Having seen a polar bear at the KC Zoo, I cannot imagine this is possible, as it is enormous.  
Definitely not one of my favorite Doc Savage novels.  At least it was a fast read.



Another astounding miracle is Doc Savage operating on Victor Vail's eyes, which were blind from birth, and allowing him to see.  I am not sure that is even medically possible today, but Doc Savage is a renowned surgeon, so anything is possible.