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This book is introduced by Mark Valentine. Dr Nikola - Victorian master criminal. Elegant, ruthless, hypnotic: enter Dr Nikola and his black cat Apollyon. He was the world's first master villain, a Victorian forerunner of Dr Fu Manchu and the mad cat-stroking evil genius Blofeld in the James Bond books and films. Now Dr Nikola is back, wielding his sinister powers across the globe. In England, Egypt, Australia, Tibet, he pursues a priceless holy relic that will help him achieve his ultimate goal: immortality. Whether giving orders to his henchmen, suave in an evening suit in a private London restaurant, or languidly interrogating his prisoners in his secret torture chamber, Dr Nikola is always at his ease. And even when, by some mischance, his plans are temporarily thwarted, Dr Nikola manages to return, his implacable dark eyes drawing you to obey his will - Here you will find his two greatest adventures, the vintage Victorian thrillers A Bid for Fortune(1895) and Dr Nikola(1896) in one breathless, pacy, nightmarish volume. Created by Anglo-Australian novelist Guy Boothby, these books won praise from Rudyard Kipling and George Orwell. Dr Nikola is a character you will not be able to forget. 'Frank sensationalism carried to its furthest limits' - The Times 1905.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dr Nikola - Master Criminal is made up of two stories - A Bid for Fortune and Dr Nikola Returns. These are the first of five stories written by Australian author Guy Boothby.
A Bid for Fortune opens with a covert dinner at which Nikola hands out instructions to his various lieutenants who scurry off to do their work. Nikola wants revenge on an Australian government official who has denied him an item that he needs. However this is only one thread of the plot. The other lies with Dick Hatteras, an Australian who heads to England to discover his family roots. The paths of these two men cross when Hatteras falls in love with the daughter of Nikola's target. What follows is a cat and mouse chase across Europe and Australia with each man trying to outwit the other and achieve his aims. In short, a thoroughly enjoyable read that held me to the very end.
Dr Nikola Returns opens a short while after the first story and is a direct sequel even though it does not feature Nikola's opponents from the first story. Nikola is determined to learn occult knowledge from an Oriental sect and recruits a man - Wilfred Bruce - to assist him. Dressed as Chinamen, Nikola and his new friend have many scrapes and adventures as they attempt to successfully impersonate monks and gain the knowledge that Nikola craves. This story is as gripping as the first and is told in flashback by Bruce who writes to a friend from a self-imposed exile.
I found myself having mixed feelings about Dr Nikola as a character. In the first story I really wanted him to fail but at the same time I wished him to escape to fight another day. In the second story I found myself rooting for him as he was in many respects one of least bad characters featured and his goal was, for the most part, a rather noble one.
To sum up, this book contains two excellent thrillers which are well worth your time to read.
A Bid for Fortune opens with a covert dinner at which Nikola hands out instructions to his various lieutenants who scurry off to do their work. Nikola wants revenge on an Australian government official who has denied him an item that he needs. However this is only one thread of the plot. The other lies with Dick Hatteras, an Australian who heads to England to discover his family roots. The paths of these two men cross when Hatteras falls in love with the daughter of Nikola's target. What follows is a cat and mouse chase across Europe and Australia with each man trying to outwit the other and achieve his aims. In short, a thoroughly enjoyable read that held me to the very end.
Dr Nikola Returns opens a short while after the first story and is a direct sequel even though it does not feature Nikola's opponents from the first story. Nikola is determined to learn occult knowledge from an Oriental sect and recruits a man - Wilfred Bruce - to assist him. Dressed as Chinamen, Nikola and his new friend have many scrapes and adventures as they attempt to successfully impersonate monks and gain the knowledge that Nikola craves. This story is as gripping as the first and is told in flashback by Bruce who writes to a friend from a self-imposed exile.
I found myself having mixed feelings about Dr Nikola as a character. In the first story I really wanted him to fail but at the same time I wished him to escape to fight another day. In the second story I found myself rooting for him as he was in many respects one of least bad characters featured and his goal was, for the most part, a rather noble one.
To sum up, this book contains two excellent thrillers which are well worth your time to read.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Reading a story in which characters really do say things such as "By jove" is, I imagine, something of a novelty for most readers but that's part of the fun of reading older fiction and it's nice to read stories that aren't laden with expletives and graphic violence.
Both of these stories are told in the first person (but not the same person) and although each is one half of the same story they are quite different in approach.
The first is told by a square-jawed Boy's Own type and in it Nikola is a shady, rarely seen figure who is painted very much as an archetypal master criminal prepared to go to almost any length to have what he desires.
The second story is, in my opinion, the better of the two. The narrator is a more rounded character than the cardboard cut-out of the first and teams up with Nikola not out of villainy but simply because he's broke and faces prison for being so. However, the greatest difference between these two stories is the potrayal of Nikola himself. Here he's seen more of an anti-hero than a villain, one who does no significant harm to anyone in his quest to find............well, I won't spoil it for you.
Bad points? Well, there is the occasional use of casual racism (usually by the square-jawed narrator of the first episode) but they are very few and far between and not extreme in nature. There are also a few very cheesy romantic moments but again they are brief and infrequent and, if you really can't bear them, they can be skipped without harming the plot.
Both of these stories are told in the first person (but not the same person) and although each is one half of the same story they are quite different in approach.
The first is told by a square-jawed Boy's Own type and in it Nikola is a shady, rarely seen figure who is painted very much as an archetypal master criminal prepared to go to almost any length to have what he desires.
The second story is, in my opinion, the better of the two. The narrator is a more rounded character than the cardboard cut-out of the first and teams up with Nikola not out of villainy but simply because he's broke and faces prison for being so. However, the greatest difference between these two stories is the potrayal of Nikola himself. Here he's seen more of an anti-hero than a villain, one who does no significant harm to anyone in his quest to find............well, I won't spoil it for you.
Bad points? Well, there is the occasional use of casual racism (usually by the square-jawed narrator of the first episode) but they are very few and far between and not extreme in nature. There are also a few very cheesy romantic moments but again they are brief and infrequent and, if you really can't bear them, they can be skipped without harming the plot.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Largely forgotten in these days Guy Boothby wrote a number of stories in his career. Of all his fiction, the Dr Nikola series was probably the best loved. In this book we have the first two tales from this series, which are also considered to be the best. These stories were originally published serially and thus Guy Boothby finishes chapters with cliff-hangers as well as employing other 'hooks'.
A Bid For Fortune a.k.a. Doctor Nikola's Vendetta
This is the first of our tales where we meet the enigmatic Dr Nikola. Putting plans in place, Nikola swears vengeance on a man called Wetherell. Unfortunately Nikola does not expect to come across Richard Hatteras who becomes embroiled in the matter quite by chance. Taking in false identities, abductions and false imprisonment, we also have a romantic element thrown in.
Doctor Nikola
Once again we meet Dr Nikola, only this time to find him more of a gentleman than a rogue, as we seem to see at the end of the first novel. Nikola is on a quest and employs the help of Wilfred Bruce, a man down on his luck to aid him. With an object that Nikola has got from the last book he is going to attempt to ingratiate himself into a secret society and thus gain secrets of immense value to medicine. With Bruce helping him the two have to face treachery and trickery as they disguise themselves as Chinese. On an adventure that will take them from China to Tibet the two have to fight to stay one step ahead of the game if they want to save their lives.
Both of these tales are real adventure romps, taking in half the world and are definitely boys own stuff. With improbable situations and mesmerism as well as a hint of occultism these tales are sheer escapism and are well worth reading. If you like H. Rider Haggard, then chances are that you will like these.
A Bid For Fortune a.k.a. Doctor Nikola's Vendetta
This is the first of our tales where we meet the enigmatic Dr Nikola. Putting plans in place, Nikola swears vengeance on a man called Wetherell. Unfortunately Nikola does not expect to come across Richard Hatteras who becomes embroiled in the matter quite by chance. Taking in false identities, abductions and false imprisonment, we also have a romantic element thrown in.
Doctor Nikola
Once again we meet Dr Nikola, only this time to find him more of a gentleman than a rogue, as we seem to see at the end of the first novel. Nikola is on a quest and employs the help of Wilfred Bruce, a man down on his luck to aid him. With an object that Nikola has got from the last book he is going to attempt to ingratiate himself into a secret society and thus gain secrets of immense value to medicine. With Bruce helping him the two have to face treachery and trickery as they disguise themselves as Chinese. On an adventure that will take them from China to Tibet the two have to fight to stay one step ahead of the game if they want to save their lives.
Both of these tales are real adventure romps, taking in half the world and are definitely boys own stuff. With improbable situations and mesmerism as well as a hint of occultism these tales are sheer escapism and are well worth reading. If you like H. Rider Haggard, then chances are that you will like these.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very good!
A set of two innocent, adventure stories of the era that are not taxing to read. I enjoyed these. Written in the 1800's they are a product of their time and some people used to... Read more
Published 9 months ago by S. Jenkins
Splendid stuff - but don't judge it by the cover!
First-rate vintage adventure, with the cool, civilised, almost supernaturally-powered Dr Nikola pursuing his goals of power and hidden knowledge, and a supporting cast of... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. P. Johnson
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