February 1938 takes Doc Savage and his men to the mountain wastes of Alaska in The Mountain Monster.  In a fertile mountain valley, a strange monster menaces a large government sponsored settlement program. Newly relocated residents are terrified and with good reason.  Several of their numbers have been discovered dead — horribly mangled by some unknown force.

Local legend tells of a hideous monster that lives in a dark mountain redoubt.  This foul creature periodically comes down from the mountain, rendering and tearing human victims in its mad desire to kill and maim. In the end, the terrible creature is exposed.  Rather than some dark beast left over from another age it is simply a fake.  The Mountain Monster is only a machine, albeit a horrible one.  It is something right out of a Hollywood movie production. Yes, exactly like a Hollywood movie monster, which brings up the point of where exactly such a mechanical creation could be obtained?

Let us step back in time some year-and-half earlier to May 1936 and a Doc Savage adventure titled The Seven Agate Devils.  In particular let us go back and meet a Mr. Del Ling of Solar Productions, a large Hollywood movie concern.  Here is an outfit that is perfectly capable of producing such a mechanical marvel.

But exactly how would the criminal gang in The Mountain Monster get such a device? Well, we learn that Mr. Ling is connected with a spy ring. Coincidentally, this is exactly the same kind of business the gang in The Mountain Monster is operating. But is it really so strange?  Aren’t the two concerns in exactly the same business?  The international spy ring is the connection between the two factions. Solar Productions is part of the organization described in The Mountain Monster.  Old Dan, the chief villain in The Seven Agate Devils was a lieutenant in the organization run by Soung Percill in the later adventure.  From his position and association with Del Ling, Old Dan was able to have Solar Productions produce the puppet-like spectacle that was later to be known as the Mountain Monster.