Scan barcode
peskimo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
nevermoreliterature's review against another edition
3.0
Oh Poe, you silly brilliant goose.
These stories (precisely three in number) are some of the first ever detective fiction ever penned. These pre-date the term 'detective' itself. Hence, we get Auguste Dupin and his tales of Ratiocination.
Now I won't say, the stories are riveting tales of mystery and intrigue. They are very wordy. At times meandering over and over on the theology of crime and it's due deduction. Dupin all in all, is an armchair detective and the amount of action in the stories are negligible. But, one can definitely not discount the importance of these tales in the history of fiction.
C. Auguste Dupin walked so Sherlock Holmes could run.
Although, I was not absolutely impressed by the stories, Poe's writing here is quite satisfactory. I for once, enjoyed the dialogues. The effect these dialogues have on later detective fiction is all but evident. Dupin has that habit of giving into dramatic revelations, and revel in the carnage his words cause. Something duly criticised by Mr. Sherlock Holmes himself in 'The Study of Scarlet'. One vain pompous (consulting) detective to another, I guess.
Well, I wish we got some more Dupin. In the meantime, curse and praise the silly brilliant goose.
3/5
These stories (precisely three in number) are some of the first ever detective fiction ever penned. These pre-date the term 'detective' itself. Hence, we get Auguste Dupin and his tales of Ratiocination.
Now I won't say, the stories are riveting tales of mystery and intrigue. They are very wordy. At times meandering over and over on the theology of crime and it's due deduction. Dupin all in all, is an armchair detective and the amount of action in the stories are negligible. But, one can definitely not discount the importance of these tales in the history of fiction.
C. Auguste Dupin walked so Sherlock Holmes could run.
Although, I was not absolutely impressed by the stories, Poe's writing here is quite satisfactory. I for once, enjoyed the dialogues. The effect these dialogues have on later detective fiction is all but evident. Dupin has that habit of giving into dramatic revelations, and revel in the carnage his words cause. Something duly criticised by Mr. Sherlock Holmes himself in 'The Study of Scarlet'. One vain pompous (consulting) detective to another, I guess.
Well, I wish we got some more Dupin. In the meantime, curse and praise the silly brilliant goose.
3/5
nicolewhopickedthisbook's review against another edition
watch the livestream discussion
https://youtu.be/MkfcP3_oDlg
https://youtu.be/MkfcP3_oDlg
gawronma's review against another edition
2.0
Nice to read what is the beginning of the mystery genre.
britishglamreloaded89's review against another edition
3.0
(black cat, tell tale heart, house of usher & hop-frog)
- didn’t find everything in this collection particularly good, but I think it had its moments. I’ll stick with Poe’s poetry.
- didn’t find everything in this collection particularly good, but I think it had its moments. I’ll stick with Poe’s poetry.
noa_27moony's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
5.0
sue me i'm an edgar allan hoe and enjoyed this very much
this absurd yet maddeningly simple way of thinking that dupain shows is really motivating me to actually go into criminal psychology so thanks eddie
this absurd yet maddeningly simple way of thinking that dupain shows is really motivating me to actually go into criminal psychology so thanks eddie
emmylou5's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes Dupin's dialogue goes on for pages and pages - it's basically Poe laying down the detective theory. So, in spite of the shallow characters and somewhat implausible stories (Oh, obviously it was an escaped orangataun!), I have to give Poe credit. No one else had really tried to write anything like that before.
meritm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
wellll this was absurd haha, cute, little, short story. I like his writing and I think this was a good choice for a first Edgar Allan Poe book. Of course the story in itself doesn't make a whole lot of sense but the analytical beginning was interesting and its always fascinating to watch analytical minds deduct what really happened from very little clues. Those poor two women tho lol
greeniezona's review against another edition
4.0
Said to be the birth of the detective genre, and consequently, an inspiration for many fictional detectives, most notably, of course, being Sherlock Holmes, it was impossible to pass this slim volume up when I spied it in the used books section. I had never heard of it before, despite having read quite a few Poe stories when I was young.
The first story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," could have almost been a Holmes story. The entirely self-confident Dupin sets a trap for one of the persons of interest, smugly reviewing his reasoning to his associate as he waits for the knock on the door (to what you could almost imagine being 221B Baker Street, were it in London, not Paris.)
The second story, "The Mystery of Marie Roget," however, was kind of unsufferable. It just ground on and on, and I kept thinking, "Even Holmes would be tired of listening to himself by now!" Footnotes allude to the story being inspired by a real-life mystery, and that it appears Poe basically solved it ahead of everyone, despite not ever visiting the scene of the crime? I don't know, it was confusing. So maybe he was showing off, or trying to convince real-life authorities, I don't know. What I do know is that it got a bit tedious and I had to slog through it.
The third story, "Purloined Letter" was delightful again. It seemed to mirror quite closely the one episode of Downton Abbey I have ever seen in my life. I wonder if it was inspired directly?
So, sort of hit and miss. But definitely interesting!
The first story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," could have almost been a Holmes story. The entirely self-confident Dupin sets a trap for one of the persons of interest, smugly reviewing his reasoning to his associate as he waits for the knock on the door (to what you could almost imagine being 221B Baker Street, were it in London, not Paris.)
Spoiler
There was a bit where I was concerned that Poe was painting orangutans as casually violent, but the story pulled back from that.The second story, "The Mystery of Marie Roget," however, was kind of unsufferable. It just ground on and on, and I kept thinking, "Even Holmes would be tired of listening to himself by now!" Footnotes allude to the story being inspired by a real-life mystery, and that it appears Poe basically solved it ahead of everyone, despite not ever visiting the scene of the crime? I don't know, it was confusing. So maybe he was showing off, or trying to convince real-life authorities, I don't know. What I do know is that it got a bit tedious and I had to slog through it.
The third story, "Purloined Letter" was delightful again. It seemed to mirror quite closely the one episode of Downton Abbey I have ever seen in my life. I wonder if it was inspired directly?
So, sort of hit and miss. But definitely interesting!