Reviews

The majority of this was DEEPLY enjoyable - especially the surprisingly well-developed and interesting female characters - but the last section really laid it low. Such a non-ending!

hoarderreader's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

wincher2031's review against another edition

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4.0

Dwarfing Dracula in terms of sales upon it's publication, The Beetle has since faded into obscurity beneath the shadow the iconic vampire casts over pop culture. Despite this, both stories act as remarkably compatible companion pieces to each other. The melodramatic style and gothic atmosphere acts as a magic mirror between Marsh and Stoker's writing, a black lace curtain drawn back in a two-man flourish. Revealed is both a psychological horror stemming from Eastern mythologies and a parliamentary Political Thriller, drawing its tensions from the scandal perceived by the eye of traditional Western values. The horror lies in the unknown, a staple influence on the later Lovecraftian theme, the creature here too is something entirely foreign to the multiple narrators (an aspect that invites their automatic suspicion and hostility), an influence that seeks domination by disrupting political powers and the minds of upstanding members of civilised society (a precursor to Lovecraft's cultists). In much the same way, The Beetle's influence goes beyond the page then, in that it's inspiration of early 20th century horror literature, helped along by it's popular bestselling status at the time, is apparent. It still holds up today, just as well as Dracula, drawing new interpretations of it's political and psychological themes from both sides of the fence as well as remaining a solid piece of escapism. To top it all off the four narrators have distinct personalities which keeps the prose from becoming stale, the style keeps the tone consistent and their stories work well both as short stories sharing the same mystery and as one continuing yarn of intrigue. Overall, The Beetle is a somewhat overlooked classic of horror literature and holds just as much iconic relevance as Dracula or Frankenstein.

c_sage's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-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

3.75

runawayplankton's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

bethmarie2003's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

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