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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
So I know that 4 stars is kind of my default rating for things that I liked, but bless this mess. This racist, trying-to-pass-for-heterosexual, problematic mess.
The Beetle is a horror novel that, at the time of its publication, outsold Bram Stoker's [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387151694s/17245.jpg|3165724] in 1897. It follows multiple perspectives in a reverse-invasion narrative wherein a giant beetle who can transform into a gender ambiguous human being of oriental origin pursues a London politician for previous wrong-doings.
I loved how engaging and readable this novel was: it was fast-paced and it was actually pretty scary. But let's be honest, it was still an imperialist mess.
The Beetle is a horror novel that, at the time of its publication, outsold Bram Stoker's [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387151694s/17245.jpg|3165724] in 1897. It follows multiple perspectives in a reverse-invasion narrative wherein a giant beetle who can transform into a gender ambiguous human being of oriental origin pursues a London politician for previous wrong-doings.
I loved how engaging and readable this novel was: it was fast-paced and it was actually pretty scary. But let's be honest, it was still an imperialist mess.
I'm sure some people found this thrilling, I on the other hand did not.
I never really got into this at all.
I never really got into this at all.
A genuine joy to read that kept me on the edge of my seat. There was quite a bit here in terms of racist and sexist language, which I sort of expect from a classic of this period but I found extremely blatant here. If you are particularly sensitive to that, I think it’s good to be aware before diving in. The characters were well drawn and genuinely funny! Such a wonderful, spooky read for this time of year.
The first like fifty pages or so were pretty good but then it just got so incredibly boring and I wasn’t really vibing with the writing style
Despite a strikingly original opening act, The Beetle has aged like milk, going from one of the more imaginative products of Victorian literature to a trite damsel-in-distress plot and eventually resolving its story through sheer accident. The way the narration ties itself in knots to first make it seem like the character of Lessingham has a dirty secret, and then undergoes further contortions to try and make out that his dirty secret is not at all his fault or responsibility, is especially silly. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2017/11/10/marshs-beetle-gets-bogged-down/
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Really enjoyed this read. I found it interesting, thrilling and very ahead of its time. I good amount of horror and suspense, the only reason ifs not 5 starts is I felt the ending was a bit anticlimactic. The story is told by four different points of view which and enjoyed Marjorie the most. Due to its age it definitely has as racial stereotypes that existed at that time but all in all a good read.