You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Underrated
There are too many books and too few days for this
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
I was going to give it a grade somewhere from 3.5 to 4, but the ending??? that was the most underwhelming thing I have ever read…
The Beetle is divided into four parts, each narrated by a different character. For me, the first part succeeded in establishing the 'horror-esque' tone the book reports to be. Unfortunately, the subsequent three did not. I felt that the plot line dwindled into, well, nothing: what was the purpose of the Beetle? Why was he actually after Paul Lessingham? In the end, it centred on a chase across London that ultimately resolved very little. Despite this, the book was well written and used language that made it a nice read.
Published in the same year as Dracula, The Beetle was initially the more popular. After now reading both novels, it is clear that the former is more worthy of its standing in today's literary society than the latter.
Published in the same year as Dracula, The Beetle was initially the more popular. After now reading both novels, it is clear that the former is more worthy of its standing in today's literary society than the latter.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
No
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I would really really really like to give this work a Five Star review and I would but for the last 10 pages. To start. Several years ago I read a collection of short Vampire stories from 1800 through 1849 and I had night mares or near nightmares for a couple of nights. The Beetle fits this category for the first three sections. Last night my mind was going about beetles climbing ion my room and crawling on my body just as I drifted off to sleep. Then I finished the work. (SPOILER ALERT) The last section reads more as a Connan Doyal Holmesiaen mystery work. Then the last 10 pages and the suspense, the Holmesiaen mystery dropped away in a rather pedestrian ending. It really left my flummoxed. The ending should have had Marjorie, dressed in mens ragged clothes, injured and coming around in the third class carriage. Her persecuted, the Beetle, should have been coming too also and upon seeing Lanesseden, Arsheton, Chollen, and the Conductor in the fire light of the burning engine and the burning carriages should have tried to hold all four. He should have failed and then turned into the six foot beetle that several times in the first three parts of the work he does. The beetle should have then flown over the heads of the wreck and our hero's and that would have been a much more phantasmagorical ending and since the work has a lot of pages that are phantasmagorical the flying beetle would have been far superior.
There is also a paragraph in the epilogue about the explosion when a British Regiment gets close to the lair of the cult of Isis and her Beetle. The explosion leaves all the members of the cult dead. The only reason for this explosion, which could have been left out, was to show the British public that NO wog sect/cult was ever going to abduct, torture, and kill English women hood ever again. It is unnecessary and a wast of a paragraph. Like I said the last 10 pages are a real let down. The first 355 pages are great the last ten a real let down. Maybe Marshes editor told him to tone it down and that's why the flummoxed ending.
There is also a paragraph in the epilogue about the explosion when a British Regiment gets close to the lair of the cult of Isis and her Beetle. The explosion leaves all the members of the cult dead. The only reason for this explosion, which could have been left out, was to show the British public that NO wog sect/cult was ever going to abduct, torture, and kill English women hood ever again. It is unnecessary and a wast of a paragraph. Like I said the last 10 pages are a real let down. The first 355 pages are great the last ten a real let down. Maybe Marshes editor told him to tone it down and that's why the flummoxed ending.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes