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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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 into 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 much better.
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
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.75 stars
for starters, if I hadn't been assigned this book for class, I probably would never have read it on my own time just because this isn't the sort of book that interests me. this book is labelled on the cover of my edition as a " tale of mystery and the supernatural": while it definitely falls under the supernatural category, the way this book is set up takes away from any attempts at mystery that the author may have been trying to convey. ( I might just be noticing this because this book was written in a time where mystery novels were generically different, but this is just my opinion)
my main criticism of this book is just that I really didn't like the way it was organized: the story is split up into 4 parts, each narrated by different characters. I enjoyed the first part the most, as the action began immediately and my time wasn't wasted reading a boring introductory scene. however, most of the plot and the "mystery" aspect of the story was revealed within the first 100 pages in the first two parts, and the second half of the book was just different characters mainly summarizing events that had already occurred from their own perspective, which was just unnecessary. by the time I was halfway through this, I for the most part knew exactly what the threat was and it didn't seem like anything else needed to be revealed. I thought that maybe there would be another big twist at the very end, or that the action would pick up, but the ending was disappointing and at that point I was just glad it was over.
this book also FOR SURE fails the racism and sexism test which, for a Victorian-Era novel isn't surprising BUT: the way that Egyptian people are described in terms of race and physical features is particularly bothersome. the plot of this is also built around the concept of an Egyptian cult that preys on (specifically) white, English, Christian women, so do what you will with that.
my review of this makes it seem like I would rate it lower than three stars but as something I read for class, it wasn't as boring or bad as other texts I've been assigned. I also read this for a class I'm taking on Pulp Fiction, so knowing the context of the book in that sense made it more interesting to read.
for starters, if I hadn't been assigned this book for class, I probably would never have read it on my own time just because this isn't the sort of book that interests me. this book is labelled on the cover of my edition as a " tale of mystery and the supernatural": while it definitely falls under the supernatural category, the way this book is set up takes away from any attempts at mystery that the author may have been trying to convey. ( I might just be noticing this because this book was written in a time where mystery novels were generically different, but this is just my opinion)
my main criticism of this book is just that I really didn't like the way it was organized: the story is split up into 4 parts, each narrated by different characters. I enjoyed the first part the most, as the action began immediately and my time wasn't wasted reading a boring introductory scene. however, most of the plot and the "mystery" aspect of the story was revealed within the first 100 pages in the first two parts, and the second half of the book was just different characters mainly summarizing events that had already occurred from their own perspective, which was just unnecessary. by the time I was halfway through this, I for the most part knew exactly what the threat was and it didn't seem like anything else needed to be revealed. I thought that maybe there would be another big twist at the very end, or that the action would pick up, but the ending was disappointing and at that point I was just glad it was over.
this book also FOR SURE fails the racism and sexism test which, for a Victorian-Era novel isn't surprising BUT: the way that Egyptian people are described in terms of race and physical features is particularly bothersome. the plot of this is also built around the concept of an Egyptian cult that preys on (specifically) white, English, Christian women, so do what you will with that.
my review of this makes it seem like I would rate it lower than three stars but as something I read for class, it wasn't as boring or bad as other texts I've been assigned. I also read this for a class I'm taking on Pulp Fiction, so knowing the context of the book in that sense made it more interesting to read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Published in 1897, the same year as "Dracula," Richard Marsh's imperial gothic novel, "The Beetle," outsold Stoker's vampire tale for a quarter of a century before, oddly, falling out of print.
Telling the story of a fantastic creature with hypnotic powers who stalks a British politician through fin de siècle London in revenge for defiling an Egyptian cult to Isis, this book not only presents a radically critical stance on the failures of late 19th century imperialism, but it does so with an action-packed, whip-smart panache sure to appeal to postmodern audiences. It reminded me favorably of the absurd humor of Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita," while at the same time displaying that quintessential Victorian reticence to talk about anything out of the norm.
But out of the norm this book is, not only in its portrayals of monstrosity and mesmerism, but also in its fantastic representation of the human psyche confronted with what it can not explain. Like a Lovecraft story, much of the horror in "The Beetle" comes not from what is seen but what is suspected, what whirs behind the corner of the eye, what preys on the brain late at night. Here is rational explanation grasping at straws in the age when rationality ruled. Freud would have a fit, but it should appeal to modern skeptics and occultists alike, tired of the easy and unbelievable portrayals of magic in a post-Harry Potter literary world.
One similarly wonders what our cultural fascination with monsters would look like if, instead of vampires, The Beetle had stayed in print and sunk into our psyches. Though just as hypnotic, this is one night walker you wouldn't want to have cutesy teenage sex with, no, it will serve your Sookie Stackhouse's up as human sacrifice. It will break your handsome leading man into gibbering insane tears. And it will do so making you laugh out loud while simultaneously shivering on the edge of your seat.
Telling the story of a fantastic creature with hypnotic powers who stalks a British politician through fin de siècle London in revenge for defiling an Egyptian cult to Isis, this book not only presents a radically critical stance on the failures of late 19th century imperialism, but it does so with an action-packed, whip-smart panache sure to appeal to postmodern audiences. It reminded me favorably of the absurd humor of Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita," while at the same time displaying that quintessential Victorian reticence to talk about anything out of the norm.
But out of the norm this book is, not only in its portrayals of monstrosity and mesmerism, but also in its fantastic representation of the human psyche confronted with what it can not explain. Like a Lovecraft story, much of the horror in "The Beetle" comes not from what is seen but what is suspected, what whirs behind the corner of the eye, what preys on the brain late at night. Here is rational explanation grasping at straws in the age when rationality ruled. Freud would have a fit, but it should appeal to modern skeptics and occultists alike, tired of the easy and unbelievable portrayals of magic in a post-Harry Potter literary world.
One similarly wonders what our cultural fascination with monsters would look like if, instead of vampires, The Beetle had stayed in print and sunk into our psyches. Though just as hypnotic, this is one night walker you wouldn't want to have cutesy teenage sex with, no, it will serve your Sookie Stackhouse's up as human sacrifice. It will break your handsome leading man into gibbering insane tears. And it will do so making you laugh out loud while simultaneously shivering on the edge of your seat.
slow-paced
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.
A rather grim gothic horror about a beetle who abuses its victims in order to take revenge on a politician. Unlike any horror I've read before.
As he came on, something entered into me, and forced itself from between my lips, so that I said, in a low, hissing voice, which I vow was never mine, “THE BEETLE!”
***
Paul Lessingham! Beware! THE BEETLE!
Poisoned Pen Press is an American publisher of (primarily) crime and detection novels, including the US editions of the highly successful British Library Crime Classics series which is resurrecting many forgotten classics of the Golden Age of crime fiction. Poisoned Pen has recently embarked on a new project which promises to be just as exciting Together with the Horror Writers Association, it is launching The Haunted Library of Horror Classics, a collection of classic horror novels presented in new editions, with commentaries and notes to introduce the contemporary reader to the historical and cultural context of the featured works.
One of the first publications in the series is The Beetle by Richard Bernard Heldmann, better known by his pen-name Richard Marsh. The novel was originally issued as “The Beetle: A Mystery” in 1897. This was the same year which saw the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and it may come as a surprise that The Beetle initially outsold Stoker’s cult vampire novel, going into no less than 15 editions before the Great War. Like Dracula, Marsh imagines a supernatural entity unleashed in Victorian London, except that the monster here is no vampire, but an entity rather more difficult to pin down: a “Nameless Thing” which, although vaguely bearing the features of a hideous man, scarcely seems to be human and, if it is, is of indeterminate sex. This Being, which calls itself one of the “Children of Isis”, and I therefore, presumably, of Egyptian origin, appears to have mesmeric powers and the magical ability to turn into a beetle – or rather THE BEETLE. Indeed, the characters who come across this infernal monster tend to lose their composure as soon as they hear the said two words, which Marsh generally expresses in GARISH CAPITAL LETTERS whenever they appear in the text. Although it is not clear how THE eponymous BEETLE ended up in Kensington, it seems that the main purposes of its City sojourn is to haunt one Paul Lessingham, an upcoming politician who, in younger days, made the fatal mistake of visiting a dubious Egyptian establishment, ending up a prisoner of an ancient esoteric cult. Lessingham’s past has caught up with him with a vengeance and threatens to put his and his fiancée’s life in mortal danger.
As is common in many Gothic and sensation novels of the era, each one of The Beetle’s four “books” features a different first-person narrator. In “The House with the Open Window”, unemployed clerk Robert Holt seeks shelter in a seemingly abandoned house, only to fall under the mesmeric powers of the Egyptian fiend. In “The Haunted Man”, the story is taken up by eccentric, hyperactive inventor Sydney Atherton, an acquaintance of Lessingham and his rival in love. The object of their attention is Miss Marjorie Lindon, who seems to be the most wanted young woman in London and is also being pursued by the monster him/her/itself. Marjorie is also the narrator of the third Book: “The Terror by Night and the Terror by Day”. The novel ends with notes “extracted from the Case-Book of the Hon. Augustus Champnell, Confidential Agent”, a Sherlock-Holmes-like figure who tries to bring his detective skills to bear on the lurid mystery of THE BEETLE and leads a feverish hunt all over London for the elusive Egyptian insectoid.
This edition opens with a rather convoluted warning that THE BEETLE and novels of its ilk might “exemplify ideas that are no longer current, attitudes and behaviours that are no longer tolerated, standards that are no longer judged valid”. You don’t say so! Like most examples of “Egyptian Gothic”, Marsh’s novel relies for its effect on racist and xenophobic fears, much as first and second-wave Gothic was often decidedly prejudiced against Southern Europeans and Roman Catholics. Knowing the cultural context helps one to turn a blind eye on ideas which are past their sell-by date. Even so, the constant references to “that Arab” and “diabolical Asiatic” and the idea that the civilised Western world is under threat from a creature hailing from the “dirty streets and evil smells” of Egypt starts to become jarring. And, frankly, the very thought that an ancient cult favours as choice cuts for human sacrifice, not just “white women” but, more specifically, fine examples of English maidenhood, is frankly ludicrous.
Marsh’s attitudes to women and the working classes are not much better. In that respect, however, the narrative has several redeeming features, not least the strong character of Marjorie Lindon (so much more than just a demure “damsel in distress) and the fact that he lampoons all sectors of society (the farcical figure of Marjorie’s politician father is a case in point).
This brings me to another aspect of Marsh’s novel which might be puzzling to a modern reader. Horrific though it is, THE BEETLE has an underlying comedic streak, which is particularly evident in Atherton’s narrative segment. This ambivalence might not be to everyone’s taste and, to be honest, I found that the changes in tone dampened the more horrific aspects of the novel and sometimes hovered towards self-parody. To a generation used to explicit horror or, on the other hand, to subtly unsettling psychological thrills, THE BEETLE might seem like a madcap roller-coaster ride.
There’s no doubt however that at its best, as in Holt’s encounter with the fiend, or the final, thrilling chapters, THE BEETLE still packs a punch and is a worthy addition to The Horror Library. This edition features an introduction by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, together with biographical details about Richard Marsh (including the fact that he is the grandfather of Robert Aickman, celebrated author of ‘weird fiction’), questions for discussion and suggestions for further “horrific reading”.
***
Paul Lessingham! Beware! THE BEETLE!
Poisoned Pen Press is an American publisher of (primarily) crime and detection novels, including the US editions of the highly successful British Library Crime Classics series which is resurrecting many forgotten classics of the Golden Age of crime fiction. Poisoned Pen has recently embarked on a new project which promises to be just as exciting Together with the Horror Writers Association, it is launching The Haunted Library of Horror Classics, a collection of classic horror novels presented in new editions, with commentaries and notes to introduce the contemporary reader to the historical and cultural context of the featured works.
One of the first publications in the series is The Beetle by Richard Bernard Heldmann, better known by his pen-name Richard Marsh. The novel was originally issued as “The Beetle: A Mystery” in 1897. This was the same year which saw the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and it may come as a surprise that The Beetle initially outsold Stoker’s cult vampire novel, going into no less than 15 editions before the Great War. Like Dracula, Marsh imagines a supernatural entity unleashed in Victorian London, except that the monster here is no vampire, but an entity rather more difficult to pin down: a “Nameless Thing” which, although vaguely bearing the features of a hideous man, scarcely seems to be human and, if it is, is of indeterminate sex. This Being, which calls itself one of the “Children of Isis”, and I therefore, presumably, of Egyptian origin, appears to have mesmeric powers and the magical ability to turn into a beetle – or rather THE BEETLE. Indeed, the characters who come across this infernal monster tend to lose their composure as soon as they hear the said two words, which Marsh generally expresses in GARISH CAPITAL LETTERS whenever they appear in the text. Although it is not clear how THE eponymous BEETLE ended up in Kensington, it seems that the main purposes of its City sojourn is to haunt one Paul Lessingham, an upcoming politician who, in younger days, made the fatal mistake of visiting a dubious Egyptian establishment, ending up a prisoner of an ancient esoteric cult. Lessingham’s past has caught up with him with a vengeance and threatens to put his and his fiancée’s life in mortal danger.
As is common in many Gothic and sensation novels of the era, each one of The Beetle’s four “books” features a different first-person narrator. In “The House with the Open Window”, unemployed clerk Robert Holt seeks shelter in a seemingly abandoned house, only to fall under the mesmeric powers of the Egyptian fiend. In “The Haunted Man”, the story is taken up by eccentric, hyperactive inventor Sydney Atherton, an acquaintance of Lessingham and his rival in love. The object of their attention is Miss Marjorie Lindon, who seems to be the most wanted young woman in London and is also being pursued by the monster him/her/itself. Marjorie is also the narrator of the third Book: “The Terror by Night and the Terror by Day”. The novel ends with notes “extracted from the Case-Book of the Hon. Augustus Champnell, Confidential Agent”, a Sherlock-Holmes-like figure who tries to bring his detective skills to bear on the lurid mystery of THE BEETLE and leads a feverish hunt all over London for the elusive Egyptian insectoid.
This edition opens with a rather convoluted warning that THE BEETLE and novels of its ilk might “exemplify ideas that are no longer current, attitudes and behaviours that are no longer tolerated, standards that are no longer judged valid”. You don’t say so! Like most examples of “Egyptian Gothic”, Marsh’s novel relies for its effect on racist and xenophobic fears, much as first and second-wave Gothic was often decidedly prejudiced against Southern Europeans and Roman Catholics. Knowing the cultural context helps one to turn a blind eye on ideas which are past their sell-by date. Even so, the constant references to “that Arab” and “diabolical Asiatic” and the idea that the civilised Western world is under threat from a creature hailing from the “dirty streets and evil smells” of Egypt starts to become jarring. And, frankly, the very thought that an ancient cult favours as choice cuts for human sacrifice, not just “white women” but, more specifically, fine examples of English maidenhood, is frankly ludicrous.
Marsh’s attitudes to women and the working classes are not much better. In that respect, however, the narrative has several redeeming features, not least the strong character of Marjorie Lindon (so much more than just a demure “damsel in distress) and the fact that he lampoons all sectors of society (the farcical figure of Marjorie’s politician father is a case in point).
This brings me to another aspect of Marsh’s novel which might be puzzling to a modern reader. Horrific though it is, THE BEETLE has an underlying comedic streak, which is particularly evident in Atherton’s narrative segment. This ambivalence might not be to everyone’s taste and, to be honest, I found that the changes in tone dampened the more horrific aspects of the novel and sometimes hovered towards self-parody. To a generation used to explicit horror or, on the other hand, to subtly unsettling psychological thrills, THE BEETLE might seem like a madcap roller-coaster ride.
There’s no doubt however that at its best, as in Holt’s encounter with the fiend, or the final, thrilling chapters, THE BEETLE still packs a punch and is a worthy addition to The Horror Library. This edition features an introduction by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, together with biographical details about Richard Marsh (including the fact that he is the grandfather of Robert Aickman, celebrated author of ‘weird fiction’), questions for discussion and suggestions for further “horrific reading”.
adventurous
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:
Yes
not super engaging but very interesting and cool and gross and scary🤘🏼