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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
3.5 Stars, rounded down for a so-so ending. It's a curious and weird Victorian horror story. Its weirdness and use of cliffhanger seem to be what made it more popular than Dracula, and its nonending seems to be what have doomed it to obscurity.
The ptemise of this book seemed interesting to me, and did keep me reading. This was mostly because i was trying to figure out where all the pieces fit together and what the deal with the beetle was. For the most part, it read like some lare 19th century Pride and Prejudice with the occasional mention of the titular beetle.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
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:
Complicated
Content: ***
Length: **
Writing: ***
Length: **
Writing: ***
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Published in the 1890s, this book remains remarkably readable almost two centuries later. While the characters, their interactions, and methods of speech arer understandably Victorian, the horror and dread still shines through. Highly recommended for those who like reading really historical fiction.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Beetle was released in the same year as Dracula and outsold it at the time. I think the main reason it hasn't stayed the test of time as well is because it's massively racist. It's very much steeped in Victorian Egyptomania and post-colonial fears; and there's a lot of Orientalism and othering of anyone who's not a posh English person. The main villain is Egyptian and part of a weird cult called The Children of Isis. They like to make human sacrifices and they prefer to use white, English women. This makes zero sense as they're clearly supposed to be following an ancient Egyptian tradition and there weren't a lot of British people kicking about Egypt 3000 years ago!
It's a shame the main premise is so problematic because it was incredibly readable, a real page turner. It lays down a really good mystery at the start and there's enough peril that I needed to know what was going on. Also, the main female character is a badass and does as she pleases and makes the men treat her as an equal. They all wanted to marry her and she could have done better!
The actual Beetle is super creepy and there's a lot of people hearing the faint whirring of wings that's surprisingly scary. Also at one point it crawls onto a man's face and I'm amazed he didn't just die from it being so gross!
It's a weird tale worth reading and looking at in it's wider historical context. Obvious trigger warnings for racism and also for sexual assault.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No