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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-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:
No
I was quite surprised by how much I liked the way the women were written in this book. Marjorie for example, calls out men when they talk down to her and clearly has her own thoughts and is not just an extension on the men in her life (which you sometimes saw with female characters at the time)
Sadly it is very racist, although that shouldn't be a surprise for a Victorian era book based on Egyptian mythology, but it was very jarring to read.
It overall was an interesting read but the author sometimes just used more words than necessary, which kind of halted the story at some points. And the author did way less with the plot than he could have.
Sadly it is very racist, although that shouldn't be a surprise for a Victorian era book based on Egyptian mythology, but it was very jarring to read.
It overall was an interesting read but the author sometimes just used more words than necessary, which kind of halted the story at some points. And the author did way less with the plot than he could have.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed the mystery of The Beetle, despite its age it's remained very readable though of course dated in some of its views and language.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
No
Brilliant! This not so well known (at least to me) horror classic was published in 1897, the same year that Bram Stoker's Dracula was published. Surprisingly, considering how well known Dracula is to us, at its time, Richard Marsh's The Beetle was much more popular than Bram Stocker's book. Let me tell you that The Beetle is not for the faint at heart. Ghost stories are fairy-tales in comparison to The Beetle. Also, if you are offended easily by the notions and prejudices of different time periods, this might not be for you. Nevertheless, this is a brilliant story and writing that will keep you tied up as if on the rails of a roller coaster that you keep screaming terrified and yet, you keep going gladly for more.
The Beetle is a classic horror story with a healthy dose of a detective/mystery element to it. First published in 1897, it actually out-sold [a:Bram Stoker|6988|Bram Stoker|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202438456p2/6988.jpg]’s [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387151694s/17245.jpg|3165724], published that same year. It was originally published in serial form under the name “The Peril of Paul Lessingham: The Story of a Haunted Man”.
The plot involves an ancient Egyptian supernatural entity that tries to take revenge on a British Member of Parliament (Paul Lessingham) for an atrocity committed at a temple in Cairo some twenty years ago. The novel is broken down into four parts, each with its own first-person narrator who relate the events that transpire over a three-day period. There are a few minor overlaps among their stories, just enough to establish how they relate to one another, but for the most part, we get to hear about new facts of the case as experienced from their own personal point of view. Interestingly, the fourth and final narrator is a detective who is able to pull all the strings of the plot together and provide context as well as a conclusion to the strange events.
The nature of the supernatural entity is not completely explained in the book. It appears to be a scarab beetle, quite a bit larger than normally found and has unusual abilities. There are also two Egyptian cult members who worship both Isis and the scarab entity although it is implied that both cultists are actually the same individual.
I found the novel to be much better than I expected. It’s fairly easy to read, unlike some fiction that was written during that era and the narrative plot was intriguing to be sure. It has a similar style to the original Dracula, meaning there is a lot of exposition as well as dancing around the nature of the supernatural element, leaving it more mysterious I suppose. All in all, a great classic read.
The plot involves an ancient Egyptian supernatural entity that tries to take revenge on a British Member of Parliament (Paul Lessingham) for an atrocity committed at a temple in Cairo some twenty years ago. The novel is broken down into four parts, each with its own first-person narrator who relate the events that transpire over a three-day period. There are a few minor overlaps among their stories, just enough to establish how they relate to one another, but for the most part, we get to hear about new facts of the case as experienced from their own personal point of view. Interestingly, the fourth and final narrator is a detective who is able to pull all the strings of the plot together and provide context as well as a conclusion to the strange events.
The nature of the supernatural entity is not completely explained in the book. It appears to be a scarab beetle, quite a bit larger than normally found and has unusual abilities. There are also two Egyptian cult members who worship both Isis and the scarab entity although it is implied that both cultists are actually the same individual.
I found the novel to be much better than I expected. It’s fairly easy to read, unlike some fiction that was written during that era and the narrative plot was intriguing to be sure. It has a similar style to the original Dracula, meaning there is a lot of exposition as well as dancing around the nature of the supernatural element, leaving it more mysterious I suppose. All in all, a great classic read.
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
3.75/5
Surprisingly dynamic and kooky for its time. Although the overly exotic and stereotyped character of the Arab was dishearteningly clique and villainised, much like dracula, this bizarre character and its magic added a lot of excitement to the novel. Sydney Atherton was by far my favourite character as he was so annoying it became endearing. The beetle in itself was well-used but seemed to disappear completely for several chapters and I thought Lessingham's backstory could have potentially been revealed in a better-integrated way than a huge spool of dialogue. I enjoyed this but it felt at time like it dragged due to all the multiple perspectives sometimes rehashing the same details or the 'comedic' tone of the dialogue delaying plot progression slightly in favour of being wink wink amusing. Still, I much prefer it to Turn of the Screw of Castle of Otranto so that must mean something. The fact I didn't fly through it shows it wasn't amazing though.... it felt a bit aimless towards the end and the conclusion was far from what I'd call satisfying.
Surprisingly dynamic and kooky for its time. Although the overly exotic and stereotyped character of the Arab was dishearteningly clique and villainised, much like dracula, this bizarre character and its magic added a lot of excitement to the novel. Sydney Atherton was by far my favourite character as he was so annoying it became endearing. The beetle in itself was well-used but seemed to disappear completely for several chapters and I thought Lessingham's backstory could have potentially been revealed in a better-integrated way than a huge spool of dialogue. I enjoyed this but it felt at time like it dragged due to all the multiple perspectives sometimes rehashing the same details or the 'comedic' tone of the dialogue delaying plot progression slightly in favour of being wink wink amusing. Still, I much prefer it to Turn of the Screw of Castle of Otranto so that must mean something. The fact I didn't fly through it shows it wasn't amazing though.... it felt a bit aimless towards the end and the conclusion was far from what I'd call satisfying.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes