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A review by ericbuscemi
Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Shelley
4.0
Although I own this edition of the book, and read the Stephen King introduction to it, I am reading a different edition of the three novels. I found a website -- DailyLit -- that emails you snippets of classic books every day, so that they can be read in a serialized manner over the course of a few weeks to months, depending on the length of the work. I am going to experiment with reading these three novels that way and review those editions of them, and my experience with Daily Lit, when I finish.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Since this is considered a "groundbreaking", "classic" work for the genres of science fiction and gothic literature, I expected to embrace it. But, in reality, I found it dragged endlessly on, mostly with the never-ending lamentations of the narrator, Dr. Frankenstein, who is unable to stop waxing poetic and philosophical for a single page. What is most infuriating is that the story is supposed to be a series of journal entries that Frankenstein gave on his deathbed to a ship captain, which makes the long-windedness even more absurd. The actual plot could be written on a cocktail napkin, and could very well be adapted into a compelling short story. Rating: Between one and two stars.
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker's classic vampire tale, which like Frankenstein, is written as a series of journal entries, was a much more enjoyable read than Mary Shelley's monster story. Although it is a considerable longer work, it isn't tedious or lacking action -- there is so much more going on, and from many points-of-view. That being said, it did drag a bit in the middle, especially in two specific segments -- after Jonathan Harker's first section of journal entries, and again after Lucy Westerna's death. Rating: Four stars.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson is the only of these three authors that understands the concept of brevity. The idea for his tale was just as interesting as the others, but he managed to pen the whole thing in less than a week, making it readable in one captivated sitting. It reminded me a lot of various Sherlock Holmes stories, both in tone and setting. Rating: Four stars.
Note: I found reading the Daily Lit serialized emails distracting, as I like to read books in larger segments than the service sends, and also like being able to decide when to stop reading, instead of Daily Lit deciding for me. I finished reading Frankenstein using DailyLit, but am going to read the Kindle editions of Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hytde.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Since this is considered a "groundbreaking", "classic" work for the genres of science fiction and gothic literature, I expected to embrace it. But, in reality, I found it dragged endlessly on, mostly with the never-ending lamentations of the narrator, Dr. Frankenstein, who is unable to stop waxing poetic and philosophical for a single page. What is most infuriating is that the story is supposed to be a series of journal entries that Frankenstein gave on his deathbed to a ship captain, which makes the long-windedness even more absurd. The actual plot could be written on a cocktail napkin, and could very well be adapted into a compelling short story. Rating: Between one and two stars.
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker's classic vampire tale, which like Frankenstein, is written as a series of journal entries, was a much more enjoyable read than Mary Shelley's monster story. Although it is a considerable longer work, it isn't tedious or lacking action -- there is so much more going on, and from many points-of-view. That being said, it did drag a bit in the middle, especially in two specific segments -- after Jonathan Harker's first section of journal entries, and again after Lucy Westerna's death. Rating: Four stars.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson is the only of these three authors that understands the concept of brevity. The idea for his tale was just as interesting as the others, but he managed to pen the whole thing in less than a week, making it readable in one captivated sitting. It reminded me a lot of various Sherlock Holmes stories, both in tone and setting. Rating: Four stars.
Note: I found reading the Daily Lit serialized emails distracting, as I like to read books in larger segments than the service sends, and also like being able to decide when to stop reading, instead of Daily Lit deciding for me. I finished reading Frankenstein using DailyLit, but am going to read the Kindle editions of Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hytde.