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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Read for the Right Crowd, November 25, 2008
This review is from: The Beetle (Wordsworth Mystery & Supernatural) (Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural) (Paperback)
Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Richard Marsh's "The Beetle" were both published in 1897. Surprisingly, "The Beetle" outsold Stoker's novel three-fold in the first few years of their publication. So why has this novel faded into relative obscurity? Because it does not translate well to modern times. Where Stoker's novel still holds many chills for its reader, "The Beetle" is so dated with its blaring xenophobia and chauvinism that the things which are meant to scare us do little more than provide mild amusement.
At this point you may be asking why, if I feel this way, did I give this novel four stars? The answer is simple: it is a wonderful piece for its time and, if viewed through a historic lens, one can see why it was so wildly successful. In many ways, one can compare it to "Dracula", what with its shifting narrators, tightly woven plot, and shape-changing antagonist. If you're into supernatural fiction, Victorian fiction, or some some combination thereof, this is a wonderful book. If you're looking for a terrifying read I doubt you will find this novel satisfactory.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mesmerizing!, June 12, 2011
The Beetle is one of those rare books that positively throb with symbolism and significance - while gripping you by the throat with a terrific tale. In 1897 it was a popular sensation outselling Dracula, which was published the same year.
The characters are well drawn: Paul Lessingham, a budding cabinet minister with an ominous gap in his past; lovely Marjorie Linton, a witty New Woman caught between her Radical lover (Paul) and her Tory father; madcap young scientist Sydney Atherton who also adores Miss Linton and is meanwhile working on weapons of mass destruction for the glory of the British Empire; Robert Holt, down-and-out clerk who falls into the clutches of the Beetle.
As for the Beetle, this amorphous, androgynous nightmare transmigrates at will between a barely human form and a sadistic Egyptian scarab. An accomplished mesmerist, the Beetle can make a slave of almost anyone (including the reader). Why is it hiding out in civilized London instead of pursuing its hideous prehistoric rituals back in Egypt? Paul Lessingham, to his horror, is the unwilling magnet drawing the vengeful Beetle ever closer.
The plot offers a steady stream of dramas and crises peppered by exciting chases on foot, by cab and by rail. There are quite a few comic moments, despite the heavy nature of the threat to everyone's life and sanity. That, in fact, is one of the most remarkable aspects of the book. It's both a Kafkaesque plunge into paranoia and a Shakespearean comedy of errors, a confrontation with unsavory eroticism and a pure love story.
I'd recommend the Broadview edition above all others because of its readable format and thought-provoking scholarly content.
But don't read the introduction before the book. Save those insightful interpretations of The Beetle for dessert! Approach The Beetle without preconceptions and have your own visceral experience of the Uncanny, just as readers did in 1897.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting novel despite some plot problems, July 20, 2010
Richard Marsh's novel _The Beetle_ is the story of a British statesman, Paul Lessingham, who is haunted by his youthful indiscretions in Egypt. A shape-shifting figure follows him from Egypt, intent upon getting revenge on Lessingham. While the book has some interesting aspects, it lacks important plot elements. For example, (spoiler alert) the book builds up to a confrontation between the "good guys" (Lessingham and company) and the "bad guys" (the Beetle). Yet, that confrontation never occurs. The end of the book also leaves some loose ends.
Despite the plot problems, and the archaic attitude toward race mentioned by other reviewers, the book has some fascinating aspects. The character of Sydney Atherton, a lovestruck mad scientist, is especially compelling. He narrates the second section of the novel; later, we read other characters' impressions of him. This dual view gives a fascinating portrait of Atherton's character.
The novel also differs from most canonical Victorian fiction. It openly mentions nakedness more often than I've seen in any other novel from this time period. It also grapples with interesting questions of gender, especially the gender of the villainous Beetle.
Overall, I'd say that the book has some compelling moments and characters, although it lacks a strong overall plot.
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