Henry Jekyll has recently changed his will to name a Edward Hyde as his heir in case of the chemist’s death…or disappearance.
A respectable lawyer, he’s concerned about the fact that his old friend Dr. Hyde” starts us off with the adventures of Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) wrote several “weird” stories as well as adventure tales like Treasure Island. Right up my alley! Will definitely be reading more Stevenson short stories and novels. The whole penny dreadful era is rich with moral dilemmas and supernatural symbolism. Couldn't get into that one at all, but the other three stories are excellent. Weir of Hermiston, an incomplete work-in-progress that was published after RLS's death, is the only dud of the bunch. Not sure if every edition is the same, but the other stories in this collection are The Body Snatcher, The Bottle Imp, Markheim, and Weir of Hermiston. Stevenson keeps it a crisp 70 pages that are all as tight as piano wire. A great premise is often bogged down by filler, but not here. The inner turmoil of good-versus-evil is delivered perfectly, creating unnerving dual sympathy (and horror) for man and monster. Few books have seeped into the global collective consciousness, but with this one I'm not at all surprised by its immortal status. I obviously knew the basic premise of Jekyll and Hyde but it still had me on the edge of my seat. My first experience actually reading Stevenson.
0 kommentar(er)
