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sraev19's review against another edition
2.5
This book contains the short stories “The Body Snatcher,” “The Merry Men,” and “The Bottle Imp.” These three tales are difficult to review. Although the stories are not too interesting to me, they aren’t bad stories, either.
Stevenson does away with his allegorical and crooning writing style I encountered in :The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that overwhelmed the novella. In The Body Snatcher and Other Tales, Stevenson focuses on telling the stories through his characters and their struggles. While each of the short stories still carries a noticeable theme or message, Stevenson does not drill them into the reader with repetitive contemplations on the subjects—too much.
“The Bottle Imp” is most guilty of allegorizing itself, with the two protagonists agonizing over their choices, sacrifices, and moral justice. It’s a shame, considering that “The Bottle Imp” holds the most intriguing plot concept and whimsical, fairy tale atmosphere that carries the story along like white fluffy clouds on a warm breezy day.
However, the other two short stories in the book drag across the ground getting to their focal points. I caught myself needing to reread paragraphs and pages as the narratives lost my interest. “The Merry Men” in particular wanders in focus, dwelling on extraneous fables and information that I later learn do not require the attention and concentration I devoted to them. Either Stevenson needs to expand the short story into a longer work in order to realize the extraneous material, or he needs to eliminate or condense the first three chapters.
As for “The Body Snatcher,” my reason for reading this book, I have one specific comment. The ending dives into the supernatural without any justification. Up until that point—so, the entire story—the horrific potential of human nature drives the plot and theme. With the ending, Stevenson is saying,“Oh, and ghosts.” He throws away the serious, gut-churning considerations of the story for a cheap “oOoOoo” moment.
Overall, the three short stories in this collection are okay, but they are in need of some refinement to be better than “not bad.”
Stevenson does away with his allegorical and crooning writing style I encountered in :The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that overwhelmed the novella. In The Body Snatcher and Other Tales, Stevenson focuses on telling the stories through his characters and their struggles. While each of the short stories still carries a noticeable theme or message, Stevenson does not drill them into the reader with repetitive contemplations on the subjects—too much.
“The Bottle Imp” is most guilty of allegorizing itself, with the two protagonists agonizing over their choices, sacrifices, and moral justice. It’s a shame, considering that “The Bottle Imp” holds the most intriguing plot concept and whimsical, fairy tale atmosphere that carries the story along like white fluffy clouds on a warm breezy day.
However, the other two short stories in the book drag across the ground getting to their focal points. I caught myself needing to reread paragraphs and pages as the narratives lost my interest. “The Merry Men” in particular wanders in focus, dwelling on extraneous fables and information that I later learn do not require the attention and concentration I devoted to them. Either Stevenson needs to expand the short story into a longer work in order to realize the extraneous material, or he needs to eliminate or condense the first three chapters.
As for “The Body Snatcher,” my reason for reading this book, I have one specific comment. The ending dives into the supernatural without any justification. Up until that point—so, the entire story—the horrific potential of human nature drives the plot and theme. With the ending, Stevenson is saying,
Overall, the three short stories in this collection are okay, but they are in need of some refinement to be better than “not bad.”
emilymadeline's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pizzamcpin3ppl3's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
theremightbecupcakes's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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