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An Exchange of Souls
Barry Pain’s An Exchange of Souls (1911) deals fascinatingly with a scientist who fashions a machine for exchanging his personality with that of another—but when he “exchanges souls” with his fiancée, only horror is the result. The novel unquestionably influenced Lovecraft’s own tale of personality exchange across gender lines, “The Thing on the Doorstep.” Henri Béraud’s
224 pages, paperback
First published January 1, 1911
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 27, 2021
Between reading for pleasure and reading for academic purposes, I sometimes pick up a volume quite randomly, and delegate the task of choosing my next read to the endless arbitrary possibilities. In this manner, I have stumbled upon many a great book and an extraordinary work. An Exchange of Souls is definitely one of those!
(I take the opportunity to thank Librivox reader Roger Melin for making this experience twice as enjoyable)
Honestly, I had no idea this novel was going to turn out this good, but it did! And if you are the type to fancy a blend of dark mystery and psychological thriller, you will not regret adding this one to your reading list.
Reminiscent of Henry Jekyll in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hawley Griffin in The Invisible Man, Baron Rivar in The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice, and the eponymous characters in both Frankenstein: The 1818 Text and The Island of Doctor Moreau, Daniel Myas bears all the characteristics of the mad scientist whose ultimate goal is to go beyond the common knowledge of Man and play God through the agency of some insane scientific endeavor; all of which echoes the late Victorian dread and caution against the dangers of scientific experimentation in realms that are forbidden.
But tell that to Myas! This gentleman is both charismatic and brilliant. His financial ease had never dulled his extraordinary faculties as a scholar. On account of his peculiar views, however, Myas was banned from the medical scene and refused assistance in his work. Consequently, he rented rooms in the less well-to-do part of London where he could pursue his research unbothered by the orthodox opinions of his peers. There he became acquainted and then engaged to Miss Alice Lade whom he trained to be a most valuable assistant.
The experiments of Daniel Myas had tragically ended in his death but that was not the end. Subsequent to the funeral, Mr. Compton, the narrator of the tale and a friend of both the deceased and his betrothed, had come to notice drastic alterations in both the appearance and behavior of Miss Lade. Pushing the matter a little further, the so-called Miss Lade had sent for him only to surprise him with the revelation that "she" was in fact Daniel Myas now prisoner in Alice's body. A long report of the experiment, the accident, and the death of Myas reveals one of the most ingenious twists in fictions; a disastrous sequence of events analogous only to the doom which befell Griffin, Frankenstein, and Jekyll.
The following chapters record the progress of the new Myas and the difficulties which prevented him from undoing part of the harm he had done. What I love about this portion of the novel is the unease and hardships honestly expressed by Myas as a man living in a woman's body:
Written about a century ago, these words convey with crystal clarity the suffering of the current generation of Transgender individuals in general and Transmen in particular. Myas' s preference of men clothing, his attempt to alleviate his dysphoric feelings by concealing his face, and his solitude are all traits which can be visible in any transman writhing in pain under the pangs of gender dysphoria.
Along the same lines, Compton's response and the manner in which he regarded the new state of his friend form more or less the manner in which I, for one, wish everyone could adopt in regard to the Trans-community.
Thus, Compton had never doubted the masculinity of his friend or regarded him as anything less than a man in spite of the biological end of the equation.
The road taken by Myas in order to redeem himself and reverse the curse of Alice's body was cut short, however, when the man encountered death anew, this time in a train crash. In this manner, the story of so great an experiment comes to a close but again...this is not the end!
The postscript of the book reveals one of the most interesting twists in fiction, and the best part about it is that you're going to tap your forehead and exclaim "why didn't I think of this earlier!"
Consider the case of Alice Lade; a young woman ravaged by grief to the point of developing a double personality disorder. Under her second personality as Myas, she atones for the latter's early departure by filling the emptiness he had left behind. What about Compton then? Well, consider the mental state of a dying man whose unconscious mind might grasp at anything to prove that death is not final. If Myas had tricked death, why wouldn't he? After all, we have his own words to ascertain the shaky state of his mind:
(I take the opportunity to thank Librivox reader Roger Melin for making this experience twice as enjoyable)
Honestly, I had no idea this novel was going to turn out this good, but it did! And if you are the type to fancy a blend of dark mystery and psychological thriller, you will not regret adding this one to your reading list.
Reminiscent of Henry Jekyll in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hawley Griffin in The Invisible Man, Baron Rivar in The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice, and the eponymous characters in both Frankenstein: The 1818 Text and The Island of Doctor Moreau, Daniel Myas bears all the characteristics of the mad scientist whose ultimate goal is to go beyond the common knowledge of Man and play God through the agency of some insane scientific endeavor; all of which echoes the late Victorian dread and caution against the dangers of scientific experimentation in realms that are forbidden.
But tell that to Myas! This gentleman is both charismatic and brilliant. His financial ease had never dulled his extraordinary faculties as a scholar. On account of his peculiar views, however, Myas was banned from the medical scene and refused assistance in his work. Consequently, he rented rooms in the less well-to-do part of London where he could pursue his research unbothered by the orthodox opinions of his peers. There he became acquainted and then engaged to Miss Alice Lade whom he trained to be a most valuable assistant.
The experiments of Daniel Myas had tragically ended in his death but that was not the end. Subsequent to the funeral, Mr. Compton, the narrator of the tale and a friend of both the deceased and his betrothed, had come to notice drastic alterations in both the appearance and behavior of Miss Lade. Pushing the matter a little further, the so-called Miss Lade had sent for him only to surprise him with the revelation that "she" was in fact Daniel Myas now prisoner in Alice's body. A long report of the experiment, the accident, and the death of Myas reveals one of the most ingenious twists in fictions; a disastrous sequence of events analogous only to the doom which befell Griffin, Frankenstein, and Jekyll.
The following chapters record the progress of the new Myas and the difficulties which prevented him from undoing part of the harm he had done. What I love about this portion of the novel is the unease and hardships honestly expressed by Myas as a man living in a woman's body:
"When the ego of a man becomes cognizable by the body of a woman, that body must suffer"
Written about a century ago, these words convey with crystal clarity the suffering of the current generation of Transgender individuals in general and Transmen in particular. Myas' s preference of men clothing, his attempt to alleviate his dysphoric feelings by concealing his face, and his solitude are all traits which can be visible in any transman writhing in pain under the pangs of gender dysphoria.
Along the same lines, Compton's response and the manner in which he regarded the new state of his friend form more or less the manner in which I, for one, wish everyone could adopt in regard to the Trans-community.
"The hair had been quite short and was of a reddish-brown in color. the eyes were the eyes of a man. Indeed, the general appearance, though it suggested an undersized and nervous little man, ludicrously out of keeping with the deep voice, had nothing that was feminine about it."
Thus, Compton had never doubted the masculinity of his friend or regarded him as anything less than a man in spite of the biological end of the equation.
The road taken by Myas in order to redeem himself and reverse the curse of Alice's body was cut short, however, when the man encountered death anew, this time in a train crash. In this manner, the story of so great an experiment comes to a close but again...this is not the end!
The postscript of the book reveals one of the most interesting twists in fiction, and the best part about it is that you're going to tap your forehead and exclaim "why didn't I think of this earlier!"
Consider the case of Alice Lade; a young woman ravaged by grief to the point of developing a double personality disorder. Under her second personality as Myas, she atones for the latter's early departure by filling the emptiness he had left behind. What about Compton then? Well, consider the mental state of a dying man whose unconscious mind might grasp at anything to prove that death is not final. If Myas had tricked death, why wouldn't he? After all, we have his own words to ascertain the shaky state of his mind:
"When the body is ill, the mind is no longer to be trusted, and that one has illusions."
August 1, 2020
Quite a hidden gem, this one. Recommended for all those who enjoyed Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde or The Picture of Dorian Grey.
A big thank you to Librivox reader Roger Merlin.
A big thank you to Librivox reader Roger Merlin.
August 21, 2017
Сказочный сборник о ваших и наших душах.
December 21, 2020
This volumes collects two shamefully obscure novels from the early 20th century "Lazarus" by Henri Béraud and "An Exchange of Souls"by Barry Pain, both novels deal with confused and lost identities. " Lazarus" a French novel and much in darker tone recalling "William Wilson" by Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tenant" by Roland Topher and "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka . "An Exchange of Souls" while a English weird tale in every regard is more classical in tone recalling" Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson and "Dorian Grey" by Oscar Wilde
July 21, 2025
Interesante novela de misterio, "Intercambio de almas" de Barry Pain es un clásico relato de misterio donde un Mad doctor obsesionado con la inmortalidad intenta un experimento de funestas consecuencias: intercambiar el alma de su esposa con la suya.
El estilo me recuerda a Conan Doyle o Blackwood, un sabor añejo mezcla de misterio y terror que se lee en suspiro. Otro interesante libro publicado por Críptica que está rescatando algunas obras que otras editoriales del terror patrio tienen olvidadas pero que eran demandadas por los aficionados.
El estilo me recuerda a Conan Doyle o Blackwood, un sabor añejo mezcla de misterio y terror que se lee en suspiro. Otro interesante libro publicado por Críptica que está rescatando algunas obras que otras editoriales del terror patrio tienen olvidadas pero que eran demandadas por los aficionados.
April 14, 2025
An interesting tale. Again very predictable but an early effort of soul shifting.
April 18, 2025
2⭐
Meh, not for me.
Meh, not for me.
July 3, 2025
cis nonsense hasn't changed in a century. fairly well-written, and engaging. but deeply reliant on transphobia for the manner of horror.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews