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South Sea Tales
The literary world was shocked when in 1890, at the height of his career, Robert Louis Stevenson announced his intention to settle permanently in Samoa. His readers were equally shocked when he began to use the subject material offered by his new environment, not to promote a romance of empire, but to produce some of the most ironic and critical treatments of imperialism in nineteenth-century fiction.
In stories such as The Beach of Falesá, The Bottle Imp, and The Isle of Voices Stevenson shows himself to be virtuoso of narrative styles. This is the first collection to bring together all his shorter Pacific fiction in one volume and in it Stevenson emerges as a witness to the cross-cultural encounters of nineteenth-century imperialism and to the creation of the global culture which characterizes the post-colonial world.
In stories such as The Beach of Falesá, The Bottle Imp, and The Isle of Voices Stevenson shows himself to be virtuoso of narrative styles. This is the first collection to bring together all his shorter Pacific fiction in one volume and in it Stevenson emerges as a witness to the cross-cultural encounters of nineteenth-century imperialism and to the creation of the global culture which characterizes the post-colonial world.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1893
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About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson
6,836 books6,946 followersRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
July 22, 2022
This book has long struggled for a name and an audience. "Island Nights' Entertainments" is the elegant but awkward alternate name for Robert Louis Stevenson's "South Sea Tales." It is often misprinted as "An Island Night's Entertainment" or other variations. Under its other title, the book becomes confused with "In the South Seas," a posthumous publication of his travels through the Polynesian islands which first appeared as "South Sea Letters" in magazines of 1891. But despite the problems with the title, why has this book not enjoyed the worldwide popularity of many of his other works?
Stevenson will always have a special place in my heart as being the author that got me into reading at a tender young age with his classic "Treasure Island." By the time I was ten, my mother bought me a leather bound collection of his major novels, so "Kidnapped," "The Master of Ballantrae," and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" shortly followed as some of my favorite books. But while these stories were steeped in adventure, early science fiction, and romance, this period of fantasy writing came to an end when the author moved to the South Seas hoping to recover from tuberculosis. While residing on 314 acres he purchased on the island of Samoa, he wrote the three short stories in this collection, which are a study in realism. Of course, this ticked off a lot of fans, including Oscar Wilde, who pointed out that Stevenson went to live in one of the most romantic of places only to write his least romantic stories.
But romanticism is merely the naive fiction about places and events conjured in the minds of a society that has had no real experience of the things that are considered romantic. Stephen Crane's brilliant novel "The Red Badge of Courage" was a fine example of what happens when someone who romanticized war actually ends up in a real war! Stevenson no doubt enjoyed the sun and the beaches of his new home, but he also saw things that shocked him in what he formally thought was paradise. He also immersed himself in island culture, even coming to be known by the natives as Tusitala (Samoan for "storyteller"). His sympathies led him to take on the role of political activist for the Samoan people, which saw him fall from favor especially among contemporaries in rival countries competing in Samoa at the time, namely the U.S., Britain, and Germany. Stevenson's experiences led to some of his most honest and poignant portraits of the human condition, and they can be found in these three tales.
Now, if you read this book, you also will likely wonder what all the fuss was about regarding his lack of "romanticism" in the first place. Each story is deeply rooted in the fantastic. It is true that we don't get swashbuckling sword fights or larger-than-life villains. The fantasy is rather steeped in local island legends and superstitions.
The first story, "The Beach of Falesá," is a novella that dramatizes the clash of cultures that results from colonialism, with an unscrupulous trader trying to maintain a monopoly by exploiting the beliefs and customs of the indigenous people in order to make a new competitor taboo. Stevenson was ahead of his time in looking outside of his usual cultural worldview, exploring racism and attitudes toward women and mixed marriages without being preachy or condescending to his readers.
If you're familiar with the films "It Follows" or "The Ring," you'll likely appreciate this next story. "The Bottle Imp" is a morality tale about a cursed bottle that dooms anyone who dies while possessing it to eternal damnation. If someone buys the bottle, they can only be rid of the curse by selling it to someone else for less than they bought it. This leads to an interesting conundrum at the close of the story. When it was translated into Samoan, "The Bottle Imp" became the first published literature in that language.
The third story, "The Isle of Voices," continues the supernatural themes. A sorcerer discovers that, on an island where he is invisible to the inhabitants, burning leaves of a certain tree converts sea-shells to coins, thus giving him an endless supply of money.
The writing is outstanding, and is easy to comprehend despite the age. Unfortunately, we cannot know to what heights he may have taken his career had he continued this trend, as he died at the young age of 44 shortly after this book was published.
But as it stands, I will always have a tender spot for Stevenson carried forward from my childhood, and reading this book as an adult really solidified my appreciation for the true genius of this author. It is easily available in multiple formats. Also, as this is in the public domain, there is an excellently narrated Librivox recording of these stories that is free for the listening.
I highly recommend it to lovers of classic literature as a beach read or for anytime you want to enjoy a good book.
Stevenson will always have a special place in my heart as being the author that got me into reading at a tender young age with his classic "Treasure Island." By the time I was ten, my mother bought me a leather bound collection of his major novels, so "Kidnapped," "The Master of Ballantrae," and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" shortly followed as some of my favorite books. But while these stories were steeped in adventure, early science fiction, and romance, this period of fantasy writing came to an end when the author moved to the South Seas hoping to recover from tuberculosis. While residing on 314 acres he purchased on the island of Samoa, he wrote the three short stories in this collection, which are a study in realism. Of course, this ticked off a lot of fans, including Oscar Wilde, who pointed out that Stevenson went to live in one of the most romantic of places only to write his least romantic stories.
But romanticism is merely the naive fiction about places and events conjured in the minds of a society that has had no real experience of the things that are considered romantic. Stephen Crane's brilliant novel "The Red Badge of Courage" was a fine example of what happens when someone who romanticized war actually ends up in a real war! Stevenson no doubt enjoyed the sun and the beaches of his new home, but he also saw things that shocked him in what he formally thought was paradise. He also immersed himself in island culture, even coming to be known by the natives as Tusitala (Samoan for "storyteller"). His sympathies led him to take on the role of political activist for the Samoan people, which saw him fall from favor especially among contemporaries in rival countries competing in Samoa at the time, namely the U.S., Britain, and Germany. Stevenson's experiences led to some of his most honest and poignant portraits of the human condition, and they can be found in these three tales.
Now, if you read this book, you also will likely wonder what all the fuss was about regarding his lack of "romanticism" in the first place. Each story is deeply rooted in the fantastic. It is true that we don't get swashbuckling sword fights or larger-than-life villains. The fantasy is rather steeped in local island legends and superstitions.
The first story, "The Beach of Falesá," is a novella that dramatizes the clash of cultures that results from colonialism, with an unscrupulous trader trying to maintain a monopoly by exploiting the beliefs and customs of the indigenous people in order to make a new competitor taboo. Stevenson was ahead of his time in looking outside of his usual cultural worldview, exploring racism and attitudes toward women and mixed marriages without being preachy or condescending to his readers.
If you're familiar with the films "It Follows" or "The Ring," you'll likely appreciate this next story. "The Bottle Imp" is a morality tale about a cursed bottle that dooms anyone who dies while possessing it to eternal damnation. If someone buys the bottle, they can only be rid of the curse by selling it to someone else for less than they bought it. This leads to an interesting conundrum at the close of the story. When it was translated into Samoan, "The Bottle Imp" became the first published literature in that language.
The third story, "The Isle of Voices," continues the supernatural themes. A sorcerer discovers that, on an island where he is invisible to the inhabitants, burning leaves of a certain tree converts sea-shells to coins, thus giving him an endless supply of money.
The writing is outstanding, and is easy to comprehend despite the age. Unfortunately, we cannot know to what heights he may have taken his career had he continued this trend, as he died at the young age of 44 shortly after this book was published.
But as it stands, I will always have a tender spot for Stevenson carried forward from my childhood, and reading this book as an adult really solidified my appreciation for the true genius of this author. It is easily available in multiple formats. Also, as this is in the public domain, there is an excellently narrated Librivox recording of these stories that is free for the listening.
I highly recommend it to lovers of classic literature as a beach read or for anytime you want to enjoy a good book.
March 24, 2008
If you can't travel, take a trip, read this novel/experience.
April 25, 2013
This book is actually a combination of two different books, and as such the stories are clearly divided into two categories, that of realist colonialist critique and that of the exotic fable. For some reason I don't really understand, the two categories are not divided into two parts of the book, instead one alternates with the other.
The realist stories are interesting in their rendering of colonial attitudes towards the native islanders (I will refer to them with this term because Stevenson rarely mentions the name of the islands where the stories take place), but do not bring about any real epiphany for the white protagonists, even when they fall in love or become infatuated with a local character, as in "The Beach of Falesà". I think this refusal of acknowledging cultural and intellectual equality adds to the realism of the tales: they are real, contemporary colonial narratives, and Stevenson's portrayal of the European characters reveals a deep pessimism about their ability to comprehend a different culture.
Of the two main realist stories, my favourite was definitely "The Ebb Tide", in which disgraced ex-businessman Herrick is convinced by two other destitute whites to steal a boat with a cargo of champagne, in the attempt to sell the lot and return home as rich men. He accepts, but things go wrong and the other two main characters sink into a state of constant drunkenness, which is paralleled by Herrick's descent into a state of constant shame and despair: he feels he hit the bottom, but he's too much of a coward to commit suicide. His increasing anguish is very poignantly described.
The realism of the stories is accompanied by beautiful, vivid descriptions of the island environment:
" There was little or no morning bank. A brightening came in the east; then a wash of some ineffable, faint, nameless hue between crimson and silver; and then coals of fire. These glimmered a while on the sea-line, and seemed to brighten and darken and spread out, and still the night and the stars reigned undisturbed; it was as though a spark should catch and glow and creep along the foot of some heavy and almost incombustible wall-hanging, and the room itself be scarce menaced. Yet a little after, and the whole east glowed with gold and scarlet, and the hollow of heaven was filled with the daylight. The isle - the undiscovered, the scarce-believed in - now lay before them and close aboard; and Herrick thought that never in his dreams had he beheld anything more strange and delicate. [...] He tortured himself to find analogies. The isle was like the rim of a great vessel sunken in the waters; it was like the embankment of an annular railway grown upon with wood: so slender it seemed amidst the outrageous breakers, so frail and pretty, he would scarce have wondered to see it sink and disappear without a sound, and the waves close smoothly over its descent ".
Stevenson's ability in describing the exotic beauty of the islands also shines in the fables, which differentiate themselves from the realist stories because they feature almost exclusively native characters and in some cases were written with a native audience in mind. The characterisation of the protagonists here is however more formulaic and seems restricted to a few "types" - in particular, the clueless young man and the strong, sweet wife who's head over heels in love with him (generally with no discernible reason). Nevertheless, they are really enjoyable, in particular " The Bottle Imp " which is my favourite story in the whole book.
The realist stories are interesting in their rendering of colonial attitudes towards the native islanders (I will refer to them with this term because Stevenson rarely mentions the name of the islands where the stories take place), but do not bring about any real epiphany for the white protagonists, even when they fall in love or become infatuated with a local character, as in "The Beach of Falesà". I think this refusal of acknowledging cultural and intellectual equality adds to the realism of the tales: they are real, contemporary colonial narratives, and Stevenson's portrayal of the European characters reveals a deep pessimism about their ability to comprehend a different culture.
Of the two main realist stories, my favourite was definitely "The Ebb Tide", in which disgraced ex-businessman Herrick is convinced by two other destitute whites to steal a boat with a cargo of champagne, in the attempt to sell the lot and return home as rich men. He accepts, but things go wrong and the other two main characters sink into a state of constant drunkenness, which is paralleled by Herrick's descent into a state of constant shame and despair: he feels he hit the bottom, but he's too much of a coward to commit suicide. His increasing anguish is very poignantly described.
The realism of the stories is accompanied by beautiful, vivid descriptions of the island environment:
" There was little or no morning bank. A brightening came in the east; then a wash of some ineffable, faint, nameless hue between crimson and silver; and then coals of fire. These glimmered a while on the sea-line, and seemed to brighten and darken and spread out, and still the night and the stars reigned undisturbed; it was as though a spark should catch and glow and creep along the foot of some heavy and almost incombustible wall-hanging, and the room itself be scarce menaced. Yet a little after, and the whole east glowed with gold and scarlet, and the hollow of heaven was filled with the daylight. The isle - the undiscovered, the scarce-believed in - now lay before them and close aboard; and Herrick thought that never in his dreams had he beheld anything more strange and delicate. [...] He tortured himself to find analogies. The isle was like the rim of a great vessel sunken in the waters; it was like the embankment of an annular railway grown upon with wood: so slender it seemed amidst the outrageous breakers, so frail and pretty, he would scarce have wondered to see it sink and disappear without a sound, and the waves close smoothly over its descent ".
Stevenson's ability in describing the exotic beauty of the islands also shines in the fables, which differentiate themselves from the realist stories because they feature almost exclusively native characters and in some cases were written with a native audience in mind. The characterisation of the protagonists here is however more formulaic and seems restricted to a few "types" - in particular, the clueless young man and the strong, sweet wife who's head over heels in love with him (generally with no discernible reason). Nevertheless, they are really enjoyable, in particular " The Bottle Imp " which is my favourite story in the whole book.
November 23, 2022
The Bottle Imp is FANTASTIC, 4.5 stars without a doubt. I didn’t like any of the other stories even a little bit. Remarkably, surprisingly bad for RLS.
October 19, 2025
All three of these are unusual for Stevenson, or at least, they seem so for someone who mostly reads his novels. The Beach of Falesá feels almost proto-Conradian; realistic, unsentimental, and pretty much all about colonialism and racism. Despite being set on a (fictional) South Sea island, there’s very little romance or adventure (although there is still a bit of it). The other two stories, The Bottle Imp and The Isle of Voices, are essentially fairy tales, and I loved them; they’re basically perfect stories to me. They read like tales passed down through generations, with RLS simply recording what he’d heard (he moved to Samoa in 1890 and wrote all 3 stories there). It’s almost hard to believe they were entirely conceived and written by him.
August 27, 2017
A collection of eight short stories, all taking place in the South Seas. Most involve sailing ships, hurricanes, and the collection of natives to work various enterprises in the islands during the early 20th Century. A really quick read, most of the stories are exciting with hard to predict endings. Some may be offended by some characters in the stories using the 'n' word to describe native islanders, but was true to some people living in the time and place. Jack London certainly was not a racist--he was raised by a black foster mother who was a former slave. The Kindle edition of this book cut off the end of the last story 'The Seed of McCoy', but fortunately found the story online. This edition also included a mini-bio of Jack London, a history of reading, and a history of books. A nice companion to London's 'The Cruise of the Snark'.
January 13, 2023
This is a delightful read full of adventures through the South Seas yet again showing the amazing talent Robert Louis Stevenson has for storytelling. By far the greatest story in it is "The Bottle Imp" and it is worth picking up this book if just to read that one story. It is a rather mysterious and spooky tale which fully engages the mind on every level.
August 9, 2021
I really like Stevenson. He has a talent for making interesting characters--eaten up with both evil and good, and hardly sure of either. I also enjoyed learning more about the British colonies in the South Pacific, and these stories well exhibit Stevenson's familiarity with the place. (As I understand it, he and his wife moved to Samoa, their former house now a museum.) The only complaint I have about these stories is the same complaint I have whenever I read Stevenson: I now, once again, find myself dying to travel, to see the world and the seas, and am, alas, still here at my desk.
January 15, 2017
This collection contains two novellas, "The Ebb Tide" and The Beach of Falseá, which are realistic fiction dealing with themes of imperialism and corruption. It also contains several short stories, which are set in the Pacific islands, and have fantasy themes. Stevenson's work written while he lived in the Pacific was unpopular at the time of writing because it is profoundly anti-imperialist. Stories that showed Pacific Islanders as complex people capable of governing themselves, who had been abused by white Europeans, were not popular. I think these stories still suffer from the original stigma placed on them as they are not widely read, which is unfortunate, because not only do they give us an important portrait of life on the Pacific Islands at this time, but they also show Stevenson at his best. Both "The Ebb Tide" and "The Beach of Falséa" use unreliable narrators to describe the corruption and malevolence at the heart of imperialism, as well as describing both human evil and human error as only Stevenson can.
Read
February 27, 2016So racist, sickeningly so. I did not know whether Stevenson was giving his colonial opinion, or representing others holding that opinion in order to show how inhumane that thinking is. I rather lean to the latter, but maybe only from hope that it was so.
April 19, 2018
Not his best. Some interesting moments but better skimmed than fully read
July 21, 2024
Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...
I enjoyed this book very much! The stories aren't flawless but Robert Louis Stevenson always create interesting stories and characters.
I have read all the stories in my native language, Greek, in the past and reading the stories in English enriched very much the experience. While I'm usually not very fond of editor's notes and too many footnotes and analysis in a book, I found these useful here. Many references and turns of phrase explained and lots of other interesting info on all kind of stuff besides.
The Beach of Falesá - 4/5 A very clever plot, beautifully crafted and R. L. Stevenson sets the tune of critisizing the attitude of white colonists and painting a sympathetic attitude towards the native population more or less. One of a few stories where a female character appears in any significant role in this author's work and a vibrant character it is too. While she falls in love with the other main character for no reason and sometimes the author is ambiguous about her traits, this is still a great example of how out of the box of his era Stevenson was and what a great spirit and questioning mind he possesed in general. As it applies in all the stories of the book, the descriptions of the location and the ambiance of the place is great too.
The Bottle Imp - 4/5 This is an example on how small details explained might make a difference while reading a book. At some point there are some references to a cemetery and I got a bit confused when I first read the story, thinking that the narration will take a different direction. But the notes put things into perspective, that Stevenson describes a specific location where an old local king who was believed to be a god, was possible buried according to the locals.
RL Stevenson wrote this with Polynesian people in mind rather than its fellow Europeans and customized a theme known to Europeans through older legends and books to fit the Hawaiian setting which he visited a few years earlier. His recent experiences in the area are mixed into the book with local words, people's names, towns descriptions and so on.
The core theme touches a well-known concept: Selling one's soul to devil. It comes with the usual complications and didactic morals but the prose and wit of Stevenson makes it a very enjoyable read. As it often happens with such stories, there is a strong paradox in the story, but considering human nature, maybe it's not a paradox after all...
The Isle of Voices - 4/5 A very enjoyable and lively fable. Again one can't see why the female characters behave as they behave, but it's a great read, full of beautiful descriptions.
The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and Quartet - 4+/5 This was co-authored with Lloyde Osbourne, Stevenson's step son. I liked very much the various connotations to all kind of stuff, the lively descriptions of the setting, the adventure element, the moral dilemmas and the psychographs of the characters. There are many twists and turns, both on the action and on the characters' internal lives.
The Cart-Horses and the Saddle-Horse -3/5 A very short fable, poignant and kind of funny.
Something in It 4/5- An other short fable providing food for though. A quick and interesting read.
Αγαπημένος συγγραφέας, το καταευχαριστήθηκα το βιβλίο. Είχα ξαναδιαβάσει τις ιστορίες παλιότερα, ωστόσο στην γλώσσα που γράφτηκαν είναι πιο απολαυστική η ανάγνωση. Μου άρεσαν και οι παραβολές/αλληγορίες/μύθοι και οι πιο ρεαλιστικές ιστορίες. Ο Stevenson ξέρει να δημιουργεί ενδιαφέρουσες ιστορίες και ζωντανούς χαρακτήρες, να περιγράφει εξαιρετικά τις τοποθεσίες ενώ σαν τρόπος σκέψης και αντίληψης ήταν πολύ μπροστά από την εποχή του!
Αν και δεν μου αρέσουν συνήθως οι υπερβολικές σημειώσεις και αναλύσεις από την μεριά του επιμελητή μίας έκδοσης, στην προκειμένη περίπτωση ήταν πολύ χρήσιμες για να καταλάβω καλύτερα κάποιες ορολογίες και αναφορές που μου είχαν διαφύγει στη μετάφραση παλιότερα, κι ακόμα να μάθω και πολλά άλλα πράγματα.
I enjoyed this book very much! The stories aren't flawless but Robert Louis Stevenson always create interesting stories and characters.
I have read all the stories in my native language, Greek, in the past and reading the stories in English enriched very much the experience. While I'm usually not very fond of editor's notes and too many footnotes and analysis in a book, I found these useful here. Many references and turns of phrase explained and lots of other interesting info on all kind of stuff besides.
The Beach of Falesá - 4/5 A very clever plot, beautifully crafted and R. L. Stevenson sets the tune of critisizing the attitude of white colonists and painting a sympathetic attitude towards the native population more or less. One of a few stories where a female character appears in any significant role in this author's work and a vibrant character it is too. While she falls in love with the other main character for no reason and sometimes the author is ambiguous about her traits, this is still a great example of how out of the box of his era Stevenson was and what a great spirit and questioning mind he possesed in general. As it applies in all the stories of the book, the descriptions of the location and the ambiance of the place is great too.
The Bottle Imp - 4/5 This is an example on how small details explained might make a difference while reading a book. At some point there are some references to a cemetery and I got a bit confused when I first read the story, thinking that the narration will take a different direction. But the notes put things into perspective, that Stevenson describes a specific location where an old local king who was believed to be a god, was possible buried according to the locals.
RL Stevenson wrote this with Polynesian people in mind rather than its fellow Europeans and customized a theme known to Europeans through older legends and books to fit the Hawaiian setting which he visited a few years earlier. His recent experiences in the area are mixed into the book with local words, people's names, towns descriptions and so on.
The core theme touches a well-known concept: Selling one's soul to devil. It comes with the usual complications and didactic morals but the prose and wit of Stevenson makes it a very enjoyable read. As it often happens with such stories, there is a strong paradox in the story, but considering human nature, maybe it's not a paradox after all...
The Isle of Voices - 4/5 A very enjoyable and lively fable. Again one can't see why the female characters behave as they behave, but it's a great read, full of beautiful descriptions.
The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and Quartet - 4+/5 This was co-authored with Lloyde Osbourne, Stevenson's step son. I liked very much the various connotations to all kind of stuff, the lively descriptions of the setting, the adventure element, the moral dilemmas and the psychographs of the characters. There are many twists and turns, both on the action and on the characters' internal lives.
The Cart-Horses and the Saddle-Horse -3/5 A very short fable, poignant and kind of funny.
Something in It 4/5- An other short fable providing food for though. A quick and interesting read.
Αγαπημένος συγγραφέας, το καταευχαριστήθηκα το βιβλίο. Είχα ξαναδιαβάσει τις ιστορίες παλιότερα, ωστόσο στην γλώσσα που γράφτηκαν είναι πιο απολαυστική η ανάγνωση. Μου άρεσαν και οι παραβολές/αλληγορίες/μύθοι και οι πιο ρεαλιστικές ιστορίες. Ο Stevenson ξέρει να δημιουργεί ενδιαφέρουσες ιστορίες και ζωντανούς χαρακτήρες, να περιγράφει εξαιρετικά τις τοποθεσίες ενώ σαν τρόπος σκέψης και αντίληψης ήταν πολύ μπροστά από την εποχή του!
Αν και δεν μου αρέσουν συνήθως οι υπερβολικές σημειώσεις και αναλύσεις από την μεριά του επιμελητή μίας έκδοσης, στην προκειμένη περίπτωση ήταν πολύ χρήσιμες για να καταλάβω καλύτερα κάποιες ορολογίες και αναφορές που μου είχαν διαφύγει στη μετάφραση παλιότερα, κι ακόμα να μάθω και πολλά άλλα πράγματα.
July 16, 2025
This great classic collection of Pacific stories by Robert Louis Stevenson (also called Island Nights' Entertainments) features stories of fictional yet realistic illustration of the social, cultural, and colonial/imperial incidents in island societies in the pacific (The Beach of Falesá, The Ebb-Tide,) and also enjoyable fables that end in riveting ways (The Bottle Imp, The Isle of Voices, The Cart-Horses and The Saddle-Horses, etc).
I found Stevenson’s writing, storytelling and narrative style here in this book to be geniusly eclectic and I particularly enjoyed it the most in The Beach of Falesá and Bottle Imp, which are my favorite stories in the collection. The use of language is also noteworthy therefore fluid, it was enjoyable to read the pidgin English communication between the Islanders & Europeans.
The characterization was not exceptionally memorable but the characters who stood out for me were the native island women who had engaging roles - particularly Uma and Kokua. John Wiltshire’s Scottish narration also earned a spot as one of the memorable narrators in this book for me. Keawe, I will remember because of how engrossing the Bottle Imp tale is.
Although Oscar Wilde scolded Stevenson for not prioritizing romanticism in the romantic gift of the Pacific, I found bits of valid passion and tenderness in the relationships of the characters I just mentioned (Uma and Wiltshire) (Keawe and Kokoa).
I read the Oxford World Classics version which came with a helpful introduction and notes by Roslyn Jolly.
In summary, my read of this book despite it being longer than intended was enjoyable and I elect it as a classic that should be added to TBR boxes!
Here is the last section in the book which I was happy to complete my reading with:
MORAL.
“The sticks break, the stones crumble,
The eternal altars tilt and tumble,
Sanctions and tales dislimn like mist
About the amazed evangelist.
He stands unshook from age to youth
Upon one pin-point of the truth.”
- From Something In It by Robert Louis Stevenson
I truly enjoyed reading and reviewing this classic piece of literature. It was a fantastic adventure! ❤️
I found Stevenson’s writing, storytelling and narrative style here in this book to be geniusly eclectic and I particularly enjoyed it the most in The Beach of Falesá and Bottle Imp, which are my favorite stories in the collection. The use of language is also noteworthy therefore fluid, it was enjoyable to read the pidgin English communication between the Islanders & Europeans.
The characterization was not exceptionally memorable but the characters who stood out for me were the native island women who had engaging roles - particularly Uma and Kokua. John Wiltshire’s Scottish narration also earned a spot as one of the memorable narrators in this book for me. Keawe, I will remember because of how engrossing the Bottle Imp tale is.
Although Oscar Wilde scolded Stevenson for not prioritizing romanticism in the romantic gift of the Pacific, I found bits of valid passion and tenderness in the relationships of the characters I just mentioned (Uma and Wiltshire) (Keawe and Kokoa).
I read the Oxford World Classics version which came with a helpful introduction and notes by Roslyn Jolly.
In summary, my read of this book despite it being longer than intended was enjoyable and I elect it as a classic that should be added to TBR boxes!
Here is the last section in the book which I was happy to complete my reading with:
MORAL.
“The sticks break, the stones crumble,
The eternal altars tilt and tumble,
Sanctions and tales dislimn like mist
About the amazed evangelist.
He stands unshook from age to youth
Upon one pin-point of the truth.”
- From Something In It by Robert Louis Stevenson
I truly enjoyed reading and reviewing this classic piece of literature. It was a fantastic adventure! ❤️
May 13, 2021
Written in the late 1800s, South Sea Tales is a collection of four short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson inspired by his time in islands of the South Pacific.
This is no beach read but Stevenson's descriptions are so vivid, I felt like I was on a little holiday. The many necessary footnotes made for a slightly less immersive experience but it was interesting to learn more about what life was like in the late 19th century through themes such as superstition, greed, faith, redemption, courage and friendship.
Most of all, the tales reveal Stevenson's bravery in penning his controversial dislike of colonialists who he felt had no regard for the natives.
Summaries of each short story:
The Beach of Falesá - Wiltshire settles on an Island in the hopes of making a small fortune. He soon learns who are his real enemies and who are his friends and must come up with a clever plan to rid the Island of evil once and for all.
The Bottle Imp - Keawe longs to live like the rich in his town and is offered the chance to buy a bottle that will grant his every wish. The only caveat being that if he dies before getting rid of the bottle, he will be sent to hell. (One of my favourites!)
The Isle of Voices - Keola is envious of his father in law's riches and finds himself invited on a journey that reveals the source of the riches but he gets more than he bargained for.
The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and Quartet - Herrick, Huish and Captain Davis are unemployed and have had to resort to begging everyday to stay alive. Davis has an idea to get them out of trouble and the three head out on a risky adventure.
The Cart-Horses and the Saddle-Horse - a short fable where two horses meet a 'native' horse and a revealing conversation ensues.
Something in It - a short fable about a missionary who thinks he knows best but ends up facing death after not listening to the natives. (My other favourite!)
This is no beach read but Stevenson's descriptions are so vivid, I felt like I was on a little holiday. The many necessary footnotes made for a slightly less immersive experience but it was interesting to learn more about what life was like in the late 19th century through themes such as superstition, greed, faith, redemption, courage and friendship.
Most of all, the tales reveal Stevenson's bravery in penning his controversial dislike of colonialists who he felt had no regard for the natives.
Summaries of each short story:
The Beach of Falesá - Wiltshire settles on an Island in the hopes of making a small fortune. He soon learns who are his real enemies and who are his friends and must come up with a clever plan to rid the Island of evil once and for all.
The Bottle Imp - Keawe longs to live like the rich in his town and is offered the chance to buy a bottle that will grant his every wish. The only caveat being that if he dies before getting rid of the bottle, he will be sent to hell. (One of my favourites!)
The Isle of Voices - Keola is envious of his father in law's riches and finds himself invited on a journey that reveals the source of the riches but he gets more than he bargained for.
The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and Quartet - Herrick, Huish and Captain Davis are unemployed and have had to resort to begging everyday to stay alive. Davis has an idea to get them out of trouble and the three head out on a risky adventure.
The Cart-Horses and the Saddle-Horse - a short fable where two horses meet a 'native' horse and a revealing conversation ensues.
Something in It - a short fable about a missionary who thinks he knows best but ends up facing death after not listening to the natives. (My other favourite!)
May 19, 2022
Robert Louis Stevenson is one of my favorite Victorian authors it seems. I love his two most well-known works, "Treasure Island" and "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," though the six stories in this collection are of the realist and fable genres not adventure or gothic horror. Here Stevenson, despite living in a Victorian, colonialist culture, wrote stories that had non-Europeans as actual, fully rounded characters that were not "lesser than" whites or mere background characters. Roslyn Jolly explains this clearly in the Introduction as well as points out that contemporary opinion was not receptive towards these ideas in literature which is likely why I (and probably you) had never heard of these stories before.
I particularly liked the two longer stories, "The Beach of Falesa" and "The Ebb-Tide," for their depth of characterization and exploration of island life from all perspectives. Pulling from Stevenson's own real-life experiences helped to ground these stories in ways no other writer could have. But the two fables "The Bottle Imp" and "The Isle of Voices" had a wonderful touch of the supernatural despite being in a genre I often find without depth. And then the last two stories were so short (one and three pages respectively) that they made little impression on me one way or another. Overall, I'd recommend at least the first four stories and look forward to reading Stevenson's other island works.
I particularly liked the two longer stories, "The Beach of Falesa" and "The Ebb-Tide," for their depth of characterization and exploration of island life from all perspectives. Pulling from Stevenson's own real-life experiences helped to ground these stories in ways no other writer could have. But the two fables "The Bottle Imp" and "The Isle of Voices" had a wonderful touch of the supernatural despite being in a genre I often find without depth. And then the last two stories were so short (one and three pages respectively) that they made little impression on me one way or another. Overall, I'd recommend at least the first four stories and look forward to reading Stevenson's other island works.
April 12, 2020
I loved this book of short stories set in the South Sea Islands and full of magic and earthy characters. My favourite story was 'The Bottle Imp', a morality tale about an imp in a bottle who would give the holder whatever he wished for at a terrible price. It depicted a man, with all the material things his heart desired but who had sold his soul, with little way out of the bargain. The South sea islands are beautifully brought to life, particularly in the story,'The Ebb Tide' about three white men who have made a terrible mess of their lives, starving on a beach before setting out on an adventure.
March 3, 2025
Reread this for a class I was teaching at Aberdeen university. Historically interesting, especially when Stevenson breaks out of the coloniser - colonised dichotomy. "The Bottle Imp" is my favourite tale, he specifically wrote it for a Samoan audience, it was published years later in English. Some stories are deeply racist and shaped by imperialism, sexism and misogyny but we find very little glorification of the 'good old Empire' as well. It's complicated and that is the interesting bit. Stevenson depicts the ongoing colonisation in the South Sea in a nuanced and more realistic way than one might expect. 3 stars
June 27, 2018
I became interested in RLS when we toured the Writers' Museum in Edinburgh a few years ago. I was certainly aware of his books but hadn't ever read any of them. I enjoyed learning about his life in the historical fiction "Under the Wide and Starry Sky." Since we'll be touring his home in Apia, Samoa, I decided it was time to read one of his books. His writing is wonderful but these stories aren't riveting.
July 19, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyable! For me, 'The Bottle Imp' was the best of these stories. A perfect concept and brilliantly executed! 'The Beach of Falesá' and 'The Ebb Tide' were fantastic but for different reasons. The former is thrilling – a story that builds up to a great climax. The latter has a narrative that rambles along but is nevertheless excellent in the way that it ties the exotic with the downright depressing. Thoroughly enjoyable!
July 14, 2021
I loved this collection of fables and realistic stories of degenerates in the South Seas. The Bottle Imp and Isle of Voices were like Hawaiian versions of The Arabian Nights, which were fun and very enjoyable. But the best here by far is The Ebb-Tide, which had me hanging onto my seat at the end of each chapter, eager to know what would come next for the hapless drunken adventurers. I can now say I am avowedly a fan of RLS, and I'm eager to read his essays about his time in Samoa.
December 18, 2020
Mischief and mayhem in the South Seas
Having read Jack London's South Sea Tales, Amazon recommended this book. I am so glad they did! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Stevenson's writing. Stories are less brutal but no less charming. Will finish Michener's Tales of the South Pacific but I'm fairly certain it will not compare favorably with these two volumes
Having read Jack London's South Sea Tales, Amazon recommended this book. I am so glad they did! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Stevenson's writing. Stories are less brutal but no less charming. Will finish Michener's Tales of the South Pacific but I'm fairly certain it will not compare favorably with these two volumes
August 7, 2022
I read this for a course and don't remember any of the stories, so 2 stars since I think I would have remembered something if I had either enjoyed it or disliked it!
The tales were:
The Beach of Falesa
The Bottle Imp
The Isle of Voices
The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and a Quartette
The Cart-Horses and the Saddle-Horse
Something in It
The tales were:
The Beach of Falesa
The Bottle Imp
The Isle of Voices
The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and a Quartette
The Cart-Horses and the Saddle-Horse
Something in It
December 1, 2020
A mixed bag...in particular I enjoyed 'the bottle imp ..the last tale for me though a sea faring yarn which is usually something I like is one I found overwrought and it really only loses stars for that as I dunno ..it didn't connect with me.
January 25, 2021
Read (only the first story 'The Beach of Falesa') for my OU course.
This was interesting in terms of learning about Victorian attitudes to empire and trading in the South Sea, but a bit too 'Boy's Own Adventure' for me.
This was interesting in terms of learning about Victorian attitudes to empire and trading in the South Sea, but a bit too 'Boy's Own Adventure' for me.
February 12, 2022
The Beach at Falesa (only) - I enjoyed this tale. Very well written, if typically colonial in style. The story develops well and RLS's style is very fluent and easy-going. A good story, worth reading.
August 18, 2022
I'd forgotten how excellent a storyteller Robert Louis Stevenson was. and these tales are really good! I didn't realise that he lived in the South seas for his last years, so these are different from his other works.
January 24, 2023
2023 Around the World read: Tahiti (although 2 other stories take place in Hawaii and one brief story in Samoa). My favorite was “The Bottle Imp” and I enjoyed “The Ebb Tide” abut there is definitely a sense of colonialism in that story!
February 20, 2025
ניסיתי בכל לבי לסיים אותו.
שפה ארכאית מאוד, בסיפור שאמור להוות המרכזי באסופה - יותר מדי שמות בלי הסברים מפרידים מספיק שיעזרו להבדיל בין הדמויות, ובכללי, פשוט לא מעניין כ"כ; אין תיאורים טובים או הוק שמושך אותך לסיפור.
עדיין נותן 2 כוכבים ולא 1 כי השדון בבקבוק סיפור חמוד.
שפה ארכאית מאוד, בסיפור שאמור להוות המרכזי באסופה - יותר מדי שמות בלי הסברים מפרידים מספיק שיעזרו להבדיל בין הדמויות, ובכללי, פשוט לא מעניין כ"כ; אין תיאורים טובים או הוק שמושך אותך לסיפור.
עדיין נותן 2 כוכבים ולא 1 כי השדון בבקבוק סיפור חמוד.
July 19, 2025
The collection alternates between ghost stories and slyly anti-colonial adventure tales. Good on the whole, brings alive the 19th century Pacific. The plotting is uneven but there are some truly great moments in a few of the stories.
September 12, 2025
Robert Louis Stevenson had a strange old life, and when he moved to Samoa, he got actively involved in the politics of the area. These short stories are set thereabouts. I was only familiar with The Bottle Imp from this collection, and they are an interesting picture of a time and a place.
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