What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mysterious Warning
The good old Count Renaud is dead, and his will makes the degenerate Rhodophil his heir, disinheriting his other son Ferdinand, who has married against his father's wishes. Rhodophil promises to share his new riches with his younger brother and his wife Claudina, but Ferdinand hears a mysterious voice from beyond the grave, warning him to flee his brother and his wife to save himself from sin and death!
Ferdinand obeys the supernatural warning and sets out to find fortune and adventure. In the course of his quest he will encounter a recluse in a ruined castle with a horrible secret, find himself captured and imprisoned by the Turkish army, and encounter one of Gothic literature's most depraved female characters, the monstrous Fatima. And if he survives all these dangers, Ferdinand must return to Renaud Castle to solve the mystery of the ghostly voice and uncover the terrible truth about his wife and his brother!
This edition includes the unabridged text of the four volume 1796 edition, with a new introduction and notes by Karen Morton, and reproductions of illustrations from the 1796 and 1824 editions.
420 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1796
5 people are currently reading
1154 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Parsons
103 books19 followersEliza Parsons (née Phelp) (1739 – 5 February 1811) was an English gothic novelist. Her most famous novels in this genre are The Castle of Wolfenbach (1793) and The Mysterious Warning (1796) - two of the seven gothic titles recommended as reading by a character in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 4, 2017
Δεύτερο βιβλίο της Eliza Parsons που διαβάζω στα πλαίσια της περιήγησης μου στα Horrid Novels του Northanger Abbey και αυτό που μπορώ να πω είναι ότι δεν είναι αρκετό για να αλλάξει την άποψή μου για τη μετριότητα των δυνατοτήτων της. Η αλήθεια είναι, βέβαια, ότι αυτό το βιβλίο είναι αποτέλεσμα μιας εντονότερης προσπάθειας για να γραφτεί κάτι καλό αλλά φυσικά η φιλοδοξία δεν είναι εγγύηση για ένα καλύτερο αποτέλεσμα.
Φυσικά για άλλη μία φορά έχουμε όλα όσα μπορούμε να περιμένουμε από το είδος, με το συνδυασμό του μυστηρίου και του έντονου συναισθηματισμού. Στο δεύτερο, βέβαια, μπορώ να πω ότι υπάρχει μία ελαφριά αυτοσυγκράτηση, κυρίως λόγω του γεγονότος ότι ο βασικός ήρωας είναι άνδρας, αυτό όμως αναπληρώνεται από τις εμβόλιμες ιστορίες δυστυχισμένων γυναικών οπότε στο τέλος γυρίζουμε ξανά τα ίδια. Αυτές οι εμβόλιμες ιστορίες είναι και από μόνες τους ένα πρόβλημα καθώς μας αποσπούν από την βασική ιστορία, δίνουν όμως μία παραπάνω λογοτεχνική αξία, άσχετα αν στο τέλος του βιβλίου μοιάζει με συλλογή διηγημάτων γύρω από ένα βασικό κορμό. Όσο για το μυστήριο, οι απίθανες συμπτώσεις και οι απιθανότητες δίνουν και παίρνουν, κάτι που γίνεται ενοχλητικό, ενώ σε αρκετές περιπτώσεις δεν λείπει το ηθικολογικό στοιχείο. Αυτό το δεύτερο, όμως, δίνει στη συγγραφέα τη δυνατότητα να αναφερθεί με τα πιο μελανά χρώματα την κατάσταση των γυναικών και την κατάσταση ανελευθερίας που αναγκάζονταν να υπομένουν, δίνοντας έτσι μία φεμινιστική χροιά.
Οπότε στο τέλος έχουμε άλλο ένα βιβλίο για ειδικά γούστα, που διαβάζεται ευχάριστα, χωρίς να είναι τίποτα σπουδαίο.
Φυσικά για άλλη μία φορά έχουμε όλα όσα μπορούμε να περιμένουμε από το είδος, με το συνδυασμό του μυστηρίου και του έντονου συναισθηματισμού. Στο δεύτερο, βέβαια, μπορώ να πω ότι υπάρχει μία ελαφριά αυτοσυγκράτηση, κυρίως λόγω του γεγονότος ότι ο βασικός ήρωας είναι άνδρας, αυτό όμως αναπληρώνεται από τις εμβόλιμες ιστορίες δυστυχισμένων γυναικών οπότε στο τέλος γυρίζουμε ξανά τα ίδια. Αυτές οι εμβόλιμες ιστορίες είναι και από μόνες τους ένα πρόβλημα καθώς μας αποσπούν από την βασική ιστορία, δίνουν όμως μία παραπάνω λογοτεχνική αξία, άσχετα αν στο τέλος του βιβλίου μοιάζει με συλλογή διηγημάτων γύρω από ένα βασικό κορμό. Όσο για το μυστήριο, οι απίθανες συμπτώσεις και οι απιθανότητες δίνουν και παίρνουν, κάτι που γίνεται ενοχλητικό, ενώ σε αρκετές περιπτώσεις δεν λείπει το ηθικολογικό στοιχείο. Αυτό το δεύτερο, όμως, δίνει στη συγγραφέα τη δυνατότητα να αναφερθεί με τα πιο μελανά χρώματα την κατάσταση των γυναικών και την κατάσταση ανελευθερίας που αναγκάζονταν να υπομένουν, δίνοντας έτσι μία φεμινιστική χροιά.
Οπότε στο τέλος έχουμε άλλο ένα βιβλίο για ειδικά γούστα, που διαβάζεται ευχάριστα, χωρίς να είναι τίποτα σπουδαίο.
May 26, 2017
One of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey "Horrid mysteries". This was actually a enjoyable read. Two brothers, one disowned, a beautiful woman, and a mysterious voice giving warning to Ferdinand to flee his brothers castle. Then we follow the hero Ferdinand as he looks for his missing wife and child and his many adventures.
Of course the novel is 'dated', but if one reads with an open mind and in the spirit of the time (1796) , I think one would enjoy this gothic.
Of course the novel is 'dated', but if one reads with an open mind and in the spirit of the time (1796) , I think one would enjoy this gothic.
July 20, 2025
In common with The Castle of Wolfenbach, this novel is set in Germany, but the narrative takes the form of journals and letters. Count Renauld is the father of Rhodophil and Ferdinand. He also has two daughters by his mistress and it is the youngest of these, Claudina, whom Ferdiand unknowingly marries in secret, resulting in his father’s displeasure. Although the father forgives Ferdinand on his deathbed and makes a new will, this is covered up by Rhodophil.
Louisa’s tale highlights the traditional vulnerability of women when she falls for the charming Count Wolfran. Married in secret and forced to adopt a false name to prevent his father’s discovery of the marriage, she can not prove her claim. Eugenia’s tale is similar, as her father refuses permission for her to marry Count M and forces her to marry the Baron. However, on their wedding night, she runs away and the Baron pursues her, seeking his revenge on both her and the Count.
Ferdinand, in order to provide for his family, enlists in the army and is captured by the Turks. This not only allows the author to comment on the Roman Empire and how a great civilisation was destroyed through greed and corruption, but the differing customs of the East compared to the West. Helli explains how custom limits women’s freedoms and the view that reading and information make wives deceive and betray their husbands. Ferdinand advocates the alternative view that undue restrictions by a husband or parent only result in vices which they would seek to avoid.
Louisa’s tale highlights the traditional vulnerability of women when she falls for the charming Count Wolfran. Married in secret and forced to adopt a false name to prevent his father’s discovery of the marriage, she can not prove her claim. Eugenia’s tale is similar, as her father refuses permission for her to marry Count M and forces her to marry the Baron. However, on their wedding night, she runs away and the Baron pursues her, seeking his revenge on both her and the Count.
Ferdinand, in order to provide for his family, enlists in the army and is captured by the Turks. This not only allows the author to comment on the Roman Empire and how a great civilisation was destroyed through greed and corruption, but the differing customs of the East compared to the West. Helli explains how custom limits women’s freedoms and the view that reading and information make wives deceive and betray their husbands. Ferdinand advocates the alternative view that undue restrictions by a husband or parent only result in vices which they would seek to avoid.
August 29, 2015
Interminable is about the only word for this book. It is a never ending story about terrible things happening to innocent lovers, but don't worry, it all turns out for the best. For everyone, even the ones that die.
May 31, 2018
This was a very good story, with a protagonist that was consistent and up-standing. It was a very long story, at times meandering, and everything fit together in the end just like a good gothic novel should.
June 10, 2024
Read 5 of 7 of the list of titles of "horrid novels" that Isabella Thorpe gives to Catherine Morland in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Can I just say that I really wish Eliza Parsons books were more readily available? She's the only author whose writing appears twice on this famous list of novels (the other book being The Castle of Wolfenbach) and both of them have been top tier books in the Gothic Romance genre. While this one falls just under The Castle of Wolfenbach in my estimation due to the fact that certain parts of the story do overstay their welcome, it was still a fun read and one that easily kept my interest.
In this work we follow a younger brother named Ferdinand who is unknowingly being withheld from his rightful inheritance by a seemingly benevolent older brother and upon disappointment in his marriage, he sets out to ease his mind with the diversion of travel in unfamiliar areas. The story is mostly about the people he meets who also share with him their tales of woe and misfortune. While I have read similar stories in this vein that were tiresome (namely Horrid Mysteries), this one had a likeable lead hero and the people he comes across in his travels are endearing and worthy friends. There are even some notably funny parts that got an audible chuckle from me, mostly regarding Ferdinand's obliviousness toward the romantic feelings of one of his acquaintance and his appropriating her feelings to another of their friend group. It goes on a long while and is a total facepalm sequence for the reader because she's not being subtle at all.
The only thing that made Wolfenbach just a smidge more enjoyable was, as I said before, certain parts of this story go on for longer than they need to do. While everything ends up tying into the life story of Ferdinand in oddly spider web entangling ways, the meandering side roads we have to take to get there had more bends than were needed at times.
I really do think that Eliza Parsons must have been a genuine favorite writer of Austen's though, and not just because her work shows up twice on this infamous list. In Wolfenbach, there is a character that I'm pretty sure was a strong influence on the development Austen's character of Isabella Thorpe, and there is long introspective moral speech at the end of Mysterious Warning about how the treatment of parents toward their children's chosen spouses and the responses children have toward a parent's ambitions can color the future happiness of a couple's married life. Austen's final words from her narrator in Northanger Abbey seem to pay homage to this ending while also questioning its overall point. Austen obviously took a lot of Parson's writing into her head and enjoyed it enough to want to both pay homage to and turn a lot of Parson's ideas and morals on their heads.
If you're a fan of Gothic Romance and want to read a rare novel in that genre with a hero main character that's not a total cad, then I recommend this one. While the main character doesn't have any romantic moments until near the end of the final volume, he hears the love stories of many other people and they're all fascinating. And those stories combined into one heck of a page turner.
In this work we follow a younger brother named Ferdinand who is unknowingly being withheld from his rightful inheritance by a seemingly benevolent older brother and upon disappointment in his marriage, he sets out to ease his mind with the diversion of travel in unfamiliar areas. The story is mostly about the people he meets who also share with him their tales of woe and misfortune. While I have read similar stories in this vein that were tiresome (namely Horrid Mysteries), this one had a likeable lead hero and the people he comes across in his travels are endearing and worthy friends. There are even some notably funny parts that got an audible chuckle from me, mostly regarding Ferdinand's obliviousness toward the romantic feelings of one of his acquaintance and his appropriating her feelings to another of their friend group. It goes on a long while and is a total facepalm sequence for the reader because she's not being subtle at all.
The only thing that made Wolfenbach just a smidge more enjoyable was, as I said before, certain parts of this story go on for longer than they need to do. While everything ends up tying into the life story of Ferdinand in oddly spider web entangling ways, the meandering side roads we have to take to get there had more bends than were needed at times.
I really do think that Eliza Parsons must have been a genuine favorite writer of Austen's though, and not just because her work shows up twice on this infamous list. In Wolfenbach, there is a character that I'm pretty sure was a strong influence on the development Austen's character of Isabella Thorpe, and there is long introspective moral speech at the end of Mysterious Warning about how the treatment of parents toward their children's chosen spouses and the responses children have toward a parent's ambitions can color the future happiness of a couple's married life. Austen's final words from her narrator in Northanger Abbey seem to pay homage to this ending while also questioning its overall point. Austen obviously took a lot of Parson's writing into her head and enjoyed it enough to want to both pay homage to and turn a lot of Parson's ideas and morals on their heads.
If you're a fan of Gothic Romance and want to read a rare novel in that genre with a hero main character that's not a total cad, then I recommend this one. While the main character doesn't have any romantic moments until near the end of the final volume, he hears the love stories of many other people and they're all fascinating. And those stories combined into one heck of a page turner.
July 21, 2023
Five things about The Mysterious Warning by Eliza Parsons 📚📚📚📚📚
1. This was so fun! Two brothers, a mysterious warning, a missing wife and child, a journey to undergo, castles and dark corners galore. Truly deserving of the Austen distinction “horrid mystery.”
2. This edition includes a letter from the author reassuring the public that her chilling tales are appropriate for polite society. That she is a mother herself and wouldn’t mind her daughters reading her work. I love this inclusion in light of the way Austen lists this title by name among the “horrid mysteries” in Northanger Abbey, because it really makes one feel like part of that 200+ year old conversation.
3. Last year I read a different title by this author and found it a little bit confusing…like a yes, and …story told by middle schoolers. This book had none of that. By the time Parsons was writing this, she’d really tightened up her plots.
4. It’s still a very wild ride! One needs to suspend reality for utmost enjoyment but that’s not too hard to do with a story this entertaining.
5. Highly recommend this readable gothic work. Parsons should be sitting on the shelf with the likes of Radcliffe.
1. This was so fun! Two brothers, a mysterious warning, a missing wife and child, a journey to undergo, castles and dark corners galore. Truly deserving of the Austen distinction “horrid mystery.”
2. This edition includes a letter from the author reassuring the public that her chilling tales are appropriate for polite society. That she is a mother herself and wouldn’t mind her daughters reading her work. I love this inclusion in light of the way Austen lists this title by name among the “horrid mysteries” in Northanger Abbey, because it really makes one feel like part of that 200+ year old conversation.
3. Last year I read a different title by this author and found it a little bit confusing…like a yes, and …story told by middle schoolers. This book had none of that. By the time Parsons was writing this, she’d really tightened up her plots.
4. It’s still a very wild ride! One needs to suspend reality for utmost enjoyment but that’s not too hard to do with a story this entertaining.
5. Highly recommend this readable gothic work. Parsons should be sitting on the shelf with the likes of Radcliffe.
June 8, 2025
Parsons, Eliza - The Mysterious Warning
Ferdinand, impetuous youth, marries the impoverished yet lovely Claudina, against the expressed wishes of his father, the Count.
He is swiftly disinherited, casting he and Claudina adrift in the cruel world.
The best course of action seems to join the Emperor’s regiment against the Turks.
Where, he is injured and imprisoned.
Meanwhile, half-brother Rhodophil pleads his case, or so he says, all while seducing the lovely Claudina, causing servants to whisper, “she’s now a-breeding”.
Sprawling novel thumps across the continent from manor to castle.
Barons and counts, thieves and rogues, misunderstood hearts and treachery.
While not what I would call a thumping good read, it does entertain, amidst a lot of soap opera revelations and tangled relations.
I blame Jane Austen for this, my initial entry into her “horrid novels”.
Read, if you have leisure, and a taste for extended prose.
Note: the observation of ancient Rome is unsettling.
Ferdinand, impetuous youth, marries the impoverished yet lovely Claudina, against the expressed wishes of his father, the Count.
He is swiftly disinherited, casting he and Claudina adrift in the cruel world.
The best course of action seems to join the Emperor’s regiment against the Turks.
Where, he is injured and imprisoned.
Meanwhile, half-brother Rhodophil pleads his case, or so he says, all while seducing the lovely Claudina, causing servants to whisper, “she’s now a-breeding”.
Sprawling novel thumps across the continent from manor to castle.
Barons and counts, thieves and rogues, misunderstood hearts and treachery.
While not what I would call a thumping good read, it does entertain, amidst a lot of soap opera revelations and tangled relations.
I blame Jane Austen for this, my initial entry into her “horrid novels”.
Read, if you have leisure, and a taste for extended prose.
Note: the observation of ancient Rome is unsettling.
July 9, 2024
This is the third of seven "Horrid Novels" mentioned in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey." I think I enjoyed this book the most of the five and a half novels I have read in the series. It's striking in that the hero is a man even though the author is a woman. It just wasn't very common back in the day. Karen Morten's Introduction astutely notes that the hero, Rhodophil, is rather feminine in nature. The beginning of the book interested me the most. Rhodophil is cast out of his home and wanders aimlessly in the forest. One can almost hear the author, Eliza Parsons, thinking "Damn, but wouldn't it be awesome to have this kind of freedom? The novel eventually settles down into traditional gothic tropes, with random strangers filling pages with their tales of woes.
June 22, 2023
dnf'd.
it started off well but then got way too confusing and boring at the same time. all of the stories sound the same. none of the character are nice or sympathetic. i didn't care about the "mysterious warning" at all. maybe if it wasn't so lengthy, with scenes that really slowed the book down, i would have continued it. but it lost me around the second part where a lot of it feels like a deja-vu ... because it is.
it started off well but then got way too confusing and boring at the same time. all of the stories sound the same. none of the character are nice or sympathetic. i didn't care about the "mysterious warning" at all. maybe if it wasn't so lengthy, with scenes that really slowed the book down, i would have continued it. but it lost me around the second part where a lot of it feels like a deja-vu ... because it is.
February 15, 2022
Plenty of sinister betrayal and gothic shenanigans with even a possible ghost. I enjoyed the tragic main character and it was easy to treasure his friendships as much as he did.
Like a lot of gothic novels from this period, the story is more episodic than I like and I'm torn about the coincidences that drive everything. They're fun, but always threaten to become too much. It's not an issue of believability, but I did start to wonder if any person existed in the world who wasn't already connected to our hero and his troubles.
Like a lot of gothic novels from this period, the story is more episodic than I like and I'm torn about the coincidences that drive everything. They're fun, but always threaten to become too much. It's not an issue of believability, but I did start to wonder if any person existed in the world who wasn't already connected to our hero and his troubles.
November 10, 2019
Interesting start but it gets confusing because of all the similar characters and histories... It's way too long and drawn out and everything just comes together in the end so much more quickly than the rest of the book... I am glad it's finally over!
June 6, 2023
Talk about confusing! The interrelationships between so many of the characters is rather hard to keep up with.
Get your scorecard - can't tell who's who without one.
Get your scorecard - can't tell who's who without one.
Read
December 21, 2023The author of this book is really incredible, his way of expressing himself is so perfect.
July 11, 2021
A wonderful gothic sensation novel.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews