The Animated Skeleton

by Anonymous

Set in France during the Dark Ages, where the good Count Richard has mysteriously disappeared and the usurper Albert and his evil wife Brunchilda reign tyrannically in his place, The Animated Skeleton is a masterpiece of Gothic horror. Brunchilda has marked out the unfortunate peasants Jacquemar and Grodern for her vengeance, but her plots will be foiled by the animated skeleton that haunts the castle, a skeleton which just may hold the key to Richard's fate A bestseller when first published in 1798, The Animated Skeleton features an unusual blend of horror and dark comedy unlike any other Gothic novel. This edition, the first in more than two centuries, includes a new foreword and notes to put the novel in context for modern readers.

Genres: Classics, Horror, Gothic, Fiction, Literature

132 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1798

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Marguerite · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars.

This book is wild - it throws EVERYTHING at the reader. Immediate reread to process such a plot. Enjoyable writing style - very easy to read!!

RE-READ:
Splendid! Fun re-read.

I found this book absolutely delightful and so glad that I've stumbled across the Minerva Press reprints. I was impressed to find that, despite this being an original Gothic novel of the late 18th century, that the language was really clear to read and I had no difficulty becoming emerged within the story.

The plot is just fantastic (and so wild!) and Valancourt Books keep the original two volume format, so where the story 'pauses' is rather interesting too! All the characters were great and the last twenty pages are hilarious as everything is revealed in such quick succession. I found the use of ghosts rather comical within the plot (mainly that there gets to the point where people die, come back as 'ghosts' and no one seems disturbed by this at all!!).

If you are already a fan of the Gothic, then definitely pick this, or one of the original Minerva Press novels up - I've ordered a few more from Valancourt Books and can't wait to dive in soon!!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

That poisoned dagger was intended for Duke Albert, said the Count, in case I could not force him to drink of the cup which I had prepared for him.

Infernal villain! exclaimed Grimoald, who had heard his speech; I would this minute kill thee, and banish thy vile soul from the earth which thou emcumberest, wert thou not reserved for greater torments.

I scorn thy threats, vain boaster, replied the Count: I will not exist one moment beyond my own pleasure: thou mayest kill, but thou canst not keep me alive....

etc. Pure Gothic Pulp, speedily written, to be speedily read, by candlelight.

[Warren Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

About as Gothic as it gets...

A dark, unused wing of a vast castle hides a secret to a murder. Hiding in the shadows is a living skeleton out to avenge a past wrong. Meanwhile, all kinds of melodramatic political intrigues and forbidden romances are going on. What could be more Gothic than this?

So if you are a fan of this subgenre of early horror, you will love this. On my end, I certainly appreciate the atmosphere these kinds of tales evokes, but this one was a bit amateurish, with so many shoehorned asides, reveals, and plot-twists found in the most awkward places that it felt like an adolescent child wrote this. But this did add to the charm. Overall, I think most will enjoy reading this little gem of Gothic horror that hasn't been printed in two centuries until now.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The charm of this novel is its similarity to the many other novels which were published between 1790 until about 1820 by Minerva Press. If you are a fan of the First Gothics, I definitely recommend it.

[Karen Kohoutek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Great short introduction to historical Gothic fiction, with both some real creepy stuff, a surprising amount of sarcastic humor, and all the tropes we know and love, jam-packed in one slim volume. Thanks, Valancourt Books!

[Signor Mambrino]

I think the fact that this book was republished after 200 years is cool, but the writing here is absolute garbage by any standards. Truly awful stuff.

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how everyone was like yeah, that ghost just lives here now, and focused on the drama. Surprisingly funny and easy to read, but I wish it had had a cast of characters in the front.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly funny. Loved the taunting by the ghost. Great twists and plot deviations. The characters were like-able. I felt genuine fear for some characters fates.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short book, but its choppy writing makes it difficult to follow. It also has absolutely no reason to squeeze in so many dull characters, and except for the unhinged Brunchilda and frail Hildegarde I struggled to keep track of who was who. The atmosphere is undoubtedly gothic, though.

[Dylan Eichholtz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I'm not quite sure what to say about this one: I wouldn't describe it as "good" in any sense of the word, but I sure was entertained!

Trying to explain the plot of The Animated Skeleton is an exercise in futility, the first characters we meet have only the most tenuous of connections to the actual plot. Even then the internal logic and timeline is so convoluted that there's really no hope of understanding exactly what's going on at any particular time. Things are further confounded by the preponderance of characters with similar sounding names, Richard, Raymond, Edgar, Edward, Albert, Hubert, Brunchilda, Hildegarde, etc.

So yeah this is an awful novel by all current metrics, but I read it in a day. Why, because it's surprisingly funny! I'm half convinced this book is the 18th century equivalent of bad-on-purpose parody fan fiction. A masked knight gets stuck in a bog(?) and gets mocked by both his comrades and the ghosts!

Thank you Valancourt books and [redacted, Bezos can choke] for bringing this wonderful piece of pulp trash to my attention. I will cherish this novel for years to come whenever I feel sad.

[Jeneé · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can tell this book was writen by someone who wasn't a real author. It's choppy, very hard to get through and is extremly confusing. It seems like the whole first part of the book doesn't really have anything to do with the plot, and then finally by the end the real story starts and it is easier to understand. But I will deffinitly have to read it over again to maybe get what the book is actually about. It was written so badly that I couldn't consentrate on the story and kept getting distracted by something. The story itself because it's so confusing is not very captivating, and leaves out important details or just doesn't explain someting all together. I don't even know why someone thought it would be a good idea to publish this book. And what bothers me even more is that I found this title on a list of great gothic horror classics. I guess I'll just have to read it again.

[Jessica Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is some prime Gothic romance and is a great place to start if you want to try the genre because it is short (if hella confusing, which is a staple of the genre). My favorite character was Brunchilda, who in addition to being stab-happy and vengeful, commits many of the cardinal Gothic feminine sins, such as being way too hot and probably cleavage-y, wanting to bone-down on a sexy younger man, and, worst of all, being a super-shitty mother to her perfect, modest daughter. Will said daughter be rewarded for her virtue by fainting a bunch and then hooking up with the aforementioned sexy younger man? I would never spoil the ending because like a Gothic heroine, I am saintly and prone to getting kidnapped by people who may or may not be ghosts.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first foray into Valancourt books, which reprints old Gothic novels (and other stuff). Not too bad, this was originally published in the 1790s so it isn't exactly accessible. Still, plenty of gothic atmosphere and a decent story.