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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Strange Tales
The original story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde along with Markheim, Thrawn Janet, Olalla, The Body-snatcher, The Bottle Imp and The Isle of Voices
203 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1886
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About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson
6,918 books6,965 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 93 reviews
September 25, 2018
My first experience actually reading Stevenson. Brilliant all around. I obviously knew the basic premise of Jekyll and Hyde but it still had me on the edge of my seat. Few books have seeped into the global collective consciousness, but with this one I'm not at all surprised by its immortal status. The inner turmoil of good-versus-evil is delivered perfectly, creating unnerving dual sympathy (and horror) for man and monster. A great premise is often bogged down by filler, but not here. Stevenson keeps it a crisp 70 pages that are all as tight as piano wire.
Not sure if every edition is the same, but the other stories in this collection are The Body Snatcher, The Bottle Imp, Markheim, and Weir of Hermiston. Weir of Hermiston, an incomplete work-in-progress that was published after RLS's death, is the only dud of the bunch. Couldn't get into that one at all, but the other three stories are excellent. The whole penny dreadful era is rich with moral dilemmas and supernatural symbolism. Right up my alley! Will definitely be reading more Stevenson short stories and novels.
Not sure if every edition is the same, but the other stories in this collection are The Body Snatcher, The Bottle Imp, Markheim, and Weir of Hermiston. Weir of Hermiston, an incomplete work-in-progress that was published after RLS's death, is the only dud of the bunch. Couldn't get into that one at all, but the other three stories are excellent. The whole penny dreadful era is rich with moral dilemmas and supernatural symbolism. Right up my alley! Will definitely be reading more Stevenson short stories and novels.
January 31, 2018
من يقرأ هذه الرواية يعلم ان الشر كامن في كل انسان ينتظر الفرصة ليثب من جديد على اقرب ضحية. الطبيب جيكل حين جرب على نفسه هذا المصل الساحر كان يريد ان يثبت لنفسه ان الشر لا وجود له فقام بحقن نفسه بالمصل ليظهر هايد الشخص المخيف الذي اثار رعب الجميع
من اروع الروايات التي قرأته تشمل كل شيء
حب تشويق اثارة غموض حبكة ثم نهاية مفجعة
لا بد للجميع ان يقرأها
من اروع الروايات التي قرأته تشمل كل شيء
حب تشويق اثارة غموض حبكة ثم نهاية مفجعة
لا بد للجميع ان يقرأها
July 11, 2025
"I am careless; this is my true hour of death, and what is to follow concerns another than myself"
truly one deeply indulgent story
(will be reading Markheim asap!!)
truly one deeply indulgent story
(will be reading Markheim asap!!)
October 13, 2019
4* for "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
2.5* for all the other short stories
I really enjoyed the main story, which was the original purpose behind me buying this collection of short stories. Whilst it was a little bit waffly at times, and probably could have been done in 50 pages as opposed to 70, I really loved it. I predicted the big twist, however it still came as a shock due to the morbidity of its nature.
As for the short stories, I just found them all far too long for such simple stories. Whilst I liked the premise of each of the stories, I just found them quite tedious to read, because even thought hey were only 20-30 pages each, they were just these huge, 2-3 page long paragraphs, with a twist in the final paragraph each time. For such huge expanses of waffle and description, the pay off was never quite that worth it.
"Treasure Island" is one of my favourite classic novels, and I think I am definitely still partial to that over these shorter stories, which was a bit of a disappointment considering my previous like for Stevenson's work, and the strong start with Jekyll and Hyde.
2.5* for all the other short stories
I really enjoyed the main story, which was the original purpose behind me buying this collection of short stories. Whilst it was a little bit waffly at times, and probably could have been done in 50 pages as opposed to 70, I really loved it. I predicted the big twist, however it still came as a shock due to the morbidity of its nature.
As for the short stories, I just found them all far too long for such simple stories. Whilst I liked the premise of each of the stories, I just found them quite tedious to read, because even thought hey were only 20-30 pages each, they were just these huge, 2-3 page long paragraphs, with a twist in the final paragraph each time. For such huge expanses of waffle and description, the pay off was never quite that worth it.
"Treasure Island" is one of my favourite classic novels, and I think I am definitely still partial to that over these shorter stories, which was a bit of a disappointment considering my previous like for Stevenson's work, and the strong start with Jekyll and Hyde.
July 18, 2021
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) wrote several “weird” stories as well as adventure tales like Treasure Island. This volume collects five of them.
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” starts us off with the adventures of Mr. Utterson, attorney at law. A respectable lawyer, he’s concerned about the fact that his old friend Dr. Henry Jekyll has recently changed his will to name a Edward Hyde as his heir in case of the chemist’s death…or disappearance. Especially since all he hears of this Hyde fellow is disturbing, suggesting the man is evil.
Utterson and Jekyll’s mutual friend Dr. Lanyon may know something, but he’s not willing to discuss it, beyond that he and Jekyll have had a falling out.
Eventually, Mr. Hyde becomes a known murderer, and Dr. Jekyll claims to have cut ties with him, but it’s soon clear that things are worse than ever. Finally, Utterson forces the issue, and learns the hideous truth.
Of course, unless you have come to this blog by a very peculiar set of circumstances, you already know what’s up. There was both good and evil in Henry Jekyll, and he wanted to separate them out, starting with an all-evil version of himself, which became Edward Hyde. At first this was freeing, allowing Hyde to enjoy all his brutish impulses without affecting Jekyll’s tender conscience, but too late the scientist realizes that his “evil side” is a part of him that doesn’t go away so easily.
Content note: cruelty to children, suicide.
There have been many adaptations of this story which don’t bother with the mystery aspect, and the idea that you could separate out evil from good in a person’s personality remains a powerful fantasy/metaphor.
“The Body Snatcher” is the tale of Fettes and McFarlane, who were fellow medical students back in the day. At the time, custom and law made it difficult to legally obtain corpses to dissect. So part of their job is to purchase corpses from persons who present same, without asking questions about where they came from. Which is okay with Fettes, until he starts recognizing some of the bodies. Eventually, the two have to resort to their own grave robbery, but something horrific happens.
The story is told in retrospect, so we know Fettes survived, but he’s become a hard drinker. The ending is a bit of a shocker. This one became a Boris Karloff movie.
“The Bottle Imp” features the Hawaiian sailor the narrator calls Keawe (name changed to protect the innocent), who visits the exotic city of San Francisco. There he sees a very fine house, and is induced by the owner to purchase an item which will allow Keawe to have a nice house of his own. It is a bottle that contains an imp from Hell, that will grant your wishes.
As is customary with such items, it’s got a few drawbacks. The most concerning is that if you die while you still own the bottle, you will be damned to Hell. (Not dying is not one of the wishes available.) You cannot give the bottle away or have it stolen, and the next person must buy it for less than you paid, in coined money. If after you sell the bottle, you ever become discontented with what you have, you will suffer disaster and die.
Keawe uses the bottle as wisely as he can, but after he has obtained his fine house and sold the bottle, he falls in love with the beautiful and clever Kokua. This desire triggers a slow but inevitable disaster, forcing Keawe to seek out the bottle once more. This works, and he is free to marry Kokua, but the price of the bottle has fallen drastically; how are our lovers going to avoid one of them going to Hell?
One of the interesting things about this 1891 story is that it didn’t have to make the protagonists native Hawaiians. There’s nothing in the plotline that requires it, but Mr. Stevenson did so anyway. They’re not treated as stupid or savage, or less than white people (who are haole in this story.) This is, alas, far better treatment than was standard in British or American literature of the time.
Ethnic prejudice isn’t absent, though. What is apparently leprosy is referred to as “the Chinese Evil.”
This one hasn’t been turned into a major movie, which is perhaps a good thing as Hollywood would probably have whitewashed it.
“Markheim” is a Christmas story, in the great British tradition of spooky holiday tales. The title character murders a pawnbroker on Christmas morning in an effort to steal his money. While he’s looking for the cash, Markheim is confronted by a fellow who may be the Devil, who offers to help. They fall into a dialogue about good and evil, and whether it’s possible for humans to choose their fate. Perhaps it is impossible for Markheim to make a permanent reformation, but just maybe his will not to fall further evil will be enough.
This is my least favorite of the complete stories.
“Weir of Hermiston” is strange primarily because it’s only the first half of a novel, left unfinished at Stevenson’s death. There are hints that something eerie was about to occur, but the finished portion is a biography of Archie Weir, who becomes “laird” of Hermiston, an estate in the Border Counties of Scotland.
His father is a hanging judge, and Archie makes the mistake of coming out against capital punishment in public. This removes his chances of becoming a lawyer, and so he’s exiled to their country estate to do the best he can to manage it. Archie meets and falls for his cousin by marriage, Christina “Kirstie” Elliott, but their courtship is secret.
Archie’s classmate from law school, Frank Innes, runs into some financial difficulties and invites himself to a long stay at Hermiston. His loose tongue and prying nature precipitate a crisis in Archie and Christina’s relationship. From the prologue, it’s believed “Francie” became a ghost, but just how that might have happened we will never know.
This one is difficult to read, as there’s considerable use of Scots dialect, broadly in the dialogue, but some in the narration as well.
The pace is rather slow, with the various characters being developed as having both good and ill personality traits, which make navigating their relationships with others tricky. It touches on the marauding Borderers as being both criminals and yet a source of pride for their descendants.
It’s an interesting start, but not recommended for people who want satisfying conclusions.
Overall, this is a set of good stories that mostly can be found elsewhere–you might not otherwise find a good reprint of “Weir”. Recommended to Stevenson fans.
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” starts us off with the adventures of Mr. Utterson, attorney at law. A respectable lawyer, he’s concerned about the fact that his old friend Dr. Henry Jekyll has recently changed his will to name a Edward Hyde as his heir in case of the chemist’s death…or disappearance. Especially since all he hears of this Hyde fellow is disturbing, suggesting the man is evil.
Utterson and Jekyll’s mutual friend Dr. Lanyon may know something, but he’s not willing to discuss it, beyond that he and Jekyll have had a falling out.
Eventually, Mr. Hyde becomes a known murderer, and Dr. Jekyll claims to have cut ties with him, but it’s soon clear that things are worse than ever. Finally, Utterson forces the issue, and learns the hideous truth.
Of course, unless you have come to this blog by a very peculiar set of circumstances, you already know what’s up. There was both good and evil in Henry Jekyll, and he wanted to separate them out, starting with an all-evil version of himself, which became Edward Hyde. At first this was freeing, allowing Hyde to enjoy all his brutish impulses without affecting Jekyll’s tender conscience, but too late the scientist realizes that his “evil side” is a part of him that doesn’t go away so easily.
Content note: cruelty to children, suicide.
There have been many adaptations of this story which don’t bother with the mystery aspect, and the idea that you could separate out evil from good in a person’s personality remains a powerful fantasy/metaphor.
“The Body Snatcher” is the tale of Fettes and McFarlane, who were fellow medical students back in the day. At the time, custom and law made it difficult to legally obtain corpses to dissect. So part of their job is to purchase corpses from persons who present same, without asking questions about where they came from. Which is okay with Fettes, until he starts recognizing some of the bodies. Eventually, the two have to resort to their own grave robbery, but something horrific happens.
The story is told in retrospect, so we know Fettes survived, but he’s become a hard drinker. The ending is a bit of a shocker. This one became a Boris Karloff movie.
“The Bottle Imp” features the Hawaiian sailor the narrator calls Keawe (name changed to protect the innocent), who visits the exotic city of San Francisco. There he sees a very fine house, and is induced by the owner to purchase an item which will allow Keawe to have a nice house of his own. It is a bottle that contains an imp from Hell, that will grant your wishes.
As is customary with such items, it’s got a few drawbacks. The most concerning is that if you die while you still own the bottle, you will be damned to Hell. (Not dying is not one of the wishes available.) You cannot give the bottle away or have it stolen, and the next person must buy it for less than you paid, in coined money. If after you sell the bottle, you ever become discontented with what you have, you will suffer disaster and die.
Keawe uses the bottle as wisely as he can, but after he has obtained his fine house and sold the bottle, he falls in love with the beautiful and clever Kokua. This desire triggers a slow but inevitable disaster, forcing Keawe to seek out the bottle once more. This works, and he is free to marry Kokua, but the price of the bottle has fallen drastically; how are our lovers going to avoid one of them going to Hell?
One of the interesting things about this 1891 story is that it didn’t have to make the protagonists native Hawaiians. There’s nothing in the plotline that requires it, but Mr. Stevenson did so anyway. They’re not treated as stupid or savage, or less than white people (who are haole in this story.) This is, alas, far better treatment than was standard in British or American literature of the time.
Ethnic prejudice isn’t absent, though. What is apparently leprosy is referred to as “the Chinese Evil.”
This one hasn’t been turned into a major movie, which is perhaps a good thing as Hollywood would probably have whitewashed it.
“Markheim” is a Christmas story, in the great British tradition of spooky holiday tales. The title character murders a pawnbroker on Christmas morning in an effort to steal his money. While he’s looking for the cash, Markheim is confronted by a fellow who may be the Devil, who offers to help. They fall into a dialogue about good and evil, and whether it’s possible for humans to choose their fate. Perhaps it is impossible for Markheim to make a permanent reformation, but just maybe his will not to fall further evil will be enough.
This is my least favorite of the complete stories.
“Weir of Hermiston” is strange primarily because it’s only the first half of a novel, left unfinished at Stevenson’s death. There are hints that something eerie was about to occur, but the finished portion is a biography of Archie Weir, who becomes “laird” of Hermiston, an estate in the Border Counties of Scotland.
His father is a hanging judge, and Archie makes the mistake of coming out against capital punishment in public. This removes his chances of becoming a lawyer, and so he’s exiled to their country estate to do the best he can to manage it. Archie meets and falls for his cousin by marriage, Christina “Kirstie” Elliott, but their courtship is secret.
Archie’s classmate from law school, Frank Innes, runs into some financial difficulties and invites himself to a long stay at Hermiston. His loose tongue and prying nature precipitate a crisis in Archie and Christina’s relationship. From the prologue, it’s believed “Francie” became a ghost, but just how that might have happened we will never know.
This one is difficult to read, as there’s considerable use of Scots dialect, broadly in the dialogue, but some in the narration as well.
The pace is rather slow, with the various characters being developed as having both good and ill personality traits, which make navigating their relationships with others tricky. It touches on the marauding Borderers as being both criminals and yet a source of pride for their descendants.
It’s an interesting start, but not recommended for people who want satisfying conclusions.
Overall, this is a set of good stories that mostly can be found elsewhere–you might not otherwise find a good reprint of “Weir”. Recommended to Stevenson fans.
May 4, 2024
The original story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson was brilliant. His writing is exquisite; following a few of his short stories. The Isle of Voices, The Bottle Imp (my favorite of the few), Thrawn Janet, and Olalla. Full of mystery, murder, and, of course, separate personality. It is worth a read!
November 6, 2015
This edition had 5 short stories. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was excellent. Even though I already knew about the relationship between the two title characters, the story was new to me and I really got caught up in it. "The Body Snatchers" was just ok; it left me a little indifferent. "The Bottle Imp" could have been better. I found the ending was way too convenient. I really enjoyed "Markheim". It takes you through the thought process of a man with a guilty conscience, which I found very interesting. And finally, the last story was the "Weir of Hermiston". The first 3 chapters were really really good, but then the dialog became too difficult to understand, so I'm not at all sure what was happening towards the end. It's also incomplete, because the author passed away before finishing the story.
2021-dnf
April 26, 2021I know I can't get through this book physically because of how painful the writing style is. I might check out just Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on an audiobook though since people won't shut the fuck up about this story.
November 30, 2021
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. One of those ones that everyone knows the story without having read it. I decided to finally read it and enjoyed this dark horror story about the duality of human nature. Set in a rather eerie Victorian London, this novella is on par with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Stevenson was a phenomenal storyteller and this was a perfect 'Spooktober' read.
The Body Snatcher. Another dark and chilling short-story based on the Burke and Hare murders in 1828 Edinburgh.
Markheim. This was reminiscent of A Christmas Carol: a spirit appears and engages in discussion with our antagonist, Markheim, on being good and being evil. What makes a good person turn to evil? Is a person who has turned to evil forever at its mercy or is it possible to be good again? Another interesting and timeless social commentary on good vs. evil as we see in Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde.
Weir of Hermiston. This drama reminiscent of Wuthering Heights with its atmosphere, characters and period of time. Today, we have the millennials challenging the boomers, all that's changed is that we give these generations a name. In Weir of Hermiston we see a young man, Archie Weir, challenge his father's actions and take a stand for what he believes to be right. Through the lense of a trusted mentor and father-like figure, Archie beings to perceive the nuances in judgement and understand that things aren't quite as black and white as he sees them. During a period of reflection away from the city, two women find themselves falling for Archie but only one has his attention. At times, it was hard to read given the old English and also, old Scottish; I gave up on trying to understand what some of the characters were saying! This is also an unfinished work so the ending trails off and there is no satisfaction, only your imagination.
I've really enjoyed reading more short stories from Robert Louis Stevenson who is an undeniable fantastic author. Of course, I have a special appreciation for him because at the time he wrote many of his works, they were 'controversial' and publishers would either refuse to print or change his stories beyond recognition. What was then controversial is now accepted without question. Stevenson brings every place and character to life uniquely and distinctly. Each story is a fable with something we can appreciate some 200 years on.
The Body Snatcher. Another dark and chilling short-story based on the Burke and Hare murders in 1828 Edinburgh.
Markheim. This was reminiscent of A Christmas Carol: a spirit appears and engages in discussion with our antagonist, Markheim, on being good and being evil. What makes a good person turn to evil? Is a person who has turned to evil forever at its mercy or is it possible to be good again? Another interesting and timeless social commentary on good vs. evil as we see in Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde.
Weir of Hermiston. This drama reminiscent of Wuthering Heights with its atmosphere, characters and period of time. Today, we have the millennials challenging the boomers, all that's changed is that we give these generations a name. In Weir of Hermiston we see a young man, Archie Weir, challenge his father's actions and take a stand for what he believes to be right. Through the lense of a trusted mentor and father-like figure, Archie beings to perceive the nuances in judgement and understand that things aren't quite as black and white as he sees them. During a period of reflection away from the city, two women find themselves falling for Archie but only one has his attention. At times, it was hard to read given the old English and also, old Scottish; I gave up on trying to understand what some of the characters were saying! This is also an unfinished work so the ending trails off and there is no satisfaction, only your imagination.
I've really enjoyed reading more short stories from Robert Louis Stevenson who is an undeniable fantastic author. Of course, I have a special appreciation for him because at the time he wrote many of his works, they were 'controversial' and publishers would either refuse to print or change his stories beyond recognition. What was then controversial is now accepted without question. Stevenson brings every place and character to life uniquely and distinctly. Each story is a fable with something we can appreciate some 200 years on.
July 24, 2021
I liked the language in the book, as well as the exploration of psychological concepts. The doctor is obviously trying to compartmentalize his desires to avoid the cognitive dissonance of living out all of them. I know this story is used to exemplify various psychological theories today. I just love when writers address psychological issues in a frank way from a religious or otherwise non-scientific perspective. The premise of creating two identities in one person was exciting, although I had thought it would be two bodies from one, like an evil clone kind of thing, before I read it. The story was boring to start, warmed up, but fell flat kind of quick. I appreciated the religious aspect of being able to fully degrade your morals but not being able to fully purify yourself to the point of perfection. Humans have to act in self interest to survive, not that that was his reasoning for that inclusion. That's an idea that I think people would benefit from being reminded of. However, I felt the character, through his narration at the end, was too generous with his moral assessment of a man. His life was "nine tenths a life of effort, virtue, and control," but his "pleasures were (to say the least) undignified." The time he would have spent on "undignified" leisure, thinking about that leisure, and rationalizing or excusing it to himself would not have amounted to less than 10% of his life by any means. I know an author saying something through a character does not mean that they think what's being said is moral. But, this story is trying to deliver a moral message to the reader. The "90% good life" issue, and the fact that he kept bringing up how well known and respected Dr. Jekyll was, as a reason why he should stop his amoral behavior was making me feel like I was reading a story where he was trying to excuse his own poor behavior by the end of it. I forgot the book had other stories in it and didn't think it was over when I finished reading, so of course the framing had something to do with my expectations, but I wanted more from it when I was done.
I read a couple of the other stories and have less to say of them. I think I would have liked them more as a child. He keeps creating these levels of suspense, but deflates it without impact.
I read a couple of the other stories and have less to say of them. I think I would have liked them more as a child. He keeps creating these levels of suspense, but deflates it without impact.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2024
This was my first experience reading any prose from Stevenson. I've enjoyed his "Children's Garden of Verses" many times, and this certainly has quite a different flavor! "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was very well written and intriguing. The other short stories were interesting as well, but they didn't quite capture my attention as much as the first. "The Isle of Voices" and "The Bottle Imp" were reminiscent of certain Andrew Lang fairy stories. "Olalla" had a plot twist I didn't see coming. "Thrawn Janet" was difficult to get into and really enjoy being written in Scot dialect. After a while, it wasn't bothersome. "Markheim" was thought-provoking. "The Body Snatcher" was decent, but not my favorite.
October 9, 2025
My fav was the short story Bodysnatcher, it was spooky. The bottle imp and markheim were okay. Dr Jekyll went exactly as expected, nothing revolutionary but maybe at its time it was. Weir of Hermiston was the most challenging read but the plot was intriguing nonetheless.
Read
October 6, 2023another i’m so happy to finally have read!
i didn’t know this one was as short as it was but i loved the story and the audio i listened to was amazing!
i didn’t know this one was as short as it was but i loved the story and the audio i listened to was amazing!
October 10, 2024
5 stars overall!
I really enjoyed this collection of stories! I haven't read anything by Robert Louis Stevenson before this, and I knew very little about the contents of this book beforehand. The reason I read this one was, of course, for the title story The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde but the other stories (excluding the last one) were just as entertaining and a much-appreciated addition to this book.
I absolutely love this author's writing. Like other books I've read from around this time, the writing is much more beautiful and delicate than novels written nowadays. That being said, the content of these stories was by no means "delicate." Each one was dark in its own way, and each explored humans battling with inner good and evil, as well as having to live with bad choices they make.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - 5 stars!
For me, this was the best story in this collection, but that was to be expected; it is one of this author's most famous tales. I really enjoyed this story. I love the way it was told; the narration kept the suspense and mystery intact and I believe the POV was switched at the perfect moment. It was masterful writing. It's such a fantastic classic horror story. Dark and atmospheric, it's definitely one I'd like to re-read next spooky season!
The Body Snatcher - 5 stars
The 2nd story of this collection was excellent!!! The horror was subtle, focusing more on the evil of humans, and then, right when it needed to, it took a chilling turn. I think this one ended perfectly. For only being 20 pages long, I felt like it was the perfect length. It didn't need to be even a sentence longer!
The Bottle Imp - 5 stars
This was the 2nd best story in this book, following closely behind the titular story. I loved this one so much!! Such a twisted and riveting tale. Wicked and thought-provoking, it put forth a few interesting questions: What if you could have everything you wanted by making a deal with the devil? Paradise whilst you live, but hell for eternity after? This one had such a sinister premise that was executed exceptionally well. I loved the narration, the plot, and the characters. It took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It had so many ups and downs, I could not predict how it was going to end. The ending, for me, was very satisfying. All of it was perfect. It was hair-raising and just what I was looking for in horror month!
Markheim - 5 stars
I thought this story was very clever. An exploration of the human conscience and morals, bringing horror to what is the most magical day of the year - Christmas Day. This one put me in mind of A Christmas Carol a bit - only a darker, more morbid version. It was pretty morbid from the get-go, but the turn it took gave me chills! I thought the main character's POV was so interesting. I loved reading his inner monologue in contrast to his actions.
Weir of Hermiston - no rating
I haven't much I want to say about this one. I contemplated leaving it completely out of my review. I'm not even considering it as being amongst these other fantastic dark tales. I found it quite boring, not horrifying in the slightest like the others were. I know it was an incomplete book at the time of the author's death, so I wasn't expecting a conclusion at all, but I didn't enjoy reading it. It was difficult to read due to the author's use of eye dialect. Usually, I don't mind this feature in a book, but in this instance, I found myself trying to decipher a majority of the conversations to the point where I was actually losing track of the story. Towards the end, I had to really refrain from skim reading. I finished it but felt no benefit from having read it. However, apart from the dialect, it was just as elegantly written as the other stories in this book. I can't fault that.
Overall, excluding the final tale in this collection, I thought all of the stories were amazing!! I would gladly read them again! They were entertaining, thought-provoking, and most importantly, in their own individual ways, they were chilling and perfectly suited to the horror genre.
I really enjoyed this collection of stories! I haven't read anything by Robert Louis Stevenson before this, and I knew very little about the contents of this book beforehand. The reason I read this one was, of course, for the title story The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde but the other stories (excluding the last one) were just as entertaining and a much-appreciated addition to this book.
I absolutely love this author's writing. Like other books I've read from around this time, the writing is much more beautiful and delicate than novels written nowadays. That being said, the content of these stories was by no means "delicate." Each one was dark in its own way, and each explored humans battling with inner good and evil, as well as having to live with bad choices they make.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - 5 stars!
For me, this was the best story in this collection, but that was to be expected; it is one of this author's most famous tales. I really enjoyed this story. I love the way it was told; the narration kept the suspense and mystery intact and I believe the POV was switched at the perfect moment. It was masterful writing. It's such a fantastic classic horror story. Dark and atmospheric, it's definitely one I'd like to re-read next spooky season!
The Body Snatcher - 5 stars
The 2nd story of this collection was excellent!!! The horror was subtle, focusing more on the evil of humans, and then, right when it needed to, it took a chilling turn. I think this one ended perfectly. For only being 20 pages long, I felt like it was the perfect length. It didn't need to be even a sentence longer!
The Bottle Imp - 5 stars
This was the 2nd best story in this book, following closely behind the titular story. I loved this one so much!! Such a twisted and riveting tale. Wicked and thought-provoking, it put forth a few interesting questions: What if you could have everything you wanted by making a deal with the devil? Paradise whilst you live, but hell for eternity after? This one had such a sinister premise that was executed exceptionally well. I loved the narration, the plot, and the characters. It took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It had so many ups and downs, I could not predict how it was going to end. The ending, for me, was very satisfying. All of it was perfect. It was hair-raising and just what I was looking for in horror month!
Markheim - 5 stars
I thought this story was very clever. An exploration of the human conscience and morals, bringing horror to what is the most magical day of the year - Christmas Day. This one put me in mind of A Christmas Carol a bit - only a darker, more morbid version. It was pretty morbid from the get-go, but the turn it took gave me chills! I thought the main character's POV was so interesting. I loved reading his inner monologue in contrast to his actions.
Weir of Hermiston - no rating
I haven't much I want to say about this one. I contemplated leaving it completely out of my review. I'm not even considering it as being amongst these other fantastic dark tales. I found it quite boring, not horrifying in the slightest like the others were. I know it was an incomplete book at the time of the author's death, so I wasn't expecting a conclusion at all, but I didn't enjoy reading it. It was difficult to read due to the author's use of eye dialect. Usually, I don't mind this feature in a book, but in this instance, I found myself trying to decipher a majority of the conversations to the point where I was actually losing track of the story. Towards the end, I had to really refrain from skim reading. I finished it but felt no benefit from having read it. However, apart from the dialect, it was just as elegantly written as the other stories in this book. I can't fault that.
Overall, excluding the final tale in this collection, I thought all of the stories were amazing!! I would gladly read them again! They were entertaining, thought-provoking, and most importantly, in their own individual ways, they were chilling and perfectly suited to the horror genre.
February 7, 2017
Yaa........
I didn't enjoy this at all.
I feel the modern day interpretations are better than the original
I get the message and theme from the book, but it didn't astound me in anyway
The writing was bland. Plot points were told to you in narration style (i.e 2 weeks ago, this happened). You would get "cliffhangers" only for it to never really be touched upon until the very end, the big reveal, a letter....... That's right. One letter explaining everything. Kind of killed what "suspense" the book had left.
I think the biggest problem was that horror genre from Victorian era is not as horrifying in compassion to how the people from the era acted, thought, and behaved to our modern day view. So you don't get scared from what might have scared an average person from that period. Ya?
The other short stories were strange, but strange as in they were not captivating and the only thing strange about them was how random it felt.........
IMO: A dull read on a dull Monday, bummer
I didn't enjoy this at all.
I feel the modern day interpretations are better than the original
I get the message and theme from the book, but it didn't astound me in anyway
The writing was bland. Plot points were told to you in narration style (i.e 2 weeks ago, this happened). You would get "cliffhangers" only for it to never really be touched upon until the very end, the big reveal, a letter....... That's right. One letter explaining everything. Kind of killed what "suspense" the book had left.
I think the biggest problem was that horror genre from Victorian era is not as horrifying in compassion to how the people from the era acted, thought, and behaved to our modern day view. So you don't get scared from what might have scared an average person from that period. Ya?
The other short stories were strange, but strange as in they were not captivating and the only thing strange about them was how random it felt.........
IMO: A dull read on a dull Monday, bummer
August 31, 2023
Maybe it’s because I’m familiar with the plot, but I found the Jekyll and Hyde story to be dull and dragging. I’m sure it was much more frightening and engaging in its own time, but I felt bored with it. As for the other short stories in the work, I was unfamiliar but still not particularly engaged. I guess Stevenson isn’t for me.
August 13, 2023
Dry and strangely paced but it's easy to see how it influenced the genre.
October 3, 2024
A classic depiction of addiction and consequences of choices. Hard to follow flow of language at times.
January 29, 2017
Novelist Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “the difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish”. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror, he accomplishes exactly what he wanted readers to feel when studying the pages of this book, by scaring, shocking, and almost piercing their souls as they read his words which give off a great deal of emotions. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror is an arrangement of eerie short stories written by Stevenson himself. Many of these short-stories are thrillers and tales of horror, as they contain either monstrous themes or psychologically thrilling themes. Many of these stories are set around the Victorian era in England, which is known for its many gothic qualities throughout this period in time, and due to this setting it creates an even spookier plot. The characters in these stories vary from actual living monsters to psychopathic humans, and can perhaps be called science experiments. Throughout these stories, Stevenson teaches us themes of ugliness in truth and appearances, for some of these characters can appear terrifying physically and mentally. All these stories, though different in context, have a great similarity: they all teach the same lesson. Throughout these stories, it is widely taught by Stevenson that something darker lurks deep down in what can seem beautiful and pure, and to not let looks deceive you.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the reader (by way of the point of view of a middle-aged lawyer called Mr. Utterson), who is the friend of Dr. Jekyll. He comes to learn of a man by the name of Mr. Hyde, an acquaintance of the doctor, who has such a frightening countenance that it is hard to describe by the characters. As Mr. Utterson comes to get acquainted with Hyde, a strange turn of events occur between Jekyll and Hyde, which get more frightening every minute as he learns that perhaps Jekyll and Hyde are closer than he thought. When Utterson uncovers the malicious, ugly truth, he finds himself completely dumbfounded as it was almost impossible to predict due to the caution Jekyll and Hyde took. In “The Body Snatcher”, it opens up to a tiny inn with a group of men sitting and drinking together as they usually did, until one day a Doctor Macfarlane comes in, causing one of the men by the name of Fettes to act hysterically towards Macfarlane, causing his friends conjure up a story as to why Fettes acted so. It is, however, the horrifying and gruesome story created by the narrator of this story, involving gruesome types of incriminating acts that Fettes and Macfarlane committed in their youth. The nice, old Fettes is explained to have had a much darker past, which no one could wholly predict as they read the story. Another short story called “Olalla” tells a story in the point of view of an unnamed British soldier who is sent to recuperate at a Spanish mansion after being ill. There, the narrator meets a not-so-bright Felipe (the son of the lady of the household), and the strangely alluring lady of the household which almost makes him fall into a certain trance, until he meets her eerily beautiful daughter named Olalla, who is not similar to the mother in looks but, as he describes, part of the same beautiful race that made them. The narrator describes how he fell in love with Olalla, and how every day it grew, but how it was challenged due to some horrendous and monstrous forces. When the unnamed narrator finds out, he found the reason to be was due to a secret Olalla had kept, which was much darker than he thought and was greatly fooled by her. Included in the book is an essay written by Stevenson himself, where he discusses the horrible nightmares he had growing up, which made him almost lead a double life when he was a young man. He would stop leading such a life and soon change as he would instead start to write about these dreams, which would become a basis to some of his stories; he claims that he is not responsible for his stories, but the minds of the “little people” who acted them out in his sleep; he tells us that his stories had a much deeper, and darker basis. To sum it up, all these stories give lessons that explain to not be fooled by appearances, and that sometimes the truth is much uglier and darker than one can expect.
In this compilation of short stories, Stevenson perfectly describes and paints a picture for each sentence in these tales. Stevenson describes the book with such a delicate ease and swiftness, that along with the suspense that is built with each phrase, he makes it easy for you to lose yourself in his writing. I cannot say, however, that each detail was perfect, due to the encounter of a few challenging phrases that may be hard to understand what Stevenson means at a first glance, and takes further study to wholly understand what he is trying to say. All in all, Stevenson has proved himself to be one of the greatest authors to be able to create such suspense, such terror, such a piercing feeling in one’s heart that many authors, who may be critically-acclaimed for their work, lack to portray in their language of writing.
I most definitely recommend these short stories to readers who fancy a mystery and who enjoy putting their head to the test in order to solve these monstrous, and psychologically frightening puzzles. Stevenson gives us these fascinating tales, with such beautiful language with a great easiness to it, that it is almost impossible to put the book down. Stevenson also teaches one not to trust someone, or something entirely based on one’s countenance, as deceiving as it may be. Though this arrangement of short stories may be alluring to some, I would not recommend them to people who do not enjoy mysteries and do not enjoy thinking too hard when reading books. In these short stories, one would feel quite bored since they would perhaps feel the plot was being dragged by Stevenson while he tries to build suspense.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror, Stevenson teaches the readers constantly to not judge a book by its cover, for something darker can be lurking deep down inside. Unlike any of Stevenson’s other works, such as Treasure Island, he paints a picture of mystery in these thrillers, instead of adventures. Stevenson, however, perfectly offers the world an example of what true mystery and horror books really are in this compilation of short stories. In “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, he teaches us that sometimes it may be best not to know the truth as it can be uglier than expected, and that appearances can be deceiving, as Stevenson portrayed the ways that Jekyll and Hyde stayed safe and made sure no one would find out the truth until it was the right time. In “The Body Snatcher”, he perfectly shows themes of how ugliness lies in the truth as we learn about the heinous acts little old Fettes performed as a lab assistant with Dr. Macfarlane. The story of “Olalla” perfectly teaches the lesson that behind beauty comes ugliness, for though Olalla and the mother resembled beautiful goddesses, the reader found out that what seems beautiful can be ugly as monstrous acts occur in the house to the characters. Though it is not a story, “A Chapter on Dreams” is an essay where Stevenson himself actually gives us the lesson he taught widely in these short stories, as he describes the terrifying dreams he had growing up affected his life badly as it caused him almost to lead a double life, but later good as they were the basis of many of his chilling stories. Along with his beautiful language he writes yet with such ease, mixed with horrifying and bone-chilling plots, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror is one of the best short stories that involve mystery that creates such great suspense that it would take the most tenacious person to stop reading and put the book down.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the reader (by way of the point of view of a middle-aged lawyer called Mr. Utterson), who is the friend of Dr. Jekyll. He comes to learn of a man by the name of Mr. Hyde, an acquaintance of the doctor, who has such a frightening countenance that it is hard to describe by the characters. As Mr. Utterson comes to get acquainted with Hyde, a strange turn of events occur between Jekyll and Hyde, which get more frightening every minute as he learns that perhaps Jekyll and Hyde are closer than he thought. When Utterson uncovers the malicious, ugly truth, he finds himself completely dumbfounded as it was almost impossible to predict due to the caution Jekyll and Hyde took. In “The Body Snatcher”, it opens up to a tiny inn with a group of men sitting and drinking together as they usually did, until one day a Doctor Macfarlane comes in, causing one of the men by the name of Fettes to act hysterically towards Macfarlane, causing his friends conjure up a story as to why Fettes acted so. It is, however, the horrifying and gruesome story created by the narrator of this story, involving gruesome types of incriminating acts that Fettes and Macfarlane committed in their youth. The nice, old Fettes is explained to have had a much darker past, which no one could wholly predict as they read the story. Another short story called “Olalla” tells a story in the point of view of an unnamed British soldier who is sent to recuperate at a Spanish mansion after being ill. There, the narrator meets a not-so-bright Felipe (the son of the lady of the household), and the strangely alluring lady of the household which almost makes him fall into a certain trance, until he meets her eerily beautiful daughter named Olalla, who is not similar to the mother in looks but, as he describes, part of the same beautiful race that made them. The narrator describes how he fell in love with Olalla, and how every day it grew, but how it was challenged due to some horrendous and monstrous forces. When the unnamed narrator finds out, he found the reason to be was due to a secret Olalla had kept, which was much darker than he thought and was greatly fooled by her. Included in the book is an essay written by Stevenson himself, where he discusses the horrible nightmares he had growing up, which made him almost lead a double life when he was a young man. He would stop leading such a life and soon change as he would instead start to write about these dreams, which would become a basis to some of his stories; he claims that he is not responsible for his stories, but the minds of the “little people” who acted them out in his sleep; he tells us that his stories had a much deeper, and darker basis. To sum it up, all these stories give lessons that explain to not be fooled by appearances, and that sometimes the truth is much uglier and darker than one can expect.
In this compilation of short stories, Stevenson perfectly describes and paints a picture for each sentence in these tales. Stevenson describes the book with such a delicate ease and swiftness, that along with the suspense that is built with each phrase, he makes it easy for you to lose yourself in his writing. I cannot say, however, that each detail was perfect, due to the encounter of a few challenging phrases that may be hard to understand what Stevenson means at a first glance, and takes further study to wholly understand what he is trying to say. All in all, Stevenson has proved himself to be one of the greatest authors to be able to create such suspense, such terror, such a piercing feeling in one’s heart that many authors, who may be critically-acclaimed for their work, lack to portray in their language of writing.
I most definitely recommend these short stories to readers who fancy a mystery and who enjoy putting their head to the test in order to solve these monstrous, and psychologically frightening puzzles. Stevenson gives us these fascinating tales, with such beautiful language with a great easiness to it, that it is almost impossible to put the book down. Stevenson also teaches one not to trust someone, or something entirely based on one’s countenance, as deceiving as it may be. Though this arrangement of short stories may be alluring to some, I would not recommend them to people who do not enjoy mysteries and do not enjoy thinking too hard when reading books. In these short stories, one would feel quite bored since they would perhaps feel the plot was being dragged by Stevenson while he tries to build suspense.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror, Stevenson teaches the readers constantly to not judge a book by its cover, for something darker can be lurking deep down inside. Unlike any of Stevenson’s other works, such as Treasure Island, he paints a picture of mystery in these thrillers, instead of adventures. Stevenson, however, perfectly offers the world an example of what true mystery and horror books really are in this compilation of short stories. In “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, he teaches us that sometimes it may be best not to know the truth as it can be uglier than expected, and that appearances can be deceiving, as Stevenson portrayed the ways that Jekyll and Hyde stayed safe and made sure no one would find out the truth until it was the right time. In “The Body Snatcher”, he perfectly shows themes of how ugliness lies in the truth as we learn about the heinous acts little old Fettes performed as a lab assistant with Dr. Macfarlane. The story of “Olalla” perfectly teaches the lesson that behind beauty comes ugliness, for though Olalla and the mother resembled beautiful goddesses, the reader found out that what seems beautiful can be ugly as monstrous acts occur in the house to the characters. Though it is not a story, “A Chapter on Dreams” is an essay where Stevenson himself actually gives us the lesson he taught widely in these short stories, as he describes the terrifying dreams he had growing up affected his life badly as it caused him almost to lead a double life, but later good as they were the basis of many of his chilling stories. Along with his beautiful language he writes yet with such ease, mixed with horrifying and bone-chilling plots, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror is one of the best short stories that involve mystery that creates such great suspense that it would take the most tenacious person to stop reading and put the book down.
October 21, 2023
I had no idea the story was such an allegory for demon possession. The biggest change they note in Jekyll is the change in his pious behaviour and make special note that a religious book he enjoyed was scribbled with blasphemies in his own handwriting. and later on Hyde seems to offer the archetypal deal with the devil where he offers new provinces of knowledge access to fame and power and would show the character something to "stagger his unbelief of satan." It also seems to follow from their descriptions of him, in media Hyde is often depicted as a stark change and being hideously disfigured but the description in the book is more subtle...and everyone seems to have trouble describing just what it is about his appearance that looks "off". It seems to suggest that the change in him is more a spiritual ugliness than physical. They describe sensing a hatefulness in him more than they talk about anything he does specifically. To me these are all descriptions of the possessed. The story is either an allegory or an attempt to spin demonic possession in a way that makes sense to the strict materialist.
It's also clear to me why this story is so often referenced in Christian morality tales, it essentially is one.
The story and the ones that follow seem to follow a similar structure I'm not sure how I feel about it. First there is a strange setup where people act and behave in an odd manner and you are confused as to what is going on but this confusion is intentional and is meant to provide a quick mystery. Then once the circumstance is set they explain in detail exactly what happened and why. It's a mystery that skips investigation altogether it goes right from mystery to solution.
The Bottle Imp and Body Snatcher were also both good, weir of hermiston was awful and hard to get through. All the stories minus Weir of Hermiston would get 4 stars and Weir gets 1 star, the problem is the worst story is by far the longest, almost half the book is Weir of Hermiston. What makes it so bad is it's almost incomprehensible, between the archaic language, the british vernacular and the writing out phonetically some of the accents...half the time I have no clue what is going on. I can tell it's a romance and the main character is at odds with his father over politics...but the details of the story are lost on me. Like this is a quote from the story. "Nesty, Tippling puggy, she thought." I'm sorry were any of those words? I have to disagree that this was a thought. Such a shame to end on such a negative and frustrating note, the collection would have been much better had it left this story out...which doesn't even fit with the spooky themes of the other stories, and even worse it's not even finished. What were they thinking?
It's also clear to me why this story is so often referenced in Christian morality tales, it essentially is one.
The story and the ones that follow seem to follow a similar structure I'm not sure how I feel about it. First there is a strange setup where people act and behave in an odd manner and you are confused as to what is going on but this confusion is intentional and is meant to provide a quick mystery. Then once the circumstance is set they explain in detail exactly what happened and why. It's a mystery that skips investigation altogether it goes right from mystery to solution.
The Bottle Imp and Body Snatcher were also both good, weir of hermiston was awful and hard to get through. All the stories minus Weir of Hermiston would get 4 stars and Weir gets 1 star, the problem is the worst story is by far the longest, almost half the book is Weir of Hermiston. What makes it so bad is it's almost incomprehensible, between the archaic language, the british vernacular and the writing out phonetically some of the accents...half the time I have no clue what is going on. I can tell it's a romance and the main character is at odds with his father over politics...but the details of the story are lost on me. Like this is a quote from the story. "Nesty, Tippling puggy, she thought." I'm sorry were any of those words? I have to disagree that this was a thought. Such a shame to end on such a negative and frustrating note, the collection would have been much better had it left this story out...which doesn't even fit with the spooky themes of the other stories, and even worse it's not even finished. What were they thinking?
October 26, 2022
Go read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Go do it. It was everything I wanted out of it and more. But go find a different edition.
Same with The Bottle Imp. Probably my favourite of the book. Five stars. I devoured it. Again, go read it in another edition.
Because, despite the title, this isn't really Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And it's not really "and other strange tales," because the biggest page count in this wasn't any of those things. The greatest page count was actually devoted to an unfinished romance.
...And when I say unfinished, I mean it cuts off mid-sentence in the middle of a rising action sequence. Just done. Just nothing. No resolution and 100 pages to get there.
Plus the addition of a romance was...a weird editorial choice?
The first half of the book was all in a certain tone. It was the tone you were promised with a title like "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Strange Tales." So you got to the "Weir of Hermiston" and...you weren't really feeling like reading a romance. Or at least I wasn't.
Same with The Bottle Imp. Probably my favourite of the book. Five stars. I devoured it. Again, go read it in another edition.
Because, despite the title, this isn't really Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And it's not really "and other strange tales," because the biggest page count in this wasn't any of those things. The greatest page count was actually devoted to an unfinished romance.
...And when I say unfinished, I mean it cuts off mid-sentence in the middle of a rising action sequence. Just done. Just nothing. No resolution and 100 pages to get there.
Plus the addition of a romance was...a weird editorial choice?
The first half of the book was all in a certain tone. It was the tone you were promised with a title like "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Strange Tales." So you got to the "Weir of Hermiston" and...you weren't really feeling like reading a romance. Or at least I wasn't.
November 11, 2020
Short story collection here. Let's divide them up:
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde:
The only thing scarier than ghosts, monsters and strangers is yourself. And though we may all know the gist of this story, its execution is one of great discomfort.
The Body Snatcher
A lab professor needs a way to supply his class with cadavers so they can learn things. WhErE cAn OnE fInD a BoDy On ShOrT nOtIcE?
The Bottle Imp
Basically Hawaiian Aladdin if the lamp had consequences. My favorite of the bunch.
Markheim
A scoundrel commits a murder and comes face to face with some... specter. Will he change his ways or will he let his past misdeeds define him?! This was actually quite an inspiring piece, which was not expected given the narrative.
The last piece of the book was an unfinished romance story, which I did not read. There was not a lot of incentive to do so because I want to get to my next book, OK?
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde:
The only thing scarier than ghosts, monsters and strangers is yourself. And though we may all know the gist of this story, its execution is one of great discomfort.
The Body Snatcher
A lab professor needs a way to supply his class with cadavers so they can learn things. WhErE cAn OnE fInD a BoDy On ShOrT nOtIcE?
The Bottle Imp
Basically Hawaiian Aladdin if the lamp had consequences. My favorite of the bunch.
Markheim
A scoundrel commits a murder and comes face to face with some... specter. Will he change his ways or will he let his past misdeeds define him?! This was actually quite an inspiring piece, which was not expected given the narrative.
The last piece of the book was an unfinished romance story, which I did not read. There was not a lot of incentive to do so because I want to get to my next book, OK?
October 2, 2022
3.25/5 but this rating does not including Jekyll and Hyde (I read that one previously and rated it 4/5 stars). I read this edition exclusively for the other 4 stories. My ratings for those stories are:
- The Body Snatcher - 3.5/5 my favourite of the four and the one with the creepier vibes.
- The Bottle Imp - 3.25/5 A fun story that flowed well
- Markheim - 3.5/5 this reminded me a bit of the Jolly Corner by Henry James (although the actual story in the latter was better imo) and I really loved the prose. Prose like this in Jekyll and Hyde is one of the reasons I wanted to read more Robert Louis Stevenson.
- Weir of Hermiston - 3/5 this is an unfinished novel, Stevenson died before completing it. It does feel a bit all over the place but again there are those splashes of absolutely wonderful prose that is so cleverly done. But the story itself felt unfocused, but I guess we'll never truly know what he had in mind.
- The Body Snatcher - 3.5/5 my favourite of the four and the one with the creepier vibes.
- The Bottle Imp - 3.25/5 A fun story that flowed well
- Markheim - 3.5/5 this reminded me a bit of the Jolly Corner by Henry James (although the actual story in the latter was better imo) and I really loved the prose. Prose like this in Jekyll and Hyde is one of the reasons I wanted to read more Robert Louis Stevenson.
- Weir of Hermiston - 3/5 this is an unfinished novel, Stevenson died before completing it. It does feel a bit all over the place but again there are those splashes of absolutely wonderful prose that is so cleverly done. But the story itself felt unfocused, but I guess we'll never truly know what he had in mind.
February 1, 2024
Dr. Jekyll and mr Hyde: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Good story, some bits i didn't quite get though. But this is my first 'classic' and one of the first books i read from that time period. I have to get used to the older English. I do reccomend the strory, it was well written!
The bodysnatcher: ⭐️⭐️
I found it harder to get through then dr. Jekyll and mr hyde. The writing is the same style, but the story is harder to get trough. There are also a lof of unclearities.
The bottle imp: ⭐⭐⭐
I liked this story! I am always confused how people fall in love so easily and would risk their life for it though... it doesn't make sense to me. But i liked how they could live happily ever after :)
Weir of Hermiston: ⭐️⭐️
I didn't like that i couldn't understand a big part of this story. I had a lot of difficulties with the Scottish speak bubbles. I like that they showed the different speeches, though. But my English is not on the level of understanding that.
Good story, some bits i didn't quite get though. But this is my first 'classic' and one of the first books i read from that time period. I have to get used to the older English. I do reccomend the strory, it was well written!
The bodysnatcher: ⭐️⭐️
I found it harder to get through then dr. Jekyll and mr hyde. The writing is the same style, but the story is harder to get trough. There are also a lof of unclearities.
The bottle imp: ⭐⭐⭐
I liked this story! I am always confused how people fall in love so easily and would risk their life for it though... it doesn't make sense to me. But i liked how they could live happily ever after :)
Weir of Hermiston: ⭐️⭐️
I didn't like that i couldn't understand a big part of this story. I had a lot of difficulties with the Scottish speak bubbles. I like that they showed the different speeches, though. But my English is not on the level of understanding that.
November 29, 2021
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: 5/5 | It truly earned its reputation
The Body Snatcher: 4/5 | The greatest blessing of this novella is that its shortness did not allow for a strong attachment. Its fantastic style was paired with a terrible ending that reflected poorly on the novella as a whole
The Bottle Imp: 4/5 | Pretty good novella, although it suffered from the same problems as its predecessor
Markheim: 4/5 | Although this one didn't suffer from the same problem with its ending, it was somewhat harder to follow
The Weir of Hermiston(unfinished): Much like Stevenson himself, I did not finish this one.
Overall, these short stories were wonderful and very enjoyable. This cheap purchase was well worth it and as the first works of Stevenson I've ever read, it did not disappoint.
The Body Snatcher: 4/5 | The greatest blessing of this novella is that its shortness did not allow for a strong attachment. Its fantastic style was paired with a terrible ending that reflected poorly on the novella as a whole
The Bottle Imp: 4/5 | Pretty good novella, although it suffered from the same problems as its predecessor
Markheim: 4/5 | Although this one didn't suffer from the same problem with its ending, it was somewhat harder to follow
The Weir of Hermiston(unfinished): Much like Stevenson himself, I did not finish this one.
Overall, these short stories were wonderful and very enjoyable. This cheap purchase was well worth it and as the first works of Stevenson I've ever read, it did not disappoint.
September 5, 2021
Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde - an interesting read, its fun to read the story after knowing so much about it via cultural osmosis.
The Body Snatcher - not gonna lie thought it was gonna be the other kind of body snatchers, the steal and inhabit your skin type, interesting to see the story and how much historical context it providea
The Bottle Imp - fun concept, I think I might have seen it before or an iteration of it, ending was a little too convenient but hey what can you do
Markheim - short and sweet and lol at someone saying fuck you to Satan
Weir of Hermiston - stopped reading after chapter 4 and finding out it was an incomplete work and just read wiki summary instead, couldnt get into it and the accented dialogue made it really hard to follow.
The Body Snatcher - not gonna lie thought it was gonna be the other kind of body snatchers, the steal and inhabit your skin type, interesting to see the story and how much historical context it providea
The Bottle Imp - fun concept, I think I might have seen it before or an iteration of it, ending was a little too convenient but hey what can you do
Markheim - short and sweet and lol at someone saying fuck you to Satan
Weir of Hermiston - stopped reading after chapter 4 and finding out it was an incomplete work and just read wiki summary instead, couldnt get into it and the accented dialogue made it really hard to follow.
January 5, 2025
I read the Borders edition that I got on sale when they were going out of business. I was looking forward to it. Very disappointed.
Dr. J - The writing and setting were very confusing to me. My take- The all male cast makes me think Dr. J was gay, fighting against his true self slowly giving in and accepting it.
Markheim - OK. Similar to Crime and Punishment.
Thrawn Janet - Unreadable because it was in "Scottish".
Olalla - Dull
The Body Snatcher - A weird twist at the end almost seemed forced.
The Bottle Imp - This was Five Stars. A good concept and a logical end. Clearly written.
The Isle of Voices -very confusing changes between reality and sorcery.
All in all, it seems RLS was experimenting with weird ideas and was only partly successful. Not his forte.
Dr. J - The writing and setting were very confusing to me. My take- The all male cast makes me think Dr. J was gay, fighting against his true self slowly giving in and accepting it.
Markheim - OK. Similar to Crime and Punishment.
Thrawn Janet - Unreadable because it was in "Scottish".
Olalla - Dull
The Body Snatcher - A weird twist at the end almost seemed forced.
The Bottle Imp - This was Five Stars. A good concept and a logical end. Clearly written.
The Isle of Voices -very confusing changes between reality and sorcery.
All in all, it seems RLS was experimenting with weird ideas and was only partly successful. Not his forte.
January 30, 2025
When I read the title of this book: "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Strange Tales," (the latter part appearing as a smaller subtitle) I expected the bulk of the book to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. However, as I turned to page 73, expecting the continuation of a book that had just gotten to it's climax, needless to say that I was disappointed. The other tales were underwhelming, lacking the psychological and philosophical quandaries that kept me on the edge of my seat with the former (though admittedly this may have something to do with my surprise regarding the untimely end of the main novel). Additionally, while the main premise was thought-provoking and interesting—it's ideas will no doubt linger in my mind in the days to come—the plot leaves much to be desired.
July 11, 2020
ابتعت الرواية بناءا على ترشيح الشيخ أنس ،قرأتها مؤخرا . تستعرض الرواية جانب الخير والشر في شخص واحد بطريقة خيالية حيث يتناول عقارا يحوله لمستر هايد الشرير ،ويُظهر الكاتب في النهاية كيف صار من العسير السيطرة على الجانب الشرير وكيف طغى وأعلن وفاته في النهاية ..
الرواية رمزية وتطرح تساؤلا حقيقيا هل ترك المجال لممارسة بعض الأفعال الشريرة البسيطة سيفتح مجالا لممارسة شر ٍ أكبر وأعظم ،وهكذا حتى يطغى جانب الشر ويتعاظم ؟
الرواية على صغر حجمها وبساطة الفكرة والأسلوب إلا أنها ممتعة فتحت الذهن على أمور جديدة ..
أنصح بقراءتها
الرواية رمزية وتطرح تساؤلا حقيقيا هل ترك المجال لممارسة بعض الأفعال الشريرة البسيطة سيفتح مجالا لممارسة شر ٍ أكبر وأعظم ،وهكذا حتى يطغى جانب الشر ويتعاظم ؟
الرواية على صغر حجمها وبساطة الفكرة والأسلوب إلا أنها ممتعة فتحت الذهن على أمور جديدة ..
أنصح بقراءتها
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November 18, 2025This wasn't for me I'm afraid, and I don't like saying that about such a classic horror writer's work. 1800s horror is a really mixed bag for me, generally, I like what I pick up well enough, but it rarely sticks with me or is regarded as a favorite..
It took me three tries to properly start "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Because I just could not get into it. I think it saved itself somewhat near the end, however, so I regard it as a solid story. But the other ones, man, they were just straight up boring..
It took me three tries to properly start "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Because I just could not get into it. I think it saved itself somewhat near the end, however, so I regard it as a solid story. But the other ones, man, they were just straight up boring..
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