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The Breakthrough
Dispatch the maimed, the old, the weak, destroy the very world itself, for what is the point of life if the promise of fulfilment lies elsewhere?On the windswept coast of rural Suffolk, a deranged scientist attempts to extract the essence of life itself.Penguin fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.
59 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1966
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2314 people want to read
About the author
Daphne du Maurier
431 books10.1k followersDaphne du Maurier was born on 13 May 1907 at 24 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London, the middle of three daughters of prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel, née Beaumont. In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, her paternal grandfather was author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the 1894 novel Trilby, and her mother was a maternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer Comyns Beaumont. She and her sisters were indulged as a children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter.
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story.
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 408 reviews
May 2, 2018
Just further proof that du Maurier is queen of everything and can do no wrong!
January 19, 2022
[3+] A chilling story about scientists crossing an ethical line. Melodramatic, with a rather thin plot, but enough of Du Maurier's trademark atmosphere and ambiguity for me to enjoy.
Penguin Modern Classics
#1 - Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.
#2 - Television Was a Baby Crawling Toward That Deathchamber by Allen Ginsberg
#3 - The Breakthrough by Daphne Du Maurier
Penguin Modern Classics
#1 - Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.
#2 - Television Was a Baby Crawling Toward That Deathchamber by Allen Ginsberg
#3 - The Breakthrough by Daphne Du Maurier
April 6, 2018
Originally posted on A Frolic Through Fiction
* Rated 3.5 stars
My first taste of du Maurier, at last! I’ve been meaning to delve into her books for awhile now – especially Rebecca – and I figured this one would be the perfect little taster to get me started. And I wasn’t wrong! Definitely more on the SciFi side of things, this one follows a scientist as he tries to discover the secret behind the afterlife, or the essence of life itself. Without feeling too short or too long, du Maurier managed to compact a huge idea into a short amount of words in a way that was well paced but felt urgent at the same time. A paranormal undertone seemed to run throughout, and I found that the questions I was wondering never quite got the straight answer I was looking for, nudging it more towards the unsettling story I’d come to expect from du Maurier’s reputation. And I can see how that reputation was built – her writing provides an effortlessly dark atmosphere that surrounds her story, although “surrounds” sounds too accidental…more like…she manages to create a shroud that settles onto you as you read. Though not necessarily my sort of read, the questioning behind the morality of science and the line between things you can do vs things you should do, this book has only left me more convinced that I’ll absolutely adore Rebecca when I get round to reading it.
August 17, 2018
A good little story that reminded me of Frankenstein, but more sci fi-y!
October 11, 2018
Somewhat interesting story, but feels short and leaves too many questions unanswered. Characters were bland, but the atmosphere was amazing.
July 27, 2020
4.5 stars
I was NOT expecting to love this as much as I did. I’m extremely new to the sci-fi genre, and I’ve typically struggled with it in the past, but science fiction that tackles the subjects of morality and experimentation really just hit the spot for me. Daphne du Maurier is easily one of the most well known authors, but this was my first venture into her works and I’m now more than excited to read her full length novels. Not only does this little short story have the most immaculate atmosphere ever, but it’s chilling to read (especially because I read the majority of it at 2am). I loved this so, so much and it’s made me not only more excited to read her works but also read more within the science fiction genre. If anyone reading this knows of any other sci-fi books that tackle morality and life/death in a similar way to this, please let me know!
I was NOT expecting to love this as much as I did. I’m extremely new to the sci-fi genre, and I’ve typically struggled with it in the past, but science fiction that tackles the subjects of morality and experimentation really just hit the spot for me. Daphne du Maurier is easily one of the most well known authors, but this was my first venture into her works and I’m now more than excited to read her full length novels. Not only does this little short story have the most immaculate atmosphere ever, but it’s chilling to read (especially because I read the majority of it at 2am). I loved this so, so much and it’s made me not only more excited to read her works but also read more within the science fiction genre. If anyone reading this knows of any other sci-fi books that tackle morality and life/death in a similar way to this, please let me know!
May 24, 2019
And so, once again, Daphne Dear, you had me enthralled, seduced, chilled to my bone and...moved to tears!
'What?' I hear you asking that. Let me explain.
It is true that this crisp, slim short story belongs quite comfortably to the eerie, metaphysical thriller genre, centering on a ragtag band of not-quite-prudent scientists who are working on a strange experiment on a remote spot near the coast. It has the echoes of Edgar Allen Poe and H.P Lovecraft but while those American legends, at one level, were concerned primarily with the unrelenting feeling of dread and mortal terror coursing through the narrative, Du Maurier (Daphne Dear, as I call her now) blends into the dread-filled, murky atmosphere a heady and generous serving of unexpected pathos, poignancy and profundity.
It makes for unexpectedly emotionally devastating reading but Daphne Dear, being Daphne Dear, never ever skimps on delivering bang for the buck and as you close this pocket classic at the end of 58 pages, you will still be brooding and thinking on it if you are not sweating with suspense, already.
Writing anymore would be to give away the whole, perverse pleasure of unraveling this little but immaculately tailored short story. So, read it for yourself and find out what happens when science comes dangerously close to a breakthrough that will alter the course and meaning of life.
'What?' I hear you asking that. Let me explain.
It is true that this crisp, slim short story belongs quite comfortably to the eerie, metaphysical thriller genre, centering on a ragtag band of not-quite-prudent scientists who are working on a strange experiment on a remote spot near the coast. It has the echoes of Edgar Allen Poe and H.P Lovecraft but while those American legends, at one level, were concerned primarily with the unrelenting feeling of dread and mortal terror coursing through the narrative, Du Maurier (Daphne Dear, as I call her now) blends into the dread-filled, murky atmosphere a heady and generous serving of unexpected pathos, poignancy and profundity.
It makes for unexpectedly emotionally devastating reading but Daphne Dear, being Daphne Dear, never ever skimps on delivering bang for the buck and as you close this pocket classic at the end of 58 pages, you will still be brooding and thinking on it if you are not sweating with suspense, already.
Writing anymore would be to give away the whole, perverse pleasure of unraveling this little but immaculately tailored short story. So, read it for yourself and find out what happens when science comes dangerously close to a breakthrough that will alter the course and meaning of life.
October 22, 2021
YouTube Review here
The plot is shocking and interesting but it falls apart and doesn't really make sense. It is an idea without legs, or a heart. There are no women in this story, only men with no clear motives for a story with no clear message. Only if you're in that phase, mostly found in teenaged readers, of reading slightly grotesque horror like that by Anthony Horowitz, or some of Ray Bradbury's stories, then this might be quite an appealing story. But if you want a story with a meaning, or some reality, or some human interest, then this really isn't it. If you want something shocking you don't want to relate to then fine, but really I think this is a great example of a great female author who for some reason decided to abandon a story full of ideas. It is past humbling in its arrogance — it is embarrassing — which might be why only now we are digging it up after the author's assured fame.
**[Original Review below]**
I'm surprised this clearly flawed story doesn't have a lower average rating. It's not absolutely terrible, but it is really beyond me how anyone could 5* this. I haven't read Daphne du Maurier before, but I highly doubt this book reflects her ability as a writer given what I've heard about her book, Rebecca. I'd strongly advise you avoid reading this, unless you're a completionist of du Maurier's writing.
*More comprehensive review coming soon*
The plot is shocking and interesting but it falls apart and doesn't really make sense. It is an idea without legs, or a heart. There are no women in this story, only men with no clear motives for a story with no clear message. Only if you're in that phase, mostly found in teenaged readers, of reading slightly grotesque horror like that by Anthony Horowitz, or some of Ray Bradbury's stories, then this might be quite an appealing story. But if you want a story with a meaning, or some reality, or some human interest, then this really isn't it. If you want something shocking you don't want to relate to then fine, but really I think this is a great example of a great female author who for some reason decided to abandon a story full of ideas. It is past humbling in its arrogance — it is embarrassing — which might be why only now we are digging it up after the author's assured fame.
**[Original Review below]**
I'm surprised this clearly flawed story doesn't have a lower average rating. It's not absolutely terrible, but it is really beyond me how anyone could 5* this. I haven't read Daphne du Maurier before, but I highly doubt this book reflects her ability as a writer given what I've heard about her book, Rebecca. I'd strongly advise you avoid reading this, unless you're a completionist of du Maurier's writing.
*More comprehensive review coming soon*
December 26, 2018
“With eternity assured, the human being on earth is more easily expendable.”
A creepy little mad-scientist type of story.
A creepy little mad-scientist type of story.
November 16, 2025
This is the third volume from the Penguin Modern box set, and honestly, every author I’ve read so far has been a first-time experience for me. This time it’s Daphne du Maurier—whose name I actually only knew from Hitchcock’s film Rebecca.
The Breakthrough leans more toward sci-fi horror. The sci-fi elements honestly left me a bit confused, especially with the machines MacLean builds to capture the energy of the dying. The sense of horror also feels a bit lacking, but overall it’s a decent introduction to Du Maurier’s work.
The Breakthrough leans more toward sci-fi horror. The sci-fi elements honestly left me a bit confused, especially with the machines MacLean builds to capture the energy of the dying. The sense of horror also feels a bit lacking, but overall it’s a decent introduction to Du Maurier’s work.
Read
January 8, 2025This is a ghost in the machine story.
The setting, and to some extent the atmosphere, reminded me of a Frederick Forsyth story called "The Shepherd". Maybe it's just the old air bases and the sense of not just the infrastructure but also that the personnel have been left over from the Second World War, they are all adrift and searching for purpose.
This was also the kind of story that I imagined in black and white, possibly we see a man grabbing the bottle of Scotch while we hear "damn it! Man isn't meant to meddle with this!"
It's a ghost in the machine story and I thought of E.T.A. Hoffmann stories like "The Nutcracker" , and "The Sandman" while reading. It's the question that seems to be playing in minds all the more in the age of artificial intelligence of whether things that seem to be human are human, which dovetails with concerns about what makes a human, human. And if it is consciousness, what happens to that consciousness when we die, or worse, when we go to East Anglia, miles beyond the nearest train station and there is no alcohol to drink and we're stuck with other people washed up and left behind by the end of the war? And what if they have early computers?
This one is all atmosphere, think winds, and sand dunes, strange concrete installations, the barking of a dog, the sea. Yes, it is a bit like Penelope Fitzgerald's "The Bookshop", but with no "Lolita".
The setting, and to some extent the atmosphere, reminded me of a Frederick Forsyth story called "The Shepherd". Maybe it's just the old air bases and the sense of not just the infrastructure but also that the personnel have been left over from the Second World War, they are all adrift and searching for purpose.
This was also the kind of story that I imagined in black and white, possibly we see a man grabbing the bottle of Scotch while we hear "damn it! Man isn't meant to meddle with this!"
It's a ghost in the machine story and I thought of E.T.A. Hoffmann stories like "The Nutcracker" , and "The Sandman" while reading. It's the question that seems to be playing in minds all the more in the age of artificial intelligence of whether things that seem to be human are human, which dovetails with concerns about what makes a human, human. And if it is consciousness, what happens to that consciousness when we die, or worse, when we go to East Anglia, miles beyond the nearest train station and there is no alcohol to drink and we're stuck with other people washed up and left behind by the end of the war? And what if they have early computers?
This one is all atmosphere, think winds, and sand dunes, strange concrete installations, the barking of a dog, the sea. Yes, it is a bit like Penelope Fitzgerald's "The Bookshop", but with no "Lolita".
March 8, 2025
Re-read for BookBrowse: Full review posted here.
******
Original thoughts:
As always, du Maurier is a master at setting the scene and creating an evocative and tangible atmosphere that instantly transports me. In this tale, however, she shows her diversity by delving into the realms of sci-fi.
The juxtaposition of the rugged beauty of the landscape and the technology of the research facility worked really well. I also loved the moral ambiguity of the story. The fact that the 'weak' (a terminally ill young man, an animal, and an 'idiot child') are used as guinea pigs in the experiments instantly calls into question an abuse of power, and the often murky problems of consent and ethics involved in scientific experimentation.
The eerie feel of the story culminates in an obvious though nonetheless unsettling warning about the danger of pushing science too far and meddling with mother nature. The ending itself could be read as hopeful or disturbing, depending on your approach, and this hint of the sinister always lurking beneath the surface is the trademark of classic du Maurier.
******
Original thoughts:
As always, du Maurier is a master at setting the scene and creating an evocative and tangible atmosphere that instantly transports me. In this tale, however, she shows her diversity by delving into the realms of sci-fi.
The juxtaposition of the rugged beauty of the landscape and the technology of the research facility worked really well. I also loved the moral ambiguity of the story. The fact that the 'weak' (a terminally ill young man, an animal, and an 'idiot child') are used as guinea pigs in the experiments instantly calls into question an abuse of power, and the often murky problems of consent and ethics involved in scientific experimentation.
The eerie feel of the story culminates in an obvious though nonetheless unsettling warning about the danger of pushing science too far and meddling with mother nature. The ending itself could be read as hopeful or disturbing, depending on your approach, and this hint of the sinister always lurking beneath the surface is the trademark of classic du Maurier.
August 3, 2021
This was good but I found it a little disappointing having read some of the authors other books. It wasn’t as atmospheric as I was expecting but I felt it could have been if the story was longer. That’s the problem with short stories.
Nothing not to like here for me in the story itself; an interesting premise, strange and unexpected with some interesting characters but just missing a little depth. The build up was too brief as we rushed towards the big moment in our story and ultimately it kind of petered out at the end. Not all bad, I like that we are left to think about what happened but it was all over as soon as it happened. ‘It’ being the point of the story, the big moment which I won’t share for spoiling.
A good read with real promise but fails to deliver to its full potential. It has made me want to read more by this author but will probably stick to the longer books. Worth a read though, it won’t take long.
3.5/5
Nothing not to like here for me in the story itself; an interesting premise, strange and unexpected with some interesting characters but just missing a little depth. The build up was too brief as we rushed towards the big moment in our story and ultimately it kind of petered out at the end. Not all bad, I like that we are left to think about what happened but it was all over as soon as it happened. ‘It’ being the point of the story, the big moment which I won’t share for spoiling.
A good read with real promise but fails to deliver to its full potential. It has made me want to read more by this author but will probably stick to the longer books. Worth a read though, it won’t take long.
3.5/5
June 7, 2018
Daphne du Maurier's short story The Breakthrough has been reprinted by itself as the third book of the Penguin Moderns series. I have read it before, but was very much looking forward to coming back to it. Whilst not quite amongst my favourite pieces of her short work, there is so much here to admire. First published in 1966, 'The Breakthrough' still surprises and startles, even upon a second reading. I found this a chilling tale, and whilst I do not want to give any details of the plot away in my review, it is one which I would highly recommend.
January 10, 2019
This is my second read of this story and I much preferred it this time around.
Full of incredible atmosphere and eerie feelings. A creepy little horror sci-fi!
And only £1? What a steal!
Full of incredible atmosphere and eerie feelings. A creepy little horror sci-fi!
And only £1? What a steal!
August 3, 2021
'May the Force be with them!'
This proved to be a highly original, ever-so typically British 1950's Nevil Shute type tale that dabbled with hypnosis and aspects of the paranormal that certainly proved to amuse and entertain from start to finish.
Striving to control, harness and use the very essence of the human spirit in an electrical format when at the point of death, the eccentric and reclusive scientist James Maclean and his small close band of acolytes construct the technological machinery and sets of computerised codes that may just be able to do the job. After years of demanding, yet unusual research, success now appears to be just around the corner, but will their recent 'Breakthrough' continue to go to plan and take the human race to an even higher level of understanding and existence?
A bit dated and lacking in substance and believability, but still a jolly good, enjoyable little read.
Rating: 3.6 stars.
This proved to be a highly original, ever-so typically British 1950's Nevil Shute type tale that dabbled with hypnosis and aspects of the paranormal that certainly proved to amuse and entertain from start to finish.
Striving to control, harness and use the very essence of the human spirit in an electrical format when at the point of death, the eccentric and reclusive scientist James Maclean and his small close band of acolytes construct the technological machinery and sets of computerised codes that may just be able to do the job. After years of demanding, yet unusual research, success now appears to be just around the corner, but will their recent 'Breakthrough' continue to go to plan and take the human race to an even higher level of understanding and existence?
A bit dated and lacking in substance and believability, but still a jolly good, enjoyable little read.
Rating: 3.6 stars.
December 4, 2020
Thankfully, this was short as I did not enjoy it all. Science fiction is not my genre of choice and this did not appeal to me at all.
July 31, 2018
‘Dispatch the maimed, the old, the weak, destroy the very world itself, for what is the point of life is the promise of fulfilment lies elsewhere?’
‘A scientists attempt to solve the mystery of life after death has chilling consequences.’
Du Maurier can write anything I swear, this teeny short story packs such a punch and is so different from Jamaica Inn (the only other book I’ve read by her) that it makes me believe that she can write anything and it’ll sit beautifully in her collection of works!
This is a sci-fi horror-esque exploration of a scientists discovery of capturing a human’s intelligence and soul after death and I swear it would fit right in in the pages of a Stephen King collection of short stories. It would fit right in in any notable collection of short stories for that matter! It’s succinct, creates tension and manages to be eerie and creepy in only 58 pages!
Honestly, read it. I cannot stress how surprised I was at the quality of this story!
‘A scientists attempt to solve the mystery of life after death has chilling consequences.’
Du Maurier can write anything I swear, this teeny short story packs such a punch and is so different from Jamaica Inn (the only other book I’ve read by her) that it makes me believe that she can write anything and it’ll sit beautifully in her collection of works!
This is a sci-fi horror-esque exploration of a scientists discovery of capturing a human’s intelligence and soul after death and I swear it would fit right in in the pages of a Stephen King collection of short stories. It would fit right in in any notable collection of short stories for that matter! It’s succinct, creates tension and manages to be eerie and creepy in only 58 pages!
Honestly, read it. I cannot stress how surprised I was at the quality of this story!
May 8, 2020
3|5
A very interesting idea and for sure Daphne du Maurier’s writing is extremely atmospheric. If you never tried one of her books and you’d like a taste of her writing, this could be a very decent start (again, especially for the way she can convey a gothic atmosphere so well).
A very interesting idea and for sure Daphne du Maurier’s writing is extremely atmospheric. If you never tried one of her books and you’d like a taste of her writing, this could be a very decent start (again, especially for the way she can convey a gothic atmosphere so well).
October 6, 2018
Se muy poco de Daphne Du Maurier. Lo poco que sé es que fue una mujer de muchos privilegios, entre los cuales se contó poder darse la libertad de escribir por gusto cuanto quiso. Pensé que me encontraría con un lenguaje parecido al de Virginia Woolf, en el que se notan las raíces algo aristocráticas y el privilegiado acceso a educación, sin embargo, me sorprendió encontrarme con una prosa que - en mi opinión - revelaba poco del contexto sociocultural y socioeconómico de su autora. Mientras leía este cuento o pequeña novela sobre un científico cuyo esfuerzo es capturar la energía que abandona el cuerpo tras la muerte, me pareció que estaba leyendo más a H. P. Lovecraft que a Virginia Woolf. Por supuesto, Daphne Du Maurier, con su voz propia, está lejos de ser igual a H. P. Lovecraft, pero utilizaba ese jugar con el peligro de lo que desconocido que también leí en “El caso de Charles Dexter Ward”. Esta historia es mucho menos tenebrosa, tiende más a la ciencia ficción pero es igualmente interesante. Me gustó la narración: me pareció bella y absorbente. También la historia: compleja y entretenida. El lenguaje: preciso, sin palabras pomposas. Leer este breve texto me dejó, sin duda, con ganas de seguir leyendo a Daphne Du Maurier.
June 20, 2019
My father always recommended Rebecca by du Maurier, possibly because he had worked for her husband, General Browning, in Ceylon in WW2, and for that reason took an interest in her writing. Whatever the reason for his recommendation, I never took to Rebecca - I think I started it twice and gave up out of boredom both times. So when I saw this slim volume (The Breakthrough) by du Maurier, I decided to try it and see if a completely different genre (sci-fi) might make her work more appealing to me. Not so much, as it turns out. The book is quite readable, but ultimately was a disappointment. The main character is not very likeable, and the other characters are not very developed, and the book holds no particular moral in store for the reader.
I did not hate the book, but I will not be trying other things by du Maurier absent a very strong recommendation by someone whose opinion I respect.
I did not hate the book, but I will not be trying other things by du Maurier absent a very strong recommendation by someone whose opinion I respect.
October 3, 2020
This is a story about a science experiment involving the afterlife and what happens to our life energy when we die. It is a thing of its time, written in 1966 and uses some terminology which is no longer PC as well as showing outdated attitudes towards the disabled and towards evolving technology.
It started a bit slow for me, but actually got very interesting in the nature of the experiment and how the various characters reacted to a moralistically dodgy area of research. The main character is an engineer and is recruited to deal with the tech side of things, but has to wrestle with his own questions about the nature of what the scientists are doing.
Not a bad story, but far from her best.
It started a bit slow for me, but actually got very interesting in the nature of the experiment and how the various characters reacted to a moralistically dodgy area of research. The main character is an engineer and is recruited to deal with the tech side of things, but has to wrestle with his own questions about the nature of what the scientists are doing.
Not a bad story, but far from her best.
June 12, 2020
I wanted to like this atmospheric little sci-fi story more than I did. Du Maurier's writing is of course terrific, and it's fun to see her writing a story like this after having read Rebecca, a much more flowery gothic novel, last year. But in the end, paradoxically enough, I think this needed to be longer. The characters needed more fleshing out, as did the climax, which felt rushed. The weighty philosophical and ethical repercussions of the protagonists' experiments arise and are decided within a few paragraphs. It's not a waste of time, by any stretch, but nevertheless a disappointment given du Maurier's prodigious talent and the all-too-fleeting glimpses of it I caught here.
August 24, 2018
This was my first introduction to Daphne Du Maurier and I can only say I want more! This was a great story about a scientist who becomes too wrapped up in his desire to solve the mystery of death. The gloomy setting added to the eerie feel of the story and I liked that the main character was torn between being sceptical about the whole insane endeavour and getting sucked in by the scientist's obsession. I can't wait to read more Du Maurier!
March 16, 2018
This is kind of the perfect short story for me—it has a bit of modern Frankenstein feel to me and it's written by one of my favourite authors. Little different from what I'm used to from du Maurier, but good nonetheless.
February 10, 2021
3.5 Stars
Full review to follow!
Full review to follow!
March 6, 2019
Mad science...
Our narrator, Stephen Saunders, is an electronics engineer who has been sent to work in an isolated facility in Saxmere on the east coast of England, where the scientist James MacLean is carrying out secret experiments in creating methods of destruction for the military. Saunders isn’t thrilled at the assignment, since MacLean has a dubious reputation as an eccentric. He meets the people who will be his colleagues: MacLean, or Mac as he’s known; young Ken Ryan, who doesn’t seem to do much but is a cheerful presence; Robbie, a medical doctor; and the steward Janus, who does the cooking and housekeeping.
He soon discovers that Mac is carrying out another experiment, secret even from the people who are funding the facility. And this experiment qualifies Mac to join the long line of Mad Scientists who cross the boundaries of ethics in pursuit of knowledge. He plans to harness psychic energy – what he calls Force Six – and he intends to use Janus’ young daughter to help him...
Ah, yes, mad science! Where would horror be without it? It’s very well told and at 58 pages has enough room for some character development and for du Maurier to build up a chilling atmosphere of suspense. It is both creepy and quite moving as it reaches its climax, and raises questions about what happens to us after death – does any kind of consciousness remain? Is there an afterlife? Can we still suffer? What happens if we mess with the natural process of death? Du Maurier avoids the temptation to give pat answers, instead leaving everything deliciously ambiguous and consequently creepier.
I thoroughly enjoyed this foray of du Maurier into the realms of science fiction. It’s fairly standard in terms of mad science stories – nothing particularly ground-breaking nor deeply profound – but the quality of her writing and storytelling make it a shivery experience, and it’s thought-provoking enough to give it some weight.
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Our narrator, Stephen Saunders, is an electronics engineer who has been sent to work in an isolated facility in Saxmere on the east coast of England, where the scientist James MacLean is carrying out secret experiments in creating methods of destruction for the military. Saunders isn’t thrilled at the assignment, since MacLean has a dubious reputation as an eccentric. He meets the people who will be his colleagues: MacLean, or Mac as he’s known; young Ken Ryan, who doesn’t seem to do much but is a cheerful presence; Robbie, a medical doctor; and the steward Janus, who does the cooking and housekeeping.
He soon discovers that Mac is carrying out another experiment, secret even from the people who are funding the facility. And this experiment qualifies Mac to join the long line of Mad Scientists who cross the boundaries of ethics in pursuit of knowledge. He plans to harness psychic energy – what he calls Force Six – and he intends to use Janus’ young daughter to help him...
Ah, yes, mad science! Where would horror be without it? It’s very well told and at 58 pages has enough room for some character development and for du Maurier to build up a chilling atmosphere of suspense. It is both creepy and quite moving as it reaches its climax, and raises questions about what happens to us after death – does any kind of consciousness remain? Is there an afterlife? Can we still suffer? What happens if we mess with the natural process of death? Du Maurier avoids the temptation to give pat answers, instead leaving everything deliciously ambiguous and consequently creepier.
I thoroughly enjoyed this foray of du Maurier into the realms of science fiction. It’s fairly standard in terms of mad science stories – nothing particularly ground-breaking nor deeply profound – but the quality of her writing and storytelling make it a shivery experience, and it’s thought-provoking enough to give it some weight.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
September 16, 2020
This is a story about a science experiment involving the afterlife and what happens to our life energy when we die. It is a thing of its time, written in 1966 and uses some terminology which is no longer PC as well as showing outdated attitudes towards the disabled and towards evolving technology.
It started a bit slow for me, but actually got very interesting in the nature of the experiment and how the various characters reacted to a moralistically dodgy area of research. The main character is an engineer and is recruited to deal with the tech side of things, but has to wrestle with his own questions about the nature of what the scientists are doing.
Not a bad story, but far from her best.
It started a bit slow for me, but actually got very interesting in the nature of the experiment and how the various characters reacted to a moralistically dodgy area of research. The main character is an engineer and is recruited to deal with the tech side of things, but has to wrestle with his own questions about the nature of what the scientists are doing.
Not a bad story, but far from her best.
July 9, 2020
I thought that this would be a good way to start reading Daphne's works. This sci-fi story follows a scientist who is searching answers for life after death or the essence of life. The story has a dark atmosphere and it doesn't drag out. However, it doesn't really give you all the answers either. For me, this wasn't a problem. Sometimes, you like these books that don't really give you all the answers and sometimes you don't. This one, I happen to like.
On to Rebecca now.
On to Rebecca now.
March 28, 2018
Note to future self - you did not read this book, you read The Breakthrough, a short story by Daphe Du Maurier. You were frustrated that it wasn’t longer because you were really enjoying it, and were also annoyed that your goodreads shelves are ruined because two books share the same ISBN for some bizarre reason.
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