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The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck
Strange mysteries abound in a small Maine town. Why did the brilliant, but cruel, Dr. Gideon Wyck perform an unnecessary amputation on one of his patients? Why does that patient now insist that black devils are trying to steal his soul? What is behind the series of monster babies being born to apparently normal, healthy women? And when Wyck is found dead under peculiar and inexplicable circumstances, who is responsible--and why?
The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck, Alexander Laing's odd hybrid of horror, crime and science fiction, was an unlikely bestseller and critical success when first published in 1934, and it was later selected by Karl Edward Wagner as one of the top horror novels of all time. This new edition reprints the unabridged text of the first edition along with a reproduction of its dust jacket art and frontispiece by Lynd Ward.
The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck, Alexander Laing's odd hybrid of horror, crime and science fiction, was an unlikely bestseller and critical success when first published in 1934, and it was later selected by Karl Edward Wagner as one of the top horror novels of all time. This new edition reprints the unabridged text of the first edition along with a reproduction of its dust jacket art and frontispiece by Lynd Ward.
228 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1934
18 people are currently reading
483 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Laing
79 books2 followersAlexander Kinman Laing (1903 - 1976) was an American writer of non-fiction books.
He served as Educational Service Adviser at Dartmouth College, where he conducted seminars and workshops in creative writing and aided students in individual research projects.
In addition to writing and teaching, he also tried his hand at being a sailor, magazine editor, newspaper reporter, world traveler, and advertising copywriter.
Considered an outstanding authority onn sailing ships and marine history, Laing was the author of many books on men of the sea and their ships for both adults and young readers.
He lived in Norwich, Vermont before his death in 1976.
He served as Educational Service Adviser at Dartmouth College, where he conducted seminars and workshops in creative writing and aided students in individual research projects.
In addition to writing and teaching, he also tried his hand at being a sailor, magazine editor, newspaper reporter, world traveler, and advertising copywriter.
Considered an outstanding authority onn sailing ships and marine history, Laing was the author of many books on men of the sea and their ships for both adults and young readers.
He lived in Norwich, Vermont before his death in 1976.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 4, 2017
William Hjortsberg's little back-cover blurb describes The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck as
"part mystery novel, part Gothic mad scientist tale, part grotesque horror story..."
and the combination of all three of these descriptors was just too much for me to pass up. What he doesn't tell you there is that it's also a crazy ride with a number of what I call WTF-did-I-just-read moments, some of which came back to haunt me one night while riding out a very high fever. You haven't lived until you're already a bit delirious and little harnesses hanging from the shower find their way into your fever dreams along with a "series of monster babies," the repeated images of which I could have lived without. Then again, none of that surprises me since the novel sort of crawled under my skin in a weird (but good) way.
There's some pretty bizarre stuff going on at the Maine State College of Surgery, all of it capped off by the discovery of the dead Dr. Gideon Wyck, who had only recently gone missing. Medical student David Saunders decides to investigate for himself in order to discover who in the small community may have wanted Wyck dead. By the time we arrive at the discovery of Wyck's body, the number of people who have motive to kill the good doctor include a group of women who have recently given birth to severely deformed babies, his own daughter, disgruntled medical students, a man whose arm Wyck amputated for no apparent reason and who now has gone over the mental edge, and any number of others whose lives have been affected by Dr. Gideon Wyck. Saunders, who also works as secretary to the school's director, has been keeping a diary of a number of strange occurrences , and finds himself in the unenviable position of being unable to trust anyone because he himself is also implicated in Wyck's death.
While this all may sound as if I'm describing a crime novel, The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck is actually anything but -- at its core is scientific experimentation, the very nature of which places this book firmly in the strange tales camp. It appears on Karl Edward Wagner's list of favorite horror works under "Thirteen Best Science Fiction Horror Novels," which is a good way to describe this book, but there are other adjectives that also come to mind about it as well. "Demented" is a word I've used more than once in trying to explain this story to people; "out there" is also a good way to describe it, as is "crazytown." It's also a book where bad science meets mad science, but since I have no intention of revealing any more about this story than I absolutely have to, I think that's about all that I should say about it except that it is truly one of the weirdest novels I've read in a very long while, which is not at all a bad thing. Recommended -- not only is it bizarre, but it's also fun. Just don't read it while you have a fever.
"part mystery novel, part Gothic mad scientist tale, part grotesque horror story..."
and the combination of all three of these descriptors was just too much for me to pass up. What he doesn't tell you there is that it's also a crazy ride with a number of what I call WTF-did-I-just-read moments, some of which came back to haunt me one night while riding out a very high fever. You haven't lived until you're already a bit delirious and little harnesses hanging from the shower find their way into your fever dreams along with a "series of monster babies," the repeated images of which I could have lived without. Then again, none of that surprises me since the novel sort of crawled under my skin in a weird (but good) way.
There's some pretty bizarre stuff going on at the Maine State College of Surgery, all of it capped off by the discovery of the dead Dr. Gideon Wyck, who had only recently gone missing. Medical student David Saunders decides to investigate for himself in order to discover who in the small community may have wanted Wyck dead. By the time we arrive at the discovery of Wyck's body, the number of people who have motive to kill the good doctor include a group of women who have recently given birth to severely deformed babies, his own daughter, disgruntled medical students, a man whose arm Wyck amputated for no apparent reason and who now has gone over the mental edge, and any number of others whose lives have been affected by Dr. Gideon Wyck. Saunders, who also works as secretary to the school's director, has been keeping a diary of a number of strange occurrences , and finds himself in the unenviable position of being unable to trust anyone because he himself is also implicated in Wyck's death.
While this all may sound as if I'm describing a crime novel, The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck is actually anything but -- at its core is scientific experimentation, the very nature of which places this book firmly in the strange tales camp. It appears on Karl Edward Wagner's list of favorite horror works under "Thirteen Best Science Fiction Horror Novels," which is a good way to describe this book, but there are other adjectives that also come to mind about it as well. "Demented" is a word I've used more than once in trying to explain this story to people; "out there" is also a good way to describe it, as is "crazytown." It's also a book where bad science meets mad science, but since I have no intention of revealing any more about this story than I absolutely have to, I think that's about all that I should say about it except that it is truly one of the weirdest novels I've read in a very long while, which is not at all a bad thing. Recommended -- not only is it bizarre, but it's also fun. Just don't read it while you have a fever.
Want to read
December 15, 2016Note to self: make sure to get the complete rather than edited to slightly-over-200 pages edition.
Stupid abridgements.
Stupid abridgements.
April 10, 2009
The late fantasy and horror writer Karl Edward Wagner once published a list of essential novels in the old Twilight Zone magazine. It sent me scurrying into countless book stacks at academic libraries in search of these novels since I had never heard of most of them. I will say the ones I've managed to find were all winners; there wasn't a dull book among the lot of them. So, in an eff0rt to broaden my horizons, I'm going to take a breather from Operator 5 and look at another book published the same decade Jimmy Christopher was trying to save the country.
The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck was first published in 1934. The author, Alexander Laing, published many books in his lifetime, but he's largely forgotten today. The book was quite popular in it's day, going through several editions. In the 1960's it was published as an abridged edition, so many people who have had the opportunity to read it are unfamiliar with the 376 page, footnoted, original. Fortunately, it's been reprinted, but you can still find cheap editions.
The novel involves the disappearance and murder of one of the professors of "The Maine State College of Surgery". The book is narrated from the point of view of a senior medical student who is keeping a diary about the strange goings-on leading up to the death of Wyck. The narrator is also secretary to one of the other professors at the college and is privy to a lot of faculty gossip. There's also plenty of small town Peyton Place politics. And, of course, the book takes place right in the heart of Steven King country.
In some ways, Dr. Gideon Wyck is similar to Dr. House: cold, aristocratic, and demanding. One of the founding instructors at the college, he generally gets what he wants.
The actual murder of Wyck isn't discovered until half-way through the book. By this time, we've been shown countless people who would want Gideon Wyck dead. So who is the killer? Is it Wyck's daughter Marjorie? Could it be Pendergast, the medical student whom Wyck expelled for cheating on an exam? Is it the nurse Muriel, who might have had a thing going on with the old rascal? And what about Mike Connell, whose arm was amputated by Wyck? The list is extensive.
Furthermore, we learn about Wyck's secret laboratory where he was conducting experiments on poor pregnant women. Experiments which soon bear evil fruit in the still births of deformed infants. The book never delves too deeply into this area, but it is a chilling reminder of how close the Nazi were to experimenting on concentration camp inmates.
The novel is also a mirror of its time. There is an entire chapter devouted to an autopsy of an tuberculosis victim. The significance of this chapter strikes home as one of the students taking part in the examination is himself suffering from an advanced stage of the same disease. It's a good thing to remember how TB was once a death sentence for many people until the discovery of antibiotics.
I've often wondered why Karl Edward Wagner chose certain books for his list. My guess for Cadaver would be that it reflected his own experiences at medical school. The novel is filled with detailed information about the daily life of medical students. I doubt if much has changed since the time it was written.
July 4, 2019
Fantastic murder mystery novel set in a small town with a medical school. Written with excellent knowledge of the state of medicine of the time period (1930s).
Want to read
June 8, 2015This is copy 6 of 300 signed numbered copies of this MILLIPEDE PRESS book. Signed by William Hjortsberg.
November 12, 2016
A pretty grim little mystery novel with a fistful of unethical medical experiments and a whole host of interesting characters thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, there is an absurd amount of redundancy in the writing and the book drags mercilessly during middle 200 pages. I have come to understand that Laing re-edited the work for the book's second edition, removing almost 100 pages of extraneous material. I read his original version and suspect I'd have found the book far more enjoyable with tighter pacing.
Fascinating for its gritty approach and its unique position in the early days of noir fiction, the book is worth reading in spite of its flaws, but I would have a difficult time recommending it to anyone not already a fan of the genre. This is 'deep cut' material indeed. Plenty to enjoy, but with a very steep curve due to some of the technical challenges.
Fascinating for its gritty approach and its unique position in the early days of noir fiction, the book is worth reading in spite of its flaws, but I would have a difficult time recommending it to anyone not already a fan of the genre. This is 'deep cut' material indeed. Plenty to enjoy, but with a very steep curve due to some of the technical challenges.
April 29, 2021
Wanted hellraiser, got daytime court tv
May 2, 2022
Reissued by Valancourt in 2016 this is an unpleasant and gruesome story that is not quite a mystery, and not quite the supernatural. Insane doctors crop up occasionally in horror fiction, many more infamous than Gideon Wyck, though he certainly would qualify.
First published in those halcyon days for horror, the 1930s, the book is depicted as a true manuscript penned by a medical student at a rural Maine University. The cruel, but brilliant, Wyck seems to be the centre of numerous disturbing incidents in the town, including, a seemingly unnecessary amputation which has left the patient raving about the devil and babies born with deformities. When Wyck’s cadaver turns up the mysterious events continue to occur.
This may all sound quite typical of a horror novel of its age, but the beauty of it is that it turns in the direction the reader would least expect it to. For its time therefore, it is a bold piece of experimental fiction. Some of Laing’s ideas work less well than others, but he just about manages to keep it grounded in reality, bearing in mind that it needs to be read in the spirit in which it was written, and a basic understanding of how fiction of the time worked.
Excuse its few flaws, and it’s enjoyable and grisly caper.
First published in those halcyon days for horror, the 1930s, the book is depicted as a true manuscript penned by a medical student at a rural Maine University. The cruel, but brilliant, Wyck seems to be the centre of numerous disturbing incidents in the town, including, a seemingly unnecessary amputation which has left the patient raving about the devil and babies born with deformities. When Wyck’s cadaver turns up the mysterious events continue to occur.
This may all sound quite typical of a horror novel of its age, but the beauty of it is that it turns in the direction the reader would least expect it to. For its time therefore, it is a bold piece of experimental fiction. Some of Laing’s ideas work less well than others, but he just about manages to keep it grounded in reality, bearing in mind that it needs to be read in the spirit in which it was written, and a basic understanding of how fiction of the time worked.
Excuse its few flaws, and it’s enjoyable and grisly caper.
February 27, 2019
Laing defies genres with this book as it's part mystery, horror occultism, medical thriller and legal thriller. In attempting to satisfy all of these genres, the ending leaves the reader to be either too satisfied or not satisfied enough. If it was purely a horror novel, the epilogue could have easily been left out with the unease of lose ends. The legal thriller is resolved a few pages before the end of the epilogue. And, finally, it ends with a twist. What makes this novel so good is Laing's writing style and his attention to character development from the narrator's POV.
May 18, 2022
Strange things are afoot at the Maine State College for Surgery. Babies are born with weird mutations. Allegations are flying about unnecessary amputations and patients claiming to be attacked by devils. Gideon Wyck seems to stand astride all the strangeness and then he goes missing and then he turns up dead. Our intrepid narrator, a student at the school doing work-study as personal secretary to the School’s president, gets himself involved in the events and spends the rest of his time trying to figure out what happened and why. It starts off slowly but gets increasingly crazy. Written in the 1930’s, it would have made an incredible Pre-Code film. As it is there’s plenty of fun to be had and it’s easy to understand why it made KEW’s list of top Science Fiction Horror novels and into Jones and Newman’s book of Horror’s 100 Best. Thanks to Valancourt and Centipede Press for bringing this one back.
December 13, 2021
There was definitely a possibility I wouldn’t finish this book. I saw a blurb stating that someone said, “this was one of the greatest science fiction-horror novels of the last century.” So naturally I was expecting a lot. Instead I got a ridiculous plot, poor dialogue, and an astonishingly boring narrative. Perhaps since this book was written so long ago the style was just too antiquated to interest me. Let’s just say I don’t agree with the blurb.
April 30, 2010
Creepy medical-science-fiction-mystery that doesn't quite live up to it's promising premise and becomes less about the atmosphere and more about the whodunit. But it's still a unique entry in the horror-mystery subgenre, with some genuinely terrifying plot elements and a singular first-person narrative.
September 19, 2018
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book written in 1932. While I see why it was classified as horror back then, it's a little tame by today's standards and I'd call it more of a murder mystery with some really weird goings on.
It hooked me pretty early and kept me interested through the entire book. I absolutely loved the the story and the array of characters and personalities. Much of the writing style could pass for modern despite being written more than 85 years ago, but there are a few places where it's pulp origins come through and I absolutely got a kick out of some of the prices mentioned in the book (when compared to current prices).
The mystery worked for me and I found myself trying to figure out who dunnit throughout the book. The ending was of the type, common in the day, where everything is explained (literally, by characters telling others what happened) at the end of the book. I felt like that lent to the book's charm in this case.
This is one of the better books I've read in a few months and I enjoyed it cover to cover.
It hooked me pretty early and kept me interested through the entire book. I absolutely loved the the story and the array of characters and personalities. Much of the writing style could pass for modern despite being written more than 85 years ago, but there are a few places where it's pulp origins come through and I absolutely got a kick out of some of the prices mentioned in the book (when compared to current prices).
The mystery worked for me and I found myself trying to figure out who dunnit throughout the book. The ending was of the type, common in the day, where everything is explained (literally, by characters telling others what happened) at the end of the book. I felt like that lent to the book's charm in this case.
This is one of the better books I've read in a few months and I enjoyed it cover to cover.
September 9, 2022
Though it's been on multiple lists of best horror novels, The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck is largely forgotten, but it really shouldn't be. Sure, if you're looking only for scares it might disappoint you, as the horror elements that start out prominent taper off as you get deeper into the book. But there's more to this book than just scares. In The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck, author Alexander Laing has crafted an interesting amalgam of horror, mystery, and thriller that is thoroughly entertaining and relatively inventive even though it was written over eighty years ago. It's certainly one of the more interesting books I've read this year, and doesn't deserve to be so obscure.
Right off the bat Laing does something interesting by genuinely trying to convince his readers that this is a real story, not just a work of fiction. There is a frame narrative that explains the source of the story, and insists that Laing is merely an editor. This is a standard enough literary device, but what pushes it to the next level is that the text is strewn with academic footnotes explaining the medical terminology being used in the text—and as far as I checked, these footnotes are actually accurate, citing real-world medical texts in use at the time. It adds a degree of verisimilitude you rarely find in fiction that tries to pull off the “this story really happened” trick.
The explanation of the medical terms isn’t just meta-narrative window-dressing, either, as The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck is the story of mysterious happenings in a Maine town where the State College of Surgery is the main attraction. Almost all the characters are affiliated with the medical school in some way or another, and the major action in the book is all medical-related as well, so it was nice to have the relevant terminology explained. Separately, it makes the book a fascinating snapshot of the state of medicine circa 1934.
The opening of the book brings up many classic horror subjects, like demonology, human experimentation, the clinically insane, and other topics that, in conjunction with the small-town New England setting, made the book feel very reminiscent of Lovecraft in its early pages. Is the titular Dr. Wyck a kindred spirit of Herbert West, perhaps? Gradually, these horror subjects become less and less a focus of the text (though they are always a malignant presence in the back of your mind), as the book shifts to being an investigation of Dr. Wyck’s disappearance & rediscovery. There are a few scenes later in the work that succeed in being quite creepy, though, in particular the scene of main characters Saunders and Daisy . Such scenes are the exception in the last two-thirds of the book, when the narrative instead is all about exploring different suspects and possible motivations.
This isn’t a mystery structured in a way so that you’re trying to solve it before the reveal, instead it’s a mystery-thriller where you’re along for the ride with the story’s narrator Saunders. Laing does something I found very clever in the book by justifying why Saunders, despite writing in the first-person, includes so much information about a bevy of suspects and strange goings-on in town: he submits his manuscript of the events in two parts, the first of which (that makes up about 9/10ths of the story) is submitted when the mystery has yet to be solved. Thus, Saunders doesn’t actually know yet which details are pertinent and which aren’t, explaining why he includes everything, including red herrings! And this inclusion of a myriad of details, characters, and possible motives certainly kept me guessing all the way to the end of the book. At various times I grew suspicious of most characters in the book, even of Saunders himself. Laing keeps you in suspense in multiple ways, including through a well-structured buildup where Saunders keeps hinting at the evils of Wyck without spoiling anything, thereby effectively building up your intrigue. He also does it by having both the main characters Saunders and Daisy put forth believable, but conflicting theories of what is going on. It was very nice in a story like this to have a female character that is the equal of the male narrator (in fact she’s probably the smarter of the two). The wasn’t the most fleshed out I’ve ever read, but its gradual buildup and the complementary but different personalities involved make this one much better than I was expecting, and far better than what was featured in most genre writing of the time.
So, The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck is a well-structured mystery-thriller that is sporadically creepy as well, and it keeps you entertained and guessing the whole way through. Why, then, is it not more widely read? Well, besides the fact that it is a melding of genres that might turn some people off, it also has a number of flaws even if you can accept it for what it is. Laing isn’t the best at quickly establishing characters, so in the early chapters of the book it’s not that easy to remember who is who. More significantly, out of all the paths the book could have gone down in its ending, Laing chose to double down on and this misstep means the book ends on a low note.
The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty interesting both in terms of structure and content. I’d certainly recommend it over most horror that has come out recently, and I’d recommend it to mystery fans too so long as you don’t mind a little creepiness (just don't expect to be able to solve it). For now I’m giving this one a 3.5/5 and rounding down, but I’m right on the edge of rounding up and may reassess later.
Right off the bat Laing does something interesting by genuinely trying to convince his readers that this is a real story, not just a work of fiction. There is a frame narrative that explains the source of the story, and insists that Laing is merely an editor. This is a standard enough literary device, but what pushes it to the next level is that the text is strewn with academic footnotes explaining the medical terminology being used in the text—and as far as I checked, these footnotes are actually accurate, citing real-world medical texts in use at the time. It adds a degree of verisimilitude you rarely find in fiction that tries to pull off the “this story really happened” trick.
The explanation of the medical terms isn’t just meta-narrative window-dressing, either, as The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck is the story of mysterious happenings in a Maine town where the State College of Surgery is the main attraction. Almost all the characters are affiliated with the medical school in some way or another, and the major action in the book is all medical-related as well, so it was nice to have the relevant terminology explained. Separately, it makes the book a fascinating snapshot of the state of medicine circa 1934.
The opening of the book brings up many classic horror subjects, like demonology, human experimentation, the clinically insane, and other topics that, in conjunction with the small-town New England setting, made the book feel very reminiscent of Lovecraft in its early pages. Is the titular Dr. Wyck a kindred spirit of Herbert West, perhaps? Gradually, these horror subjects become less and less a focus of the text (though they are always a malignant presence in the back of your mind), as the book shifts to being an investigation of Dr. Wyck’s disappearance & rediscovery. There are a few scenes later in the work that succeed in being quite creepy, though, in particular the scene of main characters Saunders and Daisy . Such scenes are the exception in the last two-thirds of the book, when the narrative instead is all about exploring different suspects and possible motivations.
This isn’t a mystery structured in a way so that you’re trying to solve it before the reveal, instead it’s a mystery-thriller where you’re along for the ride with the story’s narrator Saunders. Laing does something I found very clever in the book by justifying why Saunders, despite writing in the first-person, includes so much information about a bevy of suspects and strange goings-on in town: he submits his manuscript of the events in two parts, the first of which (that makes up about 9/10ths of the story) is submitted when the mystery has yet to be solved. Thus, Saunders doesn’t actually know yet which details are pertinent and which aren’t, explaining why he includes everything, including red herrings! And this inclusion of a myriad of details, characters, and possible motives certainly kept me guessing all the way to the end of the book. At various times I grew suspicious of most characters in the book, even of Saunders himself. Laing keeps you in suspense in multiple ways, including through a well-structured buildup where Saunders keeps hinting at the evils of Wyck without spoiling anything, thereby effectively building up your intrigue. He also does it by having both the main characters Saunders and Daisy put forth believable, but conflicting theories of what is going on. It was very nice in a story like this to have a female character that is the equal of the male narrator (in fact she’s probably the smarter of the two). The wasn’t the most fleshed out I’ve ever read, but its gradual buildup and the complementary but different personalities involved make this one much better than I was expecting, and far better than what was featured in most genre writing of the time.
So, The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck is a well-structured mystery-thriller that is sporadically creepy as well, and it keeps you entertained and guessing the whole way through. Why, then, is it not more widely read? Well, besides the fact that it is a melding of genres that might turn some people off, it also has a number of flaws even if you can accept it for what it is. Laing isn’t the best at quickly establishing characters, so in the early chapters of the book it’s not that easy to remember who is who. More significantly, out of all the paths the book could have gone down in its ending, Laing chose to double down on and this misstep means the book ends on a low note.
The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty interesting both in terms of structure and content. I’d certainly recommend it over most horror that has come out recently, and I’d recommend it to mystery fans too so long as you don’t mind a little creepiness (just don't expect to be able to solve it). For now I’m giving this one a 3.5/5 and rounding down, but I’m right on the edge of rounding up and may reassess later.
February 6, 2024
David Saunders is the narrator and protagonist of this novel, but it's not about him, rather the man he works for named Gideon Wyck. Gideon Wyck is famous but despised by many students and professors at the college he works at. It is believed he performed an unnecessary amputation a patient, and it is later revealed he was behaving unethically with his female patients. When he turns up dead, it becomes a mystery as to who could have murdered him.
This is a great classic scifi horror novel. The characters are compelling and the descriptions regarding embalming and autopsies were very interesting. All the scientific terms went over my head, and yet I still very much enjoyed this book. I'm deeply appreciative towards Valancourt Books for making this available for a modern audience.
This is a great classic scifi horror novel. The characters are compelling and the descriptions regarding embalming and autopsies were very interesting. All the scientific terms went over my head, and yet I still very much enjoyed this book. I'm deeply appreciative towards Valancourt Books for making this available for a modern audience.
June 20, 2010
I'm giving this one 3 stars for story, four stars for character and setting. The setting, in particular, is very well rendered. I've read many books since reading this one, but I can clearly recall many of the settings from this book.
Read
March 27, 2009A great, weird read about a couple of mad scientists. Sort of a gonzo Frankenstein. Now reprinted by Millipede/Centipede Press!
August 31, 2017
3.5 stars really. Totally enjoyable mish-mash of horror, crime thriller, and a touch of science fiction; occasionally a little too wordy or drawn out.
February 12, 2023
'The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck' is never less than well written. Characters breathe, a milieu is evocatively created, and despite the occasional lapse, it is surprisingly modern. However, after promising so much with a dark, nasty opening, the novel potters around for most of its length, ultimately resolving itself in a mundane, ho-hum manner. It could have been so much better. Most of the problem is the level tone of the work; its flat telling allows for little build up of tension, even when, as in a New York scene, it really should be gripping. It's a shame, but rigor mortis sets in and pervades this body of work far too early and much too comprehensively. RIP.
November 19, 2016
I bought this book after it was suggested by a friend, who I think got it as a suggestion from a book of suggestions. That was probably 10-15 years ago. I was worried that it might be really cheesy considering it was written in 1934, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and it was definitely filled with some pretty twisted ideas. I loved the language and the mystery and the footnotes (which are left out of more modern printings).
It's really more of a mystery than a horror story, but there's some creepy events and possible "supernatural" occurrences that bring it into the horror genre.
It's really more of a mystery than a horror story, but there's some creepy events and possible "supernatural" occurrences that bring it into the horror genre.
November 10, 2019
didn't end up being as creepy or supernatural as I'd hoped...more of a crime story / murder mystery. the characters are fairly well drawn, but the book's pacing drags a bit and the ending was pretty unsatisfying, with lots of loose ends (not in the intentionally mysterious way--more like the author just never thought or meant to wrap them up). [e.g., what was up with Mike's blood? what was Ted Gideon's motive for murder? what about Wyck's secret lab in the hills? why were all the mutant babies appearing?]
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October 14, 2020A curious blend of horror, medical thriller, and murder mystery, The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck does show its age in some regards, but it is nevertheless an intriguing story of science and superstition gone wrong mingled with a complex plot where it seems that everyone has something to hide. The Maine setting and the stylings of a real-life manuscript add further flavor, making the novel a generally interesting journey on the whole.
January 21, 2023
A novel from the 1930s written for readers who outgrew HP Lovecraft in the 1920s but remember his work. Some of this is horror (what secrets does this remote New England medical school hide?). Some of this is who done it with a medical student and nurse teaming up to uncover the truth.
March 3, 2024
I good mix of mystery and horror
October 28, 2024
Read 40% of the book and tossed it. Just too jumbled.
January 7, 2025
This one has it all, mystery, Gothic mad scientist with secret lab, murder, and mayhem. Certainly a classic pulpy horror tale perfect for winter reading.
November 11, 2016
It starts with a Bang, a great Big Bang followed by one of the most disappointing anticlimax ever read. From a punchy and fierce first chapter with all the most exciting and terrifying elements from a 1930s semi horror novel to a flat and standardised ending. From a truly eerie and disquieting first scene to a dry, dull and despairingly colourless ending.
From the very first passages worth of the best Arthur Machen, CS Cody and Le Fanu to the most (un)expected solution typical of your avarage golden age crime story.
All the excitement and expectations instilled by the weird title, the magnificent book cover and the opening chapter are simply crushed by language, narrative and development of the story. When you think this is the moment it bounces back to the wonders of the beginning yet again it falls deeper and deeper into anonymity. Leave me with chapter 1, the rest is forgotten if not forgiven.
From the very first passages worth of the best Arthur Machen, CS Cody and Le Fanu to the most (un)expected solution typical of your avarage golden age crime story.
All the excitement and expectations instilled by the weird title, the magnificent book cover and the opening chapter are simply crushed by language, narrative and development of the story. When you think this is the moment it bounces back to the wonders of the beginning yet again it falls deeper and deeper into anonymity. Leave me with chapter 1, the rest is forgotten if not forgiven.
April 19, 2019
Merges mad scientist premise with murder mystery. Has a very 1930s feel to it (it was published in the 1930s, after all) and can easily be imagined as a black & white film with the feel of Warner Brothers Dr. X or The Mystery of the Wax Museum. Runs a bit longer than feels necessary, but it's old-fashioned fun. Anyone who enjoys those old movies or H. P. Lovecraft's "Herbert West, Reanimator" or John Dickson Carr's The Burning Court might want to give this a try. Valancourt reissued it in trade paperback not long ago.
December 12, 2025
2025: This book is actually quite good, an interesting gothic novel with a believable narrator and an engaging plot. Is it deep? Tremendously compelling? Can't-put-it-down? No. But it's fun, the characters are good, and I enjoyed it enough that I spent a pretty penny when a copy came up on thriftbooks.com. So take that for what it's worth.
2019: This book is to stories like a bag of chips is to food- engaging in the moment and good for a snack, but it crumbles a bit under pressure and I doubt it will leave a lasting impression.
2019: This book is to stories like a bag of chips is to food- engaging in the moment and good for a snack, but it crumbles a bit under pressure and I doubt it will leave a lasting impression.
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