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Book Review: The New Annotated Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, edited by Leslie S. Klinger

The New Annotated Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, edited by Leslie R. Klinger, introduction by Joe Hill

 

The New Annotated Strange Case Of Dr.Jekyll And Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, edited by Leslie S. Klinger, introduction by Joe Hill

The Mysterious Press, Penzler Publishers

ISBN: 978-1-61316-321-4

ISBN eBook: 978-1-61316-322-1

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com )

 

 

The New Annotated Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde is a handsome presentation and scholarly analysis of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella. Most readers are familiar with the general outline of Stevenson’s story from the dozens of adaptations in movies, stage plays, television productions and comics over the past century. But fewer have actually read the story. Klinger presents the original story with helpful footnotes along the margins that do not impede the reading. Numerous interesting illustrations of theatrical lobby cards and movie posters accompany the body of the story.

 

However, the gem of Klinger’s book is his 46 page Foreward. The author describes Stevenson’s family life and literary career. The social, scientific and literary environment of the Victorian age are presented in detail: there was interest in the duality of good and evil contending within a person, and this became the kernel of Stevenson’s story. Other writers and scientists also dealt with this concept, e.g. Sigmund Freud and the superego, ego and id. Klinger describes the extraordinary popularity of Stevenson’s serialized story after its initial publication and its powerful impact on literary and theatrical works that followed.

 

Klinger’s writing style is direct and accessible to the general public. The large-sized format (8 ½ inch by 10 ½ inch), cover, binding and paper are of high quality. Klinger’s book is a “must-have” for every library.

 

Highly recommended

 

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee

 

Posted on January 3, 2023 by , Reply

Book Review: Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Jeff Edwards

Cover art for Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers and Jeff Edwards

 

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Jeff Edwards

Levine Querido, 2022

ISBN-13: 9781646141791

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition  (  Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com )

 

Cherokee writer Andrea L. Rogers makes her YA debut with Man Made Monsters with this 18-story anthology that traces one Cherokee family across time. She starts in the 1830s with the tribe forced off their land and the monster that follows them, and carries the family through to the future with a science fiction story. There are stories of commonly told supernatural monsters, like werewolves and vampires, but also monsters from the Cherokee tradition, such as Deer Woman, one of my new favorite legends. There are also very human monsters. Suicide, domestic violence, racism, school shootings, sexual assault, and indigenous dispossession are heavy topics in this book. Cherokee artist and language technologist Jeff Edwards includes fascinating artwork that accompanies the stories in this anthology.

 

While each of the stories in this anthology have something unique about them, a few of them became my favorites. “Man Made Monsters,” written as a series of letters, concerns a man playing Dr. Frankenstein looking for a means to create life from death. With the death of her little brother looming, Suzanna takes the man’s notes and research to heart. Something common for Victorian-era Gothic novels, Rogers uses this series of letters well to drive this story. I have a soft spot for Gothic novels, and I would have read a whole volume on this storyline alone.

 

In “Homecoming,” Rabbit Wilson’s older brother Joseph is slated to come home from the war with the other wounded “Cherokee boys.” While there is a ghost in this story, the most haunting vision is when Joseph arrives home.

 

“Me and My Monster,” set in 1969, centers on the short-lived relationship between the Goat Man and Gina after he saves her from being assaulted by a bad date. While I would not consider this a horror story, their tale ends in a tragedy of sorts.

 

In “Shame on the Moon,” another story set in 1969, Jimmy King is a self-conscious teenage werewolf football player. His sister, turned into a vampire by a rich white kid from an opposing team, led to his accidental transformation by an old friend. Something locally interesting for me is the mention of the song “Wichita Lineman.” I am a transplant to Wichita, and a few friends here have talked about the song in passing. Seeing this show up, I took the time to listen to it. I reread the story then, and it seemed to add that much more desperation to Jimmy’s search.

 

Sissy and Jisdu are stuck out in the cold in “Snow Day,” set in 1979. When they make it home after a difficult and painful trek, they are able to get into the old Cadillac in the closed up garage, where they turn it on, thinking the heater will keep them warm. While Jisdu sleeps, Sissy sees the ghost of her cousin, who tries to save their lives.

 

“Deer Women” is a new twist on the legend of Deer Woman. When Sali’s friend Lisa doesn’t show up for school, she and their other friend, Quanah, get worried. The trio is working on an art project centered around the legend of Deer Woman when she goes missing. After some expert sleuthing, they track Lisa who emerges from a drainpipe where she had been hiding. The girls may have discovered why other Native girls in the area have gone missing, and why it won’t happen again.

 

One of the futuristic stories, “I Come From the Water,” set in 2029, is told through multiple perspectives. In the story that comes just before this one, the band The Toadies are mentioned, and the title of this story is one of their songs, and one that happens to be favourite of mine. Rogers includes little things like this in her stories that are just genius. I recommend listening to the song after reading this one.

 

An interesting aspect of this book is that with the space in between the chapters, the reader can put together what happened with the family as the next story picks up. It’s an ingenious way to drive the overarching story. I thought it would be difficult to follow, given the massive time span, but it was surprisingly coherent, and I was never confused. It helped that at the beginning of each story, Rogers included pertinent names and dates. I think even without those added, I would have been able to follow the plot. Each story flows well into the next. Rogers is an author I will keep my eye on. She graduated with an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and her work as been published in literary journals; in You Too? 25 Voices Share Their #METoo stories from Inkyard Press; in Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, and more.



I am not sure if the artwork created by Jeff Edwards was in their final versions as I read an ARC copy of Man Made Monsters, but I liked what I saw. Edwards is an award-winning Cherokee graphic artist and is a language activist who has worked for the Cherokee Nation for over 20 years. He attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS, and deceived an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on January 1, 2023 by , 1 comment

Book Review: Doll House by John Hunt

 

Doll House by John Hunt  (Bookshop.org)

 Black Rose Writing, 2017

ISBN: 9781612968070

Available: paperback, Kindle

 

Doll House is a white-knuckle horror/thriller that takes a common plot device and spends most of the book on “well, what about after it happens?'” The plot you know: young person abducted by a psycho or two, held captive and tortured for months or years, then escapes at the very end of the book, often killing their torturers in the process.  It’s been done before, sometimes well (Jack Ketchum, Whitley Streiber) and sometimes not so well (Ryan C. Thomas).  In Doll House, that basic plot is wrapped up in the first fortysomething pages.  It’s the “what next?” part that makes up the majority of the book, and it makes for a compelling story.  How will Olivia, the victim, cope with the rest of her life, knowing that one of the abductors got away?  Will the abductor give up and move on, or come back and try again?  How long can the cops provide protection, as the story fades from public eye and budgets are stretched thin?  All good questions, and the book delivers on them all, while providing a rip-snorting good read.

 

A critical part of this story type is hiding the killer’s identity until the end, keeping the reader guessing. The author does an excellent job concealing it, using red herrings and a few scattered clues extremely well.  The clues are there, but you have to read pretty carefully to catch them.  I didn’t guess right, and most readers probably won’t either.  It is very well done.

 

It’s worth nothing that the book is definitely heavy in the narration department, and pretty light on dialogue.  It’s a stylistic choice, but a bit more dialogue would have helped break the story up a bit and pushed it the extra mile. There’s still plenty to generate reader interest, and the story doesn’t drag at any point.  Some of the most interesting parts concern the police and their struggles to track a killer who left no evidence: it’s interesting how difficult detective work really is, and that unfortunately, it can be limited by financial constraints.  As far as nastiness, the author wisely shows restraint and only uses it where needed.  There are a few ugly scenes like toes getting snipped off and an ear getting razored off, but there’s not much blood, and no graphic rape sequences. It’s a horror novel with a few quick bouts of ugliness, and it’s a good one.  There is a sequel to Doll House due to be released later this year, and it will be reviewed here shortly.  Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on August 13, 2022 by , Reply
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