The Beetle

This book left me with conflicted feelings. It was a joy to read, and the language was surprisingly modern for a book written in 1897. It was actually hilariously witty in many places. However, the premise had racist undertones that continually rubbed me the wrong way.

The story is split into four parts, each told from the point of view of a different character. The first part follows Robert Holt, a homeless man looking for food and shelter for the night. He encounters a strange old man who puts him under a trance to control him and make him commit burglary. I loved this way of getting into the story and meeting the antagonist, because it provided an up-close introduction to the powers of the Beetle. It really started the story off with a horrific bang.

The second part is from the perspective of Sydney Atherton, a rich inventor. I started off not really liking him because he was a bit of an asshole, but halfway through part three he began to grow on me. He thinks he's in love with a woman called Marjorie Lindon, and is determined to prove his sincerity at all costs.

The third part is told by Marjorie, who is secretly engaged to Paul Lessingham, a prominent political figure whom the book revolves around. It is Lessingham who is haunted by the Beetle because of a trip to Egypt in his youth.

The last part is told by a "confidential agent" named Champnell who both Lessingham and Atherton know and who they pull in to help them. It's through Champnell that we discover the heart of the antagonistic force driving the plot: The strange old man with the power to mesmerise people--often referred to simply as "the Arab"--is part of a cult of Isis, an "idolatrous sect" that practices "debased, unclean, mystic, and bloody rites." And of course this cult prefers white, Christian, English women for their ritual sacrifices.

This is where I have trouble. On the one hand, the whole thing smacks of racism. Even considering the time period it was written in and the unease which was probably caused by foreigners in England doesn't make me feel any less troubled when reading. But on the other hand, the story isn't otherwise that bad. It's well-written and the pacing was great, with chapters in perfectly manageable chunks that always leave you wanting more.

Overall then, I give it a 4/5. It's a great story, just with a problematic premise, depending wholly on differences in culture for its horror element. But as long as the blatant dehumanization of another race isn't taken too seriously and one considers it simply a book of its time, it's an enjoyable read.