The Beetle

By: Richard Marsh

Narrated by: Gunnar Cauthery, Jonathan Aris, Natalie Simpson, Andrew Wincott, John Foley

The Beetle is a horror novel that was published in 1897 and significantly outsold Dracula, which appeared in the same year. A polymorphous Egyptian creature – the Beetle – seeks revenge on the eminent British politician Paul Lessingham for crimes committed against the disciples of an ancient cult. Although it is less well-known than Dracula to modern audiences, The Beetle remains a leading example of the Gothic novel.

The story is told from the perspectives of four different characters, concluding with the account of the detective Augustus Champnell. The action takes place within a three-day period in an undisclosed year in the 1800s.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2021 Naxos AudioBooks UK Ltd.

What is it with classics?

I can read/listen to Jane Eyre or Jane Austens books over and over. This book is a one time (wish I hadnt) book. I suspect this would be a very short story at best. I had to listen to every persons account about basically the same thing over and over again. The finale was long coming and then wham, bam, thankyou maam. Wonder if the author got paid by the number of words? Classic? Poo! Richard Marsh, never again.

Boring

I can't believe this book out sold dracula when it came out. After about halfway through 2nd version of the story I was done. The narrator is good but the story is dry and uninteresting.