The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales of Terror

Of all the Victorian gothic and sensationalist horror narratives (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Moonstone etc), The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is perhaps the most unsettling. It is a genuinely frightening narrative, perhaps because, unlike its contemporaries, the subject of the horror is, and remains, very human. Dr Jekyll is ostensibly a very normal mid-Victorian gentleman scientist, with a commonplace interest in exploring the boundaries of consciousness and self. His experiments, however, lead him down an ungodly path from which he struggles to return. His alter-ego Mr Hyde is monstrous in every sense of the word. He is powerful, persuasive and without any moral sensibilities whatsoever. The narrator, Henry Jekyll, tells us some of the worst excesses of Hyde's malevolent nature, but hints at worse. Like Dracula, the `Strange Case' of Dr Jekyll is documented in a series of letters, diary entries and reports to create an unequivocal sense of truth for the fantastical tale therein. It all adds to the terror of the story.One interesting fact about the narrative - almost everyone pronounces `Dr Jekyll' incorrectly. Robert Louis Stevenson chose the name `Jekyll' because he liked the way it rhymed with `treacle'.

I am currently reading the book now. It's the first time I've read it in "adult" form. I read this story as a child via Ladybird, then as a early teenager via Puffin Junior Classic's. I've also seen numerous television adaptions and films too. Suddenly out of nowhere had a desire to read the real version of this book, and so far, I'm not disappointed.I have been totally engaged in this story from the very start. It's hooked me from the first line and have easily whiled away several hours just forgetting the time.I have a real love of gothic horror stories such as Dracula and Frankenstein and I'm really enjoying reading this, too.If you want a genuinely unsettling story that doesn't rely on blood and guts, this is for you. It's available on Amazon at a more than reasonable price so give it a go. It's entertaining and engaging.

Great CD audiobook for 'Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'. It's well-read by Rory Kinear and the discs separate the chapters into their own tracks. I find this particularly useful when I use the audiobook to study.The first disc is of the introduction which contains contextual information and background.Don't forget the last discs also contain other shorter stories, though I'm not interested in those principally as I bought it mainly for my GCSE studies.

I'd been going through a 'Jekyll and Hyde' phase after watching the musical, and felt I should read the original source material. I loved it. It's certainly different to most (if not all) of the adaptations, but if anything, this makes it more readable without feeling like you're just rehashing the films. This particular edition (the Penguin one) has a nice Introduction and a small essay, both of which provide more background, context and insight to the novel itself. Certainly worth a look in.

Good at last to read the original after seeing so many movie spinoffs. As usual the original version is more rewarding and rather more complex. I will not spoil the ending but I found it to be much more 'psychological' than the usually more overt cinematic versions. Would be good to see a 'true' rendition of it made for the screen.