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Loading... The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck: By A Medical Student (edition 2012)by Alexander Laing, Lynd Ward (Illustrator), William Hjortsberg (Introduction)
Work InformationThe Cadaver of Gideon Wyck by Alexander Laing
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 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. 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. no reviews | add a review
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One of the greatest crime and horror novels ever written, this long unavailable work has a new introduction by William Hjortsberg. This is the complete novel, not the more common abridged edition. This new edition also includes three bonus essays by Alexander Laing. Signed by William Hjortsberg. No library descriptions found. |
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A grudging four stars for just plain weirdness through most of the book.
Typically overrated by Karl Edward Wagner. ( )