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The Wyvern Mystery (Pocket Classics)

Author: Sheridan Le Fanu
Publisher: Sutton Publishing Ltd
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

2 reviews
Sales Rank: 623544

Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 0.8

ISBN: 0750906871
Dewey Decimal Number: 809
EAN: 9780750906876
ASIN: 0750906871

Publication Date: March 1, 2000
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New Book. Fast Dispatch from our UK warehouse.-UK Seller.

Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - The Wyvern Mystery: A Novel (Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan, Works.)
•	Paperback - The Wyvern Mystery

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•	In A Glass Darkly
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Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars

A mystery to the very end November 7, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

In claiming to be a supernatural thriller, 'The Wyvern Mystery' promises well as a comparable work to 'Uncle Silas' and 'In a Glass Darkly'. Le Fanu shines in these latter works, but unfortunately not so for the former. It isn't that 'The Wyvern Mystery' doesn't have the elements that makes these other works so successful - there is the same reliance upon careful scenic description to build tension and heighten foreboding, the use of folktale and Irish lore to add a supernatural dimension, and the plot of the 'mystery' itself is well conceived. However, none of this really comes together, and the result is a rather flat and sometimes perplexing narrative.
The build-up to the mystery spans the first two-thirds of the novel, and rather than maintain this tension in unfolding its resolution in the final third, the plot meanders until it is hurriedly concluded in the last few pages. The abruptness of this ending does little to make the reader feel involved. The intrusions of the dispassionate narrator encourages this feeling, and throughout the flat approach to characterisation does little to raise reader sympathy. The that new characters are rapidly introduced at the end of the novel also generates feelings of confusion, and is only increased by the fact that there are unresolved questions in the narrative even after the;ast pages - for instance, was Bertha ever actually married to Charles?
It is extremely disappointing given Le Fanu's talent that 'The Wyvern Mystery' is not better than it is. Ultimately it has the appearance of being a plot outline for a novel rather than a finished novel. As such, I would suggest reading it upon these lines before moving on to his better works.

5 out of 5 stars

The Wyvern Mystery is spooky!!! November 18, 2000
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

The Wyvern Mystery is an excellent horror novel, with many twists and turns. Bertha has a mysterious past which is finally revealed through the thick fog. It is equally good as frightening. I can only say one thing. B U Y I T ! ! !