Dr Jekyll and Mr Seek is an intriguing and imaginative sequel to Stevenson’s classic. It takes and develops certain plot elements and themes from the original, subverting them in the process.

It is almost seven years since the strange death of Mr Edward Hyde and the simultaneous unexplained disappearance of Dr Henry Jekyll. Gabriel Utterson, Jekyll’s lawyer and friend, and depository of Jekyll’s final confession, is well aware that Jekyll and Hyde were one and the same person. He is therefore preparing to stake his claims as the named heir of Jekyll as soon as the latter is presumed dead after the passing of the statutory seven-year period. To Utterson's immense surprise and chagrin, Jekyll – or, as Utterson believes, an impostor who claims to be the doctor – returns and takes possession of his house and home. The plot thickens when a number of Jekyll’s acquaintances who could confirm Utterson’s suspicions die suddenly in mysterious circumstances. Utterson embarks on a crusade to prove that Jekyll is dead, despite the fact that several of Jekyll’s closest friends are ready to vouch for the veracity of the newly-returned claimant.

Anthony O’Neill cleverly mimics the style and dialogue of 19th Century novels, his pastiche occasionally bordering on the parody. He recreates some tropes of Victorian urban Gothic fiction, including nightly prowls, shadowy alleys and storm-drenched skies. There is a particularly memorable scene featuring burning tea warehouses which fill the city air with an exotic aroma.

That said, Dr Jekyll and Mr Seek subtly displaces the thematic focus of its model. Stevenson’s tale, which often borders on science fiction, uses the plot to delve into issues of good and evil, and to consider, with horror, the dark side which haunts each and every one of us. O’Neill remains squarely within the Gothic genre, but presents us instead with a study into obsession and madness – in a way, this is more Poe than Stevenson, although O’Neill retains a lighter touch than either. This novel is, to use a musical metaphor, an “improvisation upon a theme” – the influence of the original is manifest, but this new work has enough personality to stand its own ground. ( )

Dr Jekyll and Mr Seek is an intriguing and imaginative sequel to Stevenson’s classic. It takes and develops certain plot elements and themes from the original, subverting them in the process.

It is almost seven years since the strange death of Mr Edward Hyde and the simultaneous unexplained disappearance of Dr Henry Jekyll. Gabriel Utterson, Jekyll’s lawyer and friend, and depository of Jekyll’s final confession, is well aware that Jekyll and Hyde were one and the same person. He is therefore preparing to stake his claims as the named heir of Jekyll as soon as the latter is presumed dead after the passing of the statutory seven-year period. To Utterson's immense surprise and chagrin, Jekyll – or, as Utterson believes, an impostor who claims to be the doctor – returns and takes possession of his house and home. The plot thickens when a number of Jekyll’s acquaintances who could confirm Utterson’s suspicions die suddenly in mysterious circumstances. Utterson embarks on a crusade to prove that Jekyll is dead, despite the fact that several of Jekyll’s closest friends are ready to vouch for the veracity of the newly-returned claimant.

Anthony O’Neill cleverly mimics the style and dialogue of 19th Century novels, his pastiche occasionally bordering on the parody. He recreates some tropes of Victorian urban Gothic fiction, including nightly prowls, shadowy alleys and storm-drenched skies. There is a particularly memorable scene featuring burning tea warehouses which fill the city air with an exotic aroma.

That said, Dr Jekyll and Mr Seek subtly displaces the thematic focus of its model. Stevenson’s tale, which often borders on science fiction, uses the plot to delve into issues of good and evil, and to consider, with horror, the dark side which haunts each and every one of us. O’Neill remains squarely within the Gothic genre, but presents us instead with a study into obsession and madness – in a way, this is more Poe than Stevenson, although O’Neill retains a lighter touch than either. This novel is, to use a musical metaphor, an “improvisation upon a theme” – the influence of the original is manifest, but this new work has enough personality to stand its own ground. ( )

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, was one of the only books given to me as assigned reading in high school that I actually enjoyed. It's a wonderfully macabre Gothic novella that explores the duality of man within a really interesting sci-fi scenario. I enjoyed the book so much in high school that it actually led to me watching the fantastic BBC series Jekyll (a show that actually ended up being a really interesting sequel to the original story). So, naturally, when I saw that Anthony O'Neill's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Seek, a sequel to the original Jekyll & Hyde, I was immediately interested. The question is: how good is this book? Is it a worthy sequel to such an amazing original? The short answer is: no, not really. But it's more complicated than that.

I wanna make it clear that it's not as if Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Seek is a bad book. It's absolutely fine. And that's its biggest problem. While the original story used its fantastical plot as a device to explore the duality of man and sought to answer deeper questions about humanity, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek doesn't really do that. It tries, but I don't think it really succeeds. Boiled down to its simplest form, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Seek is a novel about one man's descent into madness. The only problem is that the reader can't ever quite tell if he's going mad or not. This problem stems from the premise of the book: someone purporting to be Dr. Jekyll has reappeared a mere two weeks before Utterson, his lawyer, would have inherited his estate. Utterson - and all who read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - know that Jekyll and Hyde were the same person, and thus when Hyde committed suicide, Jekyll also died. So, the audience spends the entire novel siding with Utterson, believing that he's correct and that this person claiming to be Jekyll is lying. Utterson slowly loses his grip on reality as he tries to prove this to be true, but it doesn't quite work because we know he's right. We're not really unsure if this imposter is Jekyll, because we already know that Jekyll is dead. Before the final chapter begins, it seems as though Utterson has finally gotten all he's needed to prove he's correct, and then the final chapter switches perspectives and just sort of ends without giving any actual answers to the story (I'm purposely being a bit vague as to the specifics as I don't want to spoil it). This kind of ending would work if this book wasn't a sequel to a different story but was its own thing. This ending works if the audience doesn't know whether the protagonist is correct or not. But we do know, unless, of course, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Seek's point of view is that the events, as they were told to us in the original Jekyll and Hyde, weren't totally accurate. If that's the case, then the book needs to make that clearer or, again, the ending doesn't really work. As written, it's just sort of frustrating and the deeper meaning that the novel is trying to explore doesn't quite land.

From a writing standpoint, it's totally competently written. The prose feels like it's trying to evoke the prose of Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde, but it never really goes any further than that. It does the job, but it's nothing special. The pacing is mostly good, though the beginning is a little slow (also like the original Jekyll and Hyde). While having a disappointing ending, the plot is still interesting. I'm not against the general premise of the story, and the first 3/4 of the novel mostly worked for me, mainly because I expected some kind of reveal in the last 1/4 of the novel that would explain what was going on. The first 3/4 of the story feel like a mystery novel; you're reading it, trying to piece together the mystery, and anticipating the big reveal at the end. The original Jekyll and Hyde, while being a Gothic horror novel, was a mystery. All of these mysterious things happen, revolving around Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, leading Utterson to try and piece it all together, all leading up to a climax where everything is revealed and tied together. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Seek doesn't have a climax like that. It's all building up to it and then it just... ends. It's a subversion of expectations, sure, but it's one that doesn't work.

As a sequel to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Seek does feel a bit weird, mainly due to how Utterson and Poole act within the story. I understand that seven years have passed and that this book is trying to push the idea that Utterson isn't totally together, but they just act a bit... strangely when viewed in comparison to the original novel. It's not super distracting, but it is noticeable, at times. Then, of course, there's the weird resolution that doesn't seem to match up with everything we know about the original story. Honestly, this novel would be a whole lot better as its own standalone story, totally unconnected to the continuity of the original novel. It can be heavily inspired by it, sure, but it shouldn't be a direct continuation of it. It just doesn't work as a continuation of the story. It doesn't have anything interesting to offer as commentary or addition to the original novel, and it just sort of ends up confusing. The first 3/4 make for an enjoyable read, and the last 1/4 isn't bad, just disappointing. It's nowhere near as good as it could be, but it's also not awful. It's a quick read and it does make for a fun read on a cold, autumn day.

3 out of 5 wands ( )

7 years after the death of Mr.Hyde and the mysterious disappearance of Dr.Jekyll,the doctor reappear in London and lays claim on all of Dr.Jekyll assets. Mr.Utterson,chief beneficiary of the doctor's estate,knows that this Dr.Jekyll is a fraud. He,and only he,read the confession of Dr.Jekyll. Unfortunately, he kept everything to himself so not to sully the good doctor's name. The impostor(is he?)wriggles his way back into society. His esteemed friends are all convinced that he is the real Dr.Jekyll. Only Mr.Utterson remains more than sceptical. And the accidents,deathly accidents,start to happen. Mr.Utterson is more than ever determined to unmask this fiend. But will he succeed...?
This is a very well written(short)novel,it keeps the reader's attention, there is an increasing tension and the return of Dr.Jekyll is not to be dismissed lightly.
www.booksdogsandcats.wordpress.com ( )

I was sceptic about this. I thought it was a retelling. It is not!
This is the sequel to Stevenson's famous Jekyll and Hyde story told from the point of view of Mr Utterson, Dr Jekyll's lawyer.
The writing is good, the author follows Stevenson's footsteps and still was brave enough to create something new that is just as good as the original story.

review is based on an ARC provided by the publishers. ( )