The blue dwarf (e-book) (used book) | Esther Lady Hope | bookbook.eu

Description

More than one book with this title has been released, but this one is the earliest and the best! It was published in 1861 as a Penny Dreadful in 60 weekly episodes, each with an eye-catching illustration.
The story begins when the young Sir Edgar is deprived of his rightful heritage (and nearly murdered) by a group of villainous relatives. Hovering in the background is The Blue Dwarf, a creature of truly hideous appearance. Fortunately he is on the side of Good rather than Evil and, as the villains swindle and murder their way through 337 chapters, the Blue Dwarf and his allies strive to bring the rogues to justice.
It is written in a full-tilt "dark and stormy night" style, with a wondrously convoluted plot. To give you an idea of the complexity of it all, here are a few statistics. The action takes place in 9 different countries and there are (I think) 276 characters. These include some celebrities of the day, namely Napoleon and The Duke of Wellington and George IV (who turns out to be father of one of the villains). In addition there are 15 murders and (surprisingly) 6 cross-dressers.
Because of the weekly deadline for each episode there are a few mistakes, including bits of plot left in mid-air and two illustrations showing events that didn't happen.
But these small deficiencies are made up for by the impressive Gothic style of the writing. A typical example occurs near the beginning of the book, where the author describes an ancient house, equipped with dungeons, dangerous trapdoors and secret rooms. He explains that we no longer have a need for such devices, BUT:
"Never does the evil which is in the human heart die out. Long after such appliances as belong to another age are rejected by public opinion will they be made instruments of private vengeance, profligacy, and lust of wealth and power."