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The Body Snatcher and Other Tales
Renowned as the author of such popular adventure stories as Kidnapped and Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson also wrote gripping tales of terror and the supernatural. Stevenson's considerable gifts as a teller of tales shine brightly in this choice collection of three of his best short stories.
The Gothic tale of "The Body Snatcher" concerns a young medical student's dealings with grave robbers who provide corpses to dissect and study — a practice that takes on increasingly sinister dimensions. Swirling seas, dangerous reefs, and inhospitable islanders provide the grim backdrop for a tale of greed, lunacy, and unbridled fear in "The Merry Men," the name given by the inhabitants of Aros to the fearsome breakers that pound their tiny Scottish isle. "The Bottle Imp" — an intricately told tale of love and adventure, avarice and envy, and good and evil — centers on a magical bottle that provides its owner with all he desires, but at a great cost.
This exceptional collection of tales will thrill admirers of the author's craft as well as aficionados of classic horror stories.
The Gothic tale of "The Body Snatcher" concerns a young medical student's dealings with grave robbers who provide corpses to dissect and study — a practice that takes on increasingly sinister dimensions. Swirling seas, dangerous reefs, and inhospitable islanders provide the grim backdrop for a tale of greed, lunacy, and unbridled fear in "The Merry Men," the name given by the inhabitants of Aros to the fearsome breakers that pound their tiny Scottish isle. "The Bottle Imp" — an intricately told tale of love and adventure, avarice and envy, and good and evil — centers on a magical bottle that provides its owner with all he desires, but at a great cost.
This exceptional collection of tales will thrill admirers of the author's craft as well as aficionados of classic horror stories.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1884
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142 people want to read
About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson
6,927 books6,967 followersRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 26, 2021
Whenever I start a book by Robert Louis Stevenson, I imagine Gene Wilder suddenly appearing at my shoulder and whispering:
Hold your breath
Make a wish
Count to three.
His writing makes me feel as though I'm on the edge of a cliff, about to hand glide; as though I'm on the prow of the ship, about to embark; as though I've just landed on the shore, about to explore the island.
In my opinion, only a handful of writers fill my senses the way Mr. Stevenson does: Alexandre Dumas, Ray Bradbury, Edith Wharton, and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
These are writers who have a knack at describing light, sound and sensation. They take you there, with the crunch, the whisper, the quick flirt of the wind as it catches your hair.
You are transported, and quickly.
This collection of three stories is different from what you may think about Stevenson's writing. There are no child protagonists here, and these are gothic, creepy tales.
The first one, “The Body Snatcher” deals with a former medical student who left his studies for reasons he'd rather not disclose. . .
The second one, “The Merry Men,” is apparently considered “one of the finest stories in Scottish literature,” and is about the protagonist's “Uncle Gordon,” who has lived on an isolated island off of Scotland just a wee bit too long.
Uncle Gordon talks like this:
“Do ye think, man, that there's naething in a'yon saut wilderness o' a world oot was there, wi' the sea-grasses growin', an' the sea-beasts fetchin', an' the sun glintin' down into it, day by day?”
I pictured him like this:
He's annoying, and so is the “cousin lovin',” but the story is still spectacular.
The third one, “The Bottle Imp,” takes place in San Francisco, Hawaii and Tahiti, and, on a whim, I read it aloud to my 12-year-old, who sat silently through all 23 pages and announced at the end, “I will never forget that story.”
Mr. Stevenson started writing as a boy because he was in poor health and wanted to write the adventures that he wanted to take, but couldn't. (Sound familiar?)
His work transports me, and I am almost giddy to reread Treasure Island this year.
As I walked upon the edge I could see far and wide over the sandy bottom of the bay; the sun shone clear and green and steady in the deeps; the bay seemed rather like a great transparent crystal. . . there was naught to show that it was water but an internal trembling, a hovering within of sun-glints and netted shadows, and now and then a faint lap and a dying bubble round the edge.
Hold your breath
Make a wish
Count to three.
His writing makes me feel as though I'm on the edge of a cliff, about to hand glide; as though I'm on the prow of the ship, about to embark; as though I've just landed on the shore, about to explore the island.
In my opinion, only a handful of writers fill my senses the way Mr. Stevenson does: Alexandre Dumas, Ray Bradbury, Edith Wharton, and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
These are writers who have a knack at describing light, sound and sensation. They take you there, with the crunch, the whisper, the quick flirt of the wind as it catches your hair.
You are transported, and quickly.
This collection of three stories is different from what you may think about Stevenson's writing. There are no child protagonists here, and these are gothic, creepy tales.
The first one, “The Body Snatcher” deals with a former medical student who left his studies for reasons he'd rather not disclose. . .
The second one, “The Merry Men,” is apparently considered “one of the finest stories in Scottish literature,” and is about the protagonist's “Uncle Gordon,” who has lived on an isolated island off of Scotland just a wee bit too long.
Uncle Gordon talks like this:
“Do ye think, man, that there's naething in a'yon saut wilderness o' a world oot was there, wi' the sea-grasses growin', an' the sea-beasts fetchin', an' the sun glintin' down into it, day by day?”
I pictured him like this:
He's annoying, and so is the “cousin lovin',” but the story is still spectacular.
The third one, “The Bottle Imp,” takes place in San Francisco, Hawaii and Tahiti, and, on a whim, I read it aloud to my 12-year-old, who sat silently through all 23 pages and announced at the end, “I will never forget that story.”
Mr. Stevenson started writing as a boy because he was in poor health and wanted to write the adventures that he wanted to take, but couldn't. (Sound familiar?)
His work transports me, and I am almost giddy to reread Treasure Island this year.
As I walked upon the edge I could see far and wide over the sandy bottom of the bay; the sun shone clear and green and steady in the deeps; the bay seemed rather like a great transparent crystal. . . there was naught to show that it was water but an internal trembling, a hovering within of sun-glints and netted shadows, and now and then a faint lap and a dying bubble round the edge.
November 9, 2022
Strange and so typical for its day. These older works just don't hit the right notes for my liking.
August 30, 2021
Tried a classic and it was super odd.
June 12, 2024
I enjoyed these tales of the weird. Three in total.
October 14, 2009
This was just another short story in the Dr. Jekyll book. I read it in about 1/2 an hour. It was well written and a good Halloween type ghost story. A little silly and a little creepy, but a good read.
November 20, 2009
This is a wonderful shaggy-dog story. At least, I think it's shaggy-dog. Would someone please read the last sentence and tell me what you think?
December 11, 2024
This collects stories previously published across different R.L. Stevenson collections, one originally appearing in Stevenson's Tales and Fantasies and the other in The Merry Men and Other Tales. The three in this collection are The Body Snatcher, The Bottle Imp and, the longest of the three, The Merry Men.
The first is very much in that Victorian Gothic tradition; cobbled streets, gaslight - and the story itself being closely based on the contemporaneous Burke and Hare bodysnatchers/murderers who sold corpses to anatomists.
The Bottle Imp is a kind of genie story, only that the catch is that the bottle [lamp] must be sold at a loss, otherwise the seller loses his soul to the devil. This ultimately leads to the characters trying to determine what to do when the bottle inevitably cannot be sold for any less money. This is also set in Polynesia, somewhere that would become very dear to Stevenson in his later life (he died in Samoa). This and also the next and final story very much follow the nautical or sea-related backdrops employed by Stevenson in his more famous works Treasure Island and Kidnapped.
The Merry Men is set in Stevenson's native Scotland and follows a search for a wrecked ship of the 1588 Spanish Armada off the coast. Interestingly, given the story's culmination of a man being driven mad by nature, the uncle of the PoV character (the latter two stories are both in first-person) remarks "The horror! The horror of the sea!" A check online revealed that this particular story pre-dates Conrad's Heart of Darkness by around 15 years.
None of the stories are particularly scary nor would I categorise as horror, but they have a certain atmosphere that is complementary to the windy, cold and dark nights of winter.
The first is very much in that Victorian Gothic tradition; cobbled streets, gaslight - and the story itself being closely based on the contemporaneous Burke and Hare bodysnatchers/murderers who sold corpses to anatomists.
The Bottle Imp is a kind of genie story, only that the catch is that the bottle [lamp] must be sold at a loss, otherwise the seller loses his soul to the devil. This ultimately leads to the characters trying to determine what to do when the bottle inevitably cannot be sold for any less money. This is also set in Polynesia, somewhere that would become very dear to Stevenson in his later life (he died in Samoa). This and also the next and final story very much follow the nautical or sea-related backdrops employed by Stevenson in his more famous works Treasure Island and Kidnapped.
The Merry Men is set in Stevenson's native Scotland and follows a search for a wrecked ship of the 1588 Spanish Armada off the coast. Interestingly, given the story's culmination of a man being driven mad by nature, the uncle of the PoV character (the latter two stories are both in first-person) remarks "The horror! The horror of the sea!" A check online revealed that this particular story pre-dates Conrad's Heart of Darkness by around 15 years.
None of the stories are particularly scary nor would I categorise as horror, but they have a certain atmosphere that is complementary to the windy, cold and dark nights of winter.
December 10, 2020
The Body Snatcher is based around the true life actions of Edinburgh’s killer duo Burke and Hare and is neatly adapted here.
Anatomy students MacFarlane and Fettes are responsible for the collection of cadavers, which are in high demand, for the Edinburgh University dissecting tables. But how these bodies come to end up on the table is a question upon itself ...
A wonderfully short tale and a joy to read. Stevenson really creates the grimness and depravity of the events excellently.
The Bottle Imp centres on a wish-granting bottle imp. The bottle must be sold at a loss or before the owner dies or else the soul burns in Hell !
Quite the premise ! A really fabulous, enjoyable read. Great ideas presented.
The Merry Men. A man goes in search of sunken Spanish Armada treasure off the coast of Aros Scotland.
Cannot say I cared for this one much. Read like a boring version of Treasure Island. And I really could not tolerate the old Scots. Bleh.
Anatomy students MacFarlane and Fettes are responsible for the collection of cadavers, which are in high demand, for the Edinburgh University dissecting tables. But how these bodies come to end up on the table is a question upon itself ...
A wonderfully short tale and a joy to read. Stevenson really creates the grimness and depravity of the events excellently.
The Bottle Imp centres on a wish-granting bottle imp. The bottle must be sold at a loss or before the owner dies or else the soul burns in Hell !
Quite the premise ! A really fabulous, enjoyable read. Great ideas presented.
The Merry Men. A man goes in search of sunken Spanish Armada treasure off the coast of Aros Scotland.
Cannot say I cared for this one much. Read like a boring version of Treasure Island. And I really could not tolerate the old Scots. Bleh.
August 9, 2019
This copy was a bit harder to read due to the size and spacing of the print. That being said I really enjoyed the stories in this book. The Body Snatcher and The Bottle Imp were my favorites. They were engaging and a lot more active. maybe I just connected to them more personally (not sure what that says about me. I found The Merry Men a bit harder to get through. Again, I feel it might have been the print and the spacing being small and tight that made it difficult.
April 3, 2022
Probably only didn't give it four stars just because I'm judging it by contemporary means. It probably would have easily been a five-star book when it was made. It's interesting enough. I enjoyed it. It was worth reading. It's a few different stories.
April 9, 2022
Excellent quick fun read. I enjoyed these kinda-spooky short stories from Robert Louis Stevenson. The one about the imp in the glass bottle was my favorite... you'll have to check out this novella to find out more!
October 15, 2025
Just a bit too dated for my liking, atm.
July 9, 2022
~Spooky~
December 1, 2014
Rating clarification: 2.5
This book contains the short stories “The Body Snatcher,” “The Merry Men,” and “The Bottle Imp.” These three tales are difficult to review. Although the stories are not too interesting to me, they aren’t bad stories, either.
Stevenson does away with his allegorical and crooning writing style I encountered in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that overwhelmed the novella. In The Body Snatcher and Other Tales, Stevenson focuses on telling the stories through his characters and their struggles. While each of the short stories still carries a noticeable theme or message, Stevenson does not drill them into the reader with repetitive contemplations on the subjects – too much.
“The Bottle Imp” is most guilty of allegorizing itself, with the two protagonists agonizing over their choices, sacrifices, and moral justice. It’s a shame, considering that “The Bottle Imp” holds the most intriguing plot concept and whimsical, fairy tale atmosphere that carries the story along like white fluffy clouds on a warm breezy day.
However, the other two short stories in the book drag across the ground getting to their focal points. I caught myself needing to reread paragraphs and pages as the narratives lost my interest. “The Merry Men” in particular wanders in focus, dwelling on extraneous fables and information that I later learn do not require the attention and concentration I devoted to them. Either Stevenson needs to expand the short story into a longer work in order to realize the extraneous material, or he needs to eliminate or condense the first three chapters.
As for “The Body Snatcher,” my reason for reading this book, I have one specific comment. The ending dives into the supernatural without any justification. Up until that point –so, the entire story – the horrific potential of human nature drives the plot and theme. With the ending, Stevenson is saying, He throws away the serious, gut-churning considerations of the story for a cheap “oOoOoo” moment.
Overall, the three short stories in this collection are okay, but they are in need of some refinement to be better than “not bad.”
This book contains the short stories “The Body Snatcher,” “The Merry Men,” and “The Bottle Imp.” These three tales are difficult to review. Although the stories are not too interesting to me, they aren’t bad stories, either.
Stevenson does away with his allegorical and crooning writing style I encountered in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that overwhelmed the novella. In The Body Snatcher and Other Tales, Stevenson focuses on telling the stories through his characters and their struggles. While each of the short stories still carries a noticeable theme or message, Stevenson does not drill them into the reader with repetitive contemplations on the subjects – too much.
“The Bottle Imp” is most guilty of allegorizing itself, with the two protagonists agonizing over their choices, sacrifices, and moral justice. It’s a shame, considering that “The Bottle Imp” holds the most intriguing plot concept and whimsical, fairy tale atmosphere that carries the story along like white fluffy clouds on a warm breezy day.
However, the other two short stories in the book drag across the ground getting to their focal points. I caught myself needing to reread paragraphs and pages as the narratives lost my interest. “The Merry Men” in particular wanders in focus, dwelling on extraneous fables and information that I later learn do not require the attention and concentration I devoted to them. Either Stevenson needs to expand the short story into a longer work in order to realize the extraneous material, or he needs to eliminate or condense the first three chapters.
As for “The Body Snatcher,” my reason for reading this book, I have one specific comment. The ending dives into the supernatural without any justification. Up until that point –so, the entire story – the horrific potential of human nature drives the plot and theme. With the ending, Stevenson is saying, He throws away the serious, gut-churning considerations of the story for a cheap “oOoOoo” moment.
Overall, the three short stories in this collection are okay, but they are in need of some refinement to be better than “not bad.”
April 24, 2011
This is a collection of three very different short stories by Robert Lewis Stevenson. The first is a story about medical students and the grim work of the resurrectionists. It is set in the 1800's in Scotland and involves the action of young medical students and their secret work of digging up fresh graves to provide corpses for dissection. The very action of learning often compromises their own morality when the cause of death is suspiciously opportune and the identity of the corpse is known. It reminds me of Burk and Hare trials in 19th century and I think it has been the basis for several movies.
The second tale is completely different and reminds me of something out of Grims' Fairy Tales. It deals with the greed of an old woman and the results of her choices for her family. Like most old tales, there is a strong sense of morality and justice in it.
The last is also a folk story about a shaman/magician and the greed of his son-in-law. The old shaman needs his son-in-law's help and reveals the source of his wealth to be a magic island. The son-in-law returns to the island to steal the money and becomes ensnared in the magic of the island. Again, there is a strong sense of morality and revenge.
All of these tales are similar to those of Hawthorne and feel like they are based in true legends and morality tales. Each is complete and I could feel like I was sitting around a fire listening to an old sage reveal the legends of the ancestors.
The second tale is completely different and reminds me of something out of Grims' Fairy Tales. It deals with the greed of an old woman and the results of her choices for her family. Like most old tales, there is a strong sense of morality and justice in it.
The last is also a folk story about a shaman/magician and the greed of his son-in-law. The old shaman needs his son-in-law's help and reveals the source of his wealth to be a magic island. The son-in-law returns to the island to steal the money and becomes ensnared in the magic of the island. Again, there is a strong sense of morality and revenge.
All of these tales are similar to those of Hawthorne and feel like they are based in true legends and morality tales. Each is complete and I could feel like I was sitting around a fire listening to an old sage reveal the legends of the ancestors.
August 7, 2016
I would have rated it higher if it was just the 1st and 3rd story but the second was so hard to read because of the slang used in it. I thought The Bottle Imp to be a good tale or morality and life and the Body Snatcher one to make a person think of their own mortality and what happens to our bodies after death given the time it was written this was an even bigger thing to consider.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews