The Body Snatcher and Other Stories, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Body Snatcher and Other Stories, Robert Louis Stevenson
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The Body Snatcher and Other Stories

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrator: Roy McMillan

Unabridged: 2 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Naxos

Published: 09/28/2009

Categories: Fiction, Classic


Synopsis

A dark night, a graveyard and the suspicion of murder... The Body Snatcher is one of Robert Louis Stevenson’s most chilling tales. After many years, a chance encounter between two former medical students forces them to recall their sinister past and foul play that was better left buried. Perfect for long winter nights, these stories have been specially selected to create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Read by Roy McMillan, with Naxos AudioBooks’s trademark of carefully chosen music.

About Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson, a Scottish essayist, poet, and author of fiction and travel books, was born in 1850 in Edinburgh. As a child, he suffered from tuberculosis and spent much of his time in bed composing stories before he could even read. His father was a prosperous joint-engineer to the Board of Northern Lighthouses. Stevenson studied engineering at Edinburgh University but, due to his ill health, had to abandon his plans to follow in his father's footsteps. He changed to law and passed the Scottish bar in 1875. Stevenson then took some time to travel to warmer countries in an attempt to improve his health. These experiences provided much material for his works.

Instead of practicing law, Stevenson devoted himself to writing travel sketches, essays, and short stories for magazines. While on a trip to France, he met Fanny Osbourne, whom he married in California in 1880. They later returned to Scotland but moved often, in search of better climates.

Stevenson is especially known for his adventure novels. His first success was the romantic adventure story Treasure Island. His other prominent works include Kidnapped, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Black Arrow. Characteristic of Stevenson's novels is a skillful use of horror and supernatural elements. His stories are often set in colorful locations, where his characters can forget the restrictions of Victorian social manners. Arguing against realism, Stevenson underlined the "nameless longings of the reader," or the desire for experience.

In 1885 Stevenson published A Child's Garden of Verses, which was dedicated to his childhood nurse and has since been made into popular songs. His last work, Weir of Hermiston, was left unfinished, but it is considered his masterpiece. From the late 1880s until his death, Stevenson lived with his family in Samoa. He enjoyed a period of comparative good health but died of a brain hemorrhage in 1894.


Reviews

Goodreads review by April on July 21, 2021

I didn't love "Body Snatchers," but "The Bottle Imp" was somewhat reminiscent of O. Henry with a bit of Aladdin thrown in... It was the most interesting story in this short collection. I'm glad to have the exposure to Stevenson, but nothing mind-blowing here.......more

Goodreads review by Tim on July 16, 2021

One story was predictable. The one in verse was not my style. The other was OK, though told in many variations through many cultures.......more

Goodreads review by Kristel on July 17, 2023

Reason Read: ROOT, TIOLI July 2023 Robert Louis Stevenson is listed as an atheist. This set of short stories included The Body Snatchers: a story of grave robbers and murderers supplying medical school with cadavers. The Poor Thing: a tale of a horse shoe that leads to marriage, The Bottle Imp: this r......more

Goodreads review by Mary on September 21, 2021

There's only three short stories here so it was a quick listen. My listening of "The Body Snatcher" was interrupted so I felt like I didn't get the best experience but it seemed like a great short story. I didn't get "The Poor Thing" at all. I really liked "The Bottle Imp" and the whole "Gift of the......more