Book Review: Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker

Before we get any further into this post, I have to stop and say that if you haven’t read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, then stop reading this now and go get it and read it. Now! OK. OK. You can wait for Amazon to ship it. While you’re waiting you can read this review. Is it me or is it dark in here?

I feel like I want to get my one problem with this book out of the way first: there are things written about one of the characters in the novel that are basically racist. When I read things like this I tend to mark it down as an unfortunate product of the time it was written in (1911 in this case,) and that we all know better now. This basically ignores the fact that it is also sexist, but while a person runs into racism in older books only occasionally, they are all sexist. Sorry ladies.

OK back to Lair of the White Worm. Ah! What can I say about this wonderful book? Besides that one serious black mark on it, I love this book. I love that it has serious continuity problems. I love that large parts of it make no sense. I love that it is so over the top romantic. Here’s the blurb from the edition I have:

Deep beneath the old house of Diana’s Grove a primeval creature waits patiently to complete its ancient task of destruction – a creature that achieves its deadly aims in the human guise of a woman…

“She tore off her clothes, with feverish fingers, and in full enjoyment of her natural freedom, stretched her slim figure in animal delight. The she lay down on the sofa – to await her victim! Edgar Caswell’s life blood would more than satisfy her for some time to come.”

Wow I can so relate. I enjoy my “natural freedom” all the time. The blurb pretty much sums it up except that Edgar has a romance interest who is threatened by the worm. There is also some kooky “science” to be had. For example, one of the characters puts forth a theory that the reason the worm appears white is because it burrows through china clay deposits. What bearing this has on the plot is beyond me, but at least we don’t have to wonder.

I love the illustrations that were done by Pamela Colman Smith for the original 1911 edition published by William Rider and Son, Limited. The villains are so dreadful and the heroes so nonsensical that I was filled with bliss reading this book. You have people with bird spirits doing psychic battle. You have villagers terrorized by an evil kite. You have a dancing villainess. What more can a person ask for? A brilliantly nonsensical movie directed by Ken Russell (starring Hugh Grant) which is only very loosely based on the original you ask? Why yes! It has that too.

Creepy Factor: 2 out of 5
Suspense Factor: 3 out of 5
Weird Erotic Tension Factor: 2 out of 5

Final result: Oh man did I ever enjoy Lair of the White Worm. If you’re in the mood for a quick gothic sort of horror novel from the turn of the century, then you should pick this one up.

Lair of the White Worm – Bram Stoker - William Rider and Son, Limited - 1911

View this book on Amazon