by Nick Lane
First published 2017
Dr Henry Jekyll stands at the pinnacle of medical respectability. His peers admire his success, and he edges closer to a neurological breakthrough that will transform medical science. But Jekyll's research methods cross ethical boundaries, and when a trusted colleague discovers his work and threatens exposure, Jekyll faces professional ruin. Desperate to protect his discovery, he makes a fatal choice: he tests his experimental treatment on himself. The procedure succeeds beyond his wildest expectations, but not in the way he intended. Jekyll finds himself sharing his existence with Edward Hyde, a violent alter ego who embodies everything Jekyll has suppressed. Set against the backdrop of fog-shrouded Victorian London, this adaptation of Stevenson's classic explores the dangerous territory between scientific ambition and moral compromise. As Jekyll loses control over his transformations, the streets become a hunting ground where love turns to betrayal and discovery leads to murder.
Genres: fiction, 20th-century, mystery, horror, thriller, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: alter-ego, moral-compromise, scientific-experiment-gone-wrong
Setting: London, Victorian London
Period: 19th Century
140 pages · Paperback · Playdead Press
Content warnings: body-horror, violence