FICTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2245, 27 November 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

FICTION.

— Messrs Frederick Warne and Co. have added to their " Library of Continental Authors " a translation of "Irfenp," by the Princess Olga Canta-cuzene-Altieri. The Greek heroiue's matrimonial experiences are of the strangest eh iracter, but there is the touch of nature in them which will secure the interest of a very large circle of readers. — Some knowle Ige of the marriage customs of America is necessary to appreciate the full meaning of the title of tho Rev. E. P. Roa'a story, " He Fell in Love with His Wife " (Ward;- Lock, and Co.). We shall not, however, anticipate the discovery the reader will make about the middle of the volume. It must suffice to say that the plot, though overshadowed by female suffering, deals with homely incideut3 of everyday life. Mr Roe handles his subject with the skill of a practised novelist, and well sustains his deservedly high reputation. — Despite the horrible secret of " A lions,, |of Tears" (Ward and Downey) there is a grim fascination in its gradual disclosure, that may impiess Uiose who yearn for a new sensation. The tale is told by a doctor, whose gloom and sublimity add to the force of the ghastly and unnatural details. — The fame of Edgar Allen Poe rests upon his poems, but several of his short tales and sketches display a mastery of prose narration. An excellent selection has been made in the volume just added to " Cassel's Red Library." Along with 14 The Raven" and " The Bells " appears " The Murders in the Rue Morgue " and "The Mystery of Marie Roget," in which tragic themes are treated with singular boldness and analytical power. "A Decent into the Maelstrom'" is another striking effort of the imagination, and even those papers which bear evidence of haste in their composition are not without effect. — A second edition of Mary C. Russel's clever story of the stage, " Miss Vanbru«h/ Ins been issued by My Arrowsmith, of Bristol.