New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-30
NEW NOVELS.
ADVENTURES BY SEA AND LAND

WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNGER By MISS
n. Z. Hraddon. puodecimo' PIP ''' W.
SPANISH JOHN Being a Memoir Now FIRST
Published in Complete Form, OF the ririy ~ ~,
and Adventures OF Colonel John Mc'ohnei' ~. ~
William Nj Lehman. Duodeciho Up -'''
Harper Il Brothers.
TIL, TOKMENTOR. Hy BENJAMIN Swift Duo
dccina. PIP. al. charles Scrioners SONS
THE wInRIPOoL by George Glssing, Octave
Do i2i Frederick \. Stokes Company
All Mr. Clark Russcrs later work is as honest
Work as that II his carly days; he does his best
and IL is not his faux that it is not better worth
doing That vigorous story The wreck Oh the
Grosyenor" showed him at It's strongest ana Is
in lis way ALI ocean classic, full Of sunshine anu
Twins, breezcs. But h. has never repeated 'ha'
triumph; his novels nowadays. II readap'e' aic
L1important. They have seahorse-ah"-c"o
base air: they have shiver-lny- tmbers bounce
but not fire. and the hearty British lars gro"
somewhat tresome. The scene OF his new s'ory
is laid at the beginning II the century the wv
captains are men. previously reputap'e' ""''
when disappointed in obtaining cohfhahu VI
ships and on the point Of starving. commit
robbery charter brig with its proceeds anu
set forth upon the sea as raVehihS p''a'eS'
Their erd is disaster. Of course; but on the way
,hither they pass through many more or less
exciting adventures The book Is not exac''y
dull. but it adds nothing to the boarded wealth.
Of literature.
Miss Braddon's story Of Restoration times IN
England is another well-meant If not aitoge'her
succ, ssfu piece Of work. She has STUDIED "e'
period carefully. and if she has not peeh ape
TO make dry bones live, her intentions AT least
were creditabe. The figure OF King Char'eS 10
rot go bad-in the sense Of delineation-and the
chapter in which the young heroine arrives III
London during the plague to find her brot"er-
in-law dying deserted in his great house Is de-
cidedly effective. The romance OF Inc doom 10
one OF unlawful and unhappy love, quite III TIC
vein of its authors stories OF modern NE As
,,ic,ure of manners the work does not justify It's
exlsience-and in fact. there Is littie IN us
pages which does 50 justify IT,
7, is the misfortune Of Spanish John" that
il is a story which challenges comparison ana
thereby provokes regretfu criticism venture
into the field wherein sucn heroes as DaVio
RaIfour move must be brilliant indeed to COM
nand a place in these days. We 90 not ma
Mr.. McLennans performance anything more
than earnest and reSpec able.
''rhe Tormentcr' is one OF the most uiipieaS-
ant tales we have ever read III Is q thihs VI
unalloyed gloom. a tissue woven Oh base oeeu'
and sordd sorrows. The hero is huiha" u''"
of the old fashioned theatrical type a sheeiine
oa,d raerinr into mems hearts and experiment.
ing in their emotions. student Vi 'i''''''
ind nsvchic detective" torturng weak con-
sciences into sef-accusation ana lhuu'si"s no
ou.p sensations in a wreck of souls. That he
should become entangled 10 his own uhuoihs ia
Tho owl net he spins is the Inevitable end and
tod in iey
,be lame observation that Death is 50 en-
nhaii.l" This is ~ rather cheap and obvious
,.ilain the sort of wicked fellow. of philosophic
turn who is apt To stir the imagination Oh ceVer
,ou,h For we freely credit young Mr. swift
with cleverncss. lie has the makinss Oh d goou
roye,;s,. he has only to rid himself Of cock
sursnoss. pretension and imitation to study real
hu,ran nature and to acquire the wisdom that
comes with years and a style mat shiii De a'
,.as, reasonably attractive. That in which he
now disports himself is atrocous. 1t Is con-
cei,ea rough. abrupt yet involved marked by
Meredithian obscurity without the picturesque
s,,ree of the Meredithian sentences. If he is
not a conscious imitator Of the author Oh Inc
ordeal IF Richard Feverer ne has 50 STEPPED
his mind i'm the work of that remarkable writer
&c ,o M, unable to free himself from its in
nucnce Some day. perhaps Mr.. swirl VIII
strike out for himself on an original path. and
we may be allowed TO congratulate him upon
unaeplabe gifts wisely trained and nobly used
NJ cissing's powerful novel The Whirlpool
was fully reviewed in The Tribune last sprng
when the book was published in England. 50
asa ,,aJ In no more now than welcome the
handsomely printed American edition. Yet 1t is
tempting to touch once more upon the merits OF