Sir Walter Scott wrote that '' upon the whole , the work impresses us with a high idea of the author 's original genius and happy power of expression '' , but the '' Quarterly Review '' described it '' a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity '' .
Sir Walter Scott , writing in '' Blackwood 's Edinburgh Magazine '' congratulated '' the author 's original genius and happy power of expression '' ( 620 ) , although he is less convinced about the way in which the monster gains knowledge about the world and language . 
 On the other hand , the '' Quarterly Review '' described it '' a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity '' .