The Fever of Life. By Fergus Hume. 2 vole. (Sampson
Low and Co.)—The plot of Mr. Fergus Hume's novel is good, as most
of his plots are, and the situations many of them dramatic and
strong. The average novel does not depend so much on tragical scenes as The Fever of Life, but on quieter and less stirring life ;
but Mr. F. Hume has altered his usual style of fiction in such a manner as to cater for the readers of both. There is a little too much flippancy, too much slang, and a want of consistency about the style ; but we have, of course, some capital sketches of nine- teenth-century types, and some very good dialogue. In his anxiety not to have too much detail as to clues and crimes, the author makes one or two slips, and, having once begun an analysis, leaves
over-much to be filled in by the reader. However, The Fever of Life has a distinctly fine character in the half-savage woman,
whose strongest passion is love for her daughter,—her mixture of civilised and savage instincts is drawn with considerable skill. As an essay in novel-writing, this two-volume novel holds out a refreshing promise.
Previous page
