3 JUNE 1893, Page 26

The Germ-Growers. Edited by Robert Potter, M.A. (Hutchin- son.)—Canon Potter

introduces us to some very weird beings. These are malevolent creatures who, among other mischievous functions, spread abroad pestilences on the earth; hence the name which gives a title to the novel. They remind us of a famous genie in the "Arabian Nights," for they have a power of expanding into, and condensing themselves from, smoke. One of their head-quarters seems to be in the Australian interior. Alto- gether, this is a very uncanny sort of story. It is not altogether a success, but it has a certain effect of the " creepy " kind.