Mahme Nousie. By G. Manville Fenn. 2 vols. (Hurst and
Blackett.)—In the horrible superstitions of the Negroes of the West Indies, who up to a comparatively recent period practised the revolting rites of the Voudou, Mr. Manville Fenn has found materials for a not particularly interesting and decidedly dis- agreeable romance. There is not in Mahme Nousie any attempt at delineation of character, and even the plot of the book displays little of the ingenuity manifest in many of its author's stories. Here he has simply endeavoured to be as blood-curdling as possible; but as a blood-curdler he achieves only a moderate success, for the horrors are a little too crude to produce the intended effect upon the imagination of any reader who has left his early youth behind him. Most of Mr. Fenn's books for boys are excellent ; two or three of his novels are pleasant and readable ; but his West Indian story is a nightmare which is destitute of any claim to be considered a work of literary art.
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