The Mystery of the Sea
First UK edition | |
| Author | Bram Stoker |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Heinemann (UK) Doubleday Page (US) |
Publication date | 1902 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
The Mystery of the Sea is a mystery novel by Bram Stoker, first published in 1902. It tells the story of an Englishman living in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who meets and falls in love with an American heiress. She is involved with the intrigues of the Spanish–American War, and a complex plot involving second sight, kidnapping, and secret codes unfolds over the course of the novel.
The Mystery of the Sea contains supernatural elements, but is in many respects a political thriller. Stoker draws from personal experience and incorporates historical strands from the Spanish–American War as well as the sixteenth-century conflict between Spain and Elizabethan England, using these events to explore important themes of his time such as national identity and changing concepts of womanhood. Although The Mystery of the Sea received many favorable reviews when it was published, it has been significantly overshadowed in scholarship and criticism by Dracula.