KIDNAPPED

Kidnapped is a historical fiction adventure novel by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. Written as a "boys' novel" and first published in the magazine Young Folks from May to July 1886, the novel has attracted the praise and admiration of writers as diverse as Henry James, Jorge Luis Borges, and Seamus Heaney. A sequel, Catriona, was published in 1893.

Kidnapped is more than a story about a young man's search for his true birthright, however – Stevenson knew that more than that was needed to capture a young adult's attention for the length of an entire novel.  It is hard to believe that a novel of Kidnapped's caliber – or, indeed, any of Stevenson's adventure novels – was written primarily from Stevenson's bed. Unfortunately, Stevenson suffered from lung ailments throughout his short life. As did many who could afford to in those days, Stevenson traveled extensively, always in search of a climate that could cure his condition. Stevenson was often confined to bed on these travels, leaving him to imagine and write all of the adventures he was never himself able to experience. Some of his most well-known adventures – Treasure Island, The Black Arrow, Kidnapped – were written during periods of almost constant illness.

Regardless of his perpetually failing health, Stevenson understood the value of a powerful, fast-moving adventure. The popularity of Kidnapped, well over a century after it was first published, demonstrates the timelessness of the story. Set in Scotland and the surrounding sea, Kidnapped maintains a rapid and suspenseful pace throughout the book, riveting the reader from start to finish.

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