Kidnapped: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for Kidnapped by R.L. Stevenson. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1886, 80,410 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1886, 80,410 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
80,410 words. Modern thriller and adventure often runs 80,000 to 100,000 words, so this is in the usual range today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 80,410 words, Kidnapped is moderate length for adventure fiction. It is shorter than many Victorian novels but longer than modern YA. For its genre, it is well-paced and not bloated. Modern adventure novels of similar scope run 70,000 to 90,000 words.
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1886, 80,410 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
The book was serialised in Young Folks magazine (1881 to 1882) in weekly instalments. Chapter breaks align with serial breaks: c6 ends with kidnapping, c13 with shipwreck, c17 with murder, c22 with collapse, c29 with confrontation. Each instalment ends on suspense or revelation.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 13, Ch 17, Ch 22, Ch 29
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps: Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking (adventure, moral growth), Riordan's Percy Jackson (young hero, journey, loyalty), Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle (friendship, mystery, landscape). All feature young protagonists tested by hardship and bound by loyalty over law.
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Today Kidnapped would be shelved as YA adventure or historical fiction. It appeals to readers aged 14+. It would compete with adventure fantasy and historical thrillers. The first-person voice and coming-of-age arc suit YA marketing, though the prose is more literary than typical YA.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: violence (murder, siege, beatings), kidnapping and enslavement, death by drowning, period racism and slavery references, class oppression, brief alcohol use. No sexual content. Suitable for mature teens and adults.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 8, Ch 10, Ch 13
white men were still sold into slavery on the plantations (Ch 7, para 33)
Ye’ve murdered the boy! (Ch 8, para 14)
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
When seventeen-year-old David Balfour seeks his inheritance from a wicked uncle, he is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Shipwrecked in the Highlands, he befriends a fugitive Jacobite and becomes hunted for a murder he did not commit. A thrilling journey of survival, loyalty, and the cost of growing up.
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is a simple noun phrase, direct and action-focused. It names the central crime rather than the hero or setting. This style suits adventure fiction of the period and modern thrillers. It is memorable and immediately clear about genre.
Ask Kidnapped a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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