Some reviewers of The Lantern Bearer have complained that although Wood captures the spirit of adventure inherent in his subject's life, his writing skills do not approach those of Stevenson. Wood does succeed, however, in presenting a very complex personality. He admits that Stevenson was a poseur who loved costumes, whether a barrister's robes or the planter's white drill and riding boots that he considered appropriate on his Samoan estate. While most poseurs have nothing substantial behind the roles they play, Wood shows that Stevenson was a skilled professional who overcame physical handicaps to accomplish work every bit as difficult as the engineering feats of his father and grandfather.

Wood employs short declarative sentences to portray his subject and, as in all his biographies, succinctly incorporates a great deal of information in a relatively brief space. Wood presents the essential facts of his subject's life while...