This is really a collection of stories, held together by the character of Melmoth the Wanderer. They are nested one inside the other down to about five levels, with makes it a bit difficult at time to remember where we are in the different plots.

The stories are engaging. They show us their protagonists in the most desperate of circumstances and still unwilling to take Melmoth's place. However, there's definitely too much of a good thing: The author's style is extremely wordy, I would often have preferred much shorter descriptions that keep the stories moving.