The Monstrumologist

The Book

The Monstrumologist
By Rick Yancey
Simon & Schuster
Published September 22, 2009

So begins the journal of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

Critically acclaimed author Rick Yancey has written a gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does a man become the very thing he hunts?

The Review

I know this book wasn’t in my review queue, but since I was having all sorts of shipping troubles trying to get my hands on my signed copy of Green’s The Fault in Our Stars I decided to pick up another book in the interim–and an award honoree no less.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey was a Printz award honor book back in 2010 and for excellent reason: this book is as fantastic as it is creepy. Told through the journals of a old man looking back on his time as the twelve-year-old assistant of a world-renowned monstrumologoist (for def. see description above), the story follows Will Henry as he and Dr. Pellinore Warthrop set out on a search and destroy mission to rid a quiet 19th century village of murderous man-eating monsters, the Anthropophagi. What on the surface appears to be a straightforward quest, however, quickly becomes a very twisted path as the deepest depths of the doctor’s past are brought to light–and both Will Henry and the doctor begin to doubt the humanity of the person they had trusted most.

I love many things about this book, but the thing that stands out the most is how intricately Yancey draws the characters of Will Henry and the doctor. To say these characters are fully fleshed out is a bit of an understatement. Just as with real people, the characters are full of contradicting motivations and sentiments. The doctor in particular is a struggle to pin down. Determined to be the “modern scientific man” as he father was, the doctor often sacrifices his more human inclinations. He is not affectionate toward Will Henry. He is distant and imposing and often argues with Will Henry as if he were an adult, then becoming frustrated when the twelve-year-old cannot hold his own. Yet for all these flaws, the doctor is a likeable character. It is clear he cares for Will Henry, even if the mode of that love’s expression is unorthodox (he, for instance, tells Will Henry he will shoot him in the head rather than let him suffer an agonizing death at the hands of the Anthropophagi–naturally Will Henry is taken aback at this notion).

The doctor also has strong moral convictions–he is disgusted at the mistreatment of the inmates at the insane asylum–a stark contrast against the charismatic John Kearns, a British gentleman of dubious origin that the doctor brings in to assist with the hunt. Kearns, who prides himself on following the “morality of the moment” (i.e. eat or be eaten), is one of those truly frightening characters in literature because, on the surface, he seems so dashing. He’s confident, well-spoken, and a natural leader. Everyone–the doctor, Will Henry, the constable, the villagers, the readers–wants to follow him. They want to believe he has all the answers. And he does, to an extent. They just aren’t pretty (or ethical) answers.

Which is how Yancey is able to explore deeper themes in the book. Through the eyes of his expertly drawn characters, Yancey plumbs the depths of human character. He confronts young readers with moral dilemmas usually reserved for a college philosophy class. Is it better to sacrifice one for the survival of many? Can a person, or monster, be inherently evil? Or is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so?

The only downsides to the book are:

1. its use of advanced vocabulary and grammar (I know, what a downside…); some younger or less advanced readers may find it less accessible for this reason. And…

2. there are some truly disgusting scenes, most of them involving maggots; if you are prone to nightmares, like myself, please be aware you’ll be dreaming about this book for quite some time.

However, these downsides are extremely minor. Overall, I think it is an excellent book and definitely worth the read.

The Rating

Readability:         
Originality:           
Believability:        
Thematic Quality:
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Overall Rating:  (hurray, my first 5 star rating)

The Recommendation

A must read! Great language, creepy atmosphere, complex characters, awesome themes. Younger readers may need help along the way, but the challenge is well worth it.

And, if you get done with this book, there are two more in the series: The Curse of the Wendigo (which despite its silly title is supposed to better than the first) and The Isle of Blood. I can’t wait to read these two…I mean, too!

Clockwork Prince

For me, the greatest test of a book comes not in the first few lines, but rather somewhere around page 300. At this point, both the book and I have reached a post-midway slump. The book, supposing it’s following a traditional arc, is stuck in the calm between two storms: the excitement of being introduced to the world, its characters, and its problems is over; but the final build to the conclusion has yet to begin. For my part, I’m usually cranky. It’s late, no doubt verging on 2 am, and I’ve got work early in the morning–and I still have so far to go. I know it’s a bit ridiculous, but not being able to finish the book in one sitting is upsetting. If my eyes weren’t exhausting and my brain demanding sleep, I’d take the extra 2-ish hours to finish the whole thing. But it can’t be helped. I’ve got to make a decision: either a) scan the rest of the book for major plot points before skipping to the end, or b) save it until tomorrow night.

Well, I’m an incredibly impatient person when it comes to books. I absolutely detest not knowing the ending before I shut the lights off for the night–which means, nine times out of ten, I’ll choose option a. After all, I reason with myself, there are hundreds of books in my queue I’m dying to read. What’s the harm in settling for the abridged version?

I know a book is good, however, when I instead go for option b. Luckily for me, Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare was that good.

The second in Clare’s Infernal Devices series, Clockwork Prince continues the tale of the intelligent and feisty Tessa Gray. Here’s part of the jacket description:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

In order to protect Charlotte’s place at the Institute, Tessa Gray and her two friends/love interests, Will and Jem, set out on a quest to discover where the Magister is hiding. Their journey takes them through the dark secrets of the Magister’s past and also uncovers an unsavory secret one of the Clave is desperate to keep hidden.

The Review

I have read all of Cassandra Clare’s previous books, including those in her Mortal Instruments series, and I have to admit that this is far and away my favorite. I was not too impressed with the first installment, Clockwork Angel–it was one of the books whose ending I skimmed. The premise, while interesting, was not fully fleshed out. The characters were well-drawn, but slightly two-dimensional in terms of emotional motivations. Even the prose itself was a bit jilted, the historical scenery obviously heavily-researched, but feeling superficially thrown in for the sake of “touring” Victorian London.

With Clockwork Prince, Clare has moved past all that. While we are certainly touring Victorian London and its surrounding environs, including a trip to York to see its great cathedral, it doesn’t feel as forced. In fact, the description of the turrets “piercing the sky like Saint Sebastian stuck through with arrows” is very fitting, and fleeting enough that it doesn’t interrupt the story’s flow. It also gives the pace more breathing room, so the scenes truly in need of lengthy descriptions (Starkweather’s hall of horrors, for instance) don’t feel bogged down.

From a plot standpoint, the story was pretty transparent. No major revelations. No unexpected twists. The bad guys remained bad. The good guys good. And the betrayals, such as they were, were extremely obvious on both sides.

But the plot was never meant to be the shining star of the novel. Relationships were. The romantic triangle was, naturally, delightful to read. Tessa’s emotions were realistic and complex, as was her attraction to both Will and Jem. The scenes build the romantic tension at a subtle, but not dragging pace. When the emotions at last boil over, it is believable and heartbreaking.

Other things I liked: the exploration of non-romantic relationships, such as those between parabatai; the comprehensive tour through Victorian literature; the discussion of sickness and immortality; and, of course, the ever-fabulous Magnus Bane.

[Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Published December 6, 2011
Margaret K. McElderry Books]

The Rating

Readability:         
Originality:           
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Thematic Quality:
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Overall Rating:

The Recommendation

READ IT! It is an excellent addition to Cassandra Clare growing repertoire of young adult literature.

(Phew! I made it through my first review! Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment, liking the post, or sharing it on facebook or twitter.)

YA Covers Get All Dressed Up

Have you noticed lately that a visit to your local bookstore’s young adult section is like a trip to a high-end New York fashion show? Everywhere you look, hauntingly lovely girls grace the bookshelf catwalk, modeling intricate and, often, extremely voluminous gowns.

Just take a look at these extravagant covers:

This fancy-dress trend has exploded in the past year (all these books were published in 2011, except for The Luxe and Matched, which came out in the tail end of 2010), a symptom of the revival the gothic–aka paranormal–romance novel is currently undergoing. There’s no doubt that the covers are evocative. The atmosphere is dark. The subjects’ expressions, if seen at all, are forlorn and longing. Combined with single-word titles like Passion, Wither, and Entwined, the images are clearly meant to elicit tingling emotional responses from their teenage consumers, rather than hint at any sort of plot point.

And it works, usually. I know I’ve picked up these books in part to admire the pretty dresses and bask in their deliciously dark aura. With the best ones, I can practically feel the intrigue and romance seeping through the covers.

However, even the most gorgeous dress, if staged improperly, can go horribly awry. The new YA novel by Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me, is one such example. An otherwise fantastic debut novel that plays with classic gothic and dystopian motifs, the cover art is sadly disappointing.The straightforward view had the potential to be fresh and different from the slew of other dress covers. The fact that the female subject’s entire face is showing is a huge improvement, in my opinion, on the trend of using partially hidden features. Her expression is obviously meant to be strong and determined, but  just comes off as a generic runway face. The backdrop doesn’t help matters either, since it, in fact, looks like a catwalk, complete with a door through which the model can disappear once she’s stomped the length of the runway. Even the strike-out in the title and tagline comes off cheesy, although I’m more willing to forgive this, since the style is employed throughout the text as well.

All in all, I quite like the fancy-dress cover trend. Done right, the covers are beautiful and exciting, conjuring up visions of magic and mystery. Done wrong, the gorgeous dress becomes nothing more than a flat stage piece, easy to pass over in favor of the multitude of others vying for attention.

(P.S. Want a full review of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi? Check out this one by fellow blogger endlessqueue.)

 It’s a superhero story with a female protagonist. I feel like it may be harder to find your own voice in the YA genre lately, as so many novels seem to be playing off of all the other ones in the genre. What Tahereh Mafi does is all natural, it’s her voice developing a unique idea and standing out from all the rest.