"The Monstrumologist" is Menacing

"The Monstrumologist"

Rick Yancey


5

These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed.

But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets.

The one who saved me...and the one who cursed me.

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?

This book was awesome. It was both scary and full of gore. Sometimes gore is unnecessary, but when it comes to a book about monsters and the scientists who study them, it was very fitting. There were so may scary parts in the book, scenes in cemeteries and a psychiatric hospital are some of the highlights. Yancey did a wonderful job describing the monsters in a truly terrifying way. From the very beginning of the book when the corps of one of the Anthropophagi is described it is clear that these creatures will be brutal killers and I was not disappointed. Even the inside cover of the book is creepy! Even if you aren't planning on buying the book, it is worth just picking it up at the book store to look at.

"The Monstrumologist" has more than just terror and adventure. All the characters in the book were well developed. Even though I didn't like Warthrop, he was a great character to see unfold. It was hard to watch Will Henry follow him so devotedly after the way Warthrop treats him. Each new character introduced had a story and personal demons. I can definitely see that there is room for this series to grow based off of the characters alone. That isn't even considering the many terrible creatures that Yancey can dream up in the next books. I am looking forward to more in the series, but I'm not really sure what can top the first book. What can be more terrifying than graveyards and mental institutions?