The Monstrumologist

I'm a grandmother, somewhere between menopause and death, and my usual selection of books would never include a monster book (except for the Twilight series maybe), but this was a free book for Kindle, so I downloaded it. Late one night, I finished "The Help" (excellent) and just opened this to prove to myself that I didn't like it, and I could delete it from my Kindle. I read a couple of pages, then a couple more, and before you know it, my husband is going to bed and I'm sitting up, scared to death and can't stop reading. Oh, it's gross, it will make your skin crawl at times, it's totally creepy. It's definitely not the kind of book you should read sitting up alone at night with hubby already gone to bed, but I loved it. I'll probably have nightmares for a long time over this, with the cold mist of the fog over cobblestone streets and unthinkable things that go bump in the night.
The surprise was the writing style. I didn't expect eloguent language, talented writing, page-flipping suspense, but it delivered all of that. So don't rule this one because you don't think this would be your cup of tea. It just may be.

After reading the Fifth wave, I immediately looked for more books by Yancey. This was almost like it was written by a completely different person, and definitely a different genre. It was macabre and a bit grotesque, yet I still had to read to see how it ended.

I really liked this book. I found it hard to put down and I'm going to read the sequels, however I don't think it's a kids book. It's extremely and graphically violent. It's just like an adult horror book except with a young protagonist. I would not give it to my eleven year old. I would think pretty hard before giving it to a sixteen year old.

I read this a while ago, but remember thinking at the time that it started off well, but then deterioriated into repeated blood and gore for no discernible reason. I wouldn't buy it again and will certainly think hard about buying any others in the series.

Did not finish. Not terribly written, just terribly dreary. Repetition of a certain piece of dialogue became intolerable, so I'm walking away from this one without a backward glance. Your mileage may vary, others have liked it just fine.

A penny dreadful that cost too much. Might be worth it at 99 cents, but I expected more for the price. Characters are cardboard cutouts (the EVIL hunter, looney doctor and heroic kid) flaill through a silly plot.

As a middle school teacher I was looking for something new and exciting to share with my students. This book won't be it. I have to agree with others when they said the dialogue was just predictable and somewhat silly. At abut page 100 I just wanted to be finished with the book. It just wasn't interesting to me.

If ever a book was overwritten, this is it. I found myself longing for a simple sentence, but no, every single solitary sentence is full of adverbs, prepositional phrases, adjectives, etc. etc. etc., as much language as the author can manage to cram in. Okay, I get that he has a wonderful command of the English language, but sometimes a rose is just a rose, or so they say! I couldn't finish the book. Too irritating.

Easily one of the best books—and unquestionably the best series—I’ve ever read, The Monstrumologist is a throwback gothic-style horror tale and first in an unputdownable quadriology. Dark and exceeding gruesome, the narrative is conveyed in the found-journal style of a diary authored by Will Henry, abject orphan and 'indispensable' assistant to an eccentric doctor, Pellinore Warthrop; his uncanny specialty: hunting monsters. Set in 1880's New England, a miserly grave robber consults Dr. Warthrop after discovering the interred corpse of a young woman partially consumed by a deceased Anthropophagus—a hulking, headless monstrosity from The Histories of Herodotus with eyes atop its shoulders and a hideous mouth in its chest cavity. Realizing that the monsters have somehow made their way to the Americas from Benin, and that their numbers are steadily increasing, Warthrop and his young apprentice find themselves faced with the abhorrent task of eliminating these bloodthirsty grotesqueries before the body count rises.

A crimson-stained cornucopia of viscera-slicing drama that's all the flavor of Sherlock Holmes, Indiana Jones, H.P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King, The Monstrumologist is full of rich characters, vivid descriptions, eloquent prose, and gore…lots and lots of gore. If that’s not enough, the monsters are undoubtedly the stuff of nightmares. While the story contains elements of YA fiction—namely, the pre-adolescent adventures of a plucky young orphan boy with admirable courage and surprising resourcefulness (it doesn’t get more YA than that, right?)—on the other hand, this tale contains detailed depictions of gruesome death, maggoty decay, and savage mutilation—incredibly graphic and unsuitable for neither younger readers nor the faint of heart, although older teens and adults with a penchant for the macabre will definitely savor this literary feast of horror!

The Monstrumologist is not only deliciously scary, but also a promising launch to a horrific series. I myself was practically drawn to this story from page one, the prologue of which transports readers into the world of Monstrumology through the framework of a “found journal”—much like a found-footage horror flick but without all the shaky camera work. Interestingly, this stirring work of fiction reads almost like a lost autobiography of Will Henry’s time with Dr. Warthrop, learning the finer points of this lesser known, under-the-table scientific field. Who would’ve thought there’s no money to be made from monster-hunting?!

Readers will delight in the raving, obsessive Dr. Warthrop with his Sherlockian brilliance and irascible egomania; his eccentricities make him almost likeable, though some readers might have misgivings about his questionable treatment of Will Henry, his young apprentice-assistant. Author Rick Yancey also includes a compelling Victorian-era setting and even throws in references to actual persons and lore that helps to blend the line between fact and fiction. Additionally, themes of morality are brought into play as the characters are forced to work alongside “John Kearns”, a psychopathic megalomaniac whose dark sense of humor makes him almost as terrifying as the creatures they’re hunting. This book is quite unlike most other YA works with shallow characters and superficial plot-lines.

Simply put, The Monstrumologist is a tense, exhilarating ride through a crimson curtain of offal, effluvia, and viscera. Squeamish readers need not apply. If you’re not exactly a fan of the horror genre, Rick Yancey’s imaginative series is sure to change your mind.

Easily one of the best books—and unquestionably the best series—I’ve ever read, The Monstrumologist is a throwback gothic-style horror tale and first in an unputdownable quadriology. Dark and exceeding gruesome, the narrative is conveyed in the found-journal style of a diary authored by Will Henry, abject orphan and 'indispensable' assistant to an eccentric doctor, Pellinore Warthrop; his uncanny specialty: hunting monsters. Set in 1880's New England, a miserly grave robber consults Dr. Warthrop after discovering the interred corpse of a young woman partially consumed by a deceased Anthropophagus—a hulking, headless monstrosity from The Histories of Herodotus with eyes atop its shoulders and a hideous mouth in its chest cavity. Realizing that the monsters have somehow made their way to the Americas from Benin, and that their numbers are steadily increasing, Warthrop and his young apprentice find themselves faced with the abhorrent task of eliminating these bloodthirsty grotesqueries before the body count rises.

A crimson-stained cornucopia of viscera-slicing drama that's all the flavor of Sherlock Holmes, Indiana Jones, H.P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King, The Monstrumologist is full of rich characters, vivid descriptions, eloquent prose, and gore…lots and lots of gore. If that’s not enough, the monsters are undoubtedly the stuff of nightmares. While the story contains elements of YA fiction—namely, the pre-adolescent adventures of a plucky young orphan boy with admirable courage and surprising resourcefulness (it doesn’t get more YA than that, right?)—on the other hand, this tale contains detailed depictions of gruesome death, maggoty decay, and savage mutilation—incredibly graphic and unsuitable for neither younger readers nor the faint of heart, although older teens and adults with a penchant for the macabre will definitely savor this literary feast of horror!

The Monstrumologist is not only deliciously scary, but also a promising launch to a horrific series. I myself was practically drawn to this story from page one, the prologue of which transports readers into the world of Monstrumology through the framework of a “found journal”—much like a found-footage horror flick but without all the shaky camera work. Interestingly, this stirring work of fiction reads almost like a lost autobiography of Will Henry’s time with Dr. Warthrop, learning the finer points of this lesser known, under-the-table scientific field. Who would’ve thought there’s no money to be made from monster-hunting?!

Readers will delight in the raving, obsessive Dr. Warthrop with his Sherlockian brilliance and irascible egomania; his eccentricities make him almost likeable, though some readers might have misgivings about his questionable treatment of Will Henry, his young apprentice-assistant. Author Rick Yancey also includes a compelling Victorian-era setting and even throws in references to actual persons and lore that helps to blend the line between fact and fiction. Additionally, themes of morality are brought into play as the characters are forced to work alongside “John Kearns”, a psychopathic megalomaniac whose dark sense of humor makes him almost as terrifying as the creatures they’re hunting. This book is quite unlike most other YA works with shallow characters and superficial plot-lines.

Simply put, The Monstrumologist is a tense, exhilarating ride through a crimson curtain of offal, effluvia, and viscera. Squeamish readers need not apply. If you’re not exactly a fan of the horror genre, Rick Yancey’s imaginative series is sure to change your mind.

Although I'm not a fan of horror, I took the opportunity to dive into Rick Yancey's novel, because it received the Printz Honor Book award. The gruesome is definitely forefront. Each chapter contains monsters and blood and gore and horror. The story is so well written, however, that I understood the American Library Associations choice.

Written in first person, as a sort of diary by Will Henry, we learn about an underground world we only imagine in nightmares. From chapter one, when Will and his mentor receive the bodies of a dead girl and a headless monster who has half eaten her, the story does not let up. The monstrumologist, Dr. Warthrop, sets to work dissecting the dead bodies. The looming issue, however, remains How many  more monsters remain? The unlikely pair contact help and make plans to search out the rest of the clan of Anthropophagus monsters.

There are few monstrumologists and few of them are equipped to help in the pursuit. As a new species to the country that immigrated to New England, they quickly adapt to their circumstances and threaten to eat the entire village. Will Henry and the doctor are on a quest to exterminate the pod of Anthropophagus before the species feed on the entire village and continue to spread.

If you're squeamish about blood and gore, Rick Yancey's book isn't for you, because gore predominates in every chapter.  Written with personality and quick-clipped voicings, the reader stays engaged with the twelve years old protagonist. Will is young for what he's doing, but reality isn't a concern as we go with the story anyway.

This book had MANY things that make me happy. There are MONSTERS. There is a man who reminds me of Sherlock Holmes, but he believes in monsters. There is a compelling and interesting narrator who breaks the fourth wall and they are in New England during the Victorian Age.

How could I not love this book?

While this book is targeted to teens because it has a young narrator, it has one of the most terrifying set of monsters I have ever read. These beasties want to eat humans in no uncertain terms and they are undeniably frightening. At times this story is gory and frankly gross. If you are squeamish, I don’t think this book will be for you. Nonetheless it is a fantastic horror story.

The voice of our narrator, Will Henry, is perfect for this story. His character is crafted so well and I have a clear picture of him and the entire setting of New Jerusalem. Will Henry has supposedly written this journal as an old man recounting the horrors of his youth. I think Yancey did a great job of telling the story through the eyes of a twelve year old and with the maturity of an elderly man. At times the wordiness of the writing style slowed the pace down and I had to resist the urge to skim past some sections of text. Overall though, this book is a roller coaster ride. The twists really kept me engaged and it was hard to put this book down.

Personally, I don’t think Dr. Warthrop is as endearing as Holmes. While I can compare them easily and I think Warthrop is based on Holmes, he lacks a lot of the empathy and understanding Holmes displays. He is a cruel master to his young charge at times and his ego certainly made him hard to like. He and Will Henry have a love/hate relationship even though they depend on one another in many ways. I am very interested to see how this dynamic develops as Will Henry gets older and the story continues.

The mystery within this story is secrets inside secrets and there was no point where I felt like I knew how it would turn out. It was fantastically planned and I loved the twists Yancey created. These combined with the horror elements created a fantastic atmosphere for this book and I was totally absorbed in the story.

I’ve already started reading book two and I imagine these books will be my main source of sleepless nights for the rest of the fall.

Quick Thoughts: If you like horror, check this book out. It is gory and captivating enough for adults even though our narrator is young. The characters are fantastic, the plot is twisted and thrilling and the monsters are terrifying. Check out this series for a good scare!

Will Henry is an orphan. His parents died in service of Pellinore Warthrop, a monstrumologist who studies the monstrous and seeks to kill them. While Pellinore is certainly competent and passionate about the subject, he's rather self absorbed and cold, too wrapped up in himself and his subject of choice to recognize what a growing 12 year old boy needs. One day, a creature is brought to them by a grave robber that is alarming in it's implications of others. The anthropophagi hunts in packs and are never alone. Pellinore and Will take it upon themselves to hunt these creatures down before they destroy New Salem and overtake the world.

The Monstrumologist has been on my reading list for a while. I had heard it's good horror, but YA horror tends to be watered down and underwhelming. This one is the exact opposite of my expectations: grisly, gory, nauseating, suspenseful, and terrifying. The anthropophagi are the start of it. They are headless, sharklike creatures with no heads, their faces on their chests, and a maw full of thousands of razor sharp teeth. Humans are their prey and they hunger. They can grow up to 7 feet tall and are faster and stronger than any human. We are knocked off the top of the food chain by these creatures. These creatures are not only physically superior, but fairly intelligent as well. Everything about them is frightening and the descriptions make them seem all the more real. The action scenes with them are unforgettable and savage. These are a creature I have not yet seen in updated in literature. I remember reading accounts of them in The Adventures of John Mandeville, The Travels of Marco Polo, and Shakespeare's plays The Tempest and Othello. I like that images of them appear in a variety of texts during different time periods because with this concept, it's easy to imagine stories within each one.

The other thing that brings in the creep factor is regular people. The first instance is in an insane asylum. The level of neglect and downright torture is shocking and unfortunately based in reality. The conditions a patient was left in is sickening and one of the most disgusting things I've ever read. The other instance is Dr. Kearns, an associate of Pellinore's. Kearns is a monster hunter and will do absolutely anything to achieve his goal. He has no regard for human life and will gladly sacrifice anyone (save himself) to kill the monsters. His view of the world is explored and is predictably insane. He doesn't believe in morality, merely in what is necessary for the situation. On his off time, he is a particularly infamous figure in British history.

The characters are wonderful in their flawed natures, particularly Pellinore Winthrop and Will Henry. Pellinore has major daddy issues and laser focuses on his work. Even necessities like eating and sleeping go by the wayside when he's in full swing. He's a selfish man who views emotion as weakness, but he has good intentions underneath it all. He cares for Will Henry in his own way (and rarely shows it), but when the situation is dire, he does all he can to protect Will. Will is only 12 and has enormous responsibilities thrust upon him. He feels loyalty to Pellinore because his parents believed in him and worked with him. He is intelligent and has no illusions about Pellinore's true feelings about him. His weakness is curiosity and staying with this incompetent guardian despite all evidence pointing to how dangerous it is to live with him.

The prose of the novel is reminiscent of the late 1800's, but is slightly simplified to make it easier to read. The descriptions are quite vivid and lush, which can be off-putting for some weaker stomached readers. (I personally loved it.) The dark gothic atmosphere is maintained throughout and calls to mind other works of such literature. When I imagine the book, I see it in black and white with splashes of red. I rarely get such vivid images from a book, but it plays out like a film. Even though the writing is descriptive, the plots moves very well. Not at a rapid pace, but a slow and steady one. I couldn't put it down. I read the whole first half in one sitting and was hungry for more. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series.

Gothic horror at its purest, The Monstrumologist captivated and often horrified me. When an old grave robber discovers a dead monster with a half eaten girl, it marks the beginning of some truly nasty deaths in and around the town of New Jerusalem. Warthrop, the monstrumologist, and his twelve-year-old assistant, Will Henry, must unravel the origins of the nightmarish Anthropophagi in North America. Were these beasts meant to become a weapon or a science experiment?

Using monsters written about by historians and writers like Herodotus, Pliny the Elder, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Shakespeare, brings an enormous amount of credibility to this story. The accounts of twelve-year-old Will Henry, of the gruesome events in the town of New Jerusalem in 1888, is written down in a believable, gorily descriptive and thoroughly scary manner.

I absolutely loved that the author wrote the whole book in the kind of prose that would have been used in the late nineteenth century. The main character, Will Henry, is well rounded and very realistic for a boy of twelve. Still mourning his dead parents, he does his best to please his guardian, or perhaps employer, dr. Warthrop. Whether Warthrop truly cares for the boy is only revealed much later in the book.

Although Warthrop gives the impression of being the typical crazy scientist, he shows remarkable clarity of mind and thought when lives are threatened. He is, however, not averse to sacrificing lives when there are no other choices.

The other brilliantly crafted major character, John Kearns, with his warped sense of humor, many names, and disgustingly cruel ways, is hinted to being a well-known historical villain.

Apart from the nonstop action in this book, the account of Anthropophagi destroying the crew of a slave ship had me biting my nails. Although none of the characters have extensive backstories, the bit given here is sufficient to make even the more dubious characters come to life.

A page turner in the true sense of the word, The Monstrumologist is an absolute must read for anybody who likes horror combined with an excellent, often profound, supporting storyline. (Ellen Fritz)

*** Start rant *** You know. I must be an old fuddy duddy but I just noticed on the store that Simon & Schuster put this book in the Books for Young Readers category! This book is very violent and gory and deals with pretty mature subject matter. I have books not classified for young readers that were not as bad. Does it only take sex now in booka to distinguish between young and not young readers? Or is it because the narrator is 12? I guess it depends what young means. Crap! I hate being old. :-) *** End rant ***

Great book for all ages, not just young readers. The great strength of this book is in the development of the characters. Pellinore Warthrop, the monstrumologist is a wonderful depiction of a bipolar man displaying flagrant symptoms of the Asperger syndrome. Driven genius with poor social skills and little ability to take care of himself, he took in Henry William, the 12 year old narrator, when his parents died. Henry William is now the apprentice and assistant, and in many ways for his young age, the long suffering parental substitute to the monstromulogist, organizing and regulating his world for him. The adeventure they go through in this firt novel is original and carried out with expert flair. The writing faithfully takes you back to the narrative style of the turn of the century great such as Robert Louis Stevenson.
Having ended the first book, I am getting right into the second one.
It's that good.

Those of you who follow my reviews know that I don't give out 5-star ratings lightly. This book, which I picked randomly from a shelf in the library, blew me away.

Told from the viewpoint of 12-year old Will Henry, and orphan who has been taken in by the doctor his father had been an assistant to, this is a novel in the gothic horror tradition set in the late 19th century. The doctor is a self-declared Monstrumologist; he studies real-life monsters. And poor Will Henry, as was often the case in the Victorian era, was forced to witness scenes that no child should:

But Erasmus Gray never got out of that hole.

A massive claw, easily twice the size of a human hand, with a two-inch gray razor-sharp barb on the end of each corpse white digit, burst through the dirt between his feet, followed by the bald muscular arm, flecked with black soil and white stone. And then, like some nightmarish leviathan rising from the deep, the broad shoulders broke the undulating earth, those terrible unblinking black eyes glittering in the glancing glow of the torch, the yawning maw stuffed with three-inch fangs in the middle of the creature’s triangular torso snapping as a shark’s when excited by the scent of blood in the water. The claw wrapped around the old man’s upper thigh; the barbs sunk into his leg.

The descriptive prose of the novel strikes the perfect tone for a Victorian horror novel. The reader is drawn in by the author to a simpler world, but not necessarily a kinder one. Will is a virtual slave to his master, an adult in a child's body.

The action, as well as the monsters, comes at you fast and relentless, making it impossible to put the novel down.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a bit of a thrill. Oh, yes, and there are sequels where we can follow the further adventures of Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop. I personally can't wait!

I don't normally read Horror, but since this was book of the month for a group I'm in, I picked it up. I have to say that The Monstrumologist is the most gruesome thing I have ever read, but I liked it. It tells the tale of Will Henry, a twelve year old orphan, who is assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop. Warthrop isn't a normal doctor, but actually studies monsters. One night, a strange package is delivered to his home, and upon opening it, a very disturbing surprise is unveiled. It's a dead carnivorous primate wrapped around a dead human girl. And she's pregnant with it's demon spawn, which is still alive. That first chapter is disturbing and really sets the tone for the rest of the book. What follows is a monster hunt, as Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop try to figure out how this monster got there, how many there are, where they're hiding, and ultimately eradicate them.

Like I said, The Monstrumologist is gruesome. There's blood and guts and insane amounts of violence in every chapter. This put me very much out of my element, but the story wouldn't have worked without it. I survived though, and ultimately I'm glad I read it, because the story was super interesting. The focus is on the monster known as Anthropophagi. It's kind of human, but not really. It's distantly related, and actually preys on us exclusively. There are tons of detailed descriptions of this beast, so it was all too easy to picture it and its violent hunting/feeding actions. I felt like I got a crash course in every aspect of this species: anatomy, biology, ecology...everything! It was all very well done, and never felt info-dumpy. I just wish there had been some sketches included to complement my imagination.

There's not really much that I can say without giving away too much of the plot. It's a pretty simple monster hunt, but there are lots of creepy surprises and twists along the way. One other thing that I will mention about The Monstrumologist is that I liked how it was written as kind of a diary. There's a prologue of the author and how he came upon it, followed by "the contents," and then there's an epilogue about how the author did research about the people and events included in the diary. I thought this was a very nice touch, and upped the creepy factor because it made Will Henry's story feel like so much more than fiction.

I happened to enjoy this story though I will say it is incredibly visceral. If you don't like "gross" things, this may not be your cuppa, but the field of Monstrumology is icky work and if that is your cuppa ... sit down and enjoy! One of the things I enjoyed was Yancey's lyrical prose. I happen to be a big fan of alliteration and he does it so well in this story. If you aren't a fan of alliterative prose you may find yourself annoyed. Could he have used a more "plain" word that did the job without the leading consonant match? Probably, but it made the story that much richer for me and helped me dive deeper into a wondrously macabre realm. A great read especially for Autumn/October.

Rick Yancey likes words, the really good ones. In THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST his storytelling is rich and dark and lyrical. He crafts elegant passages that convey the gothic horror in which his young protagonist finds himself steeped. This is a story within a story. It posthumously chronicles the adventures of a deceased man, Will Henry, who'd tacked on one hundred and thirty one years of living before he expired. Once dead, his private journals surfaced and fell in the hands of a local scribe.

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is the first of these journals published. It winds the clock back many, many decades, to a time when Will Henry was a 12-year-old orphan. The year 1888 was an era of early industrialism, when what passed for enlightenment still factored in them things that lurked in the dark. In the tiny New England town of New Jerusalem, young Will Henry serves as faithful assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, the Monstrumologist. It's a rare field in which Dr. Warthrop dabbles: the study of monsters. The story opens with a strange late-night visit from a grave robber who presents the Monstrumologist with a particularly grotesque find.

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is not for those with weak nerves. Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry face their most terrifying case yet as they race to save New Jerusalem from an incursion of nightmarish (and headless) abominations. And all along, the author examines the dark natures of man and monster and how, at times, those natures converge alarmingly. The content is graphic in its viscera and gore, eloquent in its evocation of gristly horror. Rick Yancey writes with such authority. His words, couched in rich Victorian era language, will make your skin crawl. His description of the flesh-eating anthropophagi evokes particularly gruesome imagery. Yancey panders to that inner part of you that gibbers in the nooks and crannies of your mind.

If you're up for a tour-de-force YA read, then this one's it. Yancey's world-building is consummate and immersive. He propels the plot in dramatic fashion. He develops his two lead characters tremendously, going deeper than the surface tropes about the lonely boy looking for a father figure and the self-absorbed scientist in need of a smidge of humanity. Will Henry will earn your sympathy. He's stout of heart and loyal and honest, and he's all of these in the face of greatest adversity. Apropos of the period in which this story is set, Will Henry is a character Charles Dickens would've gleefully folded into one of his stories. So read THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST and then read The Curse of the Wendigo (Monstrumologist) and then read The Isle of Blood (Monstrumologist), all superior horror tales anchored by stimulating prose and a strong, beating heart.

Set in 1888 New England, orphaned Will Henry lives with his late father's employer, Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, and acts as his assistant. Warthrop is the Monstrumologist of the title, a scientist who studies monsters. The story opens with the night time delivery of a body stolen from the cemetery. That in itself is not startling to Will Henry, but this time, it's different. There are two bodies; the young woman the grave robber was after, and a monster with no head and a shark-like mouth in his chest. This is the anthropophagi, a species found in Africa and no where else. What is it doing in a New England cemetery?

The story unfolds with constant action in dark, fetid places: the doctor's basement autopsy lab, open graves, tunnels underground. There is constant peril- the anthropophagi are stronger and faster than humans, and are eternally hungry. Needless to say, they are strictly carnivorous, preferring human meat to all else. Warthrop, Will Henry and the slimy, showy John Kearn, another monstrumologist, strive to find out how these beasts came to be in America and where their nest is before they can devastate the people in the area. This was one of those couldn't put it down books for me. Not only is the mystery intriguing and the danger unrelenting, but the characters are compelling and interesting. After I finished the book, I was VERY happy to discover that it's the first of a series- without the clumsiness that first books often have. This novel would make a great movie; Warthrop, of course, should be played by Christopher Lee. When I'd read John Kearn's dialogue, I was hearing it in Kelsey Grammer's voice.

One note: this book is marked Young Adult, and, indeed, I would have loved it as a tween. But there is a LOT of blood and graphic violence; some parents might think twice about letting their kids read this if they are sensitive about these things.

Can you imagine living with a mad scientist? Now imagine living with a mad scientist who studies Monstrumology! That is the life of Will Henry, the young apprentice of Pellinore Warthrop, Monstrumologist of New England. Rick Yancy's first novel in this spunky series, The Monstrumologist, is a great first novel to a fun and intriguing trilogy.

Will Henry isn't exactly happy to live with Dr. Warthrop, but he doesn't have any choice since his parents died in a horrible fire that burned their house. He knows Warthrop has a strange profession, but he doesn't know the extent of his studies until a grave robber brings a horrifying fond to the doctor's doorstep- a young corpse found alongside a large creature that had obviously been feeding on her before it died suddenly. The doctor explained it was an Anthropophagi, a creature that originated from Africa and solely hunts humans. They can be up to 7 feet tall, appear to be headless, have mouths full of thousands of shark-like teeth in their abdomen, and can only be stopped with a brain shot- which is right below their mouths. Did I mention they were vicious and territorial human eaters?

After dissecting the specimen the grave robber gave him, Warthrop convinces him to go to the cemetery looking for the remaining few creatures. When they get there, though, they had clearly underestimated the size of the group and are rushed by 30 or so creatures that wanted nothing more than to eat them. Barely escaping with their lives (the grave robber wasn't quite so lucky), they try to figure out how such a large family group got there without any attacks in the area. Warthrop is concerned his own Mosntrumologist father may have had something to do with their presence there since he studied the Anthropophagi up until his recent death.

When a local family is attacked, all torn apart and mutilated, the local police come to fetch Warthrop and Will Henry for help, knowing they are the only ones who might explain the brutal murders. They arrive to find one lone survivor, a boy so traumatized all he can think about is killing what was responsible for killing his family, even Warthrop when it is revealed he knew about their presence in the town. Now the local law enforcement needs Warthrop's help in trying to get rid of the monsters, even if that means calling in a hunter who has less than ethical means of doing his job. But how far will they all go to get rid of the monsters? How did such a large group get to New England in the first place? Can Will Henry survive the Anthropophagi?

This book wasn't what I expected at first, but I really liked it! It started off a little confusing for the first few pages, but then it grabbed a hold of me and I couldn't put it down! It is a long book, but it feels short because the story is so sordid and engrossing. Will Henry is an interesting character, as he deals with Warthrop's eccentricities with such aplomb. Warthrop is your typical mad scientist who seems almost surprised with Will Henry and his basic needs. They oddly work well together, making a strange dynamic little team to conquer the ugly beastlies of the world.

I think this is a great book for a wide range of readers. Some of the monster encounters are bloody and gory, but most kids encounter worse on regular television or video games- it isn't gratuitous violence. The story is very engaging and any reader would be sucked into Will Henry's world with Dr. Warthrop. And the good news? More books!

This book is a PERFECT Halloween read. There are monsters, there is mayhem, and there's blood. But it's not your average read. Mr. Yancey does a superb job of creating an engaging and enigmatic character in young Will Henry.

These books are presented as journals discovered and published. Will Henry wrote down his experiences with the Monstrumologist years after they happened which lends an astuteness and observation quite beyond what a normal 12-year old could accomplish. It even gets quite philosophical at times. While the mystery of the book and its conclusion were a draw, the main reason I kept reading was Will Henry. He's just so adorable and he tries so hard and is actually quite capable. But he's so alone, and the Monstrumologist is all that he has and he'll stick with him. Awww, little Will Henry!

At first I didn't like the Monstrumologist, he was very distant and seemed just obsessed with his work. Turns out he has a conscience and I was quite impressed with some of his actions throughout the book. He is very personal and it's hard for him to show affection, and there is still the element of Master and Assistant, but for all that, he's actually a pretty decent guy for Will Henry to be with. Especially as other characters come to light, Will Henry could be a lot worse off, but Doctor Warthrope will look out for him. He was a pretty layered character as well and I look forward to seeing what adventures he takes Will Henry on next.

I must admit that the most disturbing images in this book were ones that concerned the human body and bacteria. Monsters with mouths in their stomach and long claws are nothing to ignore to be sure, but the descriptions of other more mundane things were the most disturbing and will stick with me the longest. Not really for the faint of heart or those with a weak constitution.

Overall, this was a fantastic read. I am really impressed with the atmosphere that Mr. Yancey was able to create and how much I love Will Henry and came to like the Monstrumologist. Definitely a series I am wanting to continue. The question now is, do I keep reading it all at once (the fourth book doesn't come out till next year) to get the scary gross things over with quickly, or spread it out, with happier less wormy books in-between because even with time, this book will still stay with me. Choices choices!

The reason for the 1/2 star off is because the end was a little lack luster. Things just kind of concluded. Maybe it's because it's the start of a series (a fantastic one at that) but the last 20 or so pages of the book did not quite grab me as the rest of the 420. That's a pretty good average if you ask me!

Note: This book is a part of my personal collection.

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST was unlike anything I've read in a very long time. Maybe ever. The voice is brilliant and engaging, and the characters just shine.

I'd seen this one around the blogosphere, but it was Maggie Stiefvater's ridiculously awesome review on her blog that convinced me to check out the audiobook. In Maggie's words, "this one is about a rather particular Monstrumologist and his apprentice chasing headless man-eating monsters across Victorian New England." This is not a plot that generally would pique my interest (where iz mah romance?!), but my curiosity got the best of me.

How glad I am that it did.

The book's narrated by the monstrumologist's apprentice, Will Henry, a twelve-year-old orphan. I love him to pieces. And the monstrumologist for whom the book is named, Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, is (as Maggie again put it so perfectly) "high-maintenance and flawed and persnickety." And I love him to pieces. He makes me want to say "Snap to, Will Henry!" at least once a day. And eat scones.

My favorite character by far is Jack Kearns ---- a fellow monstrumologist with highly questionable morals who finds pretty much everything amusing. His wit and irreverence made me laugh aloud many, many times in the book, despite some of the horrifying things he does. As a writer, I couldn't help but think that Jack Kearns must've been a blast to write, being so entertainingly villainous.

I loved this Kearns quote so much that I scribbled it down at a red light (I listened to the audiobook version, which was excellently narrated, by the way).

Kearns watched, bemused, as Malachi brought the muzzle of his gun a foot from his chest. "Go on," he urged the enraged orphan, "pull the bloody trigger, you insufferably melodramatic, semi-suicidal, blubbering bugger."

That's like, Princess-Bride-quality insulting.

Anyway, with every single line of this book, you can see the care and love and attention to detail that Rick Yancey put into it.

The fine print: Be warned, the book can be very gruesome, and the descriptions are lengthy and wholeheartedly detailed. I cringed more than a couple times throughout ---- after all, it's about hunting down Anthropophagi (headless people-eating monsters that feed through mouthfuls of teeth in their chests), so it's not sunshine and roses.

Basically, I read this book despite the storyline, which is so not my usual cup of tea. I found the Anthropophagi plot compelling and well-written, but what truly kept me hooked was Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop. I can't wait to follow along on their next monster-hunting adventure.

This review posted originally at www(dot)FirstNovelsClub(dot)com

Man-eating monsters! Grave robbers! Senseless violence! Worm infestations! Victorian manners! This Printz honor book is purported to have it all, and indeed it does. In fact, I'd argue that it has almost a little too much. Despite the occasional slouching towards gratuitousness, though, this is an extraordinarily fun book if you like monsters and don't mind some gore.

The book is presented as a three-volume diary of one Will Henry, who served as the young apprentice to a New England "Monstrumologist," Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, in the late 19th century. The folios recount a particular instance when a new "project" landed on Warthrop's doorstep: a marauding pack of anthropophagi, a huge, cunning, and merciless variety of predator that normally resides in Africa. Ever the dutiful assistant, Will Henry follows Dr. Warthrop (along with a mysterious English colleague of the doctor's) from their macabre laboratory to a lonely cemetery, a stinking asylum, and even into the bowels of the earth hunting the monsters, even as innocent bystanders are ruthlessly torn apart and eaten during the search. The mystery of the anthropophagi, however, may lead a lot closer than the distant savannas of Benin.

The ambiance of the story is perfect, and there is a wonderful interplay between the affected gentlemanliness of Warthrop, the distinctly Dickensian Will Henry, and the truly nightmarish scenarios they inhabit. The resulting mood of the book is slow-burning and genuinely tense, without ever (in my opinion) getting boring. The prose does get a little flowery when Will Henry ruminates on the nature of his mentor, or tries to make sense of the horrific things he has to experience. Then again, that makes sense, given the idea that this story is supposedly a journal transcription. Besides, I'm a vocabulary nerd, and Yancey's writing is evocative and beautifully constructed, so I can forgive the frequent journeys into exposition.

This is not a book for young or squeamish readers, though. Even forewarned as I was, the level of gore in the book surprised me. I don't necessarily have a problem with the depictions of the anthropophagus attacks, as their ferocity lent a sense of bloody urgency to the gothic atmosphere of the story. But some of the other scenes- the fate of Hezekiah Varner, the lingering over the deaths of young children, and the weird fixation on literal and metaphorical virgin sacrifices, for instance - seem to veer into the territory of shock for shock's sake, which always strikes me as a little lazy (and has me mourning the current state of horror cinema).

That being said, though, Yancey treads the line between fun and over-the-top very well. While things occasionally get ridiculous, the entire story is deadly earnest, and there are plot reasons (or, at least, solid thematic writing) behind every bit of violence. I had a great time reading it, and while I'm not lying awake at night, I'm still thinking about some of the climactic moments. This is a great read for horror fans, teen or adult, that aren't afraid of being revolted.

Twelve-year-old William (Will) Henry is an orphan. His parents died in a tragic fire, leaving him in the care of Dr. Pellinore Warthrop for whom both his parents worked when they were alive. Dr. Warthrop is not your typical doctor. He is a monstrumologist: One who studies monsters and young Will Henry has taken his father's place as the doctor's assistant.

One night in the spring of 1888, a grave robber by the name of Erasmus Gray shows up at the doctor's doorstep with a strange delivery. While searching the graves for jewels to steal, Erasmus discovered something very macabre: A young girl of sixteen being eaten alive. The monster, still attached to her, choked on the pearls around her neck. Upon further inspection, the doctor discovers the strange creature to be an Anthropophagus. A tall, headless, man-eating creature with black eyes in its shoulders and a large circular mouth with rows of jagged teeth like a shark in its chest. This finding is very peculiar seeing as how Anthropophagi are native to Africa, not northern New England towns. The doctor sets out to the cemetery with Will Henry and Mr. Gray to where the creature was found, expecting to find at most a small nest. What they discover is a whole clan of at least thirty monsters. Dr. Warthrop soon learns that the Anthropophagi's arrival to America is tied to his father, and it is up to him and an old colleague to put an end to them before the whole town of New Jerusalem falls prey to the people-eating beasts.

Rick Yancey's The Monstrumologist is a hair-raising, gothic horror tale you don't want to read in the dark. The chills, thrills and gore are plentiful. The setting and tone are very reminiscent of old-school horror stories; something you don't see much of these days. The characters are all very realistic. I was especially fond of the volatile relationship between Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop. At first glance, it appears the doctor is taking care of Will out of a sense of duty to Will's father, but it becomes apparent he needs the young boy just as much as Will needs him. The only problem I had with this book is that, at times, it felt like the author fell into unnecessary descriptions and side thoughts. I found myself skimming over a lot of them just to get back into the meat of the story. If you are a fan of gothic horror stories, monsters, and things that go bump in the night, I highly recommend this one. This is the first in a series, and I look forward to reading the others.

The Monstrumologist was not my typical read. Now, you're probably thinking "oh, she doesn't read horror" but the thing is that I do read horror. The Monstrumologist is more in a class of its own, though. I feel it's important to preface my review with saying it's not my usual read because it kind of backs my "it was interesting, but not in a bad way" opinion.

Let me start out by saying I'm honestly not sure I'd watch a The Monstrumologist movie simply because the book had me jumping out of my skin at times so what on earth would a movie do for my poor nerves? For some reason, going in I really didn't think it would scare me that much. I mean, it's just made up monsters, right? Oh, but that's where I was wrong. Yes, the monsters are fictional (as far as I know), but the book is set up in such a way that you really start to believe it's real.

The story starts with a preface from Rick Yancey himself. He tells of how he came to have in his possession the journals of Will Henry and that the journals are in fact what the story is made up of. The fact that the story is introduced by the author coupled with the journalistic writing makes everything feel all the more real. I kept imagining I could see shiny black eyes staring back at me out of the dark, for goodness sakes!

At times I found myself cringing from the bloody gore, but it was so much more than just gore. All the characters were so complex from Will to the Doctor. Will was such a deep character struggling with some serious stuff on the inside. I mean, he often questioned whether his guardian was also the killer of his parents. I can't even imagine what that would be like, especially coupled with such a gruesome job as the apprentice to the monstrumologist.

The Nutshell: There is blood, guts, and gore all up in The Monstrumologist, so if that's not your thing, turn away now. On the other hand, if you think you can soldier through all the grossness then by golly please do so. This story is so much more than a bedtime horror story. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of horror, but it also has feelings, just not the lovey-dovey kind :P

Direct Hit

I read this book as it came up in Calico Reaction's Theme Park book club. Happily, this means there are some great reviews available at her blog. Spoilers are acceptable for club discussions, but I won't give too many here.

Calico asks a couple great discussion questions...

The Monstrumologist is no doubt a horror story. Is the horror genre a part of your reading diet? If not, why not, and did this book encourage you to read more in the genre? What scares you personally, and did this book come anywhere close to touching on those fears?

*shudder* I don't read horror.

I always give the club books a "go", however, and I always knew there'd be an exception to my "I don't" conclusion. Truthfully, however, I did not read every word... I skimmed a little. In my defense, that was after I stumbled upon a graphic remembering of the horrors I'd just experienced a few pages before and it dawned on me that "this is a horror. These popping tendons are on purpose."

I don't mind being frightened when I read, it just doesn't take a lot to achieve that. Heights will do it, fighting scenes... shoot, even romances will get me all worked up with shivery worry over what might or might not happen. Pathetic, maybe, but books are great at pulling me right into their drama.

Horror usually likes gore. Frankly, I have to put my head between my knees (or faint) when I take kids to the dentist. I'm great in an emergency, but when the adrenaline fades, watch out!! In character... I was right there with Will Henry and the Monstrumologist when they discovered the monsters in the graveyard in the dead of the night. I had no problems with the grave digger suddenly pulled under or even his brains getting splattered everywhere (gross!) I was still filled with adrenaline as they tried to escape. But wandering through the huge house afterwards contemplating the details of that gore and brain bits... amazingly well written, too, lemme tell you!! I suddenly got all green and decided it would be ok if I didn't read EVERY word. *ahem*

How do you feel the frame story of "Richard Yancey" discovering these "journals" of a William James Henry affect your take of the story itself? Did it make the story more realistic and plausible, or was it a distraction?

I loved the discovery of the journals. I didn't need to know so much about who discovered them or who read them or why, etc, etc, but the author zipped through those pieces quickly and painlessly. I learned some pre-secrets, though, like Will Henry died impossibly old. This adds a great twist to the story, especially since no evidence could be found to verify anything (nice!). He did survive this month-long monster hunt, obviously, although I forgot that fact repeatedly.

The journals also helps (a lot!) with swallowing the perspective. This story takes place when Will Henry's only eleven years old, which intensifies the situations he finds himself in. The story is that much richer for coming from his young perspective. I don't think I would have accepted such a young narrator if I hadn't been first introduced to him as older, if that makes sense. The journals buffer the horror with time, making it seem more reasonable even to non-horror readers. Plus, every rush of adrenaline should be preceded and followed by the complete opposite, right? To better highlight the action!

En Fin...

This book gripped my attention every time I picked it up to read. I could hardly set it aside. But once I did set it aside (for life, etc) I was reluctant to pick it up again. With a little space, the horror drama felt more like horror drama (think emotional juggling). But the writing was so great, so seriously great, any time I started to read, I immediately forgave Yancy for jerking my emotions around until I set the book aside again.

You want a quote?! I know you do!!!

Calico quoted this one, as well, so maybe I'm copying her (I do try!!) but this passage jumped out at me as incredible... as something I would not normally ever want to read and yet exactly why I was mesmerized by this writing:
Pebbles and twigs dropped from my tangled hair into the basin and clogged the drain, which rapidly filled with water stained to a delicate pink from his blood.
Bloody water was always slightly beautiful - what is twisted about that?!
Grimacing, I plunged a hand into the fouled water to clear the clog, morbid curiousity drawing my youthful eye to the gray globs of gore floating upon the surface. It was not horror that seized my imagination so much as wonder: sixty years of dreams and desires, anger and hope, love and longing, blasted away in a single explosive instant, mind and brain. The mind of Erasmus Gray was gone; the remnants of its vessel floated, as light and insubstantial as popcorn, in the water. Which fluffy bit held your ambition, Erasmus Gray? Which speck your pride?
Do you see?! Do you see how youth is mixed with fascination with gore with speculation and good writing?! Together it's that much worse and that much more gripping. I did not know brains floated. Did not want to know. It never occurred to me to wonder which bits of brains did what. When separated.
Ah, how absurd the primping and preening of our race! Is it not the ultimate arrogance to believe we are more than is contained in our biology?
As for the rest of this book...

Will Henry is a great, muli-layered character. The Monstrumologist, the doctor, is also multi-layered. I loved their relationship. The doctor was so protective of Will Henry right from the beginning (I felt). He often claimed the boy as his assistant and nothing more, but he cared for his safety even more than for his own, so it was a gruff, un-admitted love. I didn't actually like either of them, which was weird. I didn't like anyone in the story, even if I grudgingly admitted familiarity with these two.

The monsters, the Anthropophagi, were well described scientifically. I got a complete grasp of what they looked like, acted like... how they ate, why they were so vicious, how big their brains were (small!), how long their claws (long!!), their funky eyes (lidless glossy black), horrible mouths, odd bodies... everything. Seeing them through the eyes of the doctor and assistant made the whole story feel as if it should just be accepted logically, while it was anything but logical. I really enjoyed that tension.

The New England setting in the 1800's was great and believable. Long enough ago to pay graverobbers for bodies in the middle of the night without (much) question. The limitations of the technology of the time added to the danger and gore (for dissecting things).

I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading it after this review. I explained my sensitivities to the sight of blood, which typically keep me away from the horror genre. If someone doesn't have that issue to overcome, this book is a great read. If you do... well, it's pretty freaky-gross!! - and you might get sucked in, anyway, just like me!!!

My Rating: 4 - Pretty Darn Good. The writing, I tell ya, the writing is incredible & I have no real experience to rate the scary factor. I wasn't so much scared as grossed out. In a good way (if that's possible in my world.)

In a sentence or so: Will Henry and the Monstrumologist he apprentices under have to save their small 1800s town from a pack of monsters with a serious desire for human flesh.

Will Henry is an orphan. His parents died in a fire and the doctor who employed his father takes him under his wing. The thing is, the doctor isn't an ordinary doctor. OH NO. He studies monsters for a living. Which means Will Henry sees and hears and learns many absurd and surreal and downright frightening things from time to time. His greatest horror unfolds when a grave robber brings the body of a girl who is wrapped up with a monster. Now Will Henry and the doctor must identify the monster, figure out how it came to live here, how many more there are and how to kill them. And, you know, make sure no more innocent people die in the process.

This Monstrumologist is dark. Like, crazy dark...and I loved it. I was hoping it didn't take the subject matter to a slapstick absurdity, and it did not disappoint. The monsters are described in vivid detail, the circumstances of Will Henry's life are completely and utterly depressing, and even the doctor is a character riddled with flaws and a damaged past.

The complexities of characters and the mysterious and supernatural plot made for an excellent read. Slowly we find out more about what the monsters are, how they got there, and continue to worry about how in the world Will Henry and the doctor are going to take care of the problem!

I was scared, excited, hopeful, anxious, and enthralled from cover to cover. The characters pulled at my heartstrings while the mystery kept me biting my nails. I can't wait to see where the rest of The Monstrumologist series takes me!

Fave quotes:
"These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed." (pg 1. Opening like, y'all!)
"There are indeed more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy, but those things were, like the Anthropophagi, quite physical, entirely natural, capable of fulfilling our curious and baffling need for a marauding horror of malicious intent, thank you very much." (pg 121)

Fix er up: This isn't a turn off for me, but it may be for some. The book is pretty lengthy. Like, 450 pages in a paperback form lengthy. You've been warned. But also, it's totally worth it.

I'm not usually a fan of the grotesque or Victorian-style gothic literature, but The Monstrumologist had me hooked right from page one.

The story begins with a brief prologue--the discovery of Will Henry's three Folios in 2008, which turn out to be an autobiography of his time spent with Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, well-known philosopher and under-the-table monstrumologist who lived in the late 1800s. After which, we dive right into the Folio itself, and begin with the night that Erasmus Gray pulls up his horse and cart to Dr. Warthrop's house in the middle of the night. He reveals that while grave-stealing, he discovered an Anthropophagi and a dead woman, "one wrapped around the other in an obscene embrace." Dr. Warthrop discovers that inside the woman is the monster's fetus, and explains to twelve-year-old Will Henry that these monsters require hosts to incubate their young in. This discovery leads them to begin researching the sudden appearance of Anthropophagi in America, as they are usually only native to Africa and Madagascar.

For anybody who is a fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne or Mary Shelly, then this is a must-read. Dr. Warthrop's character seems patterned after Aylmer from Hawthorne's "The Birthmark," and for most of the book, is the definition of crazy. He's completely obsessed with his work, has little regard for human life above scientific appreciation, and treats Will Henry like crap half the time. But he's an intriguing character regardless and--dare I say it?--almost likable because of his eccentricities. The style of writing was almost sterile in a way--or rather, analytical--but not uninteresting in the least. It was like Will Henry was making a study out of the monstrumologist. Because of this, it was easy to trust him as a reliable narrator, as I felt like he placed enough distance between his feelings and his memories to describe what was happening with calm and level-headed perception. It's easy to see that Ricky Yancey is well read both in science and classics, as this knowledge comes through in his descriptions. Allusions are used on almost every page to describe the gruesome setting. Yancey also does a great job at building tension. Towards the end, there were scenes where I needed to pause in the middle of reading them because I was actually nervous. Don't think less of me because I looked around to see if I was being stalked by monsters. This is the stuff nightmares are made out of. Can somebody say future horror classic? If Stephen King read this book, he probably clapped when he finished it.

Do you know that feeling you get when you've discovered a new favorite series? In my case, I am on cloud nine. I want to dance a jig, frolic through a meadow of flowers...you get the idea. This was how I felt after I started The Monstrumologist. I was captivated from the beginning. In fact, after finishing my library copy of The Monstrumologist, I proceeded to purchase all of the books that are currently out in the series, including the one I just read which I bought for rereading and loaning purposes. And after recommending the first book to my mom - well, actually after thrusting it in her face and forcing her to read it - I devoured the rest of the series. It's that phenomenal. It's creepy, spine-tingling, brillant writing, and I just might be obsessed with Rick Yancey now. Don't worry. I'm not the stalker type. Or am I?

The Monstrumologist is a genius mix of Sherlock Holmes, Fringe and Supernatural. I actually consider Pellinore Warthrop to be the monstrumological equivalent of Sherlock Holmes, though I can't say Will Henry compares to Watson. Warthrop's more of a father figure to Will than a comrade, seeing as Will starts off the series at the young age of 12. Although, Warthrop does instruct Will in the matters of monstrumology just as Sherlock demonstrates the powers of deductive reasoning to Watson.

The Monstrumologist is a truly horrifying tale that brings to life the monsters that lurk in every child's imagination. Monstrumologists both study and hunt these unnatural creatures, while the rest of society remains, for the most part, blissfully unaware of their existence. I appreciated that Yancey's imagination extended beyond the usual suspects, such as vampires, werewolves, and the like. Instead, the predator in The Monstrumologist is the Anthropopagus (plural, Anthropophagi). The Anthropophagi are a cannibalistic species that have, instead of a head, a face on their torso. This mythical creature has been described by both Herodotus in his Histories and Shakespeare in the Merry Wives of Windsor and Othello:

And of the Cannibals that each other eat,
The Anthropophagi, and men whose heads
Do grow beneath their shoulders.
-- Othello, Act 1. Scene III

The Anthropophagi were absolutely terrifying in The Monstrumologist. They are more than capable hunters, with rows of sharklike teeth in their gaping maw and a freakish ability to climb and jump great distances. I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares after reading about these monsters who love to eat, of course, humans, and won't settle for any old goat or pig. These beasties are extremely territorial and love to rip apart their meal so that bloody viscera splatters everywhere. They are definitely not the romantic interest or a sparkling vampire. They are the real deal, and I was significantly impressed by this ghastly, disturbing story that reminded me of what horror should be.

As for the characters, they were as real and tangible as you and me. Warthrop is a wonderfully cynical and impassioned scientist who is literally mad for his craft and is very dissection happy. When he is on the hunt for a new discovery, he is overcome by an all-encompassing fervor until he is satisfied with his studies, and then he collapses into a deep melancholia. He also possesses one of the largest egos known to mankind. As for Will Henry, I would have expected the narrator to fade into the background in comparison to his overzealous teacher, but I loved Will. He constantly surprised me with his dedication to Warthrop and his sudden bursts of courage. My favorite part of The Monstrumologist was witnessing the irrevocable bond between Warthrop and Will. They both deny their strong connection, but the two of them share a sort of father/son relationship which is extremely touching, given their lack of family or friends.

We also meet another character, who is skilled in hunting the Anthropophagi, even if he is not a monstrumologist himself. Despite his psychopathy, I could not help but find Kearn's charm and brutal honesty amusing. Although, he seriously is screwed up in the head and is often indistinguishable from the very monsters he hunts. The Monstrumologist explores the fine line between the hunter and the hunted. When does the monster hunter lose all sense of morality and become the very thing he's hunting? That is a core issue that Yancey delves into in this book and throughout the series.

Even the world building did not disappoint! Yancey introduces The Monstrumologist Society, a secret society comprised of, you guessed it, monstrumologists. This society goes to great lengths to hide the existence of monsters from the general public. They meet in secret for conferences and they are consulted for mysterious cases that cannot be solved by any detective or policeman.

The Monstrumologist is quite gruesome and unsettling at points, and it is definitely a must-read for any horror fans. But at the same time, it was also a poignant tale of a boy seeking solace after his parents' deaths in the company of a man who has allowed his studies to consume him for far too long. After finishing this thrilling, suspenseful masterpiece, I knew, without a doubt, that this was a book I would not forget anytime soon.

I am not an easy person to scare. I like horror books; more so on movies. The Monstrumologist is not that really scary to begin with, but with the overall creepiness of the story, it gave me this horrific effect that i should be scared of monsters. real, eat-you-alive-in-the-grossest-way-possible monsters. Mr. Yancey, I was afraid of the Anthropophagi, not because of the monstrosity, but because of the cunning and intellect that came with that monstrosity. *shudders*

Will Henry's life was not easy. Watching your parents burn to death is not something short of a nightmare. Then, you spend your life with a man whose eccentricity and brilliance shuns everybody around you. including you. not to mention your services are indispensable to this (sometimes) crazy scientist. your services, not you.

I like Yancey's writing. With a story so unique, his characters and monsters became vibrant through his easy storytelling.

Kearnes is my favorite character! His madness is infectious. Oh, he has faults, yes, but i can't help but admire him. he's a formidable hunter, but as a person? Ha! Better ask Will Henry. or Dr. Warthrop for a more definitive response. Also, the Sanitorium scenes are alive! Sanitorium: that one place that i'm the scariest. :)

If you are into horror and gore, you're gonna love The Monstrumologist. Monsters both literal and psychological, you will find it here. To those who have read this: whose life is sadder, Will Henry's or Dr. Warthrop's?

Full of fascinating lore and heart-buckling scenarios, Will Henry will make your nights worthwhile. Read this at night time! it adds to the suspense. *winks*

Monsters are real. That's a fact. =)

Monsters! What does that word mean to you? Myths? Mysteries? Fairytales?... Real…? Well in this series you will meet new monsters and some aren't exactly friendly. By the end of the series you will believe in these monsters even more. A rare bread of monsters have come from far away they are know as the devilish Anthropophagi all the way from Africa they have come to strike. Join Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop in a adventure that will send chills up your spine. There are monsters among us… and they must be found before it is too late.

The Monstrumologist is a book that I enjoyed a lot, from the suspense to comedy. For example you will find dark hallways, lanterns going out, and strange scents and of course Monsters. Rick Yancey did a nice job of freaking you out and changing the subject from an intense chase to a calm tea time. The main characters are Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop. The author doesn't say much about Will’s past, but over time Yancey gives hints.
In total I would rate this book 4 stars out of 5.
I enjoyed the action, comedy, and dialogue.

A quote that I enjoyed that explaining an action scene was, "“RUN” I complied. Unfortunately, so did O’bess, who bolted forward with a spring worthy of a mare half her age. As I spirited toward the cart, it receded from me, pulled by the panicked horse off the lane and onto the rough ground, the frantic animal cutting across graves and weaving between tombstone. I dare not look back, but my ears delivered the sounds of the doctor close behind, and harsh, barking calls that seemed like emanate from all directions."

Another quote that I found interesting in regards to great description was, "Within the bowl shaped bed laded a young male Anthropophagus male, surprisingly – at least to me – and almost comically small, perhaps only two or three inches taller than me, though easily fifty or so pounds heavier. The oversized eyes set in his shoulders where not closed in his restless slumber - the creatures have no eyelids- rather a milky white film, a protolid, shimmered wetly over obsidian orbs."

A final quote that was suspenseful was, "So I leaned forward, my stomach rubbing the edge of the nest, and leveled the doctors gun at its groin, at the spot just bellow it drooling lip. It did not occur to me until much later that the sound of the gunshot would far exceed any mewling cry the dying Anthropophagus could have produced. Not close enough, I desisted. I wanted it to be quick and sure, so I brought the barrel within inches of his glinting pink belly. I cocked the hammer with my thumb, and it was a thin click, that smallest of sounds, that woke him."

I enjoyed reviewing this amazing book. I encourage everyone to read the series and give your feedback. I love to read a lot of books, but so far The Monstrumologist has been my one of my favorites and is on the top of the list. It does however drag on in some areas, but the interest is gained back later in the book.

This book is captivating.
It keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Make you very aware of your surroundings.
Can be frightening yet mysterious and at times comical.
I will most likely read this again in the near future.

This wasn't really the book I was expecting. Based on the Alfred Kropp novels, I was expecting it to be a bit more lighthearted. Make no mistake, this is a dark and serious novel, of real monsters, both in human form and not. If I had picked up this novel in a store, the 19th century woodcut-style illustrations of anatomy and surgical tools on the opening pages probably would have tipped me off to the true style and content of the novel.

Our hero, 12 year old Will Henry, became the monstrumologist's assistant when his father, the former assistant, died a horrible death in a fire. An orphan, Will Henry is taken in by Dr. Warthrop, where he becomes privy to all the horrible secrets of the doctor's house but none of the doctor's soul.

When a grave robber calls in the middle of the night with an abomination, a dead headless monster, an Anthropopagus, in the process of consuming a wealthy corpse, the horror begins in earnest. Part detective story - how did Anthropopagi come not only to America, but to this particular town, one of the few places in America where an expert would recognize them - and part action story - the pod needs to be killed before they devour the town - the story is lively even as it is macabre.

Horror is not my genre; and yet, I dug in and finished this novel quickly. It is well written and intelligent. Will Henry makes an excellent guide through the horrors of the story. For my own self, I would probably just as soon not have read it, and it was definitely a mistake to stay up an extra hour to finish it on a night where I needed a full night's sleep... because when I finished it, sleep did not seem like a very good idea at all.

"...there are more terrifying monstrosities in the world than Anthropophagi. Monstrosities who, with a smile and a comforting pat on the head, are willing to sacrifice a child upon the altar of their own overweening ambition and pride."

Orphan Will Henry has, at twelve years of age, already seen things far more horrifying than most grown men will ever confront in long lifetimes. After a year in the company of the brilliant and difficult Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, monstrumologist,Will is more or less inured to mysterious callers with tales of dark happenings arriving at the door after midnight. Nothing, however, could prepare Will for the events which followed that fateful visit from Erasmus Gray. What the old graverobber brought to Dr. Warthrop's kitchen door in the earliest hours of a spring morning long ago was something so unspeakably terrible that everyone involved in the affair was changed, changed in a fundamental, profound and irrevocable way. For monsters really do roam the darkest hours and, while some are easily recognizable for what they are, some of them look very much like you or me.

No review of mine could possibly do justice to this gothic delight, a novel both grotesque and beautiful. It is genius on every level. From the rich, evocative language to the palpably misty nights of the Victorian era setting, The Monstrumologist enfolds the reader in its world. Will Henry is a wonderful narrator. Orphaned, lonely and virtually powerless, he still manages to find courage and stand resolutely steadfast in the face of the unimaginable. More importantly, Will remains essentially true to himself. The fact that Will's journals were written at the end of his long life, a backward reflection on the events that shaped him, gives the narrative the quality of a mature observer and adds both insight and depth.

Of Dr. Pellinore Winthrop I can say only that here is a character as complex and fascinating, as brilliant and flawed, as Sherlock Holmes at the height of his powers. Dr. Warthrop is, as Will Henry wryly notes, "... [a] man of whom it might be said there had never been another of more towering, awe-inspiring self-absorption..." Undoubtedly possessed of great intellect, Dr. Warthrop is also moody, egotistical and sometimes slightly cruel. His calling - the study of monsters most men of common sense would say did not exist - is almost his entire world. Certainly, his pursuit of these creatures is the limit of his vision. Yet, even with his failings, Dr. Warthrop is not unlikable. If he were, this novel simply would not work, for it is the interplay between Will Henry and his master - the prickly, intense, co-dependent nature of their relationship - that is at the heart of this wholly engaging story of horror and dark deeds in the deepest hours of the night.

My 16 yo daughter brought The Monstrumologist home from the library this summer. I was bored, had no current book of my own and so, in desperation, I picked this up as she was finishing another book and wasn't ready to start it. I thought I would page through it to keep myself from being completely bored watching the paint on the walls.

I absolutely *LOVED* it! I like almost all genres and went through my "horror" phase as an early teen; as an adult I don't care for unnecessary grossness or bloodshed. This story had plenty enough gore in it (for me), yet somehow, it felt oddly educational rather than gratuitous! The writing style is a welcome change from many fictional novels of today. It flows, it is lush in the imagery, and it draws a reader in. It was a book I was sorry to see come to an end. As soon as I finished it I rushed to the computer to check if there were more, only to sigh in disappointment (at the time--woo-hoo for a second book coming out)!

A previous reviewer said they wanted simpler sentences. As a mother I feel that there are certainly more than enough ya novels out there that are decidedly "simple" and the result is just so much trash. I love that this is written with words, phrases, and descriptions that encourage my children to maybe learn something new rather than a book that just spoonfeeds cra* into their heads. I also liked that the anthropophagi legend didn't originate with this story AND that my daughter looked it up to learn more! It was also nice to have something "new". Even my teen is sick of vampires, werewolves, and fairies and is waiting impatiently for the current love-fest with them to come to an end.

Anyway, in a nutshell, this was a great story, a fresh take on monsters, and you can learn something while reading for pleasure--YAY!

"Mon-strum-ol-o-gy, n.
1. The study of life forms generally malevolent to humans and not recognized by science as actual organisms, specifically those considered products of myths and folklore
2. The act of hunting such creatures."

After the recent death of William James Henry, a resident in a nursing home who claimed to be 137 years old, found among his effects was a collection of thirteen notebooks that tell the story of his life from the time he was orphaned and became the ward of his father's employer, the monstrumologist, Dr. Pellinore Warthrop. These notebooks form the basis of the story in a rather elegant and historically rich way.

This is a story with a lot of different levels. From the beginning, when the main character, Will James Henry is introduced, the author puts the reader on notice that this story is a lot more complicated then one might think.: William and Henry James, the brothers, the first American philosopher and arguably, the first American story teller? It just gets richer after this.

Some of the scenes hearken back to all kinds of writers--especially the mad carriage ride during the witching hour through a graveyard - except in this telling they are being chased by monsters, the anthropophagi. Every chapter seemed to layer on new levels of symbolism while not being obvious at all. (Except for the name.) The story is very interesting and compelling in its own right. It is one of those books that you can read more than one time and still discover new things in every journey.

As an English teacher, I think this book would be very effective in a Middle School Language Arts classroom. Readers don't have to understand the references in the book to understand the story so it would work ideally in a differentiated classroom. This book is a first rate start of a new series. I can hardly wait to see what monster Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry face next,

mon*strum*ol*o*gy n.

1: the study of life forms generally malevolent to humans and not recognized by science as actual organism, specifically those considered products of myth and folklore

2: the act of hunting such creatures

Will Henry has been indebted --- or enslaved, depending on how you look at it --- to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, the famed monstrumologist, since his parents died tragically in a house fire. Will followed in his father's footsteps by continuing to assist the troubled monstrumologist, and much of his work consists of keeping the doctor fed and nourished while he flits from one project to the next. The people in New Jerusalem, New England tend to shy away from the mysterious and rumored crazy doctor, but an inexplicable horror brings a grave robber with a strange bundle knocking at an ungodly hour. Wrapped haphazardly in a burlap sack are not one but two bodies caught in an obscene embrace.

One is a young girl dressed in her burial shroud with half of her face missing. The other is a large male with one distinctive feature --- no head. Its black, lifeless eyes are located on its shoulders, and its mouth full of sharp teeth is located in the center of its stomach. The monstrumologist carefully deduces that the creature is none other than the fabled cannibal Anthropophagi and that it died choking on the girl's pearl necklace as it began to devour her. The rumored Anthropophagi, normally found in Africa, had mysteriously made their way to the Americas at the turn of the 20th century, and Dr. Warthrop is determined to find out why and how before any more lives are lost.

The monstrumologist and Will's journey lead them back to the graveyard where an unprovoked attack from the Anthropophagi coven sends them scrambling for their lives and answers. A fruitless visit to the insane asylum turns up another dead body and even more questions. It isn't until the coven slaughters the local preacher's family in gruesome fashion that Dr. Warthrop is forced to ask for help from someone who is more of a monster than a man. The local authorities also get involved, and where there is artillery there is bound to be a good old-fashioned shootout. Motives are put into question, however, as unconventional means are used to eliminate the Anthropophagi and everyone's lives are put in danger.

It only makes sense for Will's journal to include as much detail as possible seeing as he is an apprentice to a thorough monstrumologist, but readers beware! THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is not for the faint of heart. The descriptions of the Anthropophagi's attacks upon humans will turn your stomach. If those cause nothing more than a slight discomfort, than surely the descriptions of the worm-infested bodies or the gory death scenes will initiate your gag reflex. The best part, though, is that you're compelled to keep turning pages to see what happens next. Are Will's journals simply a work of fiction? After all, the names, places and dates don't match up with anything in New England's history.

Author Rick Yancey is determined, however, for the public to see them. Known for his equally enticing Alfred Kropp books, Yancey has created a glorious start to what looks to be another promising horrific series.

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

One morning as I was reading the daily web newsletter from Shelf Awareness, I saw their ad for "the horror novel of the year". As a lover of a good scary read it immediately caught my eye and drew me in. Touting that it was the goriest, most gruesome, terror-bringing novel to reach the reading public in a long time, I ran right to the store to pick up a copy to see if it would indeed frighten me out of my wits.

Will Henry is a 12 year old orphan, assistant to New England's one and only Monstrumologist Dr. Pellinore Warthrop. What is a Monstrumologist? A scientist specializing in the study and hunting of monsters of course.

Will's father was the previous assistant to the monstrumologist, but along with his wife, was plucked early from this earth, dying in a mysterious fire leaving their only son Will Henry alone. Taken in out of obligation and gratitude of the many years of service his parents provided to the doctor, Will Henry takes his father's place at the side of New Jerusalem's slayer of all things that slither from the dark side and crawl up from the bowels of hell.

The story is a simple one. Horrific foul smelling, ugly-as-sin headless creatures with shark-like mouths in the middle of their chests called Anthropophagi, have surfaced in the county and are savagely murdering the town folk. Scenes of the carnage are not for the weak-kneed or squeamish. They are extremely bloody, gory, and messy. There are a few frightening episodes when the creatures attack, but on the whole it is more of the gore that puts this teen scream story into the horror genre.

The characters of the delightful and innocent Will Henry, the monstrumologist himself who at times makes you wonder if he is not a specimen of the monsters he hunts, and a hilarious second monstrumologist who is a true nutcase unsure of his own name, will endear you to them and shackle you to your chair leaving you unable to put this Halloween special down until the last abomination is put to rest. Lots of action, lots of fright, this is a true blood and guts story to entertain monster lovers big and small. Pellinore Warthrop, together with our impish Will Henry, are two literary people I hope to see again as they perhaps will find more monsters to sniff out and hunt. The mix of haunting terror that will have your heart pounding, with the precious heartwarming sensations you will feel as boy and man bond through thick and thin, create a very entertaining, extremely well written nineteenth century style yarn of macabre madness. And yes, I do wholly agree, Rick Yancey's new Monstrumologist does live up to the touting of "horror novel of the year!"

Monstrumentalist cover image

Rick Yancey's The Monstrumologist is the first book in a (currently two book long) series about Pellinore Warthrop, a monster hunter and his 12-year-old assistant Will Henry, in Victorian New England. Warthrop took Henry in after his parents died in a fire, and since then, Henry has been helping the doctor in his research. One night, a grave digger comes to their door carrying a terrifying beast, an Anthropophagus, and the doctor realizes that there are over 30 of these man-eating creatures living in his hometown. He and Will Henry set off on a race against time to hunt these monsters before they attack the whole town.

This book was gory. Very, very gory. In a way that probably appeals to 14-year-old boys but definitely made me cringe and skim several paragraphs. There are descriptions of rancid teeth, bone-crunching, brain-bashing, limb-tearing...But I don't want to give you the wrong impression. The story was also wonderfully written. Yes, this book is targeted at young adults (I assume), but Yancey does not write down to them. There is impressive vocabulary in abundance- not limited to the monster name Anthropophagi. The writing style, too, was very reminiscent of Victorian era horror or Gothic novels. A lot of gloom and doom, tons of heavy foreshadowing, creepy and disturbing characters, and all the rest. Maybe the monsters and blood and gore draw the pre-teen boys in, but the writing is what kept me going. I do not enjoy horror stories. But this one had such compelling writing and fascinating characters that I kept going.

I say the characters fascinate me, but I don't know that I loved any of them. I liked Will Henry, the plucky orphan who comes into his own. I also had a soft spot for Dr. Warthrop, but he was not a very nice man. Really, most of the people in this book were not easy to like. They were self-absorbed, greedy, prideful and arrogant. Dr. Warthrop particularly could be grating. His oft-used phrase was, "Step to, Will Henry!" and by the third chapter or so, I was very tired of reading those words. It's very surprising, actually, that I found this book as compelling as I did because usually if I dislike the characters, I dislike the book. But the writing style just drew me in so well here that I kept going.

One thing I didn't like in this book and which I feel is becoming more "modish" recently (though I think it is originally a Victorian conceit so makes sense here) is the whole "Oh, I just found this bunch of letters/diary/message in a bottle/writing on the wall sitting here beside me one day, and decided to publish it and share with you." That is very much the set-up of this story, with the author being called into a mental institution to read journals that might be of interest to him. They are Will Henry's journals, the author is interested, and he shares them with the reader. I am not sure what the over-arcing story with that will be, but I personally don't see the point of these set-ups and could do very well without them.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, though I found it very creepy and more than a little disturbing. The story kept my interest throughout, though I would warn you (again) that it's very gory!

i don't remember what it was that lured me to this novel; quite possibly the thrill of the hunt. i am a true horror fanatic, and grew tired of looking for something well written that wasn't about either the same-ole type of monsters and the same-ole type of heroes. this type of story, a middle-aged man for whom monster hunting was his job (a la Abraham Van Helsing), and his young assistant were a nice detour from the usual. this story is visceral, there are no silly love-lorn vampires that sparkle (God, i'm glad that crapfest is finally over), or all-powerful, all-knowing demigods who are called upon by some idiotic quest to fight evil. our montrumologist hunts because that's all he knows. he also hunts to try to one-up his late father, whom he knows he will never satisfy.

i won't go into the plot of the book; others have already. i will say that if you're looking for a good horror/suspense/paranormal read, this series is for you. (actually, now i think i remember what drew me to this series; i was looking for a novel about a terrifying, yet underused killer, the wendigo. when i found the second novel in the series, it prompted me to look into the first.) buy it. you won't be disappointed.

This is a dark and disgusting, yet well written, horror novel that is listed as young adult, primarily because the protagonist is 13 years old. I think it could work just as well for an adult audience, and in fact the age range for this book is definitely high school rather than middle school. Gore abounds, but more than that the tone is unrelentingly scary, very much a Lovecraftian spirit including its late 1800s New England setting.

Will Henry's father worked for Dr Warthrop, a hunter and student of monsters. Will's father and mother died, leaving him only the Monstrumologist Warthrop to take him in as his new apprentice. The fact that he is fulfilling the role that cost his own father his life is not lost on us. Their relationship adds saddness to this macrabe tale. Will desperately needs love and affection but the doctor is wholely commited to his work. Their growth and relationship as they face the horrors awaiting them holds the book together.

And what a horror indeed! The anthropophagi, shaped like men, except with no head, instead claws, lidless eyes in their shoulders and a fang filled mouth in its stomach. And their sole food is us...

This is no reflectionless scare fest. The clash of the cold Darwinian approach of Warthrop, the Constable's traditional Christian values, a third character, Dr Kearns, who represents the worst of Nietzsche's nihilism (he finds the anthropophagi admirable in many ways even while hunting them), all against the backdrop of Henry, a youth confronted by a world of nightmares he'd rather have never known existed. The author doesn't make judgments, though faith may seem to come off (as often is the case in horror) as at best a blind hope when nothing else is left in such a horrible world. Kearns is annoying in his nihlism, but no one truly seems to discredit him. Though one could argue Will never truly surrenders to Nietzsche's abyss, as Kearns has.
Still a page turner and a well written novel. If you have boys who are fans of Darren Shan's Demonata series, I'd reccommend this to show them a horror book with superior writing.

Rick Yancey's sprawling yarn meanders through a dark miasma of the macabre world where monsters and monster hunters are real. Told from the perspective of 12-year old Will, it is a triumph of a creepfest with truly riveting tension and believable characters with depth and personality. On the trail of the anthropophagi in late 1800's New England, Dr. Warthrop, Will's guardian and mentor, and his young protégé encounter turn after turn of life-threatening events set into motion by a grave robber's gruesome find. From the basement of the doctor's house, to the bowels of a sanatorium, through the claustrophobic caverns of the beasts, this novel keeps the pressure on and provides one of the best horror reads of the past decade, a pot boiler of exceptional merit. Yancey paces the novel well, with periods of creative discovery followed by well-composed action or violence to sidebars for characterization. It works, and I enjoyed most every moment of it. The prose is first rate, but for a novel of this genre, it is comparatively superlative. Even when Will gets a mouthful of anthropophagus puss (yes, it has its fair share of gross-outs; make no mistake, this is a horror novel), Yancey treats it like literature. He also makes certain to give the science a practical, accepting approach. His choices are brilliant because they add to the believability of the setting and help to create a feeling of immersion for the reader. He makes a few missteps along the way, taking rabbit trails that lead nowhere or taking far too long to reach a conclusion (store keepers anyone?), but these are mere trifles. I loved this book and am beginning the sequel The Curse of the Wendigo immediately.

Will Henry is a young boy on the verge of becoming a man, but has suffered far more than most who have lived to old age. His father and mother died a horrific death, and he was taken in by a master whose insensitivity bordered on cruelty, and whose obsession with his secretive occupation meant he had little concern for the kind of ordinary niceties and decencies that matter to most. He was a "monstrumologist," one who investigates bizarre and dangerous creatures through the eyes of a scientist, committed to making sense of even the strangest. The monster that dominates this story, that may or may not have sequels, is the "anthropophagus" - a human munching monster who has no head and whose torso is all mouth - and what is notable is that the description of this monster here matches real descriptions of just such a creature in various places in classic literature. Yancey has, here, attempted to ground the fiction in fact, even having his monstrumologist attempt a Darwinian evolutionary explanation for the creatures they encounter. In that sense, at least, this might be thought of as more along the lines of science fiction horror than fantasy.

My kids dig Rick Yancey's Alfred Kropp series, and I was in the mood for some scary escapist fiction, so I picked up this one. I wasn't disappointed. What surprised me was how effective this book was in recapturing the gruesome and gothic feel of the literature it emulates and updates. I was also surprised to find that this is much closer in tone and theme to real adult period horror, like Frankenstein and Dracula , rather than to contemporary juvenile fiction. While Will is 12 years old, the story makes very few concessions for kids - the author, in fact, acknowledges this, as a recurring motif is that at every significant turn in the story someone points out that the narrator is far too young to be facing such horrific realities. I was expecting something like Demonkeeper or the somewhat more gruesome Last Apprentice series - both of which, while dealing with scary elements are clearly tailored to juveniles - but this is much more gruesome than either, and at the same time more matter of fact. Not for the squeamish and not for kids. Teenagers and up, and fans of horror, especially those with gothic sensibilities - think Edgar Allen Poe meets Stephen King - are likely to love this.

Perhaps the scariest monster of all is the ruthless, but human, monster hunter they hire, who considers himself to be beyond morality (he claims, at one point, that his old friend Friedrich Nietzsche borrowed ideas from him while developing Beyond Good and Evil). His presence in this novel is one more element that raises it above the level of a merely scary story, and into the realm of reflection on meanings and morals in the face of a purely scientific outlook on man. In the face of the reality of human brutality, who needs to worry about whether there are "actual" monsters? Another thoughtful observation made in a number of places in the novel is that there are, in fact, numerous non-human monsters who already prey upon human lives: they are just very small, and they are hosted within the human body. Overall, an engaging piece of fiction and an intriguing read. For those who enjoy Victorian and Gothic horror, along the lines of Lovecraft, it'd be worth checking out.

Gory. Bloody. Enthralling. Thrilling. Gasp worth. Brilliant.

Need any other descriptors for this book? I can offer them- they are numerous and they are all great. Yancey spares nothing in his descriptions, from the autopsy/necropsy scenes to the killing scenes to the infestation of a human by hordes of parasitic worms. This is the kind of things that make people squirm on the big screen and Yancey has poignantly turned it all into the written word. I am completely, undeniable, heart breakingly in awe of Yancey's writing- his grasp of the English language is complimented by the late 1800's time period and subsequent intellect and dialogue. I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone who, at the very least, holds an appreciation for a well written book no matter the story line. Even if the gore is too much, just read a few pages- the writing is truly beautiful.

From the very start, this book intrigued me. It is a story within a story- a journal within a book. The introduction chapter sets the stage in modern times before the journal takes you back to an incredibly interesting time and the writing style gripped me from the start. I knew that even if I ended up not liking the overall story and plot, I would still hold this book in high regards because of how well it is written which says thousands for Yancey. But, even better- I loved this plot. It is completely unique and bold. The monsters in your closet are real, there are things that go bump in the night and Yancey is showing them all, without holding anything back. You get the feeling that are right there alongside Will Henry, watching everything unfold and fearing the worst but hoping for the best.

The characters are strong and there is minimal biasing by the first person point of view, even towards the not so nice people. The reader can make up their own mind- and even several of the minor characters shine through and make you remember them. You can see the thought that went into everything about this story and as with all good stories, it had plenty of twists and turns and surprises.

The ending was phenomenal- bittersweet in its own way but still left the reader with plenty of closure. This is the first in the series and although it doesn't end on a massive cliffhanger, the story line itself, the way it is written, and how much I have fallen in love with 12 year old Will Henry will guarantee me to be buying the next installation. This book deserves 5 stars- maybe even 6- and is definitely taking a very well earned place at the top of my favorites list.

Though marketed as a "Young Adult" novel (probably because there's no explicit sex), make no mistake: THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is a HORROR novel. A no-holds-barred, balls-to-the-wall HORROR NOVEL. And one of the best Horror novels I've had the pleasure of reading in years.

The novel unfolds as the literary equivalent of a "Found-footage" movie....Author Rick Yancey comes into possession of the diaries of a recently-deceased man named William Henry, who claimed to be over 130 years old. Yancey's "adaptation" of the first three books of Will Henry's diaries comprise the bulk of THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, telling about his life as an orphaned ward of "Doctor of Monstrumology" Pellinore Warthrop. A late-night knock on the door of Warthrop's home signals the beginning of young Will's first experience with the phenomena the Doctor studies: A recently-exhumed corpse,partially devoured, with a dead monster clinging to it. The monster in question is an Anthropophagus, a huge, hulking beast with the body of a man...but the similarities end there. The Anthropophagi are headless, with eyes in their shoulders, and a cavernous, shark-like mouth in their stomach. Will and Dr. Warthrop start an investigation into the infestation that will lead them down paths darker than any they could have imagined....

Yancey's prose is sharp and brutally efficient, especially when he's delving into the pain and loneliness the young orphan experiences in his day-to-day life with the harsh, loveless Dr. Warthrop. There were moments in this book where my heart practically broke for poor Will. The book fairly drips with atmosphere and dread, and has the feel of some of H.P. Lovecraft's best work, with a touch of Stoker's DRACULA and assorted other Gothic masterpieces thrown in. Yancey also introduces one of the most compellingly readable characters of the decade: The wonderfully psychotic Monster Hunter Dr. Richard Kearns.

Don't be put off by the "Young Adult" tag....THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is an amazing HORROR novel.
Period.
I'm counting the days until the next time we see Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop again.....

The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yansey

In the darkness of night, a grave robber requests the presence of the Doctor. He has discovered something horrific, even for him, a man who makes his living desecrating corpses. He brings Dr. Warthrop a corpse of a young woman who’s body is entangled with a monster, one the Doctor has seen before. Told in the eyes of a man looking back at his 12-year-old self, so begins the captivating tale of a young boy and his apprenticeship to the Monstrumologist. In the style of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and other similar period pieces, The Monstrumologist does not disappoint in being both dark and enrapturing. Having read Yancey’s The Fifth Wave, I was surprised and delighted at the change in style and ability of the author to write such a different and well-written book. Yancey’s characters have depth, and are clearly thought out, making the reading love or hate them accordingly. Will Henry, the boy with whom the story unfolds, created a mix of emotions for me. At times I felt pity towards the small boy. At other times, I felt pride. It is a story that makes the reading feel from disgust to horror, to sadness to love. This story has made me a believer that Rick Yansey is not just another juvenile writer helping to dumb down our fiction bookshelves. He is an author that puts thought into his prose, and emotions into his characters. He is not the type of author who makes his living reprinting the same story they sold the first time, with simple changes to characters or locations. Yansey tries new things and his voice as a talented writer is refreshing in a time where so much inarticulate garbage is being published and fed opening and without shame to the population. Let Yansey be yet another glimmer of hope on the reading content horizon. You will not be disappointed in reading the style nor the tale of Rick Yancey’s The Monstrumologist.

Snap To, Will Henry!

I got this book on loan from a friend. It sounds like a very intriguing read. In most ways it is an exceptional book, but only for those with strong stomachs. There is another Monstrumologist book coming out October 2010 called The Curse of the Wendigo (Monstrumologist). This first book is a very complete book and story all by itself.

Will Henry is young boy who is an apprentice to a monstrumologist, Dr. Warthrop. He is used to strange visitors in the middle of the night, but one late night a visitor brings the Dr. a monster unlike anything Will has ever seen. The monster is an Anthropophagus and its natural prey is humankind. Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry must solve the mystery behind the Anthropophagus's appearance before the monsters eviscerate and eat the whole village.

This book is set in the late 1880's and has a very dark, gothic tone to it. There are scenes of intense action, but most of the book is reasoning and gory science. The whole concept to this book is that someone found three folio's of stories; this book contains those three folios. The original finders are trying to decide if the folios are fiction or fact. You only hear from the modern day finders in the Prologue and the Epilogue; the rest of the book are the folios from Will's perspective.

This book is different from any book I have read. It puts science behind monster hunting and prefers a philosophical approach to monster hunting rather than a guns blazing approach. The writing is done in the style of the era it represents; a bit over-descriptive and flowery at time. Dr. Warthrop is at both times brilliant and harsh, but when he contacts fellow monster-hunter Jack Keane then we find out what true harshness is. Jack Keane is an interesting character; he is an overly jaunty Englishman that is almost more of a monster than the monsters he hunts.

Some of the book is spent on talking about the loneliness of Dr. Warthrop's profession and how this affects Will Henry. Much thought goes into the meaning of death, the fragility of humanity, and the way humanity acts as a whole. Dr. Warthrop often digresses into deep philosophical conversations when Will Henry asks him the simplest of questions: such as "Where is my hat?" leads to a two page rant on the evils of being attached to material objects.

What will strike most people about this book though is the gore. Nothing nasty, grisly, or gory is left untouched, in fact it is delved into in great detail. I didn't find the book itself to be particularly scary (and I am a wuss about scary books) but the gory detail in which things were described made me physically nauseous a number of times. So readers with a weak stomach should beware.

The only complaint I have about this book is that it gets a bit wordy at points. I think some of the wordiness could have been cut out and it would have been a better book. That and the extreme goriness bothered me at times. Other than that this is a very creative, spooky, and interesting read. It is a book that manages to give an interesting historical representation of the era, one that touches on deeper aspects of the fragility of humanity and on what it means to be a monster, and it manages to be about plain good ole monster hunting to boot.

Overall I really enjoyed it. It is very well-written, very creative, and extremely interesting. I personally couldn't read it while eating lunch because of the extreme goriness. As far as it being a young adult book I would recommend it for older young adults. There is a lot of violence, people being torn to shreds, gore and evilness in this book. As an adult it was a bit much for me and this is definitely not a book for younger kids.

The Monstrumologist is a funny, scary and thrilling adventure through the realm of what might be called mad science. The narrator for most of the book(I'll get to the other narrator in a moment) is the scrappy young lad who assists the titular Doctor of Monstrumology in his study and pursuit of all manner of strange beasts that stalk the dark places of the Earth.

There is nothing supernatural in this book, and the main character asserts multiple times that while the things they encounter may be incredible, they are all part of the natural world. The premis of the book is that all manner of fantastic creatures imagined by poets and over-zealous historians throughout time are, in fact, real. No werewolves or vampires here, but I would not have been surprised to find a manticore.

These creatures are pursued with the tenacity and spirit of adventure, with the Doctor and his assistant often literally leaping into danger in the chase of their quarry. There is humor in this dark trek, and chills too. These creatures are as terrifying as a great white shark, even if they are as much a part of the natural order as their nautical analogue.

The books flies along at a brisk pace, never a dull chapter to clutter its pages. The only, slight, complaint that I have is the present day framing device. The majority of the story takes place in the late 19th Century, but there is a brief bit of 21st century activity at the beginning and end. The framing device, while not bad(in fact the ending framing element is quite good), it really adds nothing to the story in any sense. I was left confused by it, since the story comes to a wonderful natural conclusion, and then suddenly we are thrust back to the present day for an epilogue that, if anything, distracted from the powerful conclusion.

Oh, and Monstrumologist is about the best made up word I've heard in a long, long time.

i don't remember what it was that lured me to this novel; quite possibly the thrill of the hunt. i am a true horror fanatic, and grew tired of looking for something well written that wasn't about either the same-ole type of monsters and the same-ole type of heroes. this type of story, a middle-aged man for whom monster hunting was his job (a la Abraham Van Helsing), and his young assistant were a nice detour from the usual. this story is visceral, there are no silly love-lorn vampires that sparkle (God, i'm glad that crapfest is finally over), or all-powerful, all-knowing demigods who are called upon by some idiotic quest to fight evil. our montrumologist hunts because that's all he knows. he also hunts to try to one-up his late father, whom he knows he will never satisfy.

i won't go into the plot of the book; others have already. i will say that if you're looking for a good horror/suspense/paranormal read, this series is for you. (actually, now i think i remember what drew me to this series; i was looking for a novel about a terrifying, yet underused killer, the wendigo. when i found the second novel in the series, it prompted me to look into the first.) buy it. you won't be disappointed.

This is a dark and disgusting, yet well written, horror novel that is listed as young adult, primarily because the protagonist is 13 years old. I think it could work just as well for an adult audience, and in fact the age range for this book is definitely high school rather than middle school. Gore abounds, but more than that the tone is unrelentingly scary, very much a Lovecraftian spirit including its late 1800s New England setting.

Will Henry's father worked for Dr Warthrop, a hunter and student of monsters. Will's father and mother died, leaving him only the Monstrumologist Warthrop to take him in as his new apprentice. The fact that he is fulfilling the role that cost his own father his life is not lost on us. Their relationship adds saddness to this macrabe tale. Will desperately needs love and affection but the doctor is wholely commited to his work. Their growth and relationship as they face the horrors awaiting them holds the book together.

And what a horror indeed! The anthropophagi, shaped like men, except with no head, instead claws, lidless eyes in their shoulders and a fang filled mouth in its stomach. And their sole food is us...

This is no reflectionless scare fest. The clash of the cold Darwinian approach of Warthrop, the Constable's traditional Christian values, a third character, Dr Kearns, who represents the worst of Nietzsche's nihilism (he finds the anthropophagi admirable in many ways even while hunting them), all against the backdrop of Henry, a youth confronted by a world of nightmares he'd rather have never known existed. The author doesn't make judgments, though faith may seem to come off (as often is the case in horror) as at best a blind hope when nothing else is left in such a horrible world. Kearns is annoying in his nihlism, but no one truly seems to discredit him. Though one could argue Will never truly surrenders to Nietzsche's abyss, as Kearns has.
Still a page turner and a well written novel. If you have boys who are fans of Darren Shan's Demonata series, I'd reccommend this to show them a horror book with superior writing.

Rick Yancey's sprawling yarn meanders through a dark miasma of the macabre world where monsters and monster hunters are real. Told from the perspective of 12-year old Will, it is a triumph of a creepfest with truly riveting tension and believable characters with depth and personality. On the trail of the anthropophagi in late 1800's New England, Dr. Warthrop, Will's guardian and mentor, and his young protégé encounter turn after turn of life-threatening events set into motion by a grave robber's gruesome find. From the basement of the doctor's house, to the bowels of a sanatorium, through the claustrophobic caverns of the beasts, this novel keeps the pressure on and provides one of the best horror reads of the past decade, a pot boiler of exceptional merit. Yancey paces the novel well, with periods of creative discovery followed by well-composed action or violence to sidebars for characterization. It works, and I enjoyed most every moment of it. The prose is first rate, but for a novel of this genre, it is comparatively superlative. Even when Will gets a mouthful of anthropophagus puss (yes, it has its fair share of gross-outs; make no mistake, this is a horror novel), Yancey treats it like literature. He also makes certain to give the science a practical, accepting approach. His choices are brilliant because they add to the believability of the setting and help to create a feeling of immersion for the reader. He makes a few missteps along the way, taking rabbit trails that lead nowhere or taking far too long to reach a conclusion (store keepers anyone?), but these are mere trifles. I loved this book and am beginning the sequel The Curse of the Wendigo immediately.

Will Henry is a young boy on the verge of becoming a man, but has suffered far more than most who have lived to old age. His father and mother died a horrific death, and he was taken in by a master whose insensitivity bordered on cruelty, and whose obsession with his secretive occupation meant he had little concern for the kind of ordinary niceties and decencies that matter to most. He was a "monstrumologist," one who investigates bizarre and dangerous creatures through the eyes of a scientist, committed to making sense of even the strangest. The monster that dominates this story, that may or may not have sequels, is the "anthropophagus" - a human munching monster who has no head and whose torso is all mouth - and what is notable is that the description of this monster here matches real descriptions of just such a creature in various places in classic literature. Yancey has, here, attempted to ground the fiction in fact, even having his monstrumologist attempt a Darwinian evolutionary explanation for the creatures they encounter. In that sense, at least, this might be thought of as more along the lines of science fiction horror than fantasy.

My kids dig Rick Yancey's Alfred Kropp series, and I was in the mood for some scary escapist fiction, so I picked up this one. I wasn't disappointed. What surprised me was how effective this book was in recapturing the gruesome and gothic feel of the literature it emulates and updates. I was also surprised to find that this is much closer in tone and theme to real adult period horror, like Frankenstein and Dracula , rather than to contemporary juvenile fiction. While Will is 12 years old, the story makes very few concessions for kids - the author, in fact, acknowledges this, as a recurring motif is that at every significant turn in the story someone points out that the narrator is far too young to be facing such horrific realities. I was expecting something like Demonkeeper or the somewhat more gruesome Last Apprentice series - both of which, while dealing with scary elements are clearly tailored to juveniles - but this is much more gruesome than either, and at the same time more matter of fact. Not for the squeamish and not for kids. Teenagers and up, and fans of horror, especially those with gothic sensibilities - think Edgar Allen Poe meets Stephen King - are likely to love this.

Perhaps the scariest monster of all is the ruthless, but human, monster hunter they hire, who considers himself to be beyond morality (he claims, at one point, that his old friend Friedrich Nietzsche borrowed ideas from him while developing Beyond Good and Evil). His presence in this novel is one more element that raises it above the level of a merely scary story, and into the realm of reflection on meanings and morals in the face of a purely scientific outlook on man. In the face of the reality of human brutality, who needs to worry about whether there are "actual" monsters? Another thoughtful observation made in a number of places in the novel is that there are, in fact, numerous non-human monsters who already prey upon human lives: they are just very small, and they are hosted within the human body. Overall, an engaging piece of fiction and an intriguing read. For those who enjoy Victorian and Gothic horror, along the lines of Lovecraft, it'd be worth checking out.

Gory. Bloody. Enthralling. Thrilling. Gasp worth. Brilliant.

Need any other descriptors for this book? I can offer them- they are numerous and they are all great. Yancey spares nothing in his descriptions, from the autopsy/necropsy scenes to the killing scenes to the infestation of a human by hordes of parasitic worms. This is the kind of things that make people squirm on the big screen and Yancey has poignantly turned it all into the written word. I am completely, undeniable, heart breakingly in awe of Yancey's writing- his grasp of the English language is complimented by the late 1800's time period and subsequent intellect and dialogue. I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone who, at the very least, holds an appreciation for a well written book no matter the story line. Even if the gore is too much, just read a few pages- the writing is truly beautiful.

From the very start, this book intrigued me. It is a story within a story- a journal within a book. The introduction chapter sets the stage in modern times before the journal takes you back to an incredibly interesting time and the writing style gripped me from the start. I knew that even if I ended up not liking the overall story and plot, I would still hold this book in high regards because of how well it is written which says thousands for Yancey. But, even better- I loved this plot. It is completely unique and bold. The monsters in your closet are real, there are things that go bump in the night and Yancey is showing them all, without holding anything back. You get the feeling that are right there alongside Will Henry, watching everything unfold and fearing the worst but hoping for the best.

The characters are strong and there is minimal biasing by the first person point of view, even towards the not so nice people. The reader can make up their own mind- and even several of the minor characters shine through and make you remember them. You can see the thought that went into everything about this story and as with all good stories, it had plenty of twists and turns and surprises.

The ending was phenomenal- bittersweet in its own way but still left the reader with plenty of closure. This is the first in the series and although it doesn't end on a massive cliffhanger, the story line itself, the way it is written, and how much I have fallen in love with 12 year old Will Henry will guarantee me to be buying the next installation. This book deserves 5 stars- maybe even 6- and is definitely taking a very well earned place at the top of my favorites list.

Though marketed as a "Young Adult" novel (probably because there's no explicit sex), make no mistake: THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is a HORROR novel. A no-holds-barred, balls-to-the-wall HORROR NOVEL. And one of the best Horror novels I've had the pleasure of reading in years.

The novel unfolds as the literary equivalent of a "Found-footage" movie....Author Rick Yancey comes into possession of the diaries of a recently-deceased man named William Henry, who claimed to be over 130 years old. Yancey's "adaptation" of the first three books of Will Henry's diaries comprise the bulk of THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, telling about his life as an orphaned ward of "Doctor of Monstrumology" Pellinore Warthrop. A late-night knock on the door of Warthrop's home signals the beginning of young Will's first experience with the phenomena the Doctor studies: A recently-exhumed corpse,partially devoured, with a dead monster clinging to it. The monster in question is an Anthropophagus, a huge, hulking beast with the body of a man...but the similarities end there. The Anthropophagi are headless, with eyes in their shoulders, and a cavernous, shark-like mouth in their stomach. Will and Dr. Warthrop start an investigation into the infestation that will lead them down paths darker than any they could have imagined....

Yancey's prose is sharp and brutally efficient, especially when he's delving into the pain and loneliness the young orphan experiences in his day-to-day life with the harsh, loveless Dr. Warthrop. There were moments in this book where my heart practically broke for poor Will. The book fairly drips with atmosphere and dread, and has the feel of some of H.P. Lovecraft's best work, with a touch of Stoker's DRACULA and assorted other Gothic masterpieces thrown in. Yancey also introduces one of the most compellingly readable characters of the decade: The wonderfully psychotic Monster Hunter Dr. Richard Kearns.

Don't be put off by the "Young Adult" tag....THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is an amazing HORROR novel.
Period.
I'm counting the days until the next time we see Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop again.....

The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yansey

In the darkness of night, a grave robber requests the presence of the Doctor. He has discovered something horrific, even for him, a man who makes his living desecrating corpses. He brings Dr. Warthrop a corpse of a young woman who’s body is entangled with a monster, one the Doctor has seen before. Told in the eyes of a man looking back at his 12-year-old self, so begins the captivating tale of a young boy and his apprenticeship to the Monstrumologist. In the style of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and other similar period pieces, The Monstrumologist does not disappoint in being both dark and enrapturing. Having read Yancey’s The Fifth Wave, I was surprised and delighted at the change in style and ability of the author to write such a different and well-written book. Yancey’s characters have depth, and are clearly thought out, making the reading love or hate them accordingly. Will Henry, the boy with whom the story unfolds, created a mix of emotions for me. At times I felt pity towards the small boy. At other times, I felt pride. It is a story that makes the reading feel from disgust to horror, to sadness to love. This story has made me a believer that Rick Yansey is not just another juvenile writer helping to dumb down our fiction bookshelves. He is an author that puts thought into his prose, and emotions into his characters. He is not the type of author who makes his living reprinting the same story they sold the first time, with simple changes to characters or locations. Yansey tries new things and his voice as a talented writer is refreshing in a time where so much inarticulate garbage is being published and fed opening and without shame to the population. Let Yansey be yet another glimmer of hope on the reading content horizon. You will not be disappointed in reading the style nor the tale of Rick Yancey’s The Monstrumologist.

Snap To, Will Henry!

I got this book on loan from a friend. It sounds like a very intriguing read. In most ways it is an exceptional book, but only for those with strong stomachs. There is another Monstrumologist book coming out October 2010 called The Curse of the Wendigo (Monstrumologist). This first book is a very complete book and story all by itself.

Will Henry is young boy who is an apprentice to a monstrumologist, Dr. Warthrop. He is used to strange visitors in the middle of the night, but one late night a visitor brings the Dr. a monster unlike anything Will has ever seen. The monster is an Anthropophagus and its natural prey is humankind. Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry must solve the mystery behind the Anthropophagus's appearance before the monsters eviscerate and eat the whole village.

This book is set in the late 1880's and has a very dark, gothic tone to it. There are scenes of intense action, but most of the book is reasoning and gory science. The whole concept to this book is that someone found three folio's of stories; this book contains those three folios. The original finders are trying to decide if the folios are fiction or fact. You only hear from the modern day finders in the Prologue and the Epilogue; the rest of the book are the folios from Will's perspective.

This book is different from any book I have read. It puts science behind monster hunting and prefers a philosophical approach to monster hunting rather than a guns blazing approach. The writing is done in the style of the era it represents; a bit over-descriptive and flowery at time. Dr. Warthrop is at both times brilliant and harsh, but when he contacts fellow monster-hunter Jack Keane then we find out what true harshness is. Jack Keane is an interesting character; he is an overly jaunty Englishman that is almost more of a monster than the monsters he hunts.

Some of the book is spent on talking about the loneliness of Dr. Warthrop's profession and how this affects Will Henry. Much thought goes into the meaning of death, the fragility of humanity, and the way humanity acts as a whole. Dr. Warthrop often digresses into deep philosophical conversations when Will Henry asks him the simplest of questions: such as "Where is my hat?" leads to a two page rant on the evils of being attached to material objects.

What will strike most people about this book though is the gore. Nothing nasty, grisly, or gory is left untouched, in fact it is delved into in great detail. I didn't find the book itself to be particularly scary (and I am a wuss about scary books) but the gory detail in which things were described made me physically nauseous a number of times. So readers with a weak stomach should beware.

The only complaint I have about this book is that it gets a bit wordy at points. I think some of the wordiness could have been cut out and it would have been a better book. That and the extreme goriness bothered me at times. Other than that this is a very creative, spooky, and interesting read. It is a book that manages to give an interesting historical representation of the era, one that touches on deeper aspects of the fragility of humanity and on what it means to be a monster, and it manages to be about plain good ole monster hunting to boot.

Overall I really enjoyed it. It is very well-written, very creative, and extremely interesting. I personally couldn't read it while eating lunch because of the extreme goriness. As far as it being a young adult book I would recommend it for older young adults. There is a lot of violence, people being torn to shreds, gore and evilness in this book. As an adult it was a bit much for me and this is definitely not a book for younger kids.

The Monstrumologist is a funny, scary and thrilling adventure through the realm of what might be called mad science. The narrator for most of the book(I'll get to the other narrator in a moment) is the scrappy young lad who assists the titular Doctor of Monstrumology in his study and pursuit of all manner of strange beasts that stalk the dark places of the Earth.

There is nothing supernatural in this book, and the main character asserts multiple times that while the things they encounter may be incredible, they are all part of the natural world. The premis of the book is that all manner of fantastic creatures imagined by poets and over-zealous historians throughout time are, in fact, real. No werewolves or vampires here, but I would not have been surprised to find a manticore.

These creatures are pursued with the tenacity and spirit of adventure, with the Doctor and his assistant often literally leaping into danger in the chase of their quarry. There is humor in this dark trek, and chills too. These creatures are as terrifying as a great white shark, even if they are as much a part of the natural order as their nautical analogue.

The books flies along at a brisk pace, never a dull chapter to clutter its pages. The only, slight, complaint that I have is the present day framing device. The majority of the story takes place in the late 19th Century, but there is a brief bit of 21st century activity at the beginning and end. The framing device, while not bad(in fact the ending framing element is quite good), it really adds nothing to the story in any sense. I was left confused by it, since the story comes to a wonderful natural conclusion, and then suddenly we are thrust back to the present day for an epilogue that, if anything, distracted from the powerful conclusion.

Oh, and Monstrumologist is about the best made up word I've heard in a long, long time.

In modern times, a man finds the diary of young Will Henry, a boy who works as an assistant to Dr. Warthrop, a strange man who considers himself a doctor with a specialization in "Monstrumology." In this universe, monstrumology is the scientific study of monsters, as well as the act of hunting these monsters. Will Henry's diary opens with a strange (though, not so uncommon in the monstrumology universe), late night visit from a man with a freshly-retrieved corpse from the cemetery. The corpse is revealed to be that of a young woman and a hellish, terrifying monster that appears to have been eating her. Will Henry never expected that late night visit to lead to a wild adventure to hunt down a terrifying monster.

At first glance, Richard Yancey's The Monstrumologist felt like Joseph Delaney's Last Apprentice series on steroids with some more scientific, almost Frankenstein-ish, influences thrown in. After closer examination, however, The Monstrumologist is an even darker, more chilling horror story about fearsome monsters that haunt nightmares and the struggle against them. While I'm a big fan of Delaney's Last Apprentice series, Yancey's novel is considerably darker, gritter and down-right scarier -this book had me up late at night with my hair standing straight up on the back of my neck -pure nightmare fuel! I'm frankly shocked that this can pass for a YA book, but with so many entries into that genre lately, I suppose it's probably easier to get published as a YA novel these days.

Aside from the question of whether or not this book was placed in the correct genre, Yancey's writing is so fabulous it can appeal to both YA and adult readers. Though at times wordy, he weaves a supernatural world into a real-world backdrop so perfectly that I was afraid I might encounter one of these horrible monsters myself! The characters feel complete, complex and are well drawn, particularly young Will Henry and the eccentric doctor. The frame of using diary flashbacks was particularly intriguing, since there was still some mystery surrounding the characters and happenings. The ending, in particular, was bone-chilling.

Though I am not typically a fan of horror, Yancey's The Monstrumologist had plenty of suspense, mystery and action to offer, and despite the fact that some scenes were so horrifying that I was tempted to put the book down -I just couldn't. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I blazed through this book in 2 days and I'm excited for the sequel coming out later this year.

Original, pulse-pounding and spine-chilling, The Monstrumologist comes highly recommended -but beware, this book is certainly not for the faint of heart -or faint of stomach!

I also downloaded this as a freebie from the publisher. I also agree that this book is too good to be ignored by adults. I have recently had a spate of reading some very unengaging books-- two and three star reviews, one only missed being a wallbanger because it was on my Kindle. I thought maybe I was being hypercritical and needed to take a break from reading and maybe veg in front of the television for a while. I was wrong. I just needed to pick up this book.

While I used Lovecraftian in my title I did not mean to imply that this was a Cthulhu pastiche. It is more the combination of Victorian setting and unspeakable horrors that brought H. P. Lovecraft to mind-- and maybe in part the character of Pellinore Warthrop, the eccentric Doctor of Philosophy, Monstrumologist and scientist who both protects and neglects the young hero, Will Henry.

This book is likely to give a kid nightmares, but I am not sure that is a bad thing. Children have the ability to come up with horrors enough on their own, encounter them on the news. or even, unfortunately, in real life. I think some of the best fiction for children involves alienation from the real world, where the horror can be faced and dealt with in the confines of the realm of fantasy.

I am having a hard time not carrying on in my best English Major manner about the significance of Will James Henry's name, Lovecraft's ghouls, and the symbolism to be found in the images of horror in this book. I advise anyone not to be content with a surface reading alone. There is a lot to delve into here.

Don't force this on a kid who isn't ready for it, but the ones who are will no doubt eat it up and beg for more. In fact, I am hoping breathlessly that this is not going to be the last we see of Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not typically interested in monsters but I occasionally read fantasy. I enjoyed Will Henry's and the doctor's relationship. Will Henry claims in the book never to have loved Dr. Warthrop, but it seemed to me he did because Will Henry obeyed the doctor's every order and was very loyal and devoted to him. The monsters in this story were fairly disgusting and I didn't always like reading the gory details of how the monsters left their victim's bodies. I felt like the author relied a little too heavily on those disgusting details to carry the story. What I did like was the style of writing, it definitely feels like your in the 1800's. I liked the language and the intricate way he told the story. I think one of my favorite characters was Jack Kearns, even though he was despicable, he was hilarious.

I had received an advance copy of the book and started to read it but for various reasons set it aside.

I had wondered if the author was simply pulling from Dungeons and Dragons but was surprised and happy to read an interesting story with complex characters. I finished the book in two sittings.

The story is relayed to us by the orphan Will Henry who was taken in by his fathers employer who was a Doctor of Monstrumology.

Monstrumology? What is that and what drives his master; the monstrumologist? Pellinore Warthrop is a complex man. Cold to William. Completely focused on his science to the point of going days without eating or sleeping. Verbally cruel to William when he tries to help and yet calls him invaluable.

Williams strange life will get far stranger when a man calls late one night with a delivery for Warthrop. William will quickly learn that monsters do exist.

As I mentioned this was a good story and it drew me in. The authors descriptions painted a great imagery for the imagination. Though I did find one reference to a two ton truck that for some reason seemed out of place to me. Especially when considering the story takes place in the late 1800s.

I would also mention this is a horror book for young adults. Children especially ones who are "spooked" by the thought of monsters should not read this book as the descriptions are detailed.

I look forward to other works from the author....

Loved this book. Upon seeing that it had a young adult award I was disappointed as I'm way way past young adult. I opened it intending to read a few pages just to justify not reading it and before I knew it I was hooked. I haven't read a book written in this style since I was younger - when books were more literary, not modern speak. It was so nice to read a book that did not automatically assume the reader - even young adult reader - did not have a decent vocabulary. The reader discovers the story through a series of journals written by, now dead, Will Henry who became an orphan and was taken in by his father's employer who practiced monstrumology - the study of monsters. The study is focused on Anthropophagi, it happens, because one is found attached to a corpse by the local grave robber and brought to the home of Will's employer. How had did one end up in New England? So, the investigation begins. The characters are rich and interesting and the adventure of the hunt will make an impression. Quite frightening at times, and always engaging. I hopefully checked to see if this might be a series and was very pleased to find out it is. I am anxiously awaiting the second installment and will check out other books by this author.

The Monstrumologist
By Rick Yancey
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
# of Pages: 454
Age Rating: +15/16
My Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis:
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 ass...more The Monstrumologist
By Rick Yancey
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
# of Pages: 454
Age Rating: +15/16
My Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis:
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 War throp, 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?

Review:
This book is one of my favorite horror book! The author is very talented in his writing and the characters seem very real.
It's a very well-written and pages-flipping book with alot of creepy, grisly and gross things.
This book is not for those who can't stand graphic gore, bloody things, dead human with their brain sloop out, a little boy body splatter all over the wall and being eaten from inside out.
If you can stand it then this book is a must read! (btw, DON'T read this book while you are eating!)
I give it 5 stars!

Enjoy! :D:D:D

This book was very interesting. I got it for free quite a while ago when it was offered on the Kindle on one of the daily lists of free books. I'm so glad I did. It was much more than I expected. It asks, or will probably make the reader ask, many questions about life and behavior and thought. It could lead to some very interesting questions in the right groups of people who are open to such things. Though morbid, the characters can also be fun in their own personalities. I won't go into a plot summary as I know other reviewers are fond of doing that. I learned a few new words reading this book and that's always good. My only real problem with this book was its lack of chapter demarcation. I applaud the use of section demarcations, but I do wish there was one for chapter demarcation and a different one indicating section demarcations in a book. I think you should give this book a shot if you love fantasy, science fiction, or historical fiction. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Have at it!

On the recommendation of an the store friend, I picked up _The Monstrumologist_. Horror is a genre that is typically outside of my usual fare, but it was highly recommended, so I stretched my reading. I was not disapppointed with the story line, although I do have reservations about the portrayal of women. The story is written from the perspective of Will Henry, a 12 year-old boy who is the assistant and apprentice to a monstromologist - one who studies monsters. As we accompany young Will Henry, we stalk the "anthropophagi" - a powerful, carniverous monster with a taste for human flesh.

In the hunting of this beastie, the author attempts to show that we humans, too, are monsterous - I found this a bit trite, but I enjoyed the unfolding of the story. What was most problematic, however, was the portrayal of women: they are either shrewish (as in the case of Will Henry's mother), or virginal and beyond reproach. This stuck in my craw, even as I was pulled into the thrill of the hunt and capture of the dangerous and wily anthropophagi. The story is gruesome - Yancey doesn't hesitate to vividly describe the violence and gore of characters being devoured alive by the anthropophagi; this may be a bit intense for younger readers - although it just as well may attract them as well. A great diversion and an entertaining read, I have to deduct a star for the misogynisitic treatment of female characters.

In 1888 twelve year old William Henry James lives with monstrumologist Doctor Pellinore Warthrop ever since his parents died years ago. One night a grave robber delivers a desecrated corpse to Warthrop. The doctor is somewhat horrified by the condition of the body, but not as much as his ward.

Warthrop insists the atrocity was done by Anthropophagi who apparently came from Africa bringing with them massacres and slaughters; they are cannibals who dine on man; competing with one another to be the first to rip off a head. As the doctor and his assistant investigate the latest bloodshed, the pair is also forced to look at their own ancestry, but most critical is to find a way to end the gruesome butchery before their town is destroyed.

Told entirely by Will in his diary who died in 2007, THE MOMSTRUMOLIGIST is a well written gruesome horror thriller that grips readers starting with the opening dictionary definition of the title and never let's goes as the twelve years old hero describes his and his guardian's exploits. The story line is vivid, but must not be read on full stomach as Rick Yancey holds nothing back yet also explores relationships between an adult and a child, and the ethical boundaries of science when death is involved. Gory perhaps over the edge to disgusting, this is horror at its worst, which means at its exciting entreating best.

Harriet Klausner

This book had been sitting on my shelf for a good while, unread. I've barred myself from buying new books until I read the ones I already I have. So next up on the list was "The Monstrumologist", and I wish I had read it sooner so I could've gotten its sequel much sooner. I finished this book in one sitting.

Monstrumologist is a thrilling page turner. Will Henry's narrative is reflective and elegant and portrays the story at a brisk yet informative pace. There are no slow parts that you have to try to force yourself through. Will/Yancey keeps the story going up until the very end.

The characters never failed to invoke some kind of reation, be it outward or inward, from me. I admit, at first I hated Dr. Pellinore Whartrop (the monstrumologist) but after a while he began to grow on me and now he's my favorite character. John Kearns (if that's even his real name ;) is delightfully creepy with his cheery demeanour and near sociopathic methods of hunting monsters. The police officer Robert Morgan who is shocked and utter appalled at just about everything in true lovably bumbling police chief form. And who can forget poor Will Henry who's trapped in the thick of it all, ready and willing to "snap to" for his charge.

All in all, Monstrumologist was an excellent read and I can't wait to pick up it's successor (after I finish all the other books I'm due to read).

Orphaned 12-year-old Will Henry lives under the "care" of Dr. Warthrop, a monstrumologist (i.e. one who studies [or hunts] monsters). "Care" is in quotes, as Dr. Warthrop falls short of being an ideal father figure, to say the least. The plot centers around the discovery and hunting of a particular type of monster known as the Anthropophagus - a frighteningly described creature whose jaws exist within its torso.

This story is wonderfully gruesome, much more so than I expected in a YA novel. I would tend to avoid giving this book to tweens prone to nightmares, but high school aged readers should do just fine with it.

The bulk of the story is set in 1888. Some authors have difficulty creating the correct feel in a period novel, but Yancey has no problems convincing the reader that his characters are indeed from the late nineteenth century.

This is a fast-paced novel and a quick read, even at 432 pages. Like one of the other reviewers, I was unpleasantly surprised that a book titled "monstrumologist" only involved one type of monster. Sub-plots involving other monsters might have kept me more engaged throughout the book. I started to grow bored with the anthropophagi-hunting storyline towards the end.

One-track-storyline aside, this is a well written book by a talented author and easily earns 4 stars. In future installments of the series, I would like to see a larger variety of monsters...

Oh, how I love thee! Let me count the ways...

1. Pellinore Warthrop, the monstrumologist. The raving, obsessive, egomania that is Dr. Warthrop - it's delightful! If you like the character House or Sherlock Holmes, you'll warm up instantly to this cold brilliant man.

2. The Monsters. Anthropophagi. Headless, carnivorous and all-around horrific. From the first introduction of these creatures, you are terrified and intrigued by this new brand of monster.

3. The Victorian-Era (American style!). How often do you hear someone addressed as "sir" or "ma'am" these days? Well, it's littered all through this book. The language (and the vocabulary) is stellar and really sets the tone of the story.

4. Kearns, the monster hunter. Quite possibly just as scary as the monsters, this psychopathic megalomaniac is soooo fun to read!

5. Street Cred. I am officially the coolest gal on the block because without fail every time I recommend this book to someone, they end up loving it. Obsessively so. Enough to fight over copies of The Curse of the Wendigo and wait patiently for the release of the third book in the series. It has actually gone three rings down now, with people reading it based on a "friend of a friend of a friend of yours" who recommended this book. Doesn't matter how old they are or what gender. Everyone loves it. This book is that good.

6. So Gross! So, so gross. The yick factor is huge in this book, but it's so well written you just can't stop yourself from picturing every single maggot and torn piece of flesh. And none of it is unnecessary - every single drop of blood is used to develop the story and further draw you into the mystery and suspense of the novel.

Read it. Love it. You won't be sorry.

I'm not sure what to make of the "Young Adult" genre. There's some great stuff published by "children's" publishing outfits that really deserves a wider audience, and should certainly be marketed to adult readers, particularly fans of particular genres... M.T. Anderson's "Feed" and Farmer's "House of the Scorpion" come to mind... anyway, this is another one that certainly pushes the boundaries of what I think of as "young adult" literature. This is a true Gothic monster tale (oh, maybe THAT's why it was pigeonholed by the publisher, adults don't read horror stories!) Richard Yancey spins a suspenseful- and very gory- yarn that evokes Lovecraft (in Yancey's language, the setting, and overall tone) and Shelley's Frankenstein (in structure and themes) and draws a classic but underappreciated monster- the anthropophagi- from ancient mythology. Thank god, there are no sexy or angst-ridden vampires or buff werewolves anywhere in this book. (There is, however, Jack the Ripper!) The protagonist is young, but Yancey pulls no punches with what the boy- or Yancey's readers- witness. Yancey's tale is filled with humor and very clever allusions to classic horror tropes. It's a quick, fun read, and I recommend it to anyone into classic horror fiction.

'Monstrumology, the science of the unthinkable'

If you take a mixture of H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, E.A. Poe, added a smackeral of Dickens to the mix with the original, imagination of Rick Yancey, there you have it: The Monstrumologist, a literary feast of horror.

'The Monstrumologist' by Rick Yancey, is a Victorian monster story unlike any I have ever read. Poor twelve year old William, an orphan, is the apprentice-assistant to The Monstumologist. His is a peculiar life, full of late night dissections, cemetary romps, visits to lunatic asylums, and bloody battles in the depths of the earth. You merely glimpse at his young playful side only once in this story - and the rest of the time is serious business as he is indispensible to the doctor.

The characters in the story come alive with depth, clarity, and vivid descriptions. I felt like I knew each person in the book and cared quite a bit for a few of them. One character that I really, really liked was Dr. Kearns,or J. Schmidt, an elusive, scary man, festive in an odd way, but what what an awesome character!

The monsters in this book are fierce, The Anthropophagi, are hungry beasts that set out to hunt and eat humans, and the Monstrumologist and his assistant are forced into a blood curdling adventure to stop them before they kill again. There are many twists and turns in the book that make it a page turner. This is a book that will make you want to stay up late and read, though thoughts of it as you try to sleep might make it difficult.

I truly hope there are scores of notebooks to be found written by William, because I want to follow along in this poor boy's life for a long, long time and read every word of his journey. In other words, I hope there will be a lot of books!

While reading this book, I would try and explain to my family of five the occurances of what happens therein, and they would look at me with their mouths open, agape in horror at what I was describing. It's a book you have to read, mere explanations will not do it justice. From me, it also calls for a second, slower reading, in hopes I didn't miss anything.

I also found, the same as when I was a child watching Frankenstein, or The Mummy, or other monster movies, I always felt sorry for the monster - I haven't changed. But the chase and the action are just as fun still today and I thoroughly enjoyed with the utmost of giddiness this superior novel of grisly horror.

I was surprised by this book since it came from the young adult section. The only thing about it that is 'young adult' is the age of the main character. I actually wish he were a bit older, but that didn't have much effect on my enjoyment of the story. I love the title, the cover, the formatting (of the paperback), and the story itself most of all. I don't get scared when reading books, but if I did, I bet this would be the one to do it. The writing style pulled off the horror and the violence of the book so eloquently that I still have images burned into my brain. I only bought it because it was on sale at Borders going out of business sale, but it's definitely a keeper and definitely geared towards an older audience than it's marketed to. For similar books (though not too similar as this is in a category all its own), try: any book by Richard Kadrey or Rot and Ruin or Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry.

It's not often that one can call a horror novel "beautiful" but this one is. The writing is superb. Truly, some of the best I've ever read. I am a writer myself, and I try very hard not to write "gushy" reviews. I have even found myself nitpicking on things most readers would never notice because it's hard for writers to click completely out of "editor" mode when reading.

This book--the whole series, honestly--has been one of the few that makes me completely forget to nit-pick. The voice is incredible. It creates the perfect atmosphere for the historical time period, but it still reads incredibly smoothly. The characterization is near-perfect. Loads of description, but no detail is irrelevant. I've never found myself, in any of the three books in the series so far, skimming past a single word.

To put it simply: I adore this series. One of my favorite series, ever.

After reading some wonderful comments about this book on author Mike Duran's blog ([...] I decided to pick up the Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. I used to incorrectly believe that the Young Adult label implied stories that were, if not dumbed down, at least watered down for younger audiences. This book has thankfully shattered my assumptions. Intelligently written and possessing a character depth I did not anticipate, I am also surprised by the atmosphere that Yancey effectively creates. The story is well-paced, and though not gory for gore's sake - the gore is well-placed, crucial to the story and EXTREMELY effective. Several scenes truly turned my stomach, to Yancey's credit, as that does not happen easily!

This is a story of a young boy and his benefactor, a coming-of-age story of a sort, with an atmosphere of a truly creepy period-set horror story. A very entertaining read!

Rick Yancey's throwback gothic horror novel, THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, takes its readers back to 1888 New England where young Will Henry narrates the strange tale of his master, Pellinore Warthrop, and their "search and destroy" mission against a bloodthirsty pod of monstrous killers called anthropophagi. These creatures are headless (though not thoughtless), vicious (though not foolish), and gourmands of human flesh (though not averse to mere animal flesh, if no human cuisine is on the menu). The creatures' mouths, located in the stomach-area (how direct!), are not unlike a great white shark's. Perfect for eating, in other words -- wholesale.

While Yancey's YA gem is undeniably a "plot book," it is also blessed on other fronts. The characterization, for instance, is excellent. The key characters are not cardboard, but real, with traits both admirable and abominable. Dr. Warthrop sometimes lets science get in the way of his humanity, but he's nothing compared to the dashingly dangerous Jack Kearns, a fellow monstrumologist called into the fray when it is learned that there is not just one, but many, anthropophagi living beneath an otherwise tranquil New England cemetery. Kearns delights in the hunt, and the more dangerous, the better. The trouble is, he'll stop at nothing to accomplish his goals and, to him, the laws of church and state are more a source of amusement than reference.

The novel also features a convincingly Victorian style, what with its more advanced vocabulary and numerous allusions to Greek mythology. Both doctors are cool under pressure (and pressure abounds in this creepy book), bringing to mind the unflappable Sherlock Holmes. Overall, it's a singularly well-written book, a riveting display of the horror genre, and, for young Will Henry, a nightmarish coming-of-age tale. Best of all? It's the first of a series. If we are to vicariously hunt more creatures and things that go bump in the night, then, count me in. I haven't had this much fun in a long time.

After the death of his parents, young Will Henry becomes an apprentice to a monster-hunting doctor. Will has seen a lot, but he's in for the adventure of a life time when a grave robber knocks on their door one night after spotting the work of a monster - the Anthropophagi to be exact. These are extremely dangerous monsters who have no head but feed through a mouth of razor sharp teeth in their belly. Dr. Warthrop, Will, and several others (some of them good guys and some not so good guys) are in for the fight of their lives as they struggle to destroy these man eating monsters.

"The Monstrumologist" is a deliciously creepy horror novel. While it is labeled as teen fiction, aimed at ages 14 and up, it is definitely not for the younger set or for the faint of heart as it is filled with plenty of gore and violence. Author Rick Yancey has a nice style of writing that reminded me, oddly enough, of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. The gothic setting is nicely done. The characters are well written and I love the way Yancey slowly lets readers know what Will and Warthrop are like and what happened to them in the past that has helped shaped their characters as they are in the book. One can not help feel sorry for Will as he is thrust into a world that could be considered abusive. There is lots of action in the book and the Anthropophagus are truly horrifying creatures. Yancey lets readers know early on which characters will die and part of the fun (yes, fun) of reading the book is waiting to see just how horrifying the death will be - and Yancey never fails to deliver. Even though he telegraphs some of the deaths, Yancey still has a few tricks up his sleeve that will make the reader jump. While the book is filled with horror, blood, and gore, there is also quite a bit of humor in it, most notably with the character of John Kearns (or is it Richard Cory?). He is not a very nice man, but his conversations, especially with Constable Morgan, are at times laugh out loud funny even in the midst of all the horror. If I have any complaints about the book, it's that at times it felt like Yancey swallowed a dictionary - if there is ever a book that should be on the Kindle which has a dictionary, this is it.

"The Monstrumologist" is a wonderfully creepy horror novel and I hope to read more about Will and Warthrop in the future.

I sure am happy I bought this book on Kindle. This is my second reading and it was even better than I remembered. The development of the relationship between Will Henry and the monstrumologist is one of the most fascinating I have ever read. If you are buying it I bet you will want to read it more than one time.

The young narrator of this story is part Oliver Twist and part Dr. Watson. He is a young boy who has been left in the care of a Sherlock Holmes-type scientist on the trail of monsters. Real monsters. The book is told in flashback, so we know that our young hero survives, and we also know that he is an orphan because his parents were servants to this brilliant, but cold, scientist, and were killed in his service.

When a knock comes in the middle of the night and the local gravedigger reports that there is something "odd" just buried in the local cemetery (information for which he is paid), the hero and the mad doctor set out to hunt monsters.

The book is tautly-written, great fun and extremely spooky. Just the ticket for young fans of the occult, especially boys who may find all those romantic overtones in the "Twilight" series just a little girly.

Highly recommended.

The Monstrumologist is a surprising, literary, gothic horror tale. A scientist and his 12 year old assistant chase monsters in 19th century New England. This could really have been a silly book and that was about what I expected for a YA title purchased for my daughter's enjoyment. After skimming about 80 pages I saw what was actually spewing forth was some seriously good writing within a gripping tale. I immediately went back to the beginning and gave it my full attention. The writing is brilliant and consistent, convincingly transporting this reader to 1888 in atmospheric splendor. From the creepy autopsy revelations to a nightmare ocean voyage and chilling graveyard chases I followed enthralled, as Dr. Warthrop and young Will Henry attempt to unravel this cannibalistic horror. I don't know if my daughter will like it but I can't wait for Yancey's next installment in this genre.

"Silence, but for the wind whispering in the trees and the dry rattle of last fall's leaves skittering across the weathered boards of the sagging porch. The doctor rested his hands upon his cane and waited with the patience of the Buddha. 'It's abandoned', I whispered, a bit relieved. 'No', he said. 'We are unexpected, that is all.'" -- From The Monstrumologist

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey was a bit unexpected for me. I thought it would be a light/partially scary book for Young Adults ages 14+.

While I don't read horror anymore (gave it up circa mid-80's when Stephen King was at his best), I was pleasantly surprised by The Monstrumologist. Author Rick Yancey has a masterful possession of the English language, peppering his prose with poetic alliteration and instant mental-snapshot word choices.

But his monsters? In this case, Anthropophagi--headless beings with 3,000 teeth in the center of their body with lidless black eyes on their shoulders...alabaster, hairless skin and the ability to leap 30+ feet? Yikes. Honestly, truly horrifying. In fact, one night, I had a nightmare! (And books--even thrillers that I usually prefer for fiction--NEVER do that to me! Perhaps one of the best endorsements I can give...?)

The book begins and ends in the present day, but between those modern bookends are carefully transcribed journal entries by one William James Henry --12 year old orphan and apprentice monstrumologist to the man partially responsible for his parents' deaths circa 1888.

Here are but a few examples of Yancey's dramatic literary style:

* "I was keenly aware, as he must surely have been, of the sickening odor rising from our clothing, the toxic tincture of death clinging to our skin and hair, the tart taste of it tingling on our tongues."

* "The back of his head had been smashed in and his brains scooped out, the pulpy remains ringing the wound like grayish curd on the lip of a shattered bowl."

* "His muttering petered out. For several minutes, he did not speak; he did not move. Statue-still he stood, the maelstrom within as well-veiled as the winds of a hurricane from space."

In my opinion, The Monstrumologist is an ADULT horror novel, not Young Adult. In fact, other than the absence of rampant cursing and sex scenes among the likes of Stephen King and other horror writers, this book is more adult-oriented than those because of the gruesome details and violence. It is, truly, HORROR. Well-written, yes. Compelling, yes. But still horror.

I have only two quibbles with this book (and thus the 4-star rating). Without posting spoiler content, let's just say that the author leaves a gaping hole in the plot. So yawning, in fact, that I kept re-reading passages to piece things together. How did the Anthropophagi get to where they ended up (physically speaking).

That, and the fact that the present-day narrator uses the word "gloaming" (as Will Henry did), was jarring and a bit anachronous. Who speaks like that nowadays? It blurred the lines between "then" and "now". A more distinct voice for the narrator would have been more effective (although those modern bookends aren't even necessary to the story).

If you enjoy well-written horror, get ready to have the beegeezus scared out of you, because The Monstrumologist IS scary. Be warned, though: it's not for the squeamish, for herein, there be monsters.

-- Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book

Rick Yancey's "The Monstrumologist" is not only the best horror novel I have ever come across in the Young Adult genre - it is also one of the best horror novels I have come across in any genre in years! I expected the novel to be good, but when I considered the genre I figured there would be some punches pulled in order to appease certain squeamish parents who peruse their children's reading material in order to filter out the 'inappropriate material that will cause irreparable harm.' I was happy to discover that this was not the case with this book! There are parts of this book that are so dark that the most jaded horror addict will approve. I am also happy to report that the book has depth and works on many levels.

Beyond the dark subject in the book, there is also much comedic interplay between Dr. Warthrop and his assistant - Will Henry. What makes the interplay between the two so comical is that the humor never seems to be the intent of the characters but arises out of a constant misunderstanding between the elderly doctor and his young assistant. In addition to the wry humor that pervades thoughout the book, there are also many keen pychological insights that one wouldn't expect to find in the horror genre. Being an orphan, Will Henry's high degree of psychological perception serves him well, as Dr. Warthrop constantly pushes him beyond the normal duties of an adoloscent (Will is never seen in leisure time with friends, but is at the constant beck and call of his mentor). In essence, Will Henry must parent himself. His growth into maturity is interlinked with the psychological epiphanies he has throughout the story. This added depth to this engrossing book makes for an extremely enjoyable read.

The best way to state how good this novel is is to ask a question : How is this book not selling on a level with the "Harry Potter" series, or "The Hunger Games?!?" It is that good!!!

I like this book. In fact, I like "The Monstrumologist" quite a bit. I like the stylized, archaic style in which it was told; and I loved the fact that it was well structured with twists and turns, with an intelligent plot that held several curious puzzles, which were all cleverly dealt with by the end of the book.

That said, some people are not going to like this book. If you think Dan Brown's books are the height of good writing, then you probably won't like this Gothic-styled novel. If you like all of your characters, except the bad guys, squeaky clean, you won't like this book, because the people in it are all too human, with faults as well as assets.

If, however, you like Sherlock Holmes and Stephen King, and you think that it might be interesting to mix the two styles and types of adventures then you probably WILL like this book.

Now As a parent and gentle-reader let me add a few more thoughts. First, there is little in the way of unseemly language or 'adult situations' in this book. But I must warn everyone that there is a great HUGE amount of violence. Yes, violence, gore and pus, and in fact, I took off the half star because I actually thought to myself whilst reading the book that there was so much violence that in a place or two that it got in the way of the story telling.

Kudos, however, to Rick Yancey. A fabulous book for Young Adults (older teens and up) and Old-Geezerly Adults like myself. ** 4.5 Stars **

Pam T~

I bought this book because it had two things that I was yearning for - horror and young adult. Horror novels have been my favorite for many, many years and I am always looking for the next one to scare me. And, young adult novels have quickly become one of my favorites so when I saw this one in the book store I decided to snatch it up.

Let me first start by saying that this book may be too graphic for some readers. I was reading King when I was in elementary school so the things in this book, though gory and graphic at times didn't affect me but that doesn't mean they won't turn the stomach of some readers.

Will Henry has tragically lost his parents to a fire (you don't find out just how tragic this was until the end of the book) and has become the ward of Dr. Pellinore Wathrop. The doctor studies monsters, and Will's father was his assistant before his death. He devoted his life to the doctor's studies, causing much fighting among his parents. Young Will never knew what was so important, but he found out all to quickly once he became the doctor's assistant.

One night there is a knock at the door - a knock that will change Will's life forever. The caller, named Erasmus, has something he needs the Dr. to see, something so terrifying he can hardly speak. Something called Anthropophagi. What is that you might ask? A monster whose prey is humans...only humans. The description given in the book is so well written, if I had any artistic talent I could draw one right now. The author does an excellent job in painting a picture so that the reader never struggles to envision what is going on. What about the plot? Overall I did enjoy the story but it was quite slow at points. Unlike other reviews I have seen I enjoyed the relationship between the Dr. and Will, and how it came to evolve by the end of the book. In the beginning I wasn't sure how Will put up with the lifestyle but I came to understand how much they meant to each other. I did have one gripe about the book, and it may seem ridiculous but as I kept reading it kept bothering me more and more. After describing the size of the Anthropophagi, and their voracious appetite, why didn't they need to eat more and more often?

**SMALL SPOILER ALERT***

At one point they leave behind so much carnage while killing a family I had to wonder, why didn't they eat it all? Why was there anything left to even identify? Especially when the count is estimated at at least 30. It might seem like a small point and I certainly don't know the size of their stomach...at least I don't think you ever find out. But, the comparison to humans in stature, and lions or some other killer of that nature in their instinct, it just didn't make sense.

All in all I enjoyed this book but am not running out to get the next in the series. I may read it at some point but just felt like the plot dragged enough to make me want to hurry through and be done, even though there was a decent story buried in there.

As a character study, this book is superb. Will Henry and the Doctor have an odd relationship, sad and sweet, and brilliantly portrayed. I understand why many readers gave this 4 or 5 stars.

I removed two stars for a plot that yielded little satisfaction. There isn't much more to it than what you read in the teaser blurb. Monsters attack, and they hunt them. They meet a few human monsters, but their monstrous nature is obvious and telegraphed from a mile away.

The few mysteries remain completely ignored and unanswered--which to me, seems like lazy world-building. If monsters are so dangerous to humans, then why is monstrumology such a fringe science? That makes absolutely zero sense. If those monsters are native to Africa, and specimens can be collected and studied, then why aren't they in zoos, as well-known as gorillas and chimpanzees? Why does everyone react with extreme skepticism to something that's so provable?

The monsters are described well, and they're creepy. The action is likewise fun and well-described. But I didn't buy the explanation for why the monsters were hanging out in New England, or how they got there. There was a lot of hand-waving going on there. A big deal was made about the monsters missing eyes, which never got explained. The opening hook was about Will Henry's unusually long life, and the explanation for that got tacked onto the ending like an afterthought. Again, inadequately explained. If longevity is so easily obtained, everyone would try it. The framing device--an author finds Will Henry's handwritten autobiography--was never explained, either. Who is this author and why was he so obsessed?

I need more satisfaction with my stories. Add solid world-building and full formed premises, and this would be a phenomenal book.

If I had only two words to describe "The Monstrumologist" by Rick Yancey, they would be "deliciously creepy." I had not read a horror novel in some time, and I had almost forgotten the thrill of wondering what will happen next, yet almost being too afraid to turn the page!

The book seemed, to me at least, to be almost a cross between a Young Indiana Jones adventure mixed with Stephen King. (Heavy on the King.) The story, set in late 1880s New England, is told from the perspective of 12-year-old Will Henry who is taken in by his parents' employer, Dr. Warthrop, after their deaths. His life irrevocably changed, he becomes the apprentice to the monstrumologist, or monster hunter. Though the people in the town think the doctor is just an eccentric recluse of sorts, the monsters he hunts are all too real. And when a grave robber comes to their door late one night, with a shroud-wrapped creature in his cart, Will Henry is thrust headlong into a horrifying hunt to find the others... for where there is one, there are more. And they are very, very hungry.

The story is extremely graphic in its horrors, with detailed descriptions of death, mutilation, blood and gore... stuff any horror fan will love. I don't think I would recommend this to younger kids, but older teens who enjoy the thrill of the macabre will love it. It's the kind of book you'll want to read in the dead of night, under the covers with a flashlight. The monster itself is unique and not one I was familiar with, but is written about in such detail that the reader is left with no doubt as to how truly horrifying it is.

The journals of Will Henry, as read in "The Monstrumologist," tell only one tale of his adventures as an apprentice monster hunter. I, for one, cannot wait to read more!

First of all, I admit, I got very luck with this excellent work of fiction - Somehow, it was listed as a free download on the Kindle by the store, and though I had never read anything by Mr. Yancy I thought I may give him a try.....My God, what an awsome talent...Yes, it is VERY adult oriented......definitely not for the squeamish.....The subject matter is extremely bloody.....those addicted to the CSI series on TV should have no problem with this....,yet the story is so well written and articulated you might well start thinking you are reading a "lost" Lovecraft novel.....Personally, I intend to keep a close watch on Mr. Yancy......also plan to "purchase" any future examples of his work that the store decides to publish for the Kindle.....Thank you, Mr. Yancy, for a magnificent read!!!!!!

The Monstrumologist tells the story of young Will Henry, an orphan apprenticed to Dr. Warthrop, a reclusive scientist who studies and hunts monsters (he calls himself a Monstrumologist). When Will Henry is twelve, he and the doctor discover that horrific man-eating monsters called Anthropophagi are living under the local graveyard. Much gore and gruesomeness ensues as they try to deal with the monsters. Creepy and tense, this tale of monsters in the 1880s has plenty of thrills and chills. Personally I wouldn't consider this a YA book so much as a blood-soaked Gothic Horror novel.

The elements of the book that make this so true to the classic Gothic Horror tone are exactly the things that I identify as the book's weaknesses. While evoking the writing styles of the likes of H.G. Wells and Mary Shelley, the story gets bogged down in its ponderous verbosity, the narrator's philosophical musings, and the wordy details that weigh down even the tensest action scenes. The characters, because they are ripped from that aged genre, became difficult for me to empathize with or even care about. Dr. Warthrop is an emotionally stunted sociopath much in the vein of Sherlock Holmes and Will Henry remains a loyal and obliging assistant even as he sees how deeply flawed the monstrumologist is. Oh, and if you care about the presence of women in a novel, be forewarned that every woman or girl in this book is dead, dying, or is a nasty old crone.

For me the real mistake that the author made was his choice to have the story told from the point of view of Will Henry when he was an old man recalling his childhood, instead of using the more immediate and intense voice of the twelve year old boy who lived through the events. The author made the choice that best suited the tone of a Gothic Horror novel from the 1800s but that choice made the story much more distant and staid.

Still, Mr. Yancey is a very capable writer and though I'm probably not the right audience for the book, I have no doubt that many readers will love this novel, If the Bronte sisters had had a morbid younger brother then this might have been the book he would have written.

This was a fun read. It had a lot of sad stuff in it, but I like darker books and this filled that space. It has enough action to keep you involved and the introduction of psychopathic and empathetic characters keeps the book from going stale. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes in #2.