November 1, 2011
Pellinore Warthrop, the world's most renowned monstrumologist, and his apprentice, thirteen-year-old Will Henry, are back for their third and darkest adventure yet. When the nest of the Magnificum, the most horrifying monster of all, is delivered into their possession, the hunt for the legendary creature is on, taking the intrepid pair to London, Venice, Egypt, Somalia, and finally to the Socotra, the Isle of Blood, in the Indian Ocean. Along the way they dodge British and Russian spies, befriend literary icons Arthur Conan Doyle and Arthur Rimbaud, encounter an old nemesis from the first book (John Kearns, a.k.a. Jack the Ripper), test the boundaries of their complex relationship, and escape with their lives -- if not all their body parts. Yancey clearly delights in metafiction. It's evident not only in his literary allusions (in addition to the cameos noted above, he also works "The Lady, or the Tiger?" into the narrative) but in the chapters that bookend Will Henry's main narrative. Yancey claims to merely be the editor of these books, all the while doing his own sleuthing into the mysterious identity of Will Henry. One final book should reveal that secret and bring the series -- a wonderful mix of period fiction and gothic horror -- to a satisfying conclusion. jonathan hunt
(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from August 1, 2011
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* After fighting off headless hordes in The Monstrumologist (2009) and a face-eating specter in Curse of the Wendigo (2010), Dr. Pellinore Warthrop and his trusty 13-year-old assistant, Will Henry, are enjoying a rare moment of tranquility when they receive a most horrific package: a nest woven from human body parts and dripping with pwdre serthe rot of stars. It is the revolting work of the typhoeus magnificum, aka the Unseen One, aka the holy grail of monstrumology, a creature so ravenous it will eat itself. And it must be found! The relationship between Will and his master has never been more complex: Will, subservient for so long, finds his rebellious streak when Warthrop takes on a new, more qualified assistant, while Warthrop's mountainous ego threatens to destroy them all. The middle section, a good 300 pages steeped in British and Russian espionage, lumbers on occasion. But once a human finger falls from the sky on a mysterious island off of Egypt, the horror comes roaring back. This is more ponderous and unwieldy than its predecessors, but Yancey's skill as a stylist cannot be denied. Purportedly, this is the final entry in the Monstrumologist series; Pellinore Warthropthat mad genius!will be terribly missed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
Starred review from August 15, 2011
When an obscure, slimy, flesh-colored pouch is delivered to Pellinore Warthrop's door and renders the deliverer into a bloody, pulpy zombie-like mess, the Monstrumologist has but one course of action open to him.
He leaves his apprentice, the steadfast, loyal, brave Will Henry, in pursuit of the sender, none other than Jack Kearns, who readers will recognize as one of the world's most famous serial killers. Word on the street reveals that the strange pouch is a nidus, created by the cr�me de la cr�me of all monsters, the magnificum that draws human prey up into the sky, shreds it, then drenches the land below with a rain of blood. Through a series of events that involve murder, romance and Arthur Conan Doyle, Will Henry finds his way to London and Pellinore, and the two embark on a journey to an island off the coast of Africa to find the famed monster. Articulately literary, horrifically grotesque and mind-bendingly complex, Yancey's trilogy conclusion might be the best of the Monstrumologist trilogy. His 19th-century dialogue and descriptions run even smoother than the previous two titles, and his characters have grown deeply complex.
He deftly blurs lines between science and the supernatural, and what results is a long, dark-night-of-the-soul journey for both Will Henry and Pellinore that is certain to turn the hearts and the stomachs of every reader who dares open its pages. (Horror. 14 & up)
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
January 1, 2012
In their third (and darkest) adventure, Pellinore Warthrop and Will Henry's hunt for the Magnificum takes the monstrumologist and his apprentice to the Socotra, the Isle of Blood. Along the way they dodge spies, befriend literary icons, and test the boundaries of their complex relationship. One final book should bring the series--a wonderful mix of period fiction and gothic horror--to a satisfying conclusion.
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)