Synopses & Reviews
The third book in the Printz Honor-award winning series, this gothic, gory novel is “articulately literary, horrifically grotesque, and mind-bendingly complex” (Kirkus Reviews).When Dr. Warthrop goes hunting for the “Holy Grail of Monstrumology” with his eager new assistant, Arkwright, he leaves Will Henry in Victorian New York. Finally, Will can enjoy something that always seemed out of reach: a normal life with a real family. But part of Will cant let go of Dr. Warthrop, and when Arkwright returns, claiming that the doctor is dead, Will is devastated—and not convinced.
Determined to discover the truth, Will travels to London, knowing that if he succeeds, he will be plunging into depths of horror worse than anything he has experienced so far. His journey takes him to Socotra, the Isle of Blood, where human beings are used to make nests and blood rains from the sky—and puts Will Henrys loyalty to the ultimate test.
Review
* "The relationship between Will and his master has never been more complex...Yancey’s skill as a stylist cannot be denied."--Booklist, starred review
Review
* "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."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"A wonderful mix of period fiction and gothic horror"--The Horn Book
Review
"An excellent addition to an amazing series. The language is perfect, era-appropriate, and wryly humorous. The details are gruesome and horrific and not for the squeamish. The action is exciting and well-paced. The characters, their relationships, and the moral dilemmas they face, however, are the true hub of the story. Warthrop is gorgeously complex—at turns petulant and enthusiastic, selfish and giving, frighteningly intelligent, then blinded by ambition. But it is Will Henry who grows in this story, as he starts truly becoming a man...This is a wonderful book, and readers will yearn for the next in the series."—VOYA
Synopsis
An old friend of Dr. Warthrop’s comes asking for help to track down Warthrop’s colleague, the sociopathic Dr. John Kearns. At first, Warthrop is reluctant to help—until he learns that Kearns may possess information leading to a creature widely regarded as the Holy Grail of monstrumology: an organism so rare and elusive that it has never been killed, captured, or even observed in the wild.
Dr. Warthrop can’t resist the challenge, and soon he and Will Henry are off on another hellish quest, this time to the bizarre island of Socotra, home to some of the strangest flora and fauna in the world. And it’s on Socotra that Will Henry comes face-to-face with the most horrific creature yet—and he just may pay the ultimate price for his master’s ambition.
About the Author
Rick Yancey is the author of The Monstrumologist, The Curse of the Wendigo, and The Isle of Blood. He has also written the award-winning series Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, as well as several novels for adults, including The Highly Effective Detective and A Burning in Homeland. His memoir, Confessions of a Tax Collector, was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the five best books on taxes ever written. He earned a BA in English from Roosevelt University in Chicago and worked as a field officer for the Internal Revenue Service before turning to writing full time in 2004. Rick lives with his wife Sandy and two sons in Gainesville, Florida. Visit him at RickYancey.com.