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Sunday, March 14, 2010

The Monstrumologist

Yancey, Rick.  The Monstrumologist:  William James Henry. NewYork: Simon & Schuster: BFYR, 2009.  ISBN: 9781439152614.  $21.99.
(Image Credit: Cape May County Library)

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

2. the act of hunting such creatures*

*(Yancey, Rick.  The Monstumologist:  William James Henry, 2009:
http://www.rickyancey.com/monstrumologist/home.php)

What if there was truth in the childhood belief that there monsters underneath your bed and things that go bump in the night?  The kind of creatures that only come out in the darkness to violently feed off the living, the human race.

When the journals of William James Henry, a man who claimed to be 136-years-old, are discovered, their pages reveal a dark tale.  Will Henry was once the assistant to Pellinore Warthrop, a monstrumologist.  He knows the doctor studies bizarre and mysterious creatures, but it's not until there is a knock on the door late in night, when Will soon learns how the world is a dark, dangerous, and deadly place.

Anthropophagi are thought to be monsters of myth and folklore.  When a local graverobber brings Dr. Winthrop something he discovered in the local cemetery, it becomes painfully obvious that these nocturnal creatures exist and they hunt humans.  They are unlike any other documented animal.  The stand at least seven-feet-tall.  Although, human-like in appearance, they have no head.  Their eyes are in their shoulders.  They have a large, vicious mouth in their torso, with equally sharp claws.  From a scientific-point-of-view, they are a perfectly engineered human killing machine.

But how did a creature native to the African plains, end up in 19th century New England?  As Will Henry follows and assists the montrumologist in his quest to reveal the truth of their existence in a new country, he also learns about the lies and secrets that the ones closest to us may carry.  Are Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry able to uncover the truth before the Anthropophagi feed again, or are they a beast that has evolved to overtake man with its insatiable appetite for human flesh?

This is one of the best books I have read in quite a while.  It is an engrossing tale, with gripping descriptions that haunt the mind, well after the book is finished.  It is not a read for the squeamish, but if you are looking for a tale that evokes horror, repulsion, curiosity, adventure, and suspense, then I highly recommend this work.  --Melissa Brisbin, Librarian

Awards:
2010 The Michael L. Printz Honor Award Winner for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.
Booklist Star-Reviewed Best Horror Novel.
ALA Best Books for Young Adults.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Hamlet: A Novel

Marsden, John.  Hamlet: A Novel.  Somerville, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780763644512 $16.99.
(Image Credit: Cape May County Library)

Before I go into my view of this book, I think it is a huge undertaking to try and novelize a tragic Shakespearean play.  That said, James Marsden tries to breathe new life into a 400-year-old Hamlet.  The novel starts out strong, giving life to the characters of Elsinore.  He makes Hamlet and his best friend, Horatio, relatable as they discuss the recent death of Hamlet's father, the King of Denmark, as well as the recent marriage of his mother to his uncle.  Hamlet is full of rage.  His prose is peppered with anger, confusion, and sarcasm.   To many of those around him, Hamlet seems to be slowly losing his senses, but underneath his twisted words he often speaks a truth that many would not be willing to speak about. 


Hamlet is not alone in his doubts over his mother's marriage to his uncle, two months after his father's death.  Most of the royal court does not know how to handle the change.  Hamlet no longer trusts his father's old advisers, such a Polonius.  He doubts the motives of all that surround him, yet he cannot find proof to support his thoughts.  That is, until he is visited by the ghost of his father, who reveals to Hamlet that he was murdered by his brother, Hamlet's uncle, and his current step-father.


While exploring the idea of revenge, Hamlet's actions begin a downward spiral that effect of those who closely surround him.  Without considering the price he would pay for murdering his uncle, Hamlet lets the idea of revenge consume him.  With a cloudy vision and a hateful heart, he takes actions that cannot be undone nor mended.  Soon those that mean the most to Hamlet will fall.  Yet, once the circumstances have been set forth and actions taken, there is no way to take them back.


Overall, Hamlet: A Novel tries to make a complicated play relatable to a modern audience.  Marsden starts off with a strong interpretation of Shakespeare's vision, but he also tries to spice up the novel in areas that do not seem to fit.  Although the novel begins well, I also felt that the ending was a bit rushed.  In the beginning of the tale there were often some details that, I felt, were unecessary, as well as somewhat haphazard.  Marsden tried to make the tale of Hamlet more sexual.  He would use scenes of sexuality that, I believe, were meant to support the confusion Hamlet had about himself; however, they did not flow with the text.  They seemed to be more small shots of sexuality that did not quite fit the rest of the novel.  Overall, the were fractured pieces of descriptive information.  I also would go so far as to think that the as the beginning of the novel started out with unecessary details, the end of the novel was equally lacking important descriptions.  In the places where I thought the author could expand dialogue and narrative, he did not.  The end of the novel felt rushed and incomplete.


Hamlet: A Novel would be a good read for someone who wants to become familiar with the play, but does not want to spend the time deciphering Shakespeare's complicated prose and vocabulary.  In fact, for a teenager, this book could be a good starting point to get the gist of the tale, and then re-read the actual play.   The novel does give an overall description of Shakespeare's version, but in order to truly appreciate the tale, I believe it is equally necessary to read the original work. 

John Marsden is a best-selling author who has penned over thirty novels, including the popular Tomorrow Series and the Ellie Chronicles.