The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist, #1)

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The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist #1)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 5,302 ratings · 1,178 reviews

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 starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: mon...more

Hardcover, 447 pages

Published September 22nd 2009 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

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Oct 18, 2010 karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: and-so-this-is-grad-school, why-yes-i-ya

okay, so monsters.

this reads like victorian teen fiction, only with more arterial spray. it's got all the trappings: it is long, and there are orphans and mad scientists, an evil madhouse director, and then there are monsters that eat people.

there is absolutely no crossover audience between this and twilight. the girls who swoon over edward's restrained bloodlust are going to be horrified by the multiple beheadings and the scene where a child is reduced to a fine mist of blood splatter-painting...more

47 likes · like · see review

Oct 27, 2010 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers who want a well-written, intense, but very gruesome story

Shelves: young-adult, victorian, horror, monster-hunters, owned-copy, oct-scare-fest-2010, favorites, hero-to-die-for, monster-story, not-for-the-faint-of-heart, very-dark-read, nerd-prof-scientist-genius-geek, story-within-a-story, epistolary-narrative, american-setting

The Monstrumologist was an unforgettable read. I can't even imagine how Rick Yancey came up with this idea. I was completely horrified many times, as I read this book. This is a young adult book, but it's not one I'd recommend lightly to just any teen, or adult for that matter. Mr. Yancey doesn't hesitate to make this story gruesome and downright stomach-churning. Due to my biological/medical background, I have a strong stomach. It came in handy when I read this book. There were scenes that I wo...more The Monstrumologist was an unforgettable read. I can't even imagine how Rick Yancey came up with this idea. I was completely horrified many times, as I read this book. This is a young adult book, but it's not one I'd recommend lightly to just any teen, or adult for that matter. Mr. Yancey doesn't hesitate to make this story gruesome and downright stomach-churning. Due to my biological/medical background, I have a strong stomach. It came in handy when I read this book. There were scenes that I would not want to watch in a movie. Sadly, I think this would be a fantastic movie, as it's very vivid and dynamic; but I would be afraid to watch it, and I think it would have to be R-rated for some of the scenes of extreme violence and gore, which is probably not ideal, since it's a young adult book.

Thankfully, there is a strong story with a compelling set of characters to balance out the unsettling, distasteful scenes. Our protagonist is young Will Henry, an orphan who works as the assistant to an eccentric scientist. His father worked for the doctor before him, and died with his mother in a horrible fire that Will survived. Will says to himself that he never loved the Monstrumologist, but he will never leave him. It's an interesting aspect to this story, Will's devotion to this man, who barely shows him kindness or regard. For the doctor is a cold man, completely devoted to his work as a scientist who studies monsters. His skills come in handy when a group of monsters from any person's worst nightmare begin to wreak havoc on the sleepy New England town of New Jerusalem (I wondered if there was a deliberate reference to Jerusalem's Lot when I read this book). The doctor and Will embark on a quest to seek and destroy these monsters that makes for harrowing reading.

I have to admit that this book had some moments that were hard to read. The anthropophagi are vicious predatory creatures, who view humans as a food source, and they are not sentimental in any way. What they did to the minister's family was just awful. I wanted these monsters found and destroyed, all the while fearing for the lives of Will, the doctor, and his companions.

Gross, gory parts aside, I loved the writing in this story. Mr. Yancey establishes himself very credibly in the historical narrative of this novel. I was immersed in this world, a dark one, set in the late 19th century. In the background, one can see the significant events that would have shaped the characters, such as Darwin's work in evolution, scientific studies in eugenics, and the aftermath of the War Between the States. This is all seen through the eyes of the twelve-year-old narrator, who witnesses things that would cause a grown man to lose sleep. I could not admire Will more. He made my hero to die shelf, because this was one heck of a young man. He goes into the lion's den and into the pit of Hell numerous times to face these horrifying monsters. I could only cheer him along, my heart racing, when he comes face to face with the incredibly vicious matriarch of the group of monsters who have made New Jerusalem their preying grounds.

In reading this book, one has to fortify herself. There are views of human nature that are just as unsettling as the monsters themselves. In fact, the man that the doctor summons to help to hunt and to kill the anthropophagi might be considered a human version of a monster himself. I admit that I found Kearns to be an interesting character. He was very lively, making me laugh a few times. However, he had absolutely no moral center, which made him a very dicey ally. He even has a line where he states that "the only morality is the morality of this moment." Yeah, that makes him a very dangerous man. Good to have against the anthropophage, but not so good if you happen to be standing in the way of his objective. Doctor Warthrop (Will's boss) was a flawed, complicated character. He came off as arrogant and uncaring in many moments, but deeply principled at his core. In fact, Kearns turns out to be a good foil to reveal the positive aspects of his character. I think the doctor cared very much for Will, but was unable to show it in the ways that we would consider most demonstrative of affection. He had so many issues with his own father, that it warped him emotionally. However, it was apparent that Will was very important to him--his companion, and the only person who cared for and about the doctor. This made their relationship very complex, and in my opinion, the core of this story.

The Monstrumologist is a book that is quite hard to categorize and to explain in a few words. There is so much to this story. Yet, it's not one that the casual reader will enjoy. It's too dark and gruesome for that. But for an intrepid reader, there is much to admire and to appreciate in this book. After this book gets started, it doesn't wind down until it's over. It was a fascinating, powerful read, one I won't forget. Even now, it is lurking in the back of my mind like a shadow.(less)

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Jan 05, 2012 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jo by: Amy (Turn the Page)

Shelves: 2012, creepycreepy, gorgeous-prose, good-grief, history-smishtory, my-favourites, of-epic-proportions, paranormal-hold-the-vamp, ya, you-got-a-friend-in-me

A note: I promise the follow is actually a review and not my application for the position of President of the Rick Yancey fan club.

"There are times when fear is not our enemy. There are times when fear is our truest, sometimes only, friend.”

"…for only a mad man believes what every child knows to be true: There are monsters that lie in wait under our beds.”

When I was younger I never believed in monsters.
I like to think it was because even then I was a little clever clogs who knew that monsters...more

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May 15, 2012 oliviasbooks rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to oliviasbooks by: Chatherine

Shelves: horror, low-expectations, male-point-of-view, historical-fantasy, middle-grade-fiction, zombies-monsters, swapped-or-given-away, unfinished-2011

I am sure The Monstrumologist is an excellent middle-grade horror novel and one that deserves the Michael L. Printz Honor award, too. More gore and blood and brains (the splattered variety) and monsters and mad, amusingly single-minded and selfish professorism are simply not possible. The etching-style 19th-century medical textbook illustations enhance the lost-diary-illusion the story-in-story narration successfully crafts for the reader. A male point of view ties the bow of the altogether perf...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 18, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy

This book is tagged as "YA" fantasy...that may be a bit questionable. As I've advised before I advise here STRONGLY, a parent or guardian needs to read this book first and be sure it is suitable for each "youth".

That said, I actually do like this book. My rating (3 stars) is one I usually use for..."the book's okay. don't hate it, don't love it." Here I like the book a bit better than that but there are things that tugged the rating down. For one thing it manages to push one of my annoyance butt...more

9 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, not-mine-library, horror

The Monstrumologist is a literary fiction YA horror which also happens to be a Printz Honor.

What? You wanted more than that for a review? Hmm… The Monstrumologist is well written (yes, yes many people describe it as literary fiction and of course there is the Printz thing.) And it is fantastically gory and bloody (always a plus in horror novels.) Finally it describes a particular adventure of twelve year old orphan Will Henry as he partakes in a hunt for the deadly and ferocious anthropophagi....more

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Nov 03, 2011 Tina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, horror, best-2011, ya

Original post at One More Page

The main reason I bought The Monstrumologist last year was because of the cover. I thought it had a very good and creepy design, and the title's font made it seem like someone was whispering it to you -- "The Monstrumologist". I didn't really know what it was about, but I relied on the Printz medallion on the cover and believed it was good. Every time I see this on my shelf I felt like someone was whispering to me, but I never got around to reading it for so many re...more

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May 06, 2011 Audrey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, specfic-scifi-and-fantasy, ya

A 400+ page Victorian Goosebumps.

Here are my two favorite bits:
p. 105: "Creatures not of this Earth but from the very Bowels of Hell. I thought of the thing hanging on a hook in the room over which I stood, of the pale, muscular arm bursting through the loose soil of Eliza Bunton's grave, of the sickening squish of its paw puncturing the leg of the old man, of the mass of sickly white flesh and glittering black eyes and drooling mouths laced with row upon row of triangular teeth glittering in th...more A 400+ page Victorian Goosebumps.

Here are my two favorite bits:
p. 105: "Creatures not of this Earth but from the very Bowels of Hell. I thought of the thing hanging on a hook in the room over which I stood, of the pale, muscular arm bursting through the loose soil of Eliza Bunton's grave, of the sickening squish of its paw puncturing the leg of the old man, of the mass of sickly white flesh and glittering black eyes and drooling mouths laced with row upon row of triangular teeth glittering in the glow of the April stars, of huge, hulking, headless monstrosities issuing from every shadow, leaping and bounding with enormous strides, of Eliza Bunton's corpse being ripped limb from limb and her head stuffed into the mouth of a creature that any rational man would indeed deem from hell."

p. 139-141: "'Children, mostly. Twelve- or thirteen-year-old girls. Girls in the prime of their budding womanhood. Sometimes infants, though, squealing babes hurled naked into the hole. For in the center of the temple is a pit connected by a tunnel to the holding chamber. Into the pit the priests throw her; I have seen this, Warthrop; I have seen it! Cast down twenty feet to the bottom, whereupon she hurls herself against the smooth sides of the sacrificial abyss, scratching and clawing for a handhold, but of course there is none. There is no escape! The head priest gives the signal; the great wooden door rolls up; and they come. You smell it first, a rotten stench like death's decay, then the loud huffing and sharp clicks of their fangs snapping, as the doomed innocent erupts into frenzied screams, crying to her insensible judges above to have mercy. Mercy, Warthrop! They star down at her with faces set in stone, and, as the beasts burst into the pit, her terror robs her of her last shred of dignity: Her bladder empties; her bowels let go. She collapses into the dirt, covered in her own filth, as they descend upon her in a mad rush, the bigger brutes leaping thirty feet from the tunnel's mouth to where she lays, the sacrificial lamb beneath those pagan lords whose mad whimsy condemned her to a fate unfit for even the most egregious malefactor. But their bloodthirsty gods demand; and so they supply.
'The head is the most coveted prize. The first to reach her seizes it and wrenches it from her neck, and her still-beating heart fleshes her blood through that makeshift orifice; a steaming geyser shoots into the air and paints crimson their alabaster bodies. They snarl and snap for a piece of the meat, for meat she be now; human she is no longer. Shredded bits of her are flung far over the rim of the pit, spattering the spectators with the bloody remnants of her maidenly form...'"

Cool, huh? So, the reason why I only give The Monstrumologist three stars is because it feels sometimes that the rest of the book is simply a vehicle for Yancey to fit in these bloody vignettes. There is a lot of gore and a lot of action, but I felt strangely detached from the characters and the gruesome situations they found themselves in. I didn't get much of a sense of who the narrator was, and there was potential for the monstrumologist himself, Pellinore Warthrop, to be a fantastic character (though his characterization felt very much like Sherlock Holmes... and there is certainly a lot of potential to read between the lines for slash, actually), but it all felt generally superficial. It is a very entertaining novel with some really nice gleefully-written gory scenes but not much more than that. Also, the book can very well stand alone as a single novel, but I am curious enough to read the sequel. (less)

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Jun 16, 2012 Paul Beimers rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who: don't mind the use of old-timey language and extreme gore.

Recommended to Paul by: Cillian Beyond Birthday

Shelves: series, fiction, horror, beloved-favorites

Marvelous.

Guess what? Rick Yancey's The Monstrumologist is amazing. I suspected it would be, but it still managed to impress me to no end.

This book has pretty much everything you could ask of an enjoyable (and quality) read. We've got:

1. Poetic and beautiful writing that gets a bit too heavy-handed on only the rarest of occasions.

2. Gore. A lot of gore. Blood and brains and a ridiculous amount of excessive violence.

3. Genuinely funny moments. Smart humor that arises almost exclusively from the s...more

4 likes · like · see review

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Paul Beimers Hmmm. I think you may enjoy them, but it may take a bit of time to warm up to the series. In my opinion, each installment is better than the last, as:...more
updated Jun 15, 2012 01:28pm

Paul Beimers Not a fan of Quidditch? Hehe. Personally, I quite enjoy those particular scenes. Not for the actual sport, but for the commentary that one of the char...more
Jun 14, 2012 06:59pm

Apr 20, 2012 Lisa (lisaisbusynerding) added it

Shelves: own-it, loaned-out

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...more 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.
(less)

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Dec 27, 2010 William Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, ya-literature, pitch-perfect

When I was younger, I had to read adult books to get the things I wanted out of my reading experience. There wasn't anything comparable to the things being published for young adults over the last few years. So now I find myself reading young adult novels that are larger in their scope, more literary and riskier than the same genre of adult lit.

The Monstrumologist is in a league of it's own right now. It has no peer for style or for literary worth. It's vocabulary was extensive but not pretenti...more

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Jul 27, 2009 Cindy Irish rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the thrilling horror novel, The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yancey, and thought it was one of the best Victorian mystery, horror stories that I have ever read.

The characters and monsters for that matter, come to life in the vivid descriptions throughout the book. Orphaned William Henry James, the doctor's young twelve year old apprentice-assistant, has his grisly work cut out for him with late night dissections, and cemetary visits on the quest to seek and destroy the elusive Anthropophag...more

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Dec 25, 2011 Anachronist rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: simply-the-best-so-far

Synopsis:

An elderly resident of an old people’s home, called William James Henry, dies in his sleep. He claimed he was born in 1876 which would make him a 131-year old man in the moment of his death but nobody believes him. His notebooks are lent to the narrator/the author.

That’s how, after a short intro, we are plunged into a story within a story, featuring a first person narration of younger Will Henry who describes one event that shaped his entire life. Will was an orphan, taken in by Pellino...more

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Oct 02, 2011 John Egbert marked it as to-read

Whaaaat? The PDF was real easy to find, so sue me...

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Jan 04, 2013 Hayley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Intense, horrifying, and hilarious are some of the words that come to mind when I think of the Monstrumologist.

Intense because of the underlying tension as to whether or not a man-eating species of monster will take over a small New England province before it's too late to act. Horrifying in that the gory scenes are definitely descriptive and wicked, but I expected nothing less from the practices of a doctor of "aberrant biology." Finally, the Monstrumologist is hilarious due to the scenes betwe...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Samantha Souza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, action, dark, depressing, fantasy, fiction, mystery, suspense, young-adult

I have a love/hate feeling for The Monstrumologist. This is going to be hard for me to accurately rate this book.

I thought that it was a clever, beautifully written piece of work. I adore the beauty of metaphor, and I loved the way Yancey used beautiful metaphors to describe something grisly, dreadful, or disgusting.

"The burlap fell back on either side, draping over the table like the petals of a flower opening to welcome the spring sun.

The circumstance is made all the more awful by Yancey's unc...more

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May 15, 2011 Darkshadow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

http://kitaphayvaniningunlugu.blogspo...

Yaratık Avcısı oldukça başarılı bir kitaptı. Hiç sıkılmadan okudum. Yazarı gayet yetenekli ve hayal dünyası için de ayrı bir tebriği hak ediyor. Yarattığı akla hayale sığmaz yaratıklar insanda gerçekmiş hissi uynadırıyor. Bir yandan da bu kadar detaya girebilmesi insanı ürkütüyor.

Kitabın başlangıcında ölmüş bir adamın günlüğünü keşfeden bir adamla karşılaşıyoruz. Yaşamını kaybettikten sonra bulunduğu huzurevinde geriye sadece bir günlük bırakan Will Henry'...more http://kitaphayvaniningunlugu.blogspo...

Yaratık Avcısı oldukça başarılı bir kitaptı. Hiç sıkılmadan okudum. Yazarı gayet yetenekli ve hayal dünyası için de ayrı bir tebriği hak ediyor. Yarattığı akla hayale sığmaz yaratıklar insanda gerçekmiş hissi uynadırıyor. Bir yandan da bu kadar detaya girebilmesi insanı ürkütüyor.

Kitabın başlangıcında ölmüş bir adamın günlüğünü keşfeden bir adamla karşılaşıyoruz. Yaşamını kaybettikten sonra bulunduğu huzurevinde geriye sadece bir günlük bırakan Will Henry'nin yazdıklarına hiçkimse inanmıyor. Ve böylece yazar günlüğü bir de bizim zevkimize sunuyor.

Günlüğe ve 1800'lü yıllara on iki yaşındaki Will Henry'le giriş yapıyoruz. Doktor Pellinore Waltrop'un asistanlığını yapan küçük çocuk ailesini bir yıl önce çıkan bir yangında kaybetmiş. Babasının da daha önce asistanlığını yaptığı Doktor tarafından kabul edilip hem evine hem de asistanlığına alınmış. Doktor Waltrop bildiğimiz doktorlardan değil elbet. O bir yaratıkbilimci. Diğer bir deyişle Yaratık Avcısı. İnsanların adlarını duymayı bir yana bırakın, varlıklarından haberdar dahi olmadığı korkunç yaratıkları araştırıp, bulup, gerekirse avlıyor. Onunki de babadan kalma bir meslek. Aileden kalan serveti ve babasının geride bıraktığı gizli saklılıklarla birlikte Doktor oldukça tuhaf bir insana dönüşmüş. Will Henry onu duygulardan yoksun olarak görüyor. Ve meslek aşkı her şeyin önünde geliyor. Malikanesinin mahzenini laboratuvar olarak kullanan Doktor, burada yaratıkları inceleyip, organlarını ve belki de yaratığın daha tuhaf parçalarını muhafaza ediyor.

Birgün kapılarına gelen yaşlı bir mezar soyguncusunun getirdiği şeyle birlikte kitabın ilk yaratığıyla karşı karşıya geliyoruz. Yaşlı adamın getirdiği iki cesetten ilki genç bir kıza, diğeri de bir Anthropophagus'a ait. Anthropophaguslar kafası olmayan dev bir insanı andıran, ağızları karınlarında, gözleri ise omuzlarında bulunan ve insan etiyle beslenen tiksindirici yaratıklar. Genç kızın cesedine sarılı halde bulunmuş bu yaratık Doktoru çalışmaları için oldukça heyecanlandırıyor. Yaratığın her bir detayını anlatması hatta otopsisine bile geniş yer vermesi açısından kapakta da yazdığı gibi "mideniz çok hassassa okumayın." Eğer benim gibi normal bir mideye sahipseniz de o kadar da iğrenç gelmeyecektir.

Dönelim konumuzuza; yaratıkların izini sürmeye başlayan Doktor ve Will Henry yaşlı mezar soyguncusu Erasmus Gray'le beraber mezarlığa gidiyor ve incelemelerine burada devam ediyorlar. Burada Gray'in yaratıklardan biri tarafından acımasızca öldürülmesiyle olaylar silsilesi hareket kazanıyor. Anthropophagusların doğal yaşam alanlarının aslında çok uzaklarda olması, Amerika'ya nasıl geldikleri konusunda hem bizim hem de Doktorun aklında soru işaretleri bırakıyor. Bir yandan da kasabada meydana gelen katliamla uğraşmaya çalışıyor yaratık avcısı ve asistanı. Kitap boyunca pek çok kez korkunç yaratıklarla karşı karşıya geliyor ve heyecanlı saheneler yaşıyorlar.

Hem aksiyon, hem macera, hem polisiye, hem fantastik birazcık da gerilimin harmanlandığı bu hoş roman benim kalbim ve aklımda güzel bir yere oturdu. Tuhaf, küstah, ürkütücü diğer bir yaratık avcısı John Kearns'de hikayeye eklenince daha da sevilir hale geliyor. Bu arada kitabın sonunda yazar ikinci kitabın sinyallerini de veriyor. Birkaç baskı ve yazım hatası dışında baskısı gayet iyi ve kapak tasarımı bence yeterince başarılı. Rick Yancey'in yeni nesil yaratıkları kalıplaşmış diğer yaratıkları unutturacak türden. Ve eminim ki ileriki kitaplarda daha çok çeşit bizi bekliyor olacak. Okuyun ve onlarla tanışın.

Keyifli okumalar...(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 23, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"There are monsters that lie in wait under our beds."

Will Henry is but a 12 year old boy with parents he lost in a fire. However, his life is not as simple as it seems. He is the assistant to a "monstrumologist" who studies monsters as his life practice. Things get strange when an unexpected visitor drops by the house and offers a find so improbable Dr. Warthrop, the monstrumologist, does not know what to make of it. After sleepless days and nights of study, Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop encounter...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Allison marked it as to-read

UPDATE: So there's a fourth one! *happydance*

So I heard this series is going to be cut short.

Whether I have read the series or not, it always bothers me when it doesn't get its full run. This one really bothers me because it's horror. YA fiction sure doesn't have enough of that. It's all paranormal romances and dystopians crowding the shelves. Where's the horror?! Sure, there's always a handful of Lois Duncan's novels at the library but nothing recent. The two I've read and the only ones I can...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Orrin Grey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I don't think it's hyperbole to say that The Monstrumologist is one of the most gruesome books I've ever read. Within the first chapter, the fetus of a headless cannibal monster is aborted from the womb of a dead girl, just to give you a taste of the grotesque horrors contained herein. If this were a movie, it would be rated R so hard. It's also one of the best books I've read in some time.

The story concerns Will Henry, the apprentice to the titular monstrumologist, a scientist who hunts and stu...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Allyson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For anyone who is a true horror fan this is the perfect book for you. Will Henry, a 12 year old monstrumologist assistant-apprentice, goes into rich and often gruesome detail about his life under the tutelage of Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a doctor of monsters. There were times where I had to stop reading before bed because Will Henry’s accounts of headless carnivorous monsters with thousands of teeth were so vivid and frightening. When I wasn’t frightened, I was repulsed and wanted to gag when Will...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Colleen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-esque, middle-grade

1 1/2

A lot of reviewers have talked about the goriness of the story, and there is that. It's not lingered over lovingly like, say, certain Clive Barker stories, but it's definitely there. Personally, I didn't feel like it added much to the story, and I'm not really a fan of gore for the sake of gore. That said, I think 12 to 14 year-old boys, the probable intended audience for this story, would probably love it.

But the gore wasn't really my issue. There were two things that kept me from really l...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Heather Ohana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: wild-things-ya-challenge-4, young-adult

I don't often read horror books, at least not since the Christopher Pike and Stephen King I read in high school. I enjoyed this book because of the suspense and the creativity involved in bringing a pod of anthropophagi to life in 1800s New England, but also because of the relationship between the 12-year-old protagonist and the monstrumologist who takes him in after his parents' untimely demise. There's a lot of exploration of daddy-issues here and how poetic for it to occur amid the backdrop o...more

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Dec 22, 2009 Anastasia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Anastasia by: PulseIt.com

"Tonight you will witness the stuff of nightmares. You will see things that will shock and appall you. that will freeze you down to your God-fearing marrow, but if you do everything I say, you may survive to see the next sunrise, but only if you do everything I say. If you are willing to make that pledge now, with no reservations, you will live to enthrall your grandchildren with the tale of this night. If not I suggest you take your Winchesters and go home. I thank you for your kind attention,...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 23, 2009 Erika rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before I go any further, let me warn you: this book is peppered with gory descriptions not for the faint of heart; in some instances, brimming is the more appropriate word. In this case, the gore is seething and crawling with a life of its own, not the tasteless in-your-face type of blood explosions seen in pop horror movies; Yancey’s gore is every bit ambiance as it is instrumental in understanding the horrors hidden in The Monstrumologist.

William Henry is apprentice to Pellinore Warthrope, a s...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 10, 2009 Bettie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Bettie by: Danielle "The Book Huntress" Hill

Shelves: gorefest, winter20092010, victoriana

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 20, 2012 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, ya, for-review, own, highly-recommended, halloween

I am pretty sure orphans have all the fun. I mean, Anne Shirley, Oliver Twist, the Boxcar Children. Fer realsies. Aside from the whole dead parent thing, being an orphan is awesome. Well, for pretty much every fictional orphan EVER except Will Henry. His parents die in a fire and he is sent to live with Pellinore Warthrop, resident Monstrumologist. You see, monsters are real and therefore studied by a branch of science hitherto known as monstrumology. What ensues in The Monstrumologist by Rick Y...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Stella ☢FAYZ☢ Chen rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Supernatural fans,

Shelves: favourites, wishlist

This book was probably written for me, or at least the Supernatural fangirl within me. Every aspect of monster hunting that I love about the TV show reminded me of this book. It was dark, eerie and it could really give someone nightmares.

I read this a long time ago so I can't give this the proper review that it deserves but if anyone is looking for a thriller that packs a heavy punch of awesomeness, YOU MUST GIVE THIS BOOK A TRY.

(Thank you Matt, for reminding my oh-too-forgetful brain that I hav...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2009 Pixie/PageTurners(Amber) C. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thrilling, horrific, gory...oh so gory. The graphic gore in this story will make your skin crawl; this book is not for anyone with a week stomach. I love reading horror books, but this is probably the scariest one I have ever read. I can not wait for the next book. Yancey's writing is amazing, you feel like you are reading a book written in the era, the book (journals) take place.CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF MY REVIEW

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2010 Erica - Bonner Springs Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, high-school, middle-school, ya

I was intrigued by this cover once we received it at our library. Hearing about it at a recent conference made me want to read it but the book trailer definitely sold me on it.

In 1888, Will Henry is the orphaned assistant of Dr. Pellinore Warthrop. Dr. Warthrop has a very strange specialty, monstrumology, he studies monsters. Late one night, they are visited by a grave robber who brings with him a most unusual creature. As Will Henry, the doctor and the grave robber soon realize this creature is...more

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About Rick Yancey

aka Richard Yancey

Rick is a native Floridian and a graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago. He earned a B.A. in English which he put to use as a field officer for the Internal Revenue Service. Inspired and encouraged by his wife, he decided his degree might also be useful in writing books and in 2004 he began writing full-time.

Since then he has launched two critically acclaimed series: The Ext...more

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Books by Rick Yancey

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp (Alfred Kropp, #1)

The Curse of the Wendigo (The Monstrumologist, #2)

The Isle of Blood (The Monstrumologist, #3)

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Quotes from The Monstrumologist

“He knew the truth. Yes, my dear child, he would undoubtedly tell a terrified toddler tremulously seeking succor, monsters are real. I happen to have one hanging in my basement.” — 37 people liked it

“There are times when fear is not our enemy. There are times when fear is our truest, sometimes only, friend.” — 29 people liked it

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The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist #1)

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