The Curse of the Wendigo

The Monstrumologist #2

by Rick Yancey

While attempting to disprove that Homo vampiris, the vampire, could exist, Dr. Warthrop is asked by his former fiancé to rescue her husband from the Wendigo, a creature that starves even as it gorges itself on human flesh, and which has snatched him in the Canadian wilderness. Although Warthrop also considers the Wendigo to be fictitious, he relents and rescues her husband from death and starvation, and then sees the man transform into a Wendigo.

Can the doctor and Will Henry hunt down the ultimate predator, who, like the legendary vampire, is neither living nor dead, whose hunger for human flesh is never satisfied?

This second book in The Monstrumologist series explores the line between myth and reality, love and hate, genius and madness.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Paranormal, Historical

424 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

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 Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, for young readers, and The Highly Effective Detective, for adults. Both books are set in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Rick lived for ten years before returning to Florida.

Reviews

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread as of February 6 2016.

It's almost Valentines Day and of course, I did read a book with a love story...*suddenly burst into tears* GOD I'M SO STUPID... *tries to get back the lost dignity*



Alright, so when I said "a book with a love story", I'm not lying. The Curse of the Wendigo did have a love story in this one. It was a different love story because....*cries again*



I need to stop.

Have you guys heard of "When She Loved Me" by SARAH MCLACHLAN? If not then click here to listen. I can say that that song is perfect for this book. Have you ever had someone who used to love you but you're too shitty of a person and that person left you because you don't know how to value that person's love?

When somebody loved me, everything was beautiful.......
And when she was happy, so was I, when she loved me.

I want to think that Warthrop was loved long ago by Muriel and he loved her back.

So the years went by, I stayed the same
But she began to drift away, I was left alone
Still I waited for the day, when she’d say "I will always love you."

But we all know what kind of a person Warthrop is. It doesn't matter how much love a person gave
you.The moment that you stop giving it importance, people will move on.

Lonely and forgotten, never thought she’d look my way,
And she smiled at me and held me, just like she used to do,
Like she loved me, when she loved me

This last stanza killed me because of a certain scene in the book. You guys probably won't appreciate it if you haven't read the book, but for those who did, GUUUUYS I'M CRYIIIIING.


Final review

This is the true face of love.

This is painful.

Damn Yancey and his ability to make his readers die of heart attack.The Curse of the Wendigo is the second book of the Monstrumologist series and one of my favorites because really, a book that can hurt you so bad and at the same time you want to read it again and again should be a favorite.

If that isn't love, then I don't know what to call it.

What should I say to convince you to read this book? I don't know. I can't even tell you how amazing this book is. Let's just say that after reading The Curse of the Wendigo, I need a bucket full of chocolate ice cream to boost my spirits.



This book has a love story and if you think you're an expert when it comes to love stories, then you gotta read this. The feels and emotions are Titanic level. You want a gut wrenching story? Then this one is for you.



And after you read this book,don't blame the awesome person who recommended this book to you. Let's not forget the real evil here. It'sRick Yancey.

[HaMiT · Rating 4 out of 5]

از نظر داستانی خیلی قوی‌تر از کتاب اول بود
ولی هرکار می‌کنم با این ویل هنری به عنوان راوی کنار نمیام. یه ذره هم بهش اهمیت نمیدم
هی خدا خدا می‌کردم بمیره :))
عوضش شخصیت دکتر واقعا عالیه

در مورد افسانه‌ی وندیگو هم اگر اطلاعاتی خواستید، دیدن این کلیپ رو پیشنهاد می‌دم

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guiuX...

[Hosein · Rating 5 out of 5]

تصویر کنین سریال انیمیشنی ریک و مورتی، دیگه طنز نباشه و ریک، به جای سفر بین بعدها، دنبال هیولاها راه بیوفته:دی
این دقیقا مجموعه‌ی هیولاشناسه. پر از جنون.
یه داستان فوق‌العاده پیچیده، پر از دیالوگ‌های فلسفی، رفتارهای غیرمنتظره، خشونتِ بدون سانسور و مهم‌تر از همه، مفهومی که به قدری زیبا درون داستان گنجونده شده که واقعا آدم رو به فکر میندازه! تفاوت انسان و هیولا چیه؟ آقا با حق انتخاب داشتن در مورد یک موضوعی، میتونیم بابت سرنوشتش دچار عذاب وجدان بشیم؟ و مهم تر از همه، هیولای واقعی کیه؟

قسمت آخر داستان، جایی که ویل هنری، پایین شهر نیویورک، زمانی که به تازگی مهاجران اروپایی به اون قسمت سرازیر شده بودن رو توصیف میکرد واقعا متاثر شدم. توصیفِ دقیق و ریز به ریز اون محله‌ها، و کاری که مردمش میکنن. فشاری که نظام سرمایه‌داری روی اون مردم میاره و حس فلاکت ترسناکی که توی محله‌ها، هر روز و هرشب مردم رو از درون میخوره، به حدی واقعی بود که جا خوردم.

ریزه کاری‌هایی که ریک یانسی توی این کتاب بهشون توجه کرده بود، واقعا قابل تحسینن! برای مثال، زمانی که ویل هنری وارد نیویورک میشه، اون رو پر از رنگ توصیف میکنه، پر از زندگی، خوش بختی و فرصت. اما آخر کتاب، زمانی که برف میباره، برف رو هم خاکستری میدونه و به نظرش، کل دنیا، خاکستری شده، با طیف‌های مختلف. یا کشمکش وارثروپ با خودش و دیگران، برای قبول نکردن این موضوع که "وندیگو" واقعیت داره و دلایل منطقی که برای اون می‌اورد تا رد کنه و تغییر این دلایل و صحبت ها و همین طور، تغییر شخص وارثروپ واقعا چشم گیر بود.

نثر جلد دوم هیولاشناس، به نسبت قسمت اول بهتر شده بود. و به نظرم حتی از موجِ پنجم ریک یانسی، چه در زمینه داستان پردازی و توصیف، و چه در زمینه داشتن مضمون و مفهوم قوی، چندین پله بالاتر بود و صددرصد ارزش وقت گذاشتن رو داشت.

و برام چندان منطقی نیست که کارگردان ها، چرا به جای این داستان عمیق و فلسفی، سراغ مجموعه‌ی دیگه ریک یانسی، موج پنجم رفتن! هیولاشناس مشخصا میتونه یکی از بهترین فیلم ها یا سریال ها ژانر وحشت باشه و اثری تاثیرگذار روی دنیای سینما و تلویزیون بزاره! واقعا برام عجیبه که تا الان هیچ اقتباسی از روی این مجموعه نشده.

[Vanessa J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

August 25, 2015:

God damn bless Rick Yancey for writing this absolutely amazing series. I've read it three times already and I can tell it's one of those that can be read and reread and it will never get old. It should not be surprising then to hear me say it's my absolute favourite book series. I'm also not exaggerating when I say it kind of changed my life and affected me in a slightly personal way.

Really, if you have not read this, I know not what you have been doing with your lives up until this point. It will make you question moral and humanity, it will make you wonder who the real monsters really are, it will make you drown with feels, it will cause many things in you and I assure you will not regret giving this gem a try. I cannot praise it highly enough. (This is as much as I can say to convince you if you don't want to read the laughably long review I wrote at the beginning of this year.)

Book 1: The Monstrumologist (click for my review).

...

Review originally posted on Books With Chemistry on February, 2015.

WARNING: Ridiculously long review ahead.

I’ve always thought that you don’t fully appreciate a book until the second time you read it. This was the main reason why I decided to read again this series. I mean, I wanted to read it because I missed all the characters so much (please, don’t roll your eyes), because I am in love so much with this series that being away from it caused my heart to feel sore (again, don’t roll your eyes), but I also had this feeling that I left something behind, that I had not fully swallowed Mr. Yancey’s intention with writing it. I don’t think I left anything behind, but I certainly love more earnestly this series.

In this case, Dr. Warthrop is informed a beloved friend of his had disappeared. This friend –Dr. Chanler– went into the woods to find a lepto lurconis, aka the Wendigo, a creature that starves even as it gorges. Dr. Warthrop's decision is to find his friend, but he didn't expect to find what he did in his little trip to Canada.

The atmosphere is just as dark as the one in The Monstrumologist, and I loved that. I have to admit that I love dark books. Gothic books, horror books, existentialist books, etc. –and this one (or the series in general) falls into the three categories.

While this one was not as action-packed as the first installment, I still enjoyed it (more than the previous one, actually). In this book, Mr. Yancey takes more time into developing his characters and their relationships with other characters. I mean, The Monstrumologist focused mainly in the hunt for the Anthropophagi while also printing some colorful thoughts about humanity. The characters in that book were scarce –Will and Warthrop were the only that deserved time to give some background– and so, there was no need to give much space to character development.

However, in this book, there are so many new characters introduced that they need development. For example, Abram von Helrung, who is Dr. Warthrop's mentor; or Dr. Chanler, Dr. Warthrop's childhood friend; or Muriel Chanler, the one who gives Warthrop the notice that his friend disappeared and Warthrop's ex-fiancée (I'm not joking, he was engaged once).

Warthrop is no more presented as an automaton. While he and Will were in the woods, we can clearly see he's just as weak as any other human being: He can be afraid, and we know that, for him, fear is our worst enemy. We also see that Warthrop is capable of loving, and that he sometimes feels alone (which is kind of ironic, since he spends most of his time by himself), and that made me love him even more than how I loved him in the first book. He broke my heart.

Here, Warthrop’s skills are put at their wits end. As I said, they had to deal with a “Wendigo.” You should not be surprised to know that even when many mythological creatures exist in the book’s world, there are certain specimens that are considered nothing but product of superstition –the Wendigo is one of them. And so, when Warthrop is told that his friend “went wendigo,” he gets stubborn and won’t even consider the possibility, but more evidence accumulates and more horrors are witnessed, and Warthrop gets desperate, which is something rarely seen.

And Will Henry grows as a character too. He has changed, for good or bad or for both. He’s still the innocent twelve-year-old we met in the first installment, though a bit different. He’s a bit more independent, though he still relies on Warthrop’s opinions and approvals. I’ll leave the rest for you to find out.

Surely there are scary moments –mostly when they are on the hunt for the unproven Wendigo. And there are also moments that make you question moral. It is present, as well as in the previous and next books, the good/evil, monster/human, science/superstition battles, which make the story more interesting. This book, along with the first one, is preparing us for the next one. Yes, I know this is a little redundant, but it's true. They cannot be read as stand-alone books, even when the plots are not connected with each other, because in each book, there are some clues given as to what Will Henry will become and how he got to be what he is now, as an old man writing the things that haunt him everyday.

What is this book in its innermost? It's a tragic love story. Sure, maybe the plot doesn't sound like that, but once you start reading and you get to know all the drama surrounding Dr. Chanler and his wife, you can finally understand it was a tragic love story. I mean, Chanler went to the woods because his heart was broken. The woman he loved had confessed to him that she never stopped loving his bestfriend, who also loved her, but couldn't have her because she was already married –with his bestfriend– and his job makes it more difficult. And so, everything that happens is the way Dr. Chanler revenges against his friend: Eliminating everyone he loves in his life one by one so he will be truly alone. I told you. It is tragic, isn't it? And the ending is tragic, too. It seems Mr. Yancey is not a fan of Disney-like endings.

Have I said something about the writing? I think that in my review about The Monstrumologist, I put clear that I loved it. Are there words for me to say how beautiful and astonishing it was in this book? No, but I'll try. And before I tell you what I thought, please read the following quote:

”His entire chest cavity had been opened up. Ice crystals glittered like jewels festooning his ribs, lining the walls of his ripped-open stomach; his lungs looked like two enormous multifaceted diamonds; his frozen viscera shone as brightly as wet marble. It was terrible. And it was beautiful.”

It's like a poem, don't you think?

The writing in this book is similar to the one in the first installment in what it concerns to the dark atmosphere and the gore. The scenes are described with full-detail of what happened (just look again at that quote), without skipping blood and gore, and everything seems very gothic and dark. But it is also given a poetic touch, which, again makes me question, how can something be so terrible yet so beautiful? I don't know how Mr. Yancey does, but instead of making me want to vomit, I stare fascinated at the lines I read, even (or especially) if they are like the ones I transcribed. And now, look at this one:

"In the outer room their shadows meet and become one. The starving man eats; he drinks his fill from the pure waters overflowing. Her sweet breath. Her skin golden in the firelight. For a moment, at least, he tastes what his enigmatic mistress, the one for whom he rejected this love, cannot provide. In the abundance of her emerald eyes, Pellinore Warthrop found himself in another human being at last."

That one is so beautiful I almost cried at how stunningly marvelous it was. Maybe I am not making sense, but that is how I feel about this book. I know I have said this like a thousand times, but I absolutely love Rick Yancey's writing. In all the books I've read by him, the writing is by far what he does better. Oh, God, I'm fangirling again over him. If I ever meet him, I don't know what I would do. Perhaps I will faint, but I know I would be very happy if I ever meet Mr. Yancey. He's a genius, plain and simple (and I'm perfectly aware I'm fangirling, again).

In my review about The Monstrumologist I also said that one of the things I loved the most was the Will/Warthrop relationship. They are like father and son. Warthrop's ego might be too big to show feelings, but when he's at critical situations, he gets off that mask. Practically the entire book has him in a critical situation, so we can see his human side. We can see how he cares for Will, how he's worried that something bad can happen to him. He is still insulting to him sometimes, but the surprising thing is that he apologizes. Oh, how I love them!

And, as in the previous and next books, there are present many historical figures. Did you know Bram Stoker (the one and only) was the main cause why Dr. Chanler ran off to the woods to see if he could find a Wendigo (because finding one must lead to the existence of “the Irishman’s pet project,” that is, the vampire)? Jack Fiddler is another important figure that appears; and there is an implication that Dr. Warthrop helped Thomas A. Edison design the phonograph. Algernon Blackwood also makes an appearance, as well ans many more people I cannot remember.

In short, my point is that you have to have some background concerning history and literature up to that date, because there are not only these references I’ve said about people, but there were also references to classical books (The Divine Comedy, Oedipus Rex, etc.). So, I’ll give you a piece of advice: Every time there is a name mentioned (whether it be a person’s name or a book title), look for it, because odds say it is a historical reference.

The battles between human vs. monster and science vs. superstition are more present in this book that in the previous installment. The first one is ever-present in the series. I think that is the rope that attaches all the series as one (“The line between what we are and what we pursue is razor thin. We will remember our humanity.”). As for the latter one, it is this book's connecting thread. I said they have to battle against a supposedly superstitious creature, and that here is where Warthrop is at his most critical moment –because he, as a man of science, cannot allow such thoughts.

Okay then. It has happened again. I've written a Bible-lenght review about this book. But I had so many things to say –so many things I loved and needed to be discussed– that I went on and on, writing without stopping, which should surprise you, if you knew me. I think I have said that my greatest struggle is with writing. Most of the time, while trying to write a review or an essay, I am blocked. Most of the time, I had no idea what to write and I can spend hours without writing a single thing. This review took me hours to write, but I never stopped writing. I was continuously typing something, and my words seemed to have no end, but I'll work on that now that I've finished.

Read this book. Even when almost everyone knows about Rick Yancey's books, I am still surprised about the fact that barely no one has heard about this series, but I'm here to try to solve that problem. I'm here to recommend you this book (and therefore series) and to tell you it is the best I've read so far in my life. Read it, please. Now I'm not only persuading you; now I'm begging you to read this series. If you know what it feels like when you have no one to fangirl with over a book (or author), then you understand me. I feel alone when I think about this series. So please, read it. It is completely wonderful and perfect. All I can ask from a book.

[Farhang Nazaridoost · Rating 5 out of 5]

اگر بگویم از شدت حیرت و غافلگیری حرف‌های نویسنده در قالب کلمات و توصیفات بسیار، بسیار نفس گیری که در این کتاب دیدم حتی عصبی هستم، دروغ نگفته‌ام!

شخصیت پردازی کتاب به غایت از جلد اول خیلی قوی‌تر و بسیار واقعی‌تر و توصیفات کتاب و قلم نویسنده بسیار خیره کننده‌تر اما ریتم و ضرب آهنگ داستان در همان حد جلد اول بود.
شخصیت وارثروپ در این جلد تکامل عجیب و «غیر قابل چشم پوشی» پیدا کرد اما ویل هنری، راوی داستان با اینکه کامل‌تر به نظر می‌رسید به جز فصل انتهایی کتاب دقیقا همان ویل هنری کتاب آغازین محسوب می‌شد انگار نه انگار یک پسر دوازده بعد از اون ماجرای هولناک با موجودات باستانی در جلد اول می‌بایست تغییر کند. تنها توجیه‌ای که می شود برای نویسنده آورد رسیدن به بلوغ فکری مدنظرش برای ویل در انتهای کتاب نفرین وندیگو بود.

به طور کلی از کتاب‌هایی که مقابل عقاید پوچ جامعه قد علم می‌کنند لذت می‌برم اما اینبار اینقدر مته به خشخاش گذاشته شد که حتی من رو هم ناراحت کرد! می‌دونید وقتی یک حرفی رو حتی صد درصد درست مدام در گوش‌تون تکرار کنند از آن بیزار می‌شوید.
درست نمی‌دونم این چیزی که میخوام بگم تنها نقطه ضعف کتاب محسوب می‌شه یا بزرگ‌ترین نقطه‌ قوت جلد دوم هیولاشناس اما د�� هرصورت این کتاب تقریباً عنصر فانتزی جلد اول رو که اونجا در قالب آنتروپافجای‌ها گنجانده بود ،اینجا در یک نصف صفحه که در آن وارثروپ اغراق کرد نمی‌داند در جنگل چه بلایی به سر دوستش آمده گفت و از کنارش رد شد. تمام تلاش نویسنده در قالب شخصیت دکتر وارثروپ بر روی موضوع مبارزه با خرافات و بیان عقاید ریک یانسی متمرکز شد. بازهم می‌گم نمی‌دونم این نقطه‌ی قوت و هنر نویسنده است که در قالب ژانر فانتزی و وحشت مقابل ژانر خود قد عَلم کند یا نه نقطه‌ی ضعف اما شاید به شخصه کمی با آن مشکل داشتم ولی نمی‌شود هنرش را نادیده گرفت.

جمع بندی نهایی :
وقتی متوجه شدم نویسنده حتی ذره‌ای اتفاقات جلد اول را در نظر نگرفته و طوری این کتاب را نوشته که انگار نه انگار هیولاشناس یک مجموعه است می‌خواستم چهار ستاره بدهم اما حالا که نگاه می‌کنم می‌بینم فلسفه‌ی پشت قصه‌ی نفرین وندیگو یکدفعه مثل جلد اول مانند شمع کیک تولد خاموش نشد بلکه رفته رفته کامل و کامل‌تر شد، شخصیت‌ها برایم تا حد غیرقابل باوری قابل لمس‌تر و دوست داشتنی‌تر شده بودند و بیشتر احساساتم را در می‌نوردیدند. شاید فقط انتظار شخصی‌ام چنین بود که نویسنده‌ی کتاب در نهایت عقایدش را (که شدیداً با آن موافقم) به شکل عیان فریاد نمی‌زد و می‌گذاشت در قالب همان موجود باستانی، وندیگو و یا هرچه نام دارد برای خواننده پنهان و یک راز باقی بماند و آنطور جانب دارانه آن را به پایان نمی برد.
4.50/5

[♛Tash · Rating 5 out of 5]

***This book was written by Rick Yancey in exchange for !,#,^,^*,♥@♥-- feels***

I can't write reviews to save my hide from being flayed by a Wendigo, so before yall's waste any time reading words I've strung together, here are more eloquent reviews from my Monster Buddies:

Vane's Review
Paige's Review
Haley''s Review

Obviously, with my 5 star rating, The Curse of the Wendigo does not suffer from sophomore slump. If I can add another half a star to it I would, because this is way better than the first book in the series. Here, we get an expansion of The Monstrumologist world and darn it, these monstrumologists are interesting people. On top of that, we also get the glimpse of Pellinore Warthrop outside his laboratory and we finally get to know him as Pellinore Warthrop, the man.

I don't know who said that nothing feels better than being loved by someone who hates everyone, but damn if that isn't true for the people Pellinore Warthrop loves. Yes, Warthrop and love in the same sentence. Although it seems that he hates humanity in general, he fervidly loves three people - Will Henry, Muriel and John Chanler, and because of this love he drops everything at a moment's notice when one of them goes missing in the Canadian wilderness. In the wilderness, he finds the Wendigo.

Warthrop broke my heart in this novel, not only for his losses and his losses were great, but for his devotion in the face of insurmountable grief of knowing that try as he may he can't save all of them. We see all of Warthrop's facets in this novel - friend, lover, mentor, colleague, student and, even, headturner.

We get major character development for Will Henry too. Here he gets his first puzzling encounter with a girl,and he sees his master lose it, in all sense of the phrase, for the first time. More importantly, he gets his first tastes of moral dilemma and the subsequent guilt.The new characters in this book are also a wonderful addition to The Monstrumologist world and, finally, the ladies have arrived. I look forward to reading about these characters in the next few books. Well, most of them anyway.

The Wendigo, we have to talk about it!

"The myth of the Wendigo is especially gruesome. Legend say that the Wendigo is cursed with unsatisfied hunger and the more it eats the more hungry it becomes. Due to its unquenchable hunger its constantly in a crazed state constantly looking for new food such as lost campers. Some Cryptozoologist say that its able to pass between time and space to find a new source of prey."

Wendigos man, probably the scariest mythological creature there is, it is nigh indestructible, just ask the Winchesters, but Rick Yancey's Wendigo is at least five times scarier. What's scarier is that on top of having an ugly ass mug, sharper than Adamantium claws, Piranha teeth and the whole skin flaying, viscera eating deal, the Wendigo retains human concepts like revenge and cruelty. Again, nigh indestructible, if I had to face a Wendigo I'd probably last two seconds.



Rick Yancey's writing for The Curse of the Wendigo is freaking Grade-A literature.Sure, he gets a little purple, especially with the schmexy time, but damn, the man can pull purple off. He wields gore and complementary darkness impeccably, there's no mistaking that the genre it really belongs to is horror.

ALSO, I need to point out that RY quoted "Till human voices wake us, and we drown" , which is a line from one of my favoritest poems of all time - The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. So points to you for making me squeal, Mr.Yancey, points to you.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rereading of this series is so far a success. I enjoyed this more than the last time. Got a bit intense and exciting at times. However I'm not over the extreme overuse of "Will Henry". Every time someone speaks to him they somehow feel the need to constantly say his name in almost every sentence 😵‍💫
___
Was entertaining enough but didn't have the wow factor for me that many other reader had. But was enjoyable, interesting storyline and good pace. Might continue reading the series

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 stars. After reading the first two books of the Monstrumologist series, it has quickly become one of my favorites. I am at the point where I will purchase the next one immediately upon publication.

This book belongs to a new sub-category of horror/fantasy/SF that I am calling “House” Stories (after the main character of the TV show played by Hugh Laurie). I came up with this because I am finding a similar type of character emerge recently in speculative ficiton that reminds be, on the surface, of House (i.e., a brilliant, but callous man, utterly devoted to his work and seemingly uncaring for the feelings of those around them yet endearing to the audience because of the hidden compassion we are given glimpses of during the story). Into this category, I would place Johannes Cabal (of Johannes Cabal the Necromancer and Johannes Cabal the Detective and the main character is this story, Pellimore Warthrop, the Monstrumologist.

The world of the Monstrumologist (19th century America) is incredibly well done and approaches the bizarre subject matter with as much realism as possible. Monstrumology is referred to by the practitioners as the Philosophy of Aberrant Natural History. As the name implies, the science is centered around the study of bizarre natural creatures while debunking creatures of “supernatural” origin like vampires, werewolves and ghosts. Thus, the monstrumologists locate, study and often destroy such creatures as the Anthropophagi (the main creatures from The Monstrumologist) and the Mongolian Death Worm. While the creatures are just as bizarre as the traditional monsters, their origins are given a natural basis.

This brings us to the plot of this story. All of Warthrop’s beliefs are called into question when reports surface that the titular character of the story, the Wendigo, is loose and killing people. The Wendigo is a "supernatural" creature that feeds on humans and can only be killed by silver (bullets or knives) through the heart. Despite mounting evidence of a “supernatural” creature, Warthrop refuses to believe that the Wendigo is real as it flies in the face of his life’s work. The plotting is superb, the story is compelling and the characters are amazing.

One of the things that I really liked about the story is the way the author interweaves real life characters and gives the impression that the events of this story “inspired” the creation of other classic works of fiction. For example, Algernon Blackwood appears as himself (his story “the Wendigo” is one of his most famous and put the creature on the map so to speak). In addition, Bram Stocker appears as himself and the character of the Wendigo (undead creature who feeds on people) is implied as the basis for Dracula. Warthrop’s brilliant mentor and fellow Monstrumologist (and friend of Stokers) is named Abram von Helrung (no need to mention what famous character he inspired). All of these references were a lot of fun and made the story even more interesting.

Bottom-line, I thought this was a superb story and look forward to the next installment. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!

[Evelyn (devours and digests words) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel to The Monstrumologist is like a punch to the gut, and an arrow through the heart.

I must say... it was quite a torture reading this but it's a blissful one. No kidding.

This was great. If not better than the first book itself. Granted. By the time, I finished the book I was left with a tinge of sorrow and my poor head was full of conflicted thoughts that I couldn't even write a proper review for this.

Let us go then, you and I, like Alice down the rabbit hole, to a time when there still were dark places in the world, and there were men who dared to delve into them.

I am Alice and this book is the rabbit hole to Wonderland. There's absolutely nothing more wondrous than diving straight into a world where there are people who work a queer occupation called monstrumologists and where monsters are as real as you and I.

Are you familiar with the old tales of The Wendigo? [image error]

Legend has it that a Wendigo is a half-man & half-beast who is ever hungry and ever hunting for human flesh. The more he eats, the more he starves. Therefore no amount of meat can sate his hunger.

'He’s a shape-changer. Sometimes he’s just like a wolf or bear, and he’s always hungry and he don’t eat anything but people, and the more he eats, the hungrier he gets and the thinner he gets, so he has to keep hunting; he can’t stop. He travels through the forest jumping from treetop to treetop, or some say he spreads out his long arms and glides on the wind. He always comes after you at night, and once he finds you, you’re a goner; there’s nothing you can do.'

This humanoid creature is what Pellinore Warthrop and Will Henry must face this time: a supernatural force that seems nigh possible to defeat unless you have a gun loaded with silver bullets and a clear, steady aim at its ice-cold heart.

Everyone in the story (myself included as a reader) is convinced that these creatures exist and that one of them had snatched Warthrop's old friend, John Chanler, and morphed him into one of them.

However, Warthrop refused to believe that his friend may be turning into a monster. The stubborn mule of the man thinks that the Wendigo do not exist - for if they do then it goes against what he stands for most. Science! Even when John Chanler turned cannibalistic and mutilated dozens of townfolks, Warthrop still stands his ground and held on to his belief firmly. To him, Chanler is still just a man acting on his own whims.

No beast plays pranks or acts out motives of jealousy. If so, then we all are beasts.

It is hard to think that a person who could swallow a raw human heart whole is still... a man. Surely a Wendigo has claimed John Chanler? Either he is a whack in the head or a supernatural force has taken over his mind and body. That is where the book left its ambiguity for its readers to decide.

So many times I was taken by surprise when the story revealed more than one hush-hush past lives of Doctor Pellinore Warthrop's. I did expect a potential love interest to come strutting by but I wasn't expecting a former fiancée knocking on his door! I have always pictured the doctor as

.... a solitary man, a dweller in silences, a genius enslaved to his own despotic thought, meticulous in his work, careless in his appearance, given to bouts of debilitating melancholia and driven by demons as formidable as the physical monstrosities he pursued.

So it was quite a nice surprise to find out that he used to be in love with someone else other than his works as a scientist. What romance there is is not the main focus here but in this case, my insides screamed for more intense scenes between Warthrop and Muriel Chanler. Whether I was rewarded with it or not is for you to find out.

Then there is Will Henry who was orphaned at a young unfortuante age. Left in Warthrop's care, he was still quite the innocent in the first adventures but that innocence is shredded bit by bit as he go deeper into the world of monsters. His transition to maturity and understanding toward life shows and honestly, I mourn for that lost innocence.

I have zero coherent comment on Rick Yancey's writing. All I can manage to say is that it was beautiful, archaic, eerie, melancholic and wistful in all senses of the word. It rattled something deep inside me, triggered my tear ducts and send shivers up my spine.

The cold stars spun to the ancient rhythm, the august march of an everlasting symphony. They are old, the stars, and their memory is long.

It isn't possible to do justice on my admiration for The Curse of The Wendigo. It is laced with ambiguity that makes you see both sides of the story which was cleverly written to throw its readers off. The book was much darker and it was devastating to read. But at the same time, I couldn't enjoy it more.

If you're not into Young Adult because of its lack of grit, I truly recommend this series. There are absolutely no fade-to-black violence and no censorships. By the time you're done reading, you'll be covered from head to toe in warm flowing blood and smelling of decay.

See more reviews at...

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could describe my opinion of this book in one word, that word would be dualistic. It feels like The Curse of the Wendigo is made up of two books: one I loved, and one I didn't. Thus, my feelings toward it are currently one huge, messy, emotional ball of contradiction and ambivalence.


Let's start with the synopsis, giving away as little as possible: Will Henry and Doctor Warthrop are off once again, only this time their location is much more wild- the Canadian bush- and their quarry is much more... mysterious. They're searching for John Chanler, an old friend of Warthrop's, and any clues to his disappearance, but what they find is altogether more sinister.

My thoughts on this section of the book, with Will, Warthrop, and their chipper guide, Sergeant Hawk, trekking through the thick Boreal forest?



I LOVED IT.

The writing, though it's exquisite as usual throughout the entire novel, shines especially here, and the setting allows for some really spectacular imagery. Just imagine: spindly tree limbs reaching towards the pale sky, buzzards circling above like a premature funeral procession, nothing but snow and ash for miles and miles. While the little camping trip starts out quite nicely, it goes south rather quickly. Starvation, madness, thirst, frostbite, the whole bit, and all of it is so terrifyingly detailed you'll feel as if you're right there with our unfortunate crew, starving with them, crying with them, going slowly and agonisingly insane with them.


Side note: their time in the woods reminded me so much of this song.

I especially like the personification of nature, monstrumology, and Warthrop's scientific ambition. She's described as an aloof mistress, his true love, the one thing that Warthrop has pursued his whole life and yet the thing that has been the most cruel to him. It was a nice touch, and could so easily have been cheesy, but somehow never was.

Around us the forest had been blasted white, and the snow continued to fall, flakes the size of quarters, a heartbreakingly beautiful landscape. Suddenly my eyes welled with tears- not tears of sorrow or despair but tears of hatred, of rage, of a loathing that rose from the very depths of the soul. The doctor had been wrong. His true love was not indifferent. She rejoiced in the brutality of her nature. She savored our slow, torturous death. There was no mercy, no justice, not even a purpose. She was killing us simply because she could.

Not only is the imagery damn near perfect, but Yancey captures the tone astonishingly well, too. Throughout this whole section (about the first third of the book), there's a lurking sense of foreboding, of something watching you. Suspicion, discontent, and all of it wonderfully subtle. It's more of a slow-burn dread than all-out horror, and it's very cool to see Yancey take a different tract than BLOOD! GORE! PUS! VOMIT! AAAAHHHHH!


All of that changes in the second half. The plot that had been escalating marvellously in the first half- Chanler's disappearance, what's following the party in the woods, why Chanler left for Canada in the first place, why Warthrop felt the need to search for him- is pretty much thrown to the wayside. Instead we board a train to New York City, 1889- for Will Henry, it's a fantastic, overwhelming, sensory city filled with buildings more enormous than he'd even thought possible. Will and Warthrop head to the SASM, the Society for the Advancement of the Science of Monstrumology, and by this point I was getting super excited. I was hoping all (or at least some) of my questions about the Society would be answered, questions I'd had since it was mentioned in passing in The Monstrumologist. Questions like: What are the other monstrumologists like? Are they more or less eccentric than Warthrop? How many are there? What does the Society actually do, and why does Warthrop love it so much? What do the other monstrumologists do when they're not hunting/"studying" malevolent life forms? And, for that matter, what does Warthrop do when he isn't hunting monsters with Will?* Does he just hang around moping, or writing poetry, or staring out windows pensively?



Here's the thing: exactly ZERO of those questions were answered.

Mostly because Will Henry doesn't spend a lot of time with the Society. Yes, he's there, but usually he's daydreaming or asleep because whatever they're doing is like, SUPER boring, you guys. We do get to see the Monstrumarium, though, which is a treat, as it's where all of the specimens of monstrumology- living or dead- are catalogued. Still, I wanted to know more, and the Society could have been explored to a much fuller extent than it was.

Also, Yancey makes the abrupt transition from terror to horror, from subtle something-isn't-quite-right to all-out gross. The pure graphic nature of the gore, violence, and excrement in this book is rather off-putting, and it started to feel gratuitous in a way it never did in The Monstrumologist. I mean, seriously? BABY FACES FLOATING IN RIVERS OF SHIT?! Are you KIDDING me? If that isn't nasty for nasty's sake, then I don't know what is.

The rest of the second half is just... boring. The mystery surrounding Chanler and the events in Canada is still present, but it seems much more like an afterthought here. The plot stalled, and when it did pick up, it felt like a convoluted whirlwind that was too confusing and unrealistic to fully enjoy. I know what you're thinking. Mia, it's a book about a guy who hunts MONSTERS! It's not supposed to be realistic! That's kind of an unfair criticism, no? And you know what, maybe it is unfair to say that. It's just that the first book felt so real, and this one just didn't feel as genuine. However, where the plot and message were murky and muddled, the characters were what really stood out here.

Honestly, I am not exaggerating when I say that the characters are what saved this book from being a two-star read for me. I'm willing to forgive a lot of a book's faults if its characters are great- interesting, genuine, not clean-cut, with complex backstories, personalities, and motivations. Really, in my opinion, this series is as good as it gets in terms of characterisation. Much of The Curse of the Wendigo is a character study of Warthrop, who is so much more interesting than was portrayed in The Monstrumologist. We learn so much about him, his past (tragic, naturally), why he is a monstrumologist in the first place, his lover. And yes, I did just say lover; turns out Warthrop's chest cavity is not entirely hollow after all- he does have a heart. I really don't want to spoil any of this for you guys, so suffice it to say that you'll learn a lot of surprising things about Pellinore Warthrop, and many of his actions, like my beloved Victor from Vicious, can be seen as selfish or selfless, depending on the perspective.


(Side note: now I really want to reread Vicious.)

Now onto Will Henry, and what a nice surprise he was in this book! Let's face it- Will was a total dishrag in The Montrumologist. Not so in Curse of the Wendigo- he really proves his worth in this one, and toughens up- I've heard slow starvation and weeks of surviving in the frigid wilderness will do that to you. For the first time, Will starts talking back to Warthrop, and it's not all "Yes, sir" anymore. I think all of Will Henry's near-death experiences might have loosened him up a bit, because, honestly, the number of times he falls unconscious due to grievous injury are crazy. I counted at least five. By the end, he also becomes disillusioned in a fascinating way, forced into further maturation by the sheer nature of the things he's witnessed (the spoiler tags are actually extremely minor spoilers, but I just tagged them because of the fact that they're super graphic):

In a lightless cellar flooded with human waste, a starving infant is held under until it drowns, its tiny lungs filled with the effluvia of six hundred of its fellow human beings, and then its face is peeled off, as one takes off the skin of an apple, peeled off, and cast into Dante's river...

In the name of all that's holy, tell my why God felt the need to make a hell. It seems so redundant.

My favourite part though, which rivalled my enjoyment of Yancey's superb writing, was Warthrop and Will's relationship. It's not just master/servant, nor is it father/son, and it's not even really mentor/apprentice. Somewhere between all of those lies Pellinore and Will, and the lines between them, which seemed so rigid in the first book, begin to blur in the most amazing way. Will is forced to think of Warthrop differently- as a man who lived and loved once upon a time, a man who had friends he cared about and a bright future with the woman he loved- all of which are nearly impossible for Will to even conceive of. Warthrop, in turn, treats Will less like a servant, and through their horrific journey, despite the screaming matches and the fact that at one point Warthrop calls Will Henry a "thickheaded sycophantic piece of snot" and a "nauseating, worthless mealymouthed half-wit" (ouch), they grow inevitably closer together. It's quite beautiful to watch.

And the last chapter... my god. I didn't cry, but at the last line, I was really close to tears. So many feelings. It's just so exquisitely sad on so many levels, but somehow it's beautiful too.


Poor Pellinore. Poor Will.

I've heard really good things about the last two books in the series, which I am undoubtedly going to read, but I don't own either of them and my library doesn't have them so I'm going to take a little break before continuing. Kearns makes an appearance in the next one, which is fun, and I have to say I hope that the next book is at least slightly less devastating than this one. This one is like a brick to the face, seeing the last vestiges of Warthrop's life completely wrenched from him, his best friend and ex-fiancee both killed horrifically. It was brutal. So here's to hoping that The Isle of Blood will be able to remedy the plot problems that its two predecessors had, but still be able to pack an emotional punch wrapped in the cloak of Yancey's brilliant writing.



*I am very curious about this. It's not like Warthrop even has a job! He's a scientist, a monstrumologist, and a smarty-pants, but he doesn't get paid. And he doesn't need to, either, because he's loaded. So what does he do all day when we's not cutting up Anthropophagi or killing Mongolian Death Worms or responding to the sorts of summons that kick off this book and its predecessor?

[Gypsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

لعنت بهت یانســــــــــــــــی لعنت بهـــــــــــــــــــت که عیب‌های کارتو آدم نمتونه ببینه بس که توصیفات و شخصیت‌پردازی‌ها و وقایع و همه‌چیِ این لامصب عالیـــــــــــــــهههههههه


از همه بدتر اینکه من برام سؤاله آخه چه معنی داره یه دکتر اونم از نوع هیولاشناسش این‌قد سکسی باشه؟ و هم بخوای از دستش کتابو ریزریز کنی هم بخوای بغلش کنی هم بگیری بزنیش؟ خاک بر سرت، لعنت بهت، بسه دیگه، تمومش کن. :خودزنی:

من جلد بعدیشو می‌خوااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممممم

:(((((

عقلمو دارم از دست می‌دم. و تا جلد دیگه‌ش بیاد، خواهم داد.

[Rzakmt · Rating 5 out of 5]

تمام شد!!! بالاخره.
، این شادی رو البته پای این نگذارین که کتاب کسل کننده‌ایه ها نه بیشتر به خاطر این بود که بعد مدت‌ها تونستم یه دل سیر کتاب بخونم که اون هم به‌خاطر پایان یافتن امتحانات بود.
و اما کتاب:
اولین نکته اینه که نفرین وندیگو به خاطر دیالوگ‌هایی عمیق و شاید بتونم بگم تا حدودی شخصیت پردازی از کتاب اول سر تره.
بار فلسفی کتاب بیشتر شده و از هیجانش هم تا حدودی کاسته شده که خب این خیلی به مزاج من خوش اومد :)
"این کتاب مرز بین واقعیت و تخیل رو کنار میزنه و براتون پنجره‌ای به دنیایی مرموز باز می‌کنه."به راستی که چه بهائی داده‌ایم؟
ریتم کتاب کند نیست، شما رو به راحتی دنبال خودش میکشونه، طوری که چشم به هم می‌زنید می‌بینید پنجاه صفحه خوندید:)
پایان بندی کتاب؟ یکبار من رو ویران کرد و از دوباره ساخت. نمیتونم برای جلد سوم صبر کنم. سوالاتی برام پیش اومده که نباید بدون پاسخ بمونن.
نکته‌ی مثبت دیگه‌ی کتاب ترجمه‌ی دقیق و روان خانم عبادی بود، به طوری در زمان خوندن کتاب هیچ کم و کاستی حس نمی‌شد :))
چیز دیگه‌ای هم نمونده که‌ بگم، بخونید کتاب رو، اما آروم آروم به خورد روحتون بدینش، بعضی از دیالوگ ها جای چند دقیقه‌ای​ تأمل رو دارن، ذهنتون رو آزاد کنید و بذارید افکار جاری بشن.
یکبار داخل آپدیت‌هام گفتم حالا هم میگم:
نفرین وندیگو حاصل عشقبازیه ریک یانسی با کلماته.

[Nima Kohandani · Rating 5 out of 5]

دیالوگ های کتاب که محشر بودن، به کنار

داستان بر خلاف جلد اول، بسیار پرجنب و جوش تر بود. در بین واکاوی هاش از ماهیت انسان، ��ا یک داستان پرکشش روبه رو بودیم

ریک یانسی در این کتاب هم هیچ ابایی از بیان صریح تاریک ترین گوشه های جهان هستی، به زعم پلینور وارثروپ علم، که تنیده شده با نیمه ی تاریک انسانی نداره. کثافت و ظلم��ی که انسان درش دست و پا میزنه

بارها از سیستم سرمایه داری آمریکا انتقاد میکنه و در این بین واقعیات زیادی از خود خط داستانی برملا میشن

چند جای داستان من رو منقلب کرد، به خصوص جایی که صورت موریل کنده شده و بر چهره ی چنلر زده شده بود، به دست خود جان. به ویل گفت میخوایم چهره ی عشق رو نشونت بدیم. ما کی هستیم ویل هنری؟
حقیقتاً چند فحش و ناسزا به سمت مانیتور پرتاب کرده و دقایقی شوکه شدم و دست از خوندن کشیدم
بسیار مخوف و وحشتناک بود

نفرین وندیگو چندین پله بهتر از جلد یک بود. حالا عشق و انسانیت در هم آمیخته شده با جنون

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things I Have Learnt From YA Books #678019 : When the Monstrumologist gets scared… you should  too.

Honestly, I didn’t think that Mr Yancey could top The Monstrumologist but he did… and then some.

The plotting is immaculate. The characters are absolutely superb. The setting is one of my favourites. It is both terrifying and heart breaking. Stomach churning and butterfly-inducing. Thought-provoking and all the superlatives I can think of.
“Let us go then, you and I, like Alice down the rabbit hole, to a time when there still were dark places in the world, and there were men who dared to delve into them.”

The thing that struck me most about this book was Mr Yancey’s vivid attention to detail to the dichotomy between the natural world and what dwells in its darkest shadows.

And that’s a sentence I never thought I’d write in one of my reviews.

I sound like I’m writing a uni essay on it! But that’s it, I could write an essay on this book. I don’t know whether it’s just because I’ve spent too much time with Dr Warthrop and his thirst for knowledge has rubbed off on me but I almost, kinda, definitely want to write an essay on this book. There are so many layers that I want to strip back and make notes about in margins and highlight with gel pens and write a few paragraphs and then watch a bit of Come Dine With Me and then go back to it and think “What? When did Will Henry make a soufflé and how does that relate to the idea that sometimes it’s us that make the monsters that haunt our dreams?” and then spend all my washing machine change on the photocopier that always eats your change because my library books are due back and that hill to the library is just too.damn.high to crawl up in Welsh weather.

…….

I mean, I already have my last few sentences written. I always liked to end my essays on an epic line that required a pause after you had read it. A pause of reflection. And learning. And italics.

And it would be: “In Yancey’s writing, he explores the relationship between the natural world and the one that lives within its shadows. Both are treated with the utmost respect because unlike us, the stars in the sky, oblivious to fleeting human activity, and the monsters who stalk us are eternal.”

Yeah, I never said I was the best student, did I? Eh?

God knows what Dr Warthrop would think of me seeing as he dislikes poets and writers and dreamers (“The poet’s voices will be drowned out by the gears of progress.”). He is one of the most fascinating characters in any book I have ever read. This would be the bit where I tell you that he’s not always likeable but he has a good heart but I’m just going to make two minor adjustments to that sentence: He’s never likeable but he has a brilliant heart. And I love him fiercely.

And of course we can’t forget Will Henry who is one of my favourite heroes. He’s had to go through so much, he’s seen so much and he’s lost so much. And he’s only twelve. He doesn’t have any friends his own age. The only regular conversation he has is with a cantankerous doctor who cares more about teeth and raspberry scones (although, who can blame him? I always get cravings for raspberry scones after I have finished one of these books) And he gets nibbled on by monsters an awful lot. I adore him.

And of course, the relationship between these two characters was just as fascinating, sad and beautiful as it was in the first book. Perhaps even more so as we got to see a bit more of an insight into each character, especially Dr W. And I lovedlovedloved the slight shift in the relationship between Will and Dr Warthrop and I don’t mind admitting that I read that final paragraph with slightly misted eyes. I can’t wait to see where their story goes in The Isle of Blood.

Just as in The Monstrumologist, this book is vile. And graphic. Oh so beautifully graphic. But what I loved about these descriptions (in addition to being a sick sick sicko) was that you could tell it wasn’t just a way of Mr Yancey channelling his inner Mel Brooks but that it was vital to the story. It set the blood-soaked scene, it created the terrifying atmosphere and, more importantly, it established the characters and the themes that are explored as the story goes on.

It also provided some of my favourite passages of the book:

“Ice crystals glittered like jewels festooning his ribs, lining the walls of his ripped-open stomach; his lungs looked like two enormous multi-faceted diamonds; his frozen viscera shone as brightly as wet marble. It was terrible. And it was beautiful.”

Just one example… there are many writers nowadays that relish in their ability of turning something beautiful into something horrid. There aren’t many who do the opposite so convincingly.

(I can’t tell you how many quotes I wrote down from this book. There were so many I could probably start a Tumblr entitled “Rick Yancey Talks About Life and Stars and, In Doing So, Speaks Directly to My Soul” and I would never run out of material.)

Mr Yancey doesn’t seem to be a fan of happy endings or, actually, even hopeful endings. But they’re realistic… in a way a book about monsters can ever be realistic. These characters survive, they live to tell their tale, whether that’s a happy ending or whether that’s a curse is left to you to decide.
I think the way Mr Yancey has constructed this story (with the added narrative of him finding Will Henry’s diaries) makes everything all the more poignant because we know the beginning and, unfortunately, we know the end.
So what about the middle? Well… I guess Will Henry’s not finished just yet.
Seeing as I’ve already used my fantastic line that would have got me an instant first in my essay and I can’t end my review on an epic and solemn and thought-provoking way, I’m just going to say: If you ever see this book lying around in the shop or the library or wherever, please get yourself a copy. Come on, snap to!

Unless you’re squeamish at the thought of “curdled arterial spray” and “empty oracular cavities”. If so.. um… you should probably give this one a miss.

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

SWEDISH REVIEW

Med står förtjusning gav jag mig i kast att läsa Wendigons förbannelse, uppföljaren till Monstrumologen som jag läste några månader sedan. Jag älskar att läsa gotisk skräck och denna serie har blivit en favorit för min del och jag var nyfiken på vad Doktor Warthrop och Will Henry skulle utsättas för denna gång?

I första boken fick vi lärt känna Doktor Warthrop och Will Henry, deras bakgrundshistoria, varför Will bor och arbetar för Doktor Warthrop. I Wendigons förbannels får vi reda mer om Doktor Warthrop förflutna och jag måste erkänna att jag var förbluffad hur tragiskt hans förflutna är. Just att man fick lära känna honom mer gjorde också at jag kände mer för honom och hans kamp i denna bok at rädda en gammal vän mer akut. Som vanligt lyckas Rick Yancey blanda in skräckelement på ett bra sätt i boken. Jag kände dock inte samma obehag som när jag läste första boken, dock så fanns det en och annan obehaglig scen.

Jag tycker att Wendigons förbannels är en fantastisk bok, så otroligt bra och vackert skriven. Yancey har en förmågan att skriva så att jag kan stanna upp mitt i berättelsen bara för att läsa om en vackert skriven mening. Yancey förmågan att skriva tillsammans med fantasin att komma på en sådan fantastisk historia gör boken så otroligt bra.

Nu vill jag bara säga en sak: Läs denna och den föregående boken. Du kommer inte ångra dig!

Tack till Modernista för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

It was with great delight that I started to read The Curse of the Wendigo, the sequel to Monstrumologist that I read a few months ago. I love to read Gothic horror and this series has become a favorite for me and I was curious to find out what Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry would face this time?

The first book introduced to Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry and we got to learn the basic fact about them, their background history, why Will live and work for Doctor Warthrop. In The Curse of the Wendigo, we learn more about Dr. Warthrop's past and I have to admit I was taken aback by how tragic his past is. I found that getting to know him more also made at I felt more for him and his struggle in this book to save an old friend acuter. As usual, Rick Yancey's manage to add in horror elements in a good way in the book. However, I didn't feel the same discomfort as when I read the first book, but there was the occasional unpleasant scene.

I think The Curse of the Wendigo is an amazing book, so incredibly good and beautifully written. Yancey has an ability to write so that I suddenly have to take a pause up in the middle of the story just to re-read a beautifully written sentence. Yancey ability to write, together with imagination to come up with such a great story makes the book so incredibly good.

Now I just want to say one thing: Read this and the previous book. You will not regret it!

Thanks to Modernista for the review copy!

Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede

[Twila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to amaze.
I have no words right now. Review later. Maybe.
Send help, I am destroyed.

[Abdollah zarei · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی برام سخت بود چه نمره ای بهشت بدم.
نفرین وندیگو به غایت قوی تر از جلد دوم بود. از همه لحاظ. از پرداخت شخصیت ها و روند داستان تا نثر نویسنده (یاشاید بهتره بگم ویل هنری)استعاره ها، توصیفات، جملات همه و همه زیبا و بی نقص بودن. زبان استعاری نویسنده به شدت برام جذاب بود. احساسات شاعرانه و توصیفاتی که در خلال داستان می اومد لذت کتاب رو دو چندان می کرد.
بازهم یه هیولای دیگه. تا صفحات پایانی کتاب این کشمکش برای خواننده وجود داشت که آیا حق با وارثروپه یا هرلانگ. و باز هم خوی آدمی که از هر هیولایی می تونه هیولا تر باشه
بار احساسی و عاطفی این جلد خیلی بیشتر و سنگین تر بود و اشاره به گذشته و جوانی های دکتر، جذاب و گاها ناباورانه بود. :دی
در کل از لحظه لحظه ی خوندنش واقعا لذت بردم
شدیدا شیفته ی قلم و ایده های ریک یانسی شدم. به حق نویسنده ی بسیار خوبیه


در سردابی تاریک و مملو از فاضلاب انسانی، نوزادی گرسنه آن‌قدر زیر آب نگه داشته می‌شود تا خفه بشود، شش‌های کوچکش از گنداب شش‌صد تَن از انسان‌های اطرافش پر می‌شود و بعد پوست صورتش را می‌کنند، درست مثل وقتی که پوست سیب را بگیرند، پوستش را می‌کنند و داخل نهر کثافت دانته می‌اندازند...
"شما را به تمام مقدسات قسم می‌دهم، به من بگویید چرا خدا حس کرد جهنمی هم لازم است. جهنم خیلی اضافی به نظر می‌آید"

[Mehrshad Zarei · Rating 5 out of 5]

اولا باید بگم نمره کامل به این کتاب میدم پنج ستاره نوش جانش!

هنوز هم پای حرفم هستم ای کاش این جور کتابها تمامی نداشته باشند
هرچقدر هم سعی کردم دیرتر تمام بشه
نشد که نشد اما خوشبختانه با تمام وجودم درکش کردم با روحم آمیخته شد درست مثل قیام سرخ!

بوکمارک این کتابم ماژیک هایلات زردم بود که هرموقع میرفتم سراغ کتاب در دسترسم باشه تا جمله خوباشو علامت بذارم آخه مگه میشه از بین همه جمله بی نظیر گذشت؟



برخلاف جلد قبل در این جلد شخصیت های مونث بیشتری دیده میشن و اهمیت میگیرن. همین که مسئله عشق رو در این کتابِ وحشتِ فلسفی آورد خودش پیشرفت حائز اهمیتیه
این سه کلمه در کنار هم(عشق وحشت فلسفه) معنای بزرگی پیدا کردن

در این کتاب شخصیت وارثروپ رو بیشتر درک کردم یعنی بهتر بهش پرداخته شده بود. گاهی اوقات حتی
نمیشناختمش


یکی از دلایلی که این کتاب رو خیلی دوست دارم توصیفاتشه
ریک یانسی فوقلعادست
داستانش رو با کیفیت فول HD تماشا میکردم!!

یکی دیگه از دلایلی که خیلی دوسش دارم اینه که فلسفه ی این کتاب به شکلیه که با پایان یافتنش تمام نمیشه
و خواننده بعد از اتمام چند روزی به فکر کردن راجب کتاب مجبور میکنه
برای من که حالا حالا ها تمام بشو نیست

این کتاب درست مثل جلد قبلی عمق داره از بسیاری از دیالوگ ها و متن هاش میشه منظور های متعددی دریافت کرد

مثل ریویو جلد قبل میگم:
این کتاب را باید بخوانید تا بفهمیدش


یک تشکر ویژه و درست و حسابی هم باید بکنم از نشر باژ برای این کتاب
که هم ترجمش فووقلعاده بود هم طرح جلدش.

[Tannaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

خب ... من خیلی ترسیدم... اما کماکان زنده باد ��یولا شناس

[Brigid ✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

GAHHHHH I don't even know where to begin.

I have already torn through the first three books in this series and can't wait for the fourth one. There was one morning where I actually sat down and read pretty much the entire second half of this book and then about half of the third one. And that was a good 550 pages or so. I can't remember the last time I read that much in one sitting.

So anyway, out of the three books so far, I think this one was my favorite.

I thought things couldn't get scarier after the first book, but OH MAN. This one involves an evil thing that takes people over and turns them into flesh-eating monsters who rip people's faces off! Isn't that wonderful? I mean, really ... I can't describe how nasty these books are. They are just .... NASTY. In all capital letters. So nasty that my stomach hurts a little just thinking about them.

Normally, I'm not really a fan of NASTY things. But as I believe I said in my review for the first book, the characters and writing are so good that I don't really mind. Rick Yancey definitely has the power to put horrific images in my mind that I'll never forget, so that's more than can be said for most authors.

I was also glad that a few female characters were added to the story in this one. One of my few complaints about the first book was that there was such a lack of women in it. So, at least there were a couple of those in this installment.

And I like the cute little romance between Will and Lilly. It's not too overbearing, but there's enough of it to make me grin like, "AW YOU CRAZY KIDS." Lilly is a great character; it's like, half the time I want to slap her and the other half I'm like, "GOSH YOU'RE AWESOME." I hope she does grow up to be the first female monstrumologist, because that would be super neat.

But of course, the relationship that trumps all is not a romantic one, but the one between Will and Warthrop. Probably one of my favorite bromances ever. It's just so touching how Will is so dedicated to Warthrop, despite all the danger the crazy monstrumologist puts him in. And likewise, it's equally touching how Warthrop can act so angry and closed-off and yet obviously cares so much for Will's safety. It would just make me tear up sometimes. GAH they're so great. I can't even.

So, over all, fantastic book. I don't really have anything to complain about. Now I'm off to review the third one!

[William Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I have to give Mr. Yancey a very firm handshake or a big damn hug if I ever meet him. I'll tell you why: books that change the mythos of a legend that dates back hundreds or even thousands of years irritate me. From Anne Rice to Stephenie Meyer, the warping of an ancient legend seems to be the fashion. And I can understand the point that you are writing fiction and you have poetic license over your story. Agreed. But this still irritates me because your poetry can be contained to the story surrounding the legend. You don't have to butcher it.

But Rick Yancey seems to love the legends about which he writes. And the wendigo is an area of myth that has previously found itself untouched in most horror literature, although a few bad films have been made on the subject.

From his references of reforms by Teddy Roosevelt to his mention of Bram Stoker and the time spent with Canadian Indians, this book seems to do exactly the things I want it to do, which is build it's own story around the actual facts of the legends and around the actual facts of history instead of warping them around it's own laziness.

But in Wendigo, there is a definite departure from The Monstrumologist. It is a different type of story in that it is focused primarily on the relationships, allowing the myth to take a backseat to it's drama. The love triangle that has never died, Will interacting with a young know-it-all girl, the relationships within the society of monstrumologists, and on and on. It is more character driven and relies heavily on it's dialogue to make the narrative this time around. But it doesn't lack in action when it needs it. The book is pitch perfect. I still say it has no peer for current young adult publications. It still maintains a fabulous vocabulary, a gripping pace and a study of fascinating hostory/mythos.

P.S. I am glad that the "found journal" part of it plays no large role.

[aLirEza nEjaTi · Rating 4 out of 5]

نسبت‌به جلد اول خیلی پیشرفت داشت.
خیلی قوی‌تر بود قلم نویسنده و همین‌جوری الکی الکی خون و چشم‌و‌چال نریخته بود وسط و همه‌چیز تقریبا طبق برنامه بود

روابط بین شخصیت‌ها خیلی پخته‌تر شد و همراه‌شدن شخصیت‌ها باهم و گذشته‌شون و حال‌شون واقعا زیبا ترسیم شده بود و شخصیت‌ها به‌خوبی و زیبایی چیده شده‌بودن

به‌طورکلی راضی‌ام و سریع می‌خوام برم سراغ جلد سه

[Neil (or bleed)]

I found a cheap paperback copy in Booksale! Hooray! So, I think I will read The Monstrumologist next. :)

[Lindsey Rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend the audiobooks for this series!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I got into re-reading this novel I distinctly remembered liking it much more than the first book in the series so I had pretty high hopes, and it certainly didn't disappoint. While the first novel in the series laid a great foundation for this story and it's characters, the second book really delved into a vast majority of themes that were missing from the first instalment.

Firstly, this sequel provided so much necessary character development for both Will and Pellinore. Will grew up so much since the first book and you can really start to see him becoming a man that is incredibly brave and wise, as well as seeing him stick up for himself more. This book also shows a side of Pellinore that we haven't yet seen, you start to understand that he is not completely emotionless and even that his greatest weakness is his emotions, because although he loves very few people, the people he does love, he loves very fiercely.

I think what also made this book even better than the first is that there is a huge change in setting. While the first novel was set only in New England and often didn't venture out of Pellinore and Will's house, this sequel takes us both into the wilderness, and into 1800s New York. This change in setting is just what this series needed to continue to be incredibly entertaining.

I think the best part about the sequel is that it is much more philosophical in it's themes and messages. It further highlights the darker corners of the human mind, how it can be manipulated and how good people can turn into monsters.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in The Monstrumologist series, The Curse of the Wendigo is every bit as impressive as its predecessor. Yancey's characters are phenomenal, and his eloquent prose are a pleasure to read. Add to that a multi-layered story with interesting subplots, and you've got another 5-star installment.

This is my second time reading the series, and I'm just as wowed this time as I was the first time.

Would recommend to fans of classic Gothic horror.

[Annemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style was easier to follow than in the first one, however, I really missed the special feeling I had while reading the previous book.
I didn't find it to be scary or exciting enough, and none of the new characters, except Lilly, made an impression on me.
I had a good time while reading, but it wasn't anything too special...

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scary and engaging tale.

Like the previous installment, this one seems a bit too grisly to be YA

[Haley Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

10+ FANTABULOUS stars

I can't believe I had waited this long to start such a wonder of a series. Gosh... to think it has been sitting on my e-shelf for nearly two years, probably since I finished reading The 5th Wave, what did I even think??? Why, why, why on Earth had I thought I would not like it??? Why??? For the love of heaven above I am loving it to bits and pieces.

*Totally IRRELEVANT rambling alert.

Everything about The Curse of the Wendigo is just perfectly perfect. In fact, I can't even start to measure the amount of enjoyment I had with its perfection, despite the annoying involvement of a sleep deprivation, which is so serious that my current frame of mind is not exactly agreeable with thinking too much. (It's now morning where I live, and I've been up all night reading this awesome book, hence the fatigue. Worth it though.)

This time of reading I did take a bunch of notes while at it, hence the long hours. I'd thought I'd end up needing them for the "birth" of an overly lengthy review right after reaching the end, considering how good the book was. And yet, so great is the sleep deprivation from which I'm currently suffering, that nothing useful is coming to my mind for a "decent" review to be formed. To tell the truth, which is a rather pathetic one, I've been staring furiously at my lapton's screen for hours now, and still incapable of writing something actually relevant.

I don't feel sleepy though. I am just completely clueless as to which of all the enthralling details The Curse of the Wendigo has in store should be mentioned, and how that could be done as smoothly as possible. Lord knows there are just too many to cover, whereas my brain can't seem to work very well in the academic and/or analytics department at this rate. So maybe I'll come back for an "actual" review another day. Maybe not. (I hardly ever come back to review a book that fails to catch my writing passion on its better days, whether it is an ultimate favorite or absolute abomination.) God bless my writing passion.

Okayyy... This entire review has been an absolute nonsense rambling. I genuinely apologize to anyone who, in preparation for, or in light of, your own reading experience, is reading this thinking something useful can be gotten out of it. Anyway, to conclude, all I'm saying is that this book is FKING FANTASTIC, which is why it cost me my sleep. And it totally deserves much much much more hype. Every one should give it a chance!

[Shayantani · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a sequel to the Monstrumologist this book disappointed me. It started off on a high note amidst the freezing unforgiving landscape of the wilderness and then halfway through it transitioned into an entirely different book. The metaphors and the gore both got so tiresome after a point that even the great Pelenor Wharthrop couldn't wade through this mostrumological mess. WE GET IT, STARE INTO THE ABYSS AND THE ABYSS STARES BACK AT YOU, DARKNESS, THE HORROR THE HORROR! MAN IS THE MONSTER. With the subtlety of a caps lock all of this is shoved down your throat again and again. I couldn't get through the latter half of the book at all. The characters still enthrall me so I will continue with the story, though I suspect I can't handle any more of Will Henry's ruminations about the darkness in the human soul.