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Summary
Summary
Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop have encountered many horrors together--but can Will endure a monstrumological terror without his mentor?
Will Henry has been through more that seems possible for a boy of fourteen. He's been on the brink of death on more than one occasion, he has gazed into hell--and hell has stared back at him, and known his face. But through it all, Dr. Warthrop has been at his side.
When Dr. Warthrop fears that Will's loyalties may be shifting, he turns on Will with a fury, determined to reclaim his young apprentice's devotion. And so Will must face one of the most horrific creatures of his monstrumology career--and he must face it alone.
Over the course of one day, Will's life--and Pellinor Warthrop's destiny--will lie in balance. In the terrifying depths of the Monstrumarium, they will face a monster more terrible than any they could have imagined--and their fates will be decided.
Author Notes
Rick Yancey was born in Miami, Florida on November 4, 1962. He received a B.A. in English from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Before becoming a full time writer in 2004, he worked as a field officer for the Internal Revenue Service.
His first book, A Burning in Homeland, was published in 2003. He is the author of several series including The 5th Wave, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, The Highly Effective Detective, and The Monstrumologist. He wrote a memoir entitled Confessions of a Tax Collector. In 2010, he received a Michael L. Printz Honor for The Monstrumologist. The 5th Wave was adapted into a movie.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-In the final book (after Isle of Blood) in Yancey's acclaimed gothic horror series, Will Henry, now 16, confronts his personal demons and waning sanity while rebelling against his strict master, Dr. Warthrop. Soon Warthrop questions Will's loyalties and the two become involved in a dangerous scheme with a most gruesome monster. Fans of the series may be surprised by the decidedly more dark and tragic tone of Will's story, but the ending is satisfying and realistic. The prose is well crafted, but unfortunately, the jumps forward and back in time can be difficult to follow. Luckily the narration, performed by Steven Boyer, is rather helpful in navigating these complications. Boyer deftly personifies Will and clearly transitions from character to character throughout the various settings and times. The audio highlights the poetic elements of Yancey's writing and is highly recommended for readers who may have struggled with comprehending the challenging text. Teens who enjoy some philosophical musing with their horror will devour this like one of Dr. Warthrop's hungry creatures.-Nicole Lee Martin, Grafton-Midview Public Library, Grafton, OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In the fourth and final volume of the Monstrumologist series (a blend of gothic horror, cryptozoology, and Sherlockiana), Yancey diverges somewhat from his successful formula. In addition to a menacing atmosphere and highly stylized nineteenth-century prose, each previous book (The Monstrumologist; The Curse of the Wendigo, rev. 1/11; The Isle of Blood, rev. 11/11) has featured a plot that pivots on an unspeakably horrible creature and the subtle and nuanced characterization of the monstrumologist and his apprentice, Will Henry. But here the plot recedes into the background (abetted by the disorienting fragmentation of the narrative into three time frames), while the characters take center stage for their last hurrah. To be sure, there is another important monster to be dealt with here, one whose legendary fame ensnares various players in a tangled web that will ultimately decide the fate of monstrumology. But the real monster here is arguably Will Henry in the stormy throes of adolescent rebellion, as he seeks to escape the jealous, inscrutable, and domineering Warthrop and hopefully wrest the affection of Lilly Bates away from a rival suitor. The title and the various epigraphs appropriately reference Dantes Inferno, reinforcing the books darker themes. Yancey has taken some considerable risks here. They will probably confuse casual readers, but they should thrill and horrifyin the best way possibleardent and loyal fans. jonathan hunt (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The Monstrumologist quartet wraps up in a haphazard, patchworked finale. Even though Yancey offers a tone-setting disclaimer via an "editor's note" at the forefront of the novel that the manuscripts he "translated" into this work were "nearly indecipherable, physically as well as contextually," fans will still come away ultimately unsatisfied--possibly even feeling cheated--by this disjointed conclusion. In the main narrative (there are at least three), Will Henry, now 16, often drunk and colder than ever, helps Monstrumologist Pellinore Warthrop track down the T. cerrejonensis, a giant, snakelike critter that poisons its human prey then swallows them whole. At the same time, the novel also fast-forwards decades later to 1911, when Will returns to care for an elderly Warthrop and then reverts back to when he was first taken in by his employer. All this makes for a confusing read, and the future plotline serves as a spoiler to the central narrative. Also inserted are broken stanzas of poetry and italicized rants on the meaning of love and life that connect at a much more simplistic level than the earlier books. Still, parts of the novel are quite exciting and will induce just as much stomach-turning if not full-on gagging. At the end, the results feel rushed, as if Yancey were trying to quickly finish the job. Even the relatively anemic page count implies it. A fizzling anticlimax. (Horror. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* It can now be said with assurance that The Monstrumologist series is a landmark of modern YA fiction. Even given the remarkable Printz Honor-winning first book, who could have predicted the haunting, profound developments of the subsequent titles, none more so than this penetrating, devastating coda. Yes, there is a monster: the T. cerrejonensis, a dangerous reptilian creature thought to be extinct for 100 years. But the true monster is Will Henry himself, now 16 and becoming the most aberrant of aberrant life forms. Though his upsetting maturation is logical, even inevitable, fans will be shocked to see their beloved Will surpass the cruelty of his master, Warthrop, as he fights, in gruesome manner, a crime organization for possession of the monster. Will goes too far; some readers might wonder if the author goes too far as well. This, however, is Yancey's finest hour, as he juggles no, melds three time frames and stares unblinking into humankind's darkest heart. It is a work of tremendous courage; both Yancey and Will are forced to consider the void: The innocent perish. The stupid, the banal, the wicked they go on and on. Beyond a simple finale, this is a brave statement about the duplexity of good and evil, and the deadly trap in which all of us are snared. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Yancey's a big best-seller now, thanks to the The 5th Wave (2013), and all that new attention should rub off on this final volume in a critically adored series.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
Excerpts
Excerpts
The Final Descent Canto 1 ONE I reach for the end, though the end will not reach for me. It has already reached for him. He is gone while I, locked in Judecca's ice, go on and on. If I could name the nameless thing My father burns, and living worms fall from his eyes. They spew from his sundered flesh. They pour from his open mouth. It burns, my father cries. It burns! His contagion, my inheritance. If I could face the faceless thing From the fire's depths, I hear the discordant duet of their screams. I watch them dance in the final, fiery waltz. My mother and father, dancing in flames. If I could pull the two apart If I could untangle the knot Find one errant strand to tug And lay out the thing from end to end But there is no beginning nor ending nor anything in between Beginnings are endings And all endings are the same. Time is a line But we are circles. Excerpted from The Final Descent by Rick Yancey All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
