The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman's Daughter continues the trend in young adult literature of using a classic novel, in this case, H.G. Well's, The Island of Dr. Moreau, as the backstory for a new novel. In this novel, the story is a retelling of the H. G. Wells novel but includes the fictitious daughter of Dr. Moreau.

Since the scandal and disappearance that beset her father, Dr. Moreau, life has not been good to sixteen year old Juliet Moreau. Initially Juliet and her mother were left penniless until her mother became a wealthy man's mistress. When her mother died of consumption and no relatives would take her in,  Juliet was hired on by King's College of Medical Research in London, working as a maid.

One night Juliet discovers a group of medical students using a drawing of her father's while performing a vivisection (the dissection of live animals). She traces the drawing to the Blue Boar Inn where she believes her father to be hiding. Instead, she finds her father's young former assistant, Montgomery, and a deformed animal-like man named Balthazar, sharing a room. Montgomery is no longer a thin boy of sixteen, but has grown into a handsome, well built man. Juliet learns that her father is alive and living on an island near Australia.

After an altercation with a doctor at King's College results in the London police searching for her, Juliet is forced  to accompany Montgomery and his assistant, Balthazar on their return voyage to her father's mysterious island in the South Pacific. They arrange passage on a ship and take several months to arrive at their destination. The voyage is, for the most part a typical one, except for the discovery of a man, Edward Prince, who is the sole survivor of a ship wreck. Given the choice of staying on board or accompanying Juliet and Montgomery to the island, Edward choices the island.

Dr. Moreau is surprised but happy to see his daughter. He is not so welcoming of Edward. Juliet is disturbed to see that many of the islanders are similar, if not more deformed than Balthazar. Not only that but her father and Montgomery appear to live in fear of something outside of their research compound. She is determined to discover the truth about her father; is he a genius or a madman? The scandal which broke in London and led him to flee involved some kind of  butchery and Juliet means to uncover the truth.

It isn't long before Juliet learns the secrets of her father's research and the horrors that lie hidden in the humid jungles of the island. As Juliet discovers the exact nature of his "research" in a lab, nicknamed "The Blood House" by the island inhabitants, she struggles to overcome her sense of horror and revulsion and come to terms with the scientific curiosity that wells up within her. His use of vivisection to create humans out of animals is diabolical and cruel to Juliet. Even worse is Montgomery's apparent willingness to defend Moreau, help the bizarre creatures and even participate in Moreau's research.

As Juliet struggles to settle into life on the island she discovers an island full of her father's creatures, some of whom are living in a village. The entire island is wrapped in fear as something is those creatures living outside the research compound.  As her father and Montgomery struggle to find and kill the monster murdering the inhabitants, Juliet struggles to understand who she really is and if her father is truly mad.

When there is evidence that the killing is continuing, Dr. Moreau decides to stop the treatment of all his creatures on the island. Without this treatment, the creatures he has created regress back to their animal forms, but retaining some of their human character. As the creatures regress, they begin to revolt against Moreau and Edward, Montgomery, and Juliet realize that they must leave the island as soon as possible.

As if this isn't enough to cope with, Juliet becomes part of a love triangle that includes Montgomery and Edward. Juliet's ties to Montgomery go back to her childhood in London and she is desperately attracted to him as he is overwhelmingly handsome. But Juliet is revolted by Montgomery's part in her father's research. She also becomes aware that Alice, one of her father's creatures is in love with Montgomery.

In contrast, Edward is seemingly refined, wealthy and made the choice to come to the island because he knew about the scandal surrounding Dr. Moreau and he chivalrously wants to protect Juliet. However, Juliet suspects he has a dark secret in his past that he is none to eager to share with her.

Juliet is also struggling with her identity both as the daughter of a scandalous, cruel researcher and as a person receiving a mysterious treatment for an undisclosed glycogen deficiency. Her injections look very similar to those the creatures receive and Juliet begins to worry that she might be one of her father's morbid creations.

Eventually, the island descends into chaotic horror pitting men against beasts, secrets are revealed, and loyalty and love are tested to the very limit.

Shepherd has done a wonderful job creating a compelling read that combines sensual romance, with heart-pounding suspense and a dash of gothic darkness.Unlike Kenneth Oppel's novels about Dr. Frankenstein, which create a new story that imagines Victor Frankenstein's life before he creates his monster, Shepherd has chosen to  rewrite Well's Dr. Moreau story with some significant changes. Instead of being told through the voice of Edward Prendick, the shipwrecked protagonist of Wells' novel, Shepherd's story is narrated by his daughter Juliet who was not a part of Well's classic. Balthazar is a M'Ling-like character from the original novel, a creature created by Moreau out of a dog, bear and horse.

Although she does a remarkable job, I can't help but wonder if her version will ruin the original classic for these readers. Shepherd's story has more melodrama and has a strong romantic element that will appeal to teen readers. She has left the ending open because this part of a trilogy, with the second book incorporating the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde novel.

The book trailer is tame and bland, hinting at the conflict Juliet Moreau experiences as she discovers the true nature of her father's work but failing to capture the gothic darkness of Shepherd's novel:



I didn't like the cover and felt that is was somewhat inaccurate. I think the cover could have been improved by placing the dishevelled figure of Juliet in a tropical setting rather than by a lake in what looks to be a temperate location. Nevertheless this book will garner much interest by those who love gothic novels.

Book Details:
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
New York: Balzer & Bray an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 2013
420 pp.

Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel

"I won't go back inside because it's such a wicked endeavor, and if you were smarter, you wouldn't go back either."

A prophetic statement by Elizabeth, which Victor Frankenstein should have taken to heart. Such Wicked Intent picks up where This Dark Endeavor left off; the books from the Dark Library are being burned by Victor's father, and the library is to be sealed up. As they watch them burn, Elizabeth reveals to Victor that she has decided to enter the religious life, now that Konrad is dead. Victor mocks Elizabeth for her decision, causing the two of them to quarrel. When he turns to leave the scene of the book burning, he makes an astonishing discovery of a red metal book that was not consumed by the fire. Inside this metal "book" he discovers the instructions for a "spirit board". Unable to resist, Victor follows the instructions which lead him to make a kind of Ouija board that uses a pendulum. Against the advice of Elizabeth, Victor uses the spirit board in the hopes of contacting his dead twin, Konrad. A message is received, which Victor is convinced has come from Konrad, although as Elizabeth points out, he can't really be sure who the message is from.

Victor and Elizabeth tell Henry Clerval what has happened. Convinced he has received a message from Konrad to raise him from the dead, Victor decides that he will not give up on black magic to attain what he wants - raising Konrad from the dead.

"I sighed. 'I've no idea, not yet. Here's all I know: that the world is uncontrollable. Chaos reigns. That anything and everything might be possible. I won't subscribe to any rational system again. Nothing will bind me.'

Henry realizes that he has seen the red metal book before -- in a portrait of Wilhelm Frankenstein in the chateau. The three of them study the portrait and from what they learn, they make an astonishing discovery of a secret room in the ceiling of the chateau's long abandoned chapel. There they find Wilhelm Frankenstein's notebook and an elixir that allows them to enter the spirit world for short periods of time.

Initially only Victor travels into the spirit world where he meets Konrad. But eventually Victor manages to entice Elizabeth and then Henry too. This spirit world is a sort of parallel world in which Victor and his friends can see through the layers of time in the Frankenstein chateau.

Around this time, workmen, who are sealing up the Dark Library and filling in the well in the library, discover that the well leads to a series of subterranean caverns underneath the Frankenstein Chateau. These caves contain many primitive paintings but also some kind of mysterious writing that no one can yet decipher.

When Henry, Victor and Elizabeth return to the spirit world, they investigate the caves and Victor with the help of some kind of supernatural force, learns what they need to do to raise Konrad - essentially build him a body. However, both Henry and Elizabeth sense that there is something very ancient and evil in the caves.

When they return to the real world, the trio set about creating a new physical body for Konrad, although how they would merge his spirit with this new body I can't imagine. As this creature grows, Victor begins to suspect that not all is as it seems. It has a hidden malevolent side, that Elizabeth refuses to recognize and Henry can't understand. Meanwhile, a visiting professor researching the paintings and caves beneath the chateau discovers an ancient burial mound that held a monstrous creature, who bears some physical similarities to the creature Victor is growing.

As Victor makes more visits to the spirit world, he also visits the caves beneath the chateau. He learns more about what was buried in the caves so long ago and begins to understand that this creature is using them to be reborn. Through the use of the occult and black magic they have opened the door to a great evil. Can Victor end what he started?

There's no doubt that Kenneth Oppel is a gifted author. His development of Victor Frankenstein as a young man increasingly obsessed with creating life is brilliant. Victor is a megalomaniac - a man hungry for power but not just any power. It is the power that is gained through knowledge and a desire to use that knowledge to control the physical world around him, including the very force of life. Even after the dark and terrifying events described in this novel, he still can't quite let go of his obsession and the ending hints at where his thoughts might lead him next!

The characterization of Victor is aided by a well conceived storyline which not only portrays the lengths a person might go to be godlike but also develops the idea that Victor Frankenstein's desires span generations. Wilhelm Frankenstein, Victors grandfather, lived in a chateau that had given up God and closed the chateau's chapel, replacing it with a library filled with books about dark magic.

Elizabeth is portrayed as a devout Catholic, yet she goes along with Victor's escapades - so I feel in this sense that she is a character that is not true to herself. No truly devout Catholic would dabble in the occult in this manner. Konrad was portrayed in the first novel as the kind twin, gentle and caring. This is what attracted Elizabeth to him. As a Catholic she would take great solace in the fact that at death, he would be in the hands of God. Apparently, her desire to see her true love and the possibility presented to her by Victor of creating a body for Konrad are too tempting for her to ignore.

Most of the characters we met in the first novel, Victor's brothers, his parents and even Henry, are not much further developed. This is plainly a novel that continues the characterization of Victor Frankenstein as a young scientist headed towards madness and ruin.

There is plenty of objectionable content for Catholic youth in this book; the use of Ouija-like objects, necromancy which is communication with the dead, and possession by demons, as well as Victor Frankenstein's blasphemous attitude towards God. I understand that all this is setting the stage for Shelley's Frankenstein, the madman scientist who creates a hideous monster from dead bodies. The book ably demonstrates the dangers of flirting with the occult, as Victor unleashes a horror that they barely survive, suggesting to young readers that there exist powers we cannot understand. Such Wicked Intent does offer an opportunity to discuss the occult and black magic, although I certainly have strong reservations about recommending this book to younger readers. I'm betting the final book in The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein will be even more disturbing.

Such Wicked Intent has a good trailer that sets the stage for the novel:



Book Details:
Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel
Toronto: HarperCollins 2012
310 pp.

This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel

Well-known Canadian author, Kenneth Oppels' newest novel presents readers with a inventive imagining of the life of young Victor Frankenstein before he created his famous monster. This Dark Endeavour is a modern return to the Gothic thriller that tells the story of Victor, his twin brother Konrad, and their cousin Elizabeth Lavenza and friend Henry Clerval as they undertake a very dark endeavour - the search for the Elixir of Life.

Victor and Konrad, are the twin sons of William Frankenstein who is one of four magistrates in the city-republic of Geneva. The Frankensteins, whose family consists of Victor and Konrad, and their younger brothers, Ernest and William, live in a chateau outside the city.

One day Victor, Konrad, Elizabeth and Henry discover an abandoned library in the basement of the chateau. The creepy library which is filled with old volumes containing information about the occult, was built by their ancestor, Wilhelm Frankenstein when the chateau was constructed. Wilhelm was an alchemist who became involved in the occult and eventually abandoned the chateau and his family, never to be heard from again. The library was known as the Dark Library because it contained many books banned by the Catholic church. Victor and Konrad are told by their father that the books do not contain knowledge but a corruption of knowledge and that they must never return. Of course, this serves only to pique their interest, as we see later on. For Victor, it remains a fascination he cannot deny.

When Konrad becomes deathly ill, Victor decides that he must try to find a cure for his brother's illness. When he overhears a maid telling his mother that there are other ways to heal, Victor becomes convinced that he must return to the Dark Library to learn more. He also learns the name of an alchemist, Julius Polidori, still living in Geneva and he and Henry and Elizabeth set out to find him.

Reluctantly, Polidori agrees to help them in their dark endeavour. He translates the recipe for the Elixir of Life and sends them on a quest for the three ingredients necessary to make this potion. It is this quest and the relationship they have with Polidori that form the storyline for the book. It is a quest that pits the two brothers against one another and involves them in the forbidden practice of alchemy.

Discussion

In This Dark Endeavour, Kenneth Oppel has crafted characters that are realistic and interesting. Although Victor and Konrad are twins, Victor has the darker personality of the two. It's almost like a Jekyll and Hyde split. Konrad is a better student, and has a more pleasant nature, whereas Victor is more passionate, impulsive and has a cruel streak. This difference in their natures is effectively contrasted in the way that they relate to their cousin, Elizabeth, whom they both love. Their rivalry for the love of Elizabeth is one of the many dark themes of the novel. The characterization is effective enough that the reader is easily drawn to like Konrad and Elizabeth while feeling a bit of revulsion towards Victor, whose intensity is a stark reminder of the future he has!

There are plenty of religious themes to explore, especially relating to magic, and the proper use of knowledge.

The novel's unique storyline is enhanced by Oppel's smart, witty dialogue. This Dark Endeavour is the first in the Victor Frankenstein series, with the next installment, Such Wicked Intent due out in the summer of 2012. 

Book Details:
This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel
Toronto: Harper Collins 2011
297 pp.