The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey (audio)
Unabridged audiobook on ten compact discs (eleven hours, forty-five minutes). Narrated by Steven Boyer. Recorded Books, 2009.
The diary of orphan Will Henry written in 1888 is book-ended by a prologue and epilogue that takes place in 2007 after the author, finishing work for a hospital is entreated to read the diaries of a mad, homeless man named Will Henry, who claimed to be 132 years old.
Twelve-year-old Will Henry was taken in by Dr. Pellinore Warthrop after the deaths of his parents in a fire. Will's father devoted his life in the service of Dr. Warthrop and now it is Will who is at his beck and call, morning, noon and night. It is at night when the furtive knocks at the door mean less than savory visitors with less than savory offerings that are all examined and cataloged by an eager Dr. Warthrop, in the name of science. Dr. Warthrop is a monstrumologist. Will is his assistant. On one particular night, a grave robber knocks at the door with a gruesome discovering - the body of a young woman with the body of a dead anthropophagi attached to her. He had died while feeding on her and it is up to Dr. Warthrop to discover not only how he died, but how he came to be in New England, thousands of miles away from their native Africa.
This is an intense read and definitely not for the squeamish. I was very glad, very early in the story that I was listening to it. I often snack while reading with my eyes. There were many, many moments during the listening of this that my stomach turned and I uttered an involuntary moan aloud. Gore notwithstanding, I was riveted by the mystery of how the anthropophagi got to the U.S., how Will Henry became an orphan and just what sort of man Dr. Pellinore Warthrop was.
Steven Boyer's narration was perfectly paced. I especially loved his voice for Dr. Warthrop, "Snap to, Will Henry!"
The second book in the series was recently released and while I'm definitely interested in continuing Will Henry's story, I was somewhat disappointed by the change in cover art. The paperback edition of The Monstrumologist was recently released complete with a new cover - one that matches the second installment, Curse of the Wendigo.
Hm, looking at them side by side, I'm growing to like them more. I definitely like the silhouetted crow or raven and the creepy background art, but I find the original cover art more intriguing and menacing.
I am also faced with a decision about whether to read with my eyes or ears, although it may be made for me because the audiobook does not appear to be available yet.
Edited October 27, 2010: I just stumbled upon the book's website, which has a pretty good trailer for The Monstrumologist on the home page.