Here Be Monsters!
Encyclopedia
Here Be Monsters! is a novel written and illustrated by Alan Snow. Subtitled An adventure involving magic, trolls, and other creatures, it is presented as Volume I of The Ratbridge Chronicles. It was first published in Great Britain
in 2005 by the Oxford University Press. It was published in the United States
by Atheneum on 20 June 2006. The book includes over five hundred black and white illustrations by Snow, originally executed in pen and ink. Although termed a book for young readers it contains many of the elements of fantasy and adventure found in works such as those of Roald Dahl
and J.K. Rowling that have attracted readers of all ages.
The book has also been issued as a trilogy of shorter novels: Pants Ahoy!, The Man in the Iron Socks, and Cheese Galore!. These are subtitled Here Be Monsters Part 1, 2, and 3 (respectively). This should not be confused with the designation of the original single volume edition as being Volume I of "The Ratbridge Chronicles."
town of Trowbridge
). Ratbridge is located in northeast Bumbleshire, on the banks of the River Rat. A detail in one illustration suggests that it is set in or around the year 1803, and at least one character is depicted in clothing and wig reminiscent of that era. If this is, in fact, the proper time frame, then the story must be viewed as taking place in an alternate reality
. Ratbridge is already so over-industrialized
that certain industries
have collapsed due to the depletion of natural resources
. Large electric generators, a product of the mid-19th century, are in operation, as are bicycle
s (developed in the 1880s). It presupposes the ready availability of cardboard boxes, an invention of the 1840s, and also of cardboard recycling
programs. Most notably, the technology
for what we would call incandescent lighting, radio
, television
, heavier-than-air flight, and even virtual reality
has been developed, albeit secretly.
grandfather, William, in the complex network of tunnels beneath Ratbridge. William went underground after being unjustly accused of attempted murder
. Arthur emerges at sundown in search of food, aided by a pair of hand-cranked mechanical wings. He also carries a doll—an effigy
of his grandfather with his wings—which serves as a walkie-talkie
, allowing him to communicate with his grandfather. On one such expedition Arthur witnesses an illegal cheese
hunt. He follows the hunters and the captured cheeses back to the Cheese Hall. Arthur's wings are stolen, and he is almost captured, by Archibald Snatcher, the leader of the once-powerful Cheese Guild
. Arthur is rescued by Fish, a boxtroll, who takes Arthur to meet his friend, Willbury Nibble. Willbury is the proprietor of a former pet shop called Here Be Monsters. He shares his home with several boxtrolls (Shoe, Egg, and Fish) and a cabbagehead (Titus). Such creatures usually live underground and are collectively termed Underlings. Arthur's new friends intend to use their knowledge of the Underground to help him return to his grandfather, but they quickly discover that all of the entrances to the tunnel
s have been sealed.
Back at the shop, a mysterious individual sells Willbury a number of miniaturized creatures and attempts (unsuccessfully) to buy their full-sized counterparts. Later, during a shopping trip, Willbury and Arthur are surprised to find that miniaturized Underlings are being marketed to Ratbridge's women as the latest fashion
trend. They also seek out Willbury's friend, Marjorie. An inventor, Marjorie is camped out at the patent
office, waiting for the return of the clerk who left with the prototype of her latest invention. When they return to the shop, the place is a shambles and the Underlings are missing. While assessing the wreckage they are visited by Kipper and Tom, members of the crew of the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry, soliciting customers. The Laundry is headquartered on a ship that became stuck in a canal
and is staffed by a combination of men, rat
s, and crow
s. (Playing against stereotype
, the rats are portrayed as intelligent, congenial characters who share leadership duties with the men. It is alluded to that the crew were pirates before going into business as a laundry.) Several of their crew have also gone missing and they are happy to join the search for the Underlings.
The group begins surveillance of the Cheese Hall. After seeing the Guild members leave on another illegal hunt, Arthur slips inside. He retrieves his wings and helps a number of Underlings (including his friends) escape from the dungeon
. They return to the Nautical Laundry. However, corrupt police
officers arrest Arthur and hand him over the Guild; he is imprisoned in the dungeon. The prisoner in the adjoining cell—Herbert, the Man in the Iron Socks—tells Arthur that the Guild is creating miniature creatures, although he doesn't know why. He helps Arthur retrieve the keys to their cells from the sleeping guard.
Meanwhile, Willbury, Marjorie, and several members of the Laundry disguise themselves as boxtrolls and enter the Underground via an open tunnel outside the city walls. They locate Arthur's grandfather, but soon the party is caught in the traps used by the Guild to capture Underlings and taken to the laboratory. Marjorie recognizes an enlarged version of her stolen invention—now revealed to be a size transference device. A gigantic rat emerges from a pit in the middle of the floor. The Laundry members recognize it as one of their missing comrades, although greatly enlarged. Snatcher reveals that the Guild has been transferring the size of captured Underlings to "the Great One", and feeding him with the captured cheeses, so that they can wreak vengeance on Ratbridge. Still believing her to be a boxtroll, the Guild transfers Marjorie's size to the rat, leaving her only seven inches tall. Arthur is then brought into the lab and is to be the next shrunk. However his guard is actually Herbert, disguised as a Guild member. Herbert is able to free the captives using his "walloper"—a large mallet—and knocks a hole in the wall to allow their escape. Arthur again retrieves his wings—and Marjorie's prototype—and the group quickly returns to the ship.
The Guild proceeds to dress the Great One in battle armor, and the hole in the wall only allows him an easier exit. Seeing the danger the town is in, the heroes return to the Cheese Hall hoping to stop the Great One. They activate a large electromagnet, which draws the iron armor back toward the hall. However, the pressure within the armor is so great that the Great One explodes, covering the town in a layer of cheese. The shock wave triggers a collapse of the underground tunnels below the hall. Using the prototype size transference device, the miniaturized creatures are returned to their normal size. William is able to clear his name, and he, Arthur, and Herbert take up residence in comfortable rooms above the old pet shop.
Boxtrolls are a sub-species of the common troll
. They are extremely shy and thus live inside cardboard boxes. They are fascinated by anything mechanical and will steal almost any unsecured item, although this is based on curiosity rather than greed or maliciousness. They are charged with the maintenance of the underground tunnels.
Cabbageheads are small, human-like creatures that keep cabbage
s tied to their heads. They are led by a queen
and their society has been likened to that of bee
s. Little else is known about them.
Freshwater Sea Cows have traits common to both manatee
s or sea cows and dairy cows. They live in underwater tunnels as well as open water. They are vegetarian.
feature with Anthony Stacchi
(Open Season
) directing, but a project announcement has yet to be made.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 2005 by the Oxford University Press. It was published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Atheneum on 20 June 2006. The book includes over five hundred black and white illustrations by Snow, originally executed in pen and ink. Although termed a book for young readers it contains many of the elements of fantasy and adventure found in works such as those of Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
and J.K. Rowling that have attracted readers of all ages.
The book has also been issued as a trilogy of shorter novels: Pants Ahoy!, The Man in the Iron Socks, and Cheese Galore!. These are subtitled Here Be Monsters Part 1, 2, and 3 (respectively). This should not be confused with the designation of the original single volume edition as being Volume I of "The Ratbridge Chronicles."
Setting
Here Be Monsters! is set in—and below—the fictional English town of Ratbridge (based upon the WiltshireWiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
town of Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
). Ratbridge is located in northeast Bumbleshire, on the banks of the River Rat. A detail in one illustration suggests that it is set in or around the year 1803, and at least one character is depicted in clothing and wig reminiscent of that era. If this is, in fact, the proper time frame, then the story must be viewed as taking place in an alternate reality
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
. Ratbridge is already so over-industrialized
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
that certain industries
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
have collapsed due to the depletion of natural resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
. Large electric generators, a product of the mid-19th century, are in operation, as are bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s (developed in the 1880s). It presupposes the ready availability of cardboard boxes, an invention of the 1840s, and also of cardboard recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
programs. Most notably, the technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
for what we would call incandescent lighting, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, heavier-than-air flight, and even virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
has been developed, albeit secretly.
Plot
Arthur lives with his adoptiveAdoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
grandfather, William, in the complex network of tunnels beneath Ratbridge. William went underground after being unjustly accused of attempted murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. Arthur emerges at sundown in search of food, aided by a pair of hand-cranked mechanical wings. He also carries a doll—an effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of his grandfather with his wings—which serves as a walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
, allowing him to communicate with his grandfather. On one such expedition Arthur witnesses an illegal cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
hunt. He follows the hunters and the captured cheeses back to the Cheese Hall. Arthur's wings are stolen, and he is almost captured, by Archibald Snatcher, the leader of the once-powerful Cheese Guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
. Arthur is rescued by Fish, a boxtroll, who takes Arthur to meet his friend, Willbury Nibble. Willbury is the proprietor of a former pet shop called Here Be Monsters. He shares his home with several boxtrolls (Shoe, Egg, and Fish) and a cabbagehead (Titus). Such creatures usually live underground and are collectively termed Underlings. Arthur's new friends intend to use their knowledge of the Underground to help him return to his grandfather, but they quickly discover that all of the entrances to the tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s have been sealed.
Back at the shop, a mysterious individual sells Willbury a number of miniaturized creatures and attempts (unsuccessfully) to buy their full-sized counterparts. Later, during a shopping trip, Willbury and Arthur are surprised to find that miniaturized Underlings are being marketed to Ratbridge's women as the latest fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
trend. They also seek out Willbury's friend, Marjorie. An inventor, Marjorie is camped out at the patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
office, waiting for the return of the clerk who left with the prototype of her latest invention. When they return to the shop, the place is a shambles and the Underlings are missing. While assessing the wreckage they are visited by Kipper and Tom, members of the crew of the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry, soliciting customers. The Laundry is headquartered on a ship that became stuck in a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
and is staffed by a combination of men, rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, and crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s. (Playing against stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
, the rats are portrayed as intelligent, congenial characters who share leadership duties with the men. It is alluded to that the crew were pirates before going into business as a laundry.) Several of their crew have also gone missing and they are happy to join the search for the Underlings.
The group begins surveillance of the Cheese Hall. After seeing the Guild members leave on another illegal hunt, Arthur slips inside. He retrieves his wings and helps a number of Underlings (including his friends) escape from the dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
. They return to the Nautical Laundry. However, corrupt police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
officers arrest Arthur and hand him over the Guild; he is imprisoned in the dungeon. The prisoner in the adjoining cell—Herbert, the Man in the Iron Socks—tells Arthur that the Guild is creating miniature creatures, although he doesn't know why. He helps Arthur retrieve the keys to their cells from the sleeping guard.
Meanwhile, Willbury, Marjorie, and several members of the Laundry disguise themselves as boxtrolls and enter the Underground via an open tunnel outside the city walls. They locate Arthur's grandfather, but soon the party is caught in the traps used by the Guild to capture Underlings and taken to the laboratory. Marjorie recognizes an enlarged version of her stolen invention—now revealed to be a size transference device. A gigantic rat emerges from a pit in the middle of the floor. The Laundry members recognize it as one of their missing comrades, although greatly enlarged. Snatcher reveals that the Guild has been transferring the size of captured Underlings to "the Great One", and feeding him with the captured cheeses, so that they can wreak vengeance on Ratbridge. Still believing her to be a boxtroll, the Guild transfers Marjorie's size to the rat, leaving her only seven inches tall. Arthur is then brought into the lab and is to be the next shrunk. However his guard is actually Herbert, disguised as a Guild member. Herbert is able to free the captives using his "walloper"—a large mallet—and knocks a hole in the wall to allow their escape. Arthur again retrieves his wings—and Marjorie's prototype—and the group quickly returns to the ship.
The Guild proceeds to dress the Great One in battle armor, and the hole in the wall only allows him an easier exit. Seeing the danger the town is in, the heroes return to the Cheese Hall hoping to stop the Great One. They activate a large electromagnet, which draws the iron armor back toward the hall. However, the pressure within the armor is so great that the Great One explodes, covering the town in a layer of cheese. The shock wave triggers a collapse of the underground tunnels below the hall. Using the prototype size transference device, the miniaturized creatures are returned to their normal size. William is able to clear his name, and he, Arthur, and Herbert take up residence in comfortable rooms above the old pet shop.
Underlings
Within the Here Be Monsters! universe several classes of fantastic creatures, although reclusive, are familiar to the human characters. These include the following:Boxtrolls are a sub-species of the common troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
. They are extremely shy and thus live inside cardboard boxes. They are fascinated by anything mechanical and will steal almost any unsecured item, although this is based on curiosity rather than greed or maliciousness. They are charged with the maintenance of the underground tunnels.
Cabbageheads are small, human-like creatures that keep cabbage
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
s tied to their heads. They are led by a queen
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
and their society has been likened to that of bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s. Little else is known about them.
Freshwater Sea Cows have traits common to both manatee
Manatee
Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows...
s or sea cows and dairy cows. They live in underwater tunnels as well as open water. They are vegetarian.
Possible film adaptation
LAIKA had considered an adaptation of the book for its next stop motionStop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
feature with Anthony Stacchi
Anthony Stacchi
Anthony F. Stacchi is an American effects animator and film director.Stacchi graduated from California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Film then went on to be an Animator and Commercial Director at San Francisco's Colossal Pictures and an effects animator at Industrial Light and Magic on Back...
(Open Season
Open Season (film)
Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries...
) directing, but a project announcement has yet to be made.