The Monstrumologist
Encyclopedia
The Monstrumologist is a young adult horror novel by Rick Yancey
. It received the 2010 Michael L. Printz Honor Award
for excellence in young adult literature.
The Monstrumologist begins when Erasmus Gray pulls his horse and cart up to Dr. Warthrop's house in the middle of the night. He reveals the body of a young woman and an Anthropophagi, "one wrapped around the other in an obscene embrace." The girl has "half her face" missing, and her throat is torn out. Dr. Warthrop dissects both the girl and the monster
, and finds an Anthropophagi fetus
in the dead girl's womb. Warthrop explains to Will Henry, who is taking notes on the procedure, that Anthropophagi require a host to grow their young in. They poison
the baby and continue examining the bodies. Dr. Warthrop theorizes that because Anthropophagi are indigenous to Africa
and have never been seen in the Americas before, there could only be one or two more in the area at most. The next night, Warthrop, Gray, and Will Henry go to the cemetery
to return the girl's body to her grave.
While Gray and Will Henry re-dig the grave
, Warthrop tries to discover how the Anthropophagi accessed her body in the first place. They are all interrupted when Gray's horse is spooked by something in the surrounding woods
. Suddenly, an Anthropophagus bursts up from under the dirt in the hole Will Henry and Gray were digging. It seizes Gray by the legs and starts dragging him down. Will Henry grabs Gray's wrists and tries to pull him back, but is not nearly as strong as the monster, and starts being pulled in himself. He tries to release Gray, but Gray hangs on to him and refuses to let go. Dr. Warthrop shoots Gray and pulls Will Henry back, while Gray's body is pulled all the way into the hole.
Warthrop and Will Henry run for their lives as more Anthropophagi "poured out of Eliza's grave, dozens of them, scores, sprinting with arms outstretched and mouths agape, their colorless skin radiant in the starlight, as if every tomb
and sepulchre
had vomited forth their foul contents." They jump on the back of Gray's horse
and ride off, narrowly evading the approaching swarm. Back at Warthrop's house, he and Will Henry begin searching through old newspaper
s for suspicious deaths over the past thirty years. Warthrop marks possible Anthropophagi attacks on a map, and from it estimates that there are around twenty five or thirty Anthropophagi in the area. The map also shows that the Anthropophagi have been steadily making their way from the coast
to New Jerusalem (where Warthrop lives) over the last couple of decades.
Warthrop then composes a letter to John Kearns asking him to come and use his "inestimable services" to help with the infestation, dictating with "a hint of distaste." Then, in some of Warthrop's father's old journals, he finds a reference to a place on Motley Hill, in Dedham, that might be connected to the Anthropophagi's arrival. Will Henry finds a key among the old papers as well, and puts it in his pocket to show to Warthrop later. Will Henry also realizes that he has lost his hat
, the last object in his possession from his home before his parents died. Warthrop and Will Henry leave that night for Dedham, where they find the Motley Hill Sanatorium
. Warthrop knocks, and after a long wait, a "withered woman in black", Mrs. Bratton, answers. At first she refuses to let them in, until Warthrop mentions he's the son of Dr. Alistair Warthrop, at which point Mrs. Bratton slams the door and goes to get Dr. Starr.
Starr lets them in and, after discussing Warthrop's father for a while, reveals that Warthrop's father had a keen interest in one of Starr's patient
s, Captain Varner. Warthrop asks to see Varner. Starr "cast an eye toward the parlor door" and stalls for several minutes, until finally Warthrop bribes him and Starr calls for Mrs. Bratton to take them to Varner. Bratton leads Warthrop and Will Henry upstairs. As they pass doors, they hear patients crying and calling out, and (in one case) laughing frantically. They're also surrounded by the smell of "unwashed flesh, old urine
, and human feces
." They go into the last door. Under the window "clustered the bodies of desiccated flies. Above them, a congregation of their extant cousins buzzed about and crawled upon glass. My eyes began to water, for the smell of bleach
was overwhelming, and I deduced the reason for delaying the doctor downstairs: Mrs. Bratton had needed time to scour and disinfect before our introduction to Captain Varner."
Varner is lying on a bed under multiple layers of sheets. Warthrop asks Mrs. Bratton to leave, which she initially refuses, claiming it is against the rules. When Warthrop insists, however, she goes back into the hall. Warthrop then tries to get Varner to speak, but without any success at first, as Varner stairs up mindlessly at the ceiling. It's not until the name Warthrop is mentioned that he really responds. Varner tells them that he was hired to sail to Benin
(in Africa) about twenty five years previously, to return with a "cargo of particular interest." He was paid a large amount of money to pick up three Anthropophagi, an adult of each gender
and a cub, and sail them back to the New World. Varner and his crew were instructed to lock up the Anthropophagi in the bottom of the ship and throw down a cow, goat
or chimpanzee
to them every couple of weeks. However, the Anthropophagi refused to eat them.
The crew makes a sport of tormenting them, particularly the first mate. Drunk one day, the first mate takes a piece of cow meat and swings down a rope in the top of the Anthropophagi's holding area below deck to give it to them. The female Anthropophagi grabs him and eats him. Captain Varner posts guards to ensure nothing like it happens again, but one day a huge storm
hit the ship and the crew can see almost nothing. The Anthropophagi climb through the porthole
and up the side of the ship onto the deck, where they proceed to slaughter the crew When only Varner is left, he runs for the lifeboats
, stabbing one of the female Anthropophagi's eyes on the way out. When he returns home, he is sent to the sanatorium.
Warthrop pulls back Varner's bedding to reveal that Varner's flesh is being eaten away by maggot
s, thus the flies. Warthrop diagnoses that whatever infection
Varner has already spread to his bones: Varner will live no more than a day. Warthrop spends the night at Varner's bedside until Varner dies the next morning. It is understood by the reader that his death is the direct result of neglect
from Starr and Bratton. He then confronts Mrs. Bratton, informing her that he is going to inform the police
that they are mistreating their patients. "She responded stiffly, 'I've no idea what you mean, Dr. Warthrop."
"'Regrettably that very well might be so,' acknowledged the doctor icily. 'And all the more appalling if it is! To view your shameful neglect as altogether fitting and humane is beyond deplorable - it is inhuman. You may inform your master that I am not finished here. I am not finished, but Motley Hill is."
Folio Two
Early the next morning, Constable Morgan knocks on the door asking for Warthrop. He tells Warthrop that something has happened "totally outside the range of my experience." On the carriage
ride to the crime scene, Warthrop questions Morgan. Warthrop discovers that "the crime" was reported "shortly after dawn" Only one person survived (Malachi). Morgan explains he called on Warthrop because "no human being is capable of so foul a crime."
They arrive at the town rectory
. (224) Five have been found dead; the rector
, his wife, and three of their children. Various chunks of them have been torn off, and blood and carnage are everywhere. Warthrop estimates it to be the work of at least eight to ten Anthropophagi. Morgan observes that the odds of these monsters appearing in the town where "the country's - if not the worlds - preeminent expert in these matters resides" by chance are very small.
Warthrop, Morgan and Will Henry go to the sanctuary
, where Malachi is waiting. He is visibly disturbed. "His full lips moved soundlessly, as he stared, like some Eastern mystic
, at a space beyond our mortal sphere, looking without but seeing within." Malachi does not respond much to anyone except Will Henry, after discovering Will Henry's family is also dead, and that Will Henry ran from the scene. Malachi asks, "Do you think God will forgive us, Will Henry?" Malachi explains what happened before he ran. The Anthorpophagi came through the windows of the house while they slept. One of his sisters came to hide in his room with him. They listened to their families screams and the sounds of the monsters tearing them and the house apart. Malachi breaks open his bedroom
window so he and his sister can escape.
The Anthropophagi hear the sound of breaking glass, and his sister faints. Malachi tries to drag his sister through the window, but an Anthropophagi comes in and grabs her. Malachi jumped through the window and rode to Morgan.
Warthrop and Will Henry return home. Morgan arrives shortly. He brings Malachi and his assistant with him. (253) He tells the doctor he has been at the cemetery, and that he found Will Henry's hat. Morgan deduces that Warthrop knew the Anthropophagi were there, which Warthrop confirms. Malachi grabs Morgan's assistant's gun
and jumps on top of Warthrop. Malachi blames Warthrop for his family's death. He whispers, "he took everything from me, Will!" Will Henry convinces him to let go of the gun by answering "and you would take everything from me." Warthrop takes Morgan and his assistant to see the Anthropophagi body that Gray brought to him, which is still in his basement. Will Henry takes Malachi to one of the spare bedrooms and puts him to bed, sitting with him for awhile.
Someone starts banging on the front door, and Warthrop calls for Will Henry to answer. Kearns arrives, "looking for the house of a very dear friend of mine." Warthrop comes in, and "froze upon seeing the tall Englishman in the entryway." Kearns, upon seeing Warthrop, says "'My dear Pellinore,' purred Kearns warmly, brushing past me to seize the doctors hand. He pumped it vigorously." Warthrop, however, returns "tightly." (265) The conversation continues in this way, Kearns behaving very warmly, Warthrop just the opposite. Morgan appears, and Kearns introduces himself as Richard Corey. (266) Warthrop, Morgan and Kearns go off while Will Henry and Kearn's driver bring in luggage. When Will Henry returns with tea, the three men are looking at Warthrop's map
where he plotted the various Anthropophagi attacks.
Kearns suggests Warthrop's father paid to have the Anthropophagi shipped over, and Warthrop slaps him. As the night goes on, Kearns continues to tease Warthrop about his relationship with his father.
Folio Three
The next day, Warthrop, Kearns, Will Henry, Malachi, Morgan, and six of Morgan's men meet to prepare a trap
for the Anthropophagi. Kearns is in a notably good mood. When Morgan asks Warthrop why Kearns is so cheerful at the prospect of slaughtering or possibly being slaughtered, Warthrop explains "it's the joy of a man perfectly suited for his work." Morgan, introducing Kearns to his men, explains that "'Dr. Warthrop has engaged the services of this... person who purports to have experience' - 'extensive experience,' Kearns corrected him - 'at killing these things.'" Kearns directs the men in setting up the 'slaughter ring in the cemetery.' Morgan becomes steadily more and more disgusted with Kearns. When Kearns states that "there is no morality
save the morality of the moment," Morgan retorts "I begin to see why you delight in hunting them. You've so much in common."
Once the men have finished setting up the 'slaughter ring,' Kearns pulls out the bait he brought with them: a woman's motionless body, "reposed as a corpse." Morgan protests that using the woman's body is immoral. Kearns justifies that "it's a woman of the streets, Morgan. A common tramp with which the gutters of Baltimore
are choked to overflowing." Warthrop, though reluctant, concedes the necessity of bait and points out that "she is past all suffering." As evening comes, everyone gets into position in the trees around the slaughter ring, guns and grenade
s in hand. Smiling, Kearns comments "the bloody hour has come."
Kearns has the woman's body chained in the middle of the slaughter ring. He goes over to her, bending over her in such a way that no one can see what he's doing. Suddenly she starts kicking and screaming, and the other men realize she is alive. "With a single fluid motion of his arm Kearns reached across the thrashing captive's torso
and opened up her abdomen
with the razor-sharp blade. The piercing screams of agony that greeted this act of heartless barbarity rent the twilight stillness with all the force of a thunderclap." Kearns runs back into the trees where the rest are waiting. Morgan curses Kearns, but thinks there's no time to help the woman as the Anthropophagi start to come up from underground. Kearns shoot the first one to injure, not to kill, in the hopes that it's suffering will draw out the rest. The woman is still screaming on the ground.
Warthrop runs out to her, ignoring the injured Anthropophagi, carries the woman under the trees and starts binding up her wounds. At the sound of more Anthropophagi quickly approaching, Warthrop returns to the trees to shoot, leaving Will Henry and Malachi to tend to the woman. As the adults in the trees deal with the largest faction of Anthropophagi, a juvenile comes upon Will Henry and Malachi. Malachi shoots it, but not in an area that does lasting damage. Malachi doesn't have time to reload, so he jams the butt of the gun into the Anthropophagi's mouth. Will Henry pulls out Warthrop's revolver
, but the Anthropophagi smacks it out of his hand and grabs him. (328) Will Henry pulls out a knife
from his belt. He stabs each of the Anthropophagi's eyes, and then its brain, killing it. The battle ends shortly. Warthrop has Morgan's assistant take the wounded woman to a doctor.
Upon examining the Anthropophagi bodies, they cannot find the leader, who they expect to recognize by her missing eye
(as she was stabbed by Varner earlier on). Surmising she is still underground with her young, they decide they must go into the Anthropophagi warren and look for her in order to ensure that all of the monsters are killed. Kearns suggests that the "front door" of the Anthropophagi's underground home must be in the Warthrop mausoleum
, in keeping with his theory that Warthrop's father had them brought over in the first place. Inside it, Kearns finds a hidden clock
, "hands frozen at twelve." Warthrop, finally accepting that Kearn's theory must be true, suggests they try moving the hand to three o'clock because the witching hour was important to his father. They do so, and a hidden door opens.
They find a locked trapdoor
. Will Henry remembers the key he found earlier (still in his pocket), and tries it out: The trapdoor opens. They lower themselves into what appears to be the main pit where the Anthropophagi live and eat; the floor is covered in bones. They search the tunnels leading away from it until Kearns and Warthrop discover a small tunnel
that only Will Henry can get through. Will Henry crawls through it for a long time until the dirt drops out from under him and he falls into another pit. He finds another juvenile Anthropophagi, sleeping. One of its forearm
s is missing, and it appears to be in considerable pain. Wanting to put it out of its misery, Will Henry comes up close to it to shoot it. The Anthropophagi suddenly jerks awake and grabs Will Henry. In the struggle, Will Henry's arm is bitten. Will Henry eventually manages to kill it with a large stone found on the ground.
Will Henry wanders around in the tunnels until Kearns finds him. Will Henry explains what happened to him, and Kearns then instructs him to take the 'bandage' (Will's shirt
, which he has wrapped around his arm) off of his bite wound, because "we don't want to risk an infection." Kearns then instructs Will Henry to follow the path Kearns has marked, which Kearns says will take Will Henry back to Warthrop. Will Henry follows Kearns instructions. The tunnel Kearns marked is steep, and Will Henry is careful not to slip and go rolling down the tunnel. After a little while, Will Henry thinks he hears something following him. Will Henry continues, until he smells Anthropophagi ahead and stops. Kearns appears behind him and asks him why he stopped; Will Henry explains that this can't be the way back.
"'I had hoped to avoid it,' was his cryptic response. 'The smell of blood should have drawn her out; I'm at a loss, frankly ,why she didn't come... I am so sorry, Mr. Henry, but there really is no choice. It is the morality of the moment.' And with those parting words John Kearns shoved me as hard as he could." Will Henry rolls into a pit with the remaining Anthropophagi. Two juvenile Anthropophagi leap towards him; Will Henry shoots one, and above him, Kearns shoots the second. As a third sails towards Will Henry, Kearns shoots the last monster in the room.
Warthrop comes running over to Will Henry, who explains what Kearns did. When Kearns tries to justify his actions, Warthrop threatens to shoot him. Suddenly, the floor bursts from under them as the leader pushes up and grabs Malachi. Malachi tells Will Henry to grab a grenade from Kearn's bag; Will Henry tosses it at Malachi and the matriarch, and they are both buried in dirt, mud and rock. The matriarch rises out of the dust, leaping towards Will Henry, who knows he only has one shot left in his gun. He aims for her brain
and shoots: she dies.
In the final chapter, we learn that Warthrop, Kearns and Will Henry visit Starr afterward; Kearns kills him, then disappears. Six months later, Warthrop and Will Henry find a newspaper headline
: Ripper Strikes Again/Whitechapel Killer Claims Fourth Victim. Finally, Warthrop gives Will Henry a new hat: after holding his old hat in one hand and his new one in the other, Will Henry tosses his old hat in the fire.
The review in Publishers Weekly
said, "Yancey's elegant depiction of an America plagued with monsters, human and otherwise, spares no grisly detail. ... Horror lovers will be rapt." The reviewer in the School Library Journal
wrote "Though the pace sometimes falters beneath the weight of Will's verbose observations, the author folds surprising depth and twists into the plot and cast alike, crafts icky bits that can be regarded as comically over-the-top (or not), and all in all dishes up an escapade fully 'capable,' as Will puts it, 'of fulfilling our curious and baffling need for a marauding horror of malicious intent'".
Rick Yancey
Rick Yancey is an American novelist, formerly an Internal Revenue Service tax collector.-Biography:His Alfred Kropp series begins with The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, which was named a Best Book for Children by Publishers Weekly and was a finalist for the Carnegie Medal for 2005.. ...
. It received the 2010 Michael L. Printz Honor Award
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
for excellence in young adult literature.
Plot summary
Folio oneThe Monstrumologist begins when Erasmus Gray pulls his horse and cart up to Dr. Warthrop's house in the middle of the night. He reveals the body of a young woman and an Anthropophagi, "one wrapped around the other in an obscene embrace." The girl has "half her face" missing, and her throat is torn out. Dr. Warthrop dissects both the girl and the monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
, and finds an Anthropophagi fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
in the dead girl's womb. Warthrop explains to Will Henry, who is taking notes on the procedure, that Anthropophagi require a host to grow their young in. They poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
the baby and continue examining the bodies. Dr. Warthrop theorizes that because Anthropophagi are indigenous to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and have never been seen in the Americas before, there could only be one or two more in the area at most. The next night, Warthrop, Gray, and Will Henry go to the cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
to return the girl's body to her grave.
While Gray and Will Henry re-dig the grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
, Warthrop tries to discover how the Anthropophagi accessed her body in the first place. They are all interrupted when Gray's horse is spooked by something in the surrounding woods
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. Suddenly, an Anthropophagus bursts up from under the dirt in the hole Will Henry and Gray were digging. It seizes Gray by the legs and starts dragging him down. Will Henry grabs Gray's wrists and tries to pull him back, but is not nearly as strong as the monster, and starts being pulled in himself. He tries to release Gray, but Gray hangs on to him and refuses to let go. Dr. Warthrop shoots Gray and pulls Will Henry back, while Gray's body is pulled all the way into the hole.
Warthrop and Will Henry run for their lives as more Anthropophagi "poured out of Eliza's grave, dozens of them, scores, sprinting with arms outstretched and mouths agape, their colorless skin radiant in the starlight, as if every tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
and sepulchre
Sepulchre
The rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel are a group of hundreds of rock-cut tombs constructed in Israel in ancient times. They were cut into the rock, sometimes with elaborate facades and multiple burial chambers. Some are free-standing, but most are caves. Each tomb typically belonged to a...
had vomited forth their foul contents." They jump on the back of Gray's horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
and ride off, narrowly evading the approaching swarm. Back at Warthrop's house, he and Will Henry begin searching through old newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s for suspicious deaths over the past thirty years. Warthrop marks possible Anthropophagi attacks on a map, and from it estimates that there are around twenty five or thirty Anthropophagi in the area. The map also shows that the Anthropophagi have been steadily making their way from the coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
to New Jerusalem (where Warthrop lives) over the last couple of decades.
Warthrop then composes a letter to John Kearns asking him to come and use his "inestimable services" to help with the infestation, dictating with "a hint of distaste." Then, in some of Warthrop's father's old journals, he finds a reference to a place on Motley Hill, in Dedham, that might be connected to the Anthropophagi's arrival. Will Henry finds a key among the old papers as well, and puts it in his pocket to show to Warthrop later. Will Henry also realizes that he has lost his hat
Hat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
, the last object in his possession from his home before his parents died. Warthrop and Will Henry leave that night for Dedham, where they find the Motley Hill Sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
. Warthrop knocks, and after a long wait, a "withered woman in black", Mrs. Bratton, answers. At first she refuses to let them in, until Warthrop mentions he's the son of Dr. Alistair Warthrop, at which point Mrs. Bratton slams the door and goes to get Dr. Starr.
Starr lets them in and, after discussing Warthrop's father for a while, reveals that Warthrop's father had a keen interest in one of Starr's patient
Patient
A patient is any recipient of healthcare services. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, veterinarian, or other health care provider....
s, Captain Varner. Warthrop asks to see Varner. Starr "cast an eye toward the parlor door" and stalls for several minutes, until finally Warthrop bribes him and Starr calls for Mrs. Bratton to take them to Varner. Bratton leads Warthrop and Will Henry upstairs. As they pass doors, they hear patients crying and calling out, and (in one case) laughing frantically. They're also surrounded by the smell of "unwashed flesh, old urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
, and human feces
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
." They go into the last door. Under the window "clustered the bodies of desiccated flies. Above them, a congregation of their extant cousins buzzed about and crawled upon glass. My eyes began to water, for the smell of bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
was overwhelming, and I deduced the reason for delaying the doctor downstairs: Mrs. Bratton had needed time to scour and disinfect before our introduction to Captain Varner."
Varner is lying on a bed under multiple layers of sheets. Warthrop asks Mrs. Bratton to leave, which she initially refuses, claiming it is against the rules. When Warthrop insists, however, she goes back into the hall. Warthrop then tries to get Varner to speak, but without any success at first, as Varner stairs up mindlessly at the ceiling. It's not until the name Warthrop is mentioned that he really responds. Varner tells them that he was hired to sail to Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
(in Africa) about twenty five years previously, to return with a "cargo of particular interest." He was paid a large amount of money to pick up three Anthropophagi, an adult of each gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
and a cub, and sail them back to the New World. Varner and his crew were instructed to lock up the Anthropophagi in the bottom of the ship and throw down a cow, goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
or chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
to them every couple of weeks. However, the Anthropophagi refused to eat them.
The crew makes a sport of tormenting them, particularly the first mate. Drunk one day, the first mate takes a piece of cow meat and swings down a rope in the top of the Anthropophagi's holding area below deck to give it to them. The female Anthropophagi grabs him and eats him. Captain Varner posts guards to ensure nothing like it happens again, but one day a huge storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
hit the ship and the crew can see almost nothing. The Anthropophagi climb through the porthole
Porthole
A porthole is a generally circular, window used on the hull of ships to admit light and air. Porthole is actually an abbreviated term for "port hole window"...
and up the side of the ship onto the deck, where they proceed to slaughter the crew When only Varner is left, he runs for the lifeboats
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
, stabbing one of the female Anthropophagi's eyes on the way out. When he returns home, he is sent to the sanatorium.
Warthrop pulls back Varner's bedding to reveal that Varner's flesh is being eaten away by maggot
Maggot
In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly ; it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies...
s, thus the flies. Warthrop diagnoses that whatever infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
Varner has already spread to his bones: Varner will live no more than a day. Warthrop spends the night at Varner's bedside until Varner dies the next morning. It is understood by the reader that his death is the direct result of neglect
Neglect
Neglect is a passive form of abuse in which a perpetrator is responsible to provide care for a victim who is unable to care for himself or herself, but fails to provide adequate care....
from Starr and Bratton. He then confronts Mrs. Bratton, informing her that he is going to inform the 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...
that they are mistreating their patients. "She responded stiffly, 'I've no idea what you mean, Dr. Warthrop."
"'Regrettably that very well might be so,' acknowledged the doctor icily. 'And all the more appalling if it is! To view your shameful neglect as altogether fitting and humane is beyond deplorable - it is inhuman. You may inform your master that I am not finished here. I am not finished, but Motley Hill is."
Folio Two
Early the next morning, Constable Morgan knocks on the door asking for Warthrop. He tells Warthrop that something has happened "totally outside the range of my experience." On the carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
ride to the crime scene, Warthrop questions Morgan. Warthrop discovers that "the crime" was reported "shortly after dawn" Only one person survived (Malachi). Morgan explains he called on Warthrop because "no human being is capable of so foul a crime."
They arrive at the town rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
. (224) Five have been found dead; the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
, his wife, and three of their children. Various chunks of them have been torn off, and blood and carnage are everywhere. Warthrop estimates it to be the work of at least eight to ten Anthropophagi. Morgan observes that the odds of these monsters appearing in the town where "the country's - if not the worlds - preeminent expert in these matters resides" by chance are very small.
Warthrop, Morgan and Will Henry go to the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, where Malachi is waiting. He is visibly disturbed. "His full lips moved soundlessly, as he stared, like some Eastern mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
, at a space beyond our mortal sphere, looking without but seeing within." Malachi does not respond much to anyone except Will Henry, after discovering Will Henry's family is also dead, and that Will Henry ran from the scene. Malachi asks, "Do you think God will forgive us, Will Henry?" Malachi explains what happened before he ran. The Anthorpophagi came through the windows of the house while they slept. One of his sisters came to hide in his room with him. They listened to their families screams and the sounds of the monsters tearing them and the house apart. Malachi breaks open his bedroom
Bedroom
A bedroom is a private room where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day.About one third of our lives are spent sleeping and most of the time we are asleep, we are sleeping in a bedroom. To be considered a bedroom the room needs to have bed. Bedrooms can range from really simple...
window so he and his sister can escape.
The Anthropophagi hear the sound of breaking glass, and his sister faints. Malachi tries to drag his sister through the window, but an Anthropophagi comes in and grabs her. Malachi jumped through the window and rode to Morgan.
Warthrop and Will Henry return home. Morgan arrives shortly. He brings Malachi and his assistant with him. (253) He tells the doctor he has been at the cemetery, and that he found Will Henry's hat. Morgan deduces that Warthrop knew the Anthropophagi were there, which Warthrop confirms. Malachi grabs Morgan's assistant's gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
and jumps on top of Warthrop. Malachi blames Warthrop for his family's death. He whispers, "he took everything from me, Will!" Will Henry convinces him to let go of the gun by answering "and you would take everything from me." Warthrop takes Morgan and his assistant to see the Anthropophagi body that Gray brought to him, which is still in his basement. Will Henry takes Malachi to one of the spare bedrooms and puts him to bed, sitting with him for awhile.
Someone starts banging on the front door, and Warthrop calls for Will Henry to answer. Kearns arrives, "looking for the house of a very dear friend of mine." Warthrop comes in, and "froze upon seeing the tall Englishman in the entryway." Kearns, upon seeing Warthrop, says "'My dear Pellinore,' purred Kearns warmly, brushing past me to seize the doctors hand. He pumped it vigorously." Warthrop, however, returns "tightly." (265) The conversation continues in this way, Kearns behaving very warmly, Warthrop just the opposite. Morgan appears, and Kearns introduces himself as Richard Corey. (266) Warthrop, Morgan and Kearns go off while Will Henry and Kearn's driver bring in luggage. When Will Henry returns with tea, the three men are looking at Warthrop's map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
where he plotted the various Anthropophagi attacks.
Kearns suggests Warthrop's father paid to have the Anthropophagi shipped over, and Warthrop slaps him. As the night goes on, Kearns continues to tease Warthrop about his relationship with his father.
Folio Three
The next day, Warthrop, Kearns, Will Henry, Malachi, Morgan, and six of Morgan's men meet to prepare a trap
Trap (tactic)
A trap is a device intended to catch an intruder or prey. "Trap" may also refer to the tactic of catching or harming an adversary. Conversely it may also mean a hindrance for change, being caught in a trap.-Device:*Animal trapping*Bird trapping...
for the Anthropophagi. Kearns is in a notably good mood. When Morgan asks Warthrop why Kearns is so cheerful at the prospect of slaughtering or possibly being slaughtered, Warthrop explains "it's the joy of a man perfectly suited for his work." Morgan, introducing Kearns to his men, explains that "'Dr. Warthrop has engaged the services of this... person who purports to have experience' - 'extensive experience,' Kearns corrected him - 'at killing these things.'" Kearns directs the men in setting up the 'slaughter ring in the cemetery.' Morgan becomes steadily more and more disgusted with Kearns. When Kearns states that "there is no morality
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
save the morality of the moment," Morgan retorts "I begin to see why you delight in hunting them. You've so much in common."
Once the men have finished setting up the 'slaughter ring,' Kearns pulls out the bait he brought with them: a woman's motionless body, "reposed as a corpse." Morgan protests that using the woman's body is immoral. Kearns justifies that "it's a woman of the streets, Morgan. A common tramp with which the gutters of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
are choked to overflowing." Warthrop, though reluctant, concedes the necessity of bait and points out that "she is past all suffering." As evening comes, everyone gets into position in the trees around the slaughter ring, guns and grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s in hand. Smiling, Kearns comments "the bloody hour has come."
Kearns has the woman's body chained in the middle of the slaughter ring. He goes over to her, bending over her in such a way that no one can see what he's doing. Suddenly she starts kicking and screaming, and the other men realize she is alive. "With a single fluid motion of his arm Kearns reached across the thrashing captive's torso
Torso
Trunk or torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. The trunk includes the thorax and abdomen.-Major organs:...
and opened up her abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
with the razor-sharp blade. The piercing screams of agony that greeted this act of heartless barbarity rent the twilight stillness with all the force of a thunderclap." Kearns runs back into the trees where the rest are waiting. Morgan curses Kearns, but thinks there's no time to help the woman as the Anthropophagi start to come up from underground. Kearns shoot the first one to injure, not to kill, in the hopes that it's suffering will draw out the rest. The woman is still screaming on the ground.
Warthrop runs out to her, ignoring the injured Anthropophagi, carries the woman under the trees and starts binding up her wounds. At the sound of more Anthropophagi quickly approaching, Warthrop returns to the trees to shoot, leaving Will Henry and Malachi to tend to the woman. As the adults in the trees deal with the largest faction of Anthropophagi, a juvenile comes upon Will Henry and Malachi. Malachi shoots it, but not in an area that does lasting damage. Malachi doesn't have time to reload, so he jams the butt of the gun into the Anthropophagi's mouth. Will Henry pulls out Warthrop's revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, but the Anthropophagi smacks it out of his hand and grabs him. (328) Will Henry pulls out a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
from his belt. He stabs each of the Anthropophagi's eyes, and then its brain, killing it. The battle ends shortly. Warthrop has Morgan's assistant take the wounded woman to a doctor.
Upon examining the Anthropophagi bodies, they cannot find the leader, who they expect to recognize by her missing eye
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
(as she was stabbed by Varner earlier on). Surmising she is still underground with her young, they decide they must go into the Anthropophagi warren and look for her in order to ensure that all of the monsters are killed. Kearns suggests that the "front door" of the Anthropophagi's underground home must be in the Warthrop mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
, in keeping with his theory that Warthrop's father had them brought over in the first place. Inside it, Kearns finds a hidden clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
, "hands frozen at twelve." Warthrop, finally accepting that Kearn's theory must be true, suggests they try moving the hand to three o'clock because the witching hour was important to his father. They do so, and a hidden door opens.
They find a locked trapdoor
Trapdoor
A trapdoor is a door set into a floor or ceiling .Originally, trapdoors were sack traps in mills, and allowed the sacks to pass up through the mill while naturally falling back to a closed position....
. Will Henry remembers the key he found earlier (still in his pocket), and tries it out: The trapdoor opens. They lower themselves into what appears to be the main pit where the Anthropophagi live and eat; the floor is covered in bones. They search the tunnels leading away from it until Kearns and Warthrop discover a small 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...
that only Will Henry can get through. Will Henry crawls through it for a long time until the dirt drops out from under him and he falls into another pit. He finds another juvenile Anthropophagi, sleeping. One of its forearm
Forearm
-See also:*Forearm flexors*Forearm muscles...
s is missing, and it appears to be in considerable pain. Wanting to put it out of its misery, Will Henry comes up close to it to shoot it. The Anthropophagi suddenly jerks awake and grabs Will Henry. In the struggle, Will Henry's arm is bitten. Will Henry eventually manages to kill it with a large stone found on the ground.
Will Henry wanders around in the tunnels until Kearns finds him. Will Henry explains what happened to him, and Kearns then instructs him to take the 'bandage' (Will's shirt
Shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for almost any garment other than outerwear such as sweaters, coats, jackets, or undergarments such as bras, vests or base layers...
, which he has wrapped around his arm) off of his bite wound, because "we don't want to risk an infection." Kearns then instructs Will Henry to follow the path Kearns has marked, which Kearns says will take Will Henry back to Warthrop. Will Henry follows Kearns instructions. The tunnel Kearns marked is steep, and Will Henry is careful not to slip and go rolling down the tunnel. After a little while, Will Henry thinks he hears something following him. Will Henry continues, until he smells Anthropophagi ahead and stops. Kearns appears behind him and asks him why he stopped; Will Henry explains that this can't be the way back.
"'I had hoped to avoid it,' was his cryptic response. 'The smell of blood should have drawn her out; I'm at a loss, frankly ,why she didn't come... I am so sorry, Mr. Henry, but there really is no choice. It is the morality of the moment.' And with those parting words John Kearns shoved me as hard as he could." Will Henry rolls into a pit with the remaining Anthropophagi. Two juvenile Anthropophagi leap towards him; Will Henry shoots one, and above him, Kearns shoots the second. As a third sails towards Will Henry, Kearns shoots the last monster in the room.
Warthrop comes running over to Will Henry, who explains what Kearns did. When Kearns tries to justify his actions, Warthrop threatens to shoot him. Suddenly, the floor bursts from under them as the leader pushes up and grabs Malachi. Malachi tells Will Henry to grab a grenade from Kearn's bag; Will Henry tosses it at Malachi and the matriarch, and they are both buried in dirt, mud and rock. The matriarch rises out of the dust, leaping towards Will Henry, who knows he only has one shot left in his gun. He aims for her brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
and shoots: she dies.
In the final chapter, we learn that Warthrop, Kearns and Will Henry visit Starr afterward; Kearns kills him, then disappears. Six months later, Warthrop and Will Henry find a newspaper headline
Headline
The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.It is sometimes termed a news hed, a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during hot type days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a...
: Ripper Strikes Again/Whitechapel Killer Claims Fourth Victim. Finally, Warthrop gives Will Henry a new hat: after holding his old hat in one hand and his new one in the other, Will Henry tosses his old hat in the fire.
Reception
Filled with suspense and gore, The Monstrumologist "might just be the best horror novel of the year." "The industrial-era setting is populated with leering, Dickensian characters."The review in Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
said, "Yancey's elegant depiction of an America plagued with monsters, human and otherwise, spares no grisly detail. ... Horror lovers will be rapt." The reviewer in the School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
wrote "Though the pace sometimes falters beneath the weight of Will's verbose observations, the author folds surprising depth and twists into the plot and cast alike, crafts icky bits that can be regarded as comically over-the-top (or not), and all in all dishes up an escapade fully 'capable,' as Will puts it, 'of fulfilling our curious and baffling need for a marauding horror of malicious intent'".