September 12, 2011
Priestley’s literary mashup of Dickens and Shelley makes for an entertaining adventure tale and potential gateway into those writers’ works. Fifteen-year-old urchin and thief Billy is attacked as he loots a corpse he finds on a London street, and he’s surprised when the body roars to life and saves him. His ghastly new companion introduces himself as “Creecher,” and he and Billy form an uneasy partnership. In return for Creecher’s protection, Billy helps spy on the mysterious Victor Frankenstein and his friend Henry Clerval. As Billy learns more about Creecher and Frankenstein, he is not only horrified at the misuse of science, but also at their callousness, something that undermines what little faith in humanity he still possesses. Priestley (the Tales of Terror series) paints a bleak picture, starting his characters in already depressing circumstances before setting them down a path with little hope. The dreariness is offset by Priestley’s vivid writing, which melds its influences with strong action and horror scenes, and should intrigue readers about the future fate of the leads. Ages 12–up.