The first in a gripping gothic trilogy from an acclaimed author, featuring monsters from classic literary tales, secret societies and the fight between good and evil.
Edgar Brim is a sensitive orphan who, exposed to horror stories from his father as a young child, is afraid of almost everything and suffers from nightly terrors. His stern new guardian, Mr. Thorne, sends the boy to a gloomy school in Scotland where his dark demons only seem to worsen and he is bullied and ridiculed for his fears. But years later, when sixteen-year-old Edgar finds a journal belonging to his novelist father, he becomes determined to confront his nightmares and the bullies who taunt him. After the horrific death of a schoolmate, Edgar becomes involved with an eccentric society at the urging of a mysterious professor who believes that monsters from famous works of literature are real and whose mandate is to find and destroy these creatures. With the aid of a rag-tag crew of friends, the fear-addled teen sets about on his dark mission, one that begins in the cemetery on the bleak Scottish moors and ends in a spine-chilling climax on the stage of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in London with Henry Irving, the infamous and magnetic actor, and his manager, Bram Stoker, the author of the most frightening and sensational novel of the day, Dracula. Can Edgar Brim truly face his terror and conquer his fears?
I borrowed this book from the library, because i received a review copy of its sequel from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did it was hard to put it down. It's probably best described as gothic Horror, although it is aimed at readers of YA.
The story is set in the late 19th century, with the main action taking place in two very diverse locations - London and Altnabreac. Edgar Brim, the main character in the story, has to overcome many fears to hunt down a mysterious 'monster', who could possibly be responsible for the death of a number of people, including Edgar's father. Along with one of his professors, two of the professor's grandchildren, and one of his friends, he follows the trail of this monster leading the group of hunters from a bleak cemetery in the highlands to the stage of the Lyceum Theatre in London.
Some of the characters in the story are actual people from the time of the novel, such as Bram Stoker and Henry Irving, made the reading more engaging. There were also plenty literary references to keep the book nerds happy. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel soon, which will probably lead me to the third book, once it is released.
