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This Dark Endeavour (2011)

by Kenneth Oppel(Favorite Author)

3.88 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0857560123 (ISBN13: 9780857560124)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

David Fickling Books

series

The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein

review 1: 'This Dark Endeavour' is a fantastic gothic novel for the YA (or possibly older middle-grade) market.Basically, it imagines what might have made Victor Frankenstein the man he was in Mary Shelley's novel.It takes place when Victor Frankenstein is 16 years old. He lives a very comfortable life in Geneva. His father is a magistrate, and much respected, also very wealthy. He and his wife run a liberal household. Victor has a twin brother, Konrad, and they grew up with a distant cousin, Elizabeth, who Victor's father adopted as a young girl. Victor's close friend Henry Clerval also spends a considerable amount of time at Chateau Frankenstein, visiting and sometimes staying there when his sea-faring father is away.While exploring one day, Victor, Konrad, and Elizabeth discover ... morea hidden passage which leads to a hidden room full of alchemy books. Victor knows the books are dangerous but he's fascinated by them.Then Konrad falls ill with a disease the doctors can't cure or understand. Victor decides to pursue the 'Elixir of Life' he read about in one of the alchemy books - he's sure it's the only way to save Konrad.So he sets out to do so, with Elizabeth and Henry. But how far is he prepared to go?The book then takes a darker turn. Before Victor can find all the ingredients, Konrad seems to recover. He joins Victor on his quest for the Elixir of Life, 'cause, you know, it's always handy to have one around after all. But then Victor finds himself facing a growing rivalry with Konrad, and the quest for the ingredients just keeps getting darker too.'This Dark Endeavour' has a wonderful doomy-gloomy, ever darker Gothic feel to it. The characters are well drawn and sympathetic, and Oppel does a great job of making them true to the characters in Shelley's original novel but also making them different and unique. I've already downloaded the next book in the series to my Kindle, and it looks to be even better than this one.Five stars.
review 2: This is worth waiting for. Thin read, but worth it. This truly is a compelling piece that draw you in and plants mystery and reverence it your mind. I can't say for certain what team I am, but I do encourage victor in his trials. The wolf chapter really pulled me in, and also the fact (spoiler) KONRAD, OH KONRAD, DIES. oh it was beautiful really. the dark library offering so many forbidden secrets and the Frankenstein fortune, carved out upon lies and blemished gold. This actually made me want to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. GREAT BOOK, and i would recommend to anyone. less

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