Audiobook14 hours
The Isle of Blood
Written by Rick Yancey
Narrated by Steven Boyer
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
Rick Yancey won the Michael L. Printz Award for the stunning first entry in his Monstrumologist saga. In the series' third entry, Will Henry is left behind as Dr. Warthrop and his eager new assistant Arkwright embark on a quest to find the "Holy Grail of Monstrumology." But when Arkwright returns with news of the doctor's demise, Will sets off on his own quest, to the Isle of Blood, to determine the truth. "Yancey takes . gore and violence . to thrilling new levels in this sophisticated tale."-School Library Journal on The Monstrumologist
Author
Rick Yancey
Rick Yancey is the author of The Monstrumologist, The Curse of the Wendigo, The Isle of Blood, and The Final Descent. He is also the author of The Fifth Wave series. Rick lives with his wife Sandy and two sons in Gainesville, Florida. Visit him at RickYancey.com.
Related to The Isle of Blood
Titles in the series (4)
The Monstrumologist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Curse of the Wendigo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Isle of Blood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Final Descent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Isle of Blood
Rating: 4.466666666666667 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
15 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rick Yancey is an excellent writer. The three books in The Monstrumogist series are among the most creative and tightly plotted books I have read. The Isle of Blood details Pellinore Warthrop quest for the Magnificum. This is the most harrowing adventure yet. I'm excited that the publisher has decided to release a fourth volume in this series! I am anxious to find out how Will Henry and the doctor's story will end.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Like many fans of Rick Yancey's Monstrumologist series I was truly gutted when I read that his publisher had decided not to extend his contract beyond three books. From what I could make out, this decision came quite late, after Mr Yancey had completed the third book, thus not giving him the opportunity to finish telling the story of Will Henry. Of course, this rather low moment was followed several weeks later by a massive high when it was announced that Simon and Schuster had decided to extend the author's contract to a fourth and final book in this most fantastic of horror series. With my objective hat on I can sort of understand why the series has not sold as well as the author and publisher had hoped: it is simply too good. It would appear that there is more money in selling a multitude of Twilight wannabes, rather than truly literate, complex horror stories that have more in common with Shelley's Frankenstein and Stoker's Dracula than most of the mass-market (but top selling) rubbish that has saturated the market in recent years, especially in the US.
The Isle of Blood is nothing short of being a masterpiece of horror literature, and is definitely my favourite in an already outstanding series. It is the kind of book that takes over all of your waking thoughts, and then invades your dreams, turning them into the most horrific of nightmares. And I had thought the first two books in the series were pretty damn scary! I think what makes this book stand out as my favourite is that this now really is Will's story. Despite Will being the narrator, the first two books were very much about his mentor, Pellinore Warthrop. This is a man who is incredibly driven, but also tragically haunted, a man whose personality is so complex it almost puts the likes of Sherlock Holmes in the shade as a literary character. In The Isle of Blood Will is abandoned by his mentor, and with him taken out of Warthrop's sphere of influence for the first time we start to see what makes him tick as a person in his own right. However, when given the opportunity to live a normal life, with an adopted family and a proper education, what will he choose? Has he already spent too long with Warthrop?
Anybody who has read the first two books in this series will already know that Will has been to some pretty dark places so far. However, they are as nothing compared with the darkness that faces him in The Isle of Blood, and the life-changing decisions he is forced to make. The horror in this book is not just about monsters as the events that seem to unfurl like a tsunami, carrying Will along with an unstoppable force, had a huge impact on my emotions and scared me more than some of the more horror-laden scenes. Perhaps this was the teacher part of me, witnessing a first hand the tragic loss of innocence that this eager and bright young man experiences.
Rick Yancey has so far provided us with two incredibly nasty monsters: the anthropophagi of the first book and the wendigo of the second. Both of these pale into insignificance in comparison with the magnificum of this book. Without giving too much away this is an organism that could have devastating consequences on a global scale, simply by the briefest of contact with a tiny amount of fluid known as pwdre ser (even typing that simple phrase is enough to send shivers down my spine now - google it and be even more afraid). To say any more would be to spoil the story as you really need to read this in its entirety to fully experience the impact this creature will have on your thoughts.
Before I sign off I wanted to bring you a moment of humour from this book that made me chuckle out loud. Will Henry's narration is laced with a number of dry, and very dark, bon mots, and this is a perfect example of such. When asked by Warthrop whether he should "cut the torso in half, at the seventh thoracic vertebra", Will Henry narrates:
"I confessed I did not have an opinion; I was only thirteen, and this was my very first dismemberment".
I have no doubt in my mind at all that if the publisher had rebranded this as a series of adult books, with a high profile marketing campaign, then they would have been begging Mr Yancey to write far beyond his contracted first three books. If you love horror, and feel that other books do not challenge you enough, then please give this series a go before you leave YA behind and move on to books aimed at the adult market. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was so sad when I read that Isle of Blood was going to be the last in Rick Yancey's bone chillingly awesome Monstrumologist series. Turns out that the series didn't do as well as the publisher hoped, so after three books, they're calling it quites. I really hate to see such a unique, well-constructed and downright scary series end this way. Not only does it seem like there is so much more life left in Will Henry's story, but the story ends on a mild cliffhanger than hints at there being something more.Isle of Blood, just like the other Monstrumologist novels, begins with the frame of Yancey editing a collection of folios written by the real Will Henry about his adventures. But this time, fingers go even further, as our tenacious narrator digs deeper into Will Henry's life and tries to figure out exactly who he was. As part of the investigation, he dives back into more of Will Henry's folios. This time, the folios tell the story of Will Henry being left behind as the eccentric Monstrumologist goes off to hunt the "Holy Grail" of Monstrumology. When Akwright returns, claiming that Will Henry's mentor is dead, Will Henry is thrown into an exciting new adventure that will take him to the Isle of Blood and beyond.If you've read the other Monstrumologist books, Isle of Blood is another satisfying entry into the series. Filled with edge-of-your-seat action, spine-chilling horror and great characters, Isle of Blood is a satisfying conclusion to the series, even though fans are left wanting more. As for those who haven't read the previous novels, you'd be really lost if you started out here, so I'd recommend starting with The Monstrumologist. Trust, with all the exciting horror and incredibly well-written action and characters, these books are absolutely worth your time.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you haven't read The Monstrumologist series, you need to! While I know that Yancey has probably written this series for a certain demographic, it bothers me that so many adult horror fans will miss out on this series out of fear of being seen lurking in the teen section at Barnes & Noble. This series is fantastic. If you like monsters--and not just your average vampire or werewolf but real life disgusting creatures that dwell beneath cemeteries and inside the deepest, dark crevices of the world--you really need to pick up these books.
What's great about these books is that the characters become familiar. They're not one dimensional. Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry are as familiar to me as any "real" person I know. I feel like I can predict their actions because they have genuine personalities. This is a rare find in a lot of teen literature--and adult literature for that matter. In each book you see the progression of both main characters. You watch Will Henry turn into a young man, slightly hardened by all that he's seen and experienced but still human. You watch Warthrop develop into a caring (and dare I say loving?) father figure, a role he tries vehemently to fight. And underneath all that character development...there are still terrifying monsters, and the monsters in Isle of Blood might surprise you...
This book was just as scary as the previous two, it makes you laugh out loud (I am still laughing at Warthrop's mocking and often funny remarks to Will Henry questions and Will Henry's insistence on "bopping Dr. Kearns over the head"), and it makes you love the main characters even more. I could also go on and on about Yancey's superb writing style, but once you begin reading, you'll see that for yourself. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In short: The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey supplies yet another terrifying monster, but most importantly, provides the reader with thoughtful and developed characterization.Will Henry and the Monstrumologist are back and this time the monster they are hunting is the Typhoeus magnificum, the father of all monsters. Infection caused by the magnificum results in zombie-like humans, whose skin rots and grows protruberances, and whose appetite becomes insatiable, often leading the individual to consume their own bodies if no human meal is in reach. It is a terrifying and disgusting monster - and I would expect no less from Rick Yancey, who in the past has brought us the likes of the Anthropophagus and the Wendigo.As well done as the horror aspect and the monsters are in The Monstrumologist Series, the real life aspect and the characters are truly what makes these books, which I fear is not something I've sufficiently gotten across in my previous reviews for this series. After all, if all these books entailed were monsters and gore, they really wouldn't have very much substance at all and I would have no interest in reading them. As it is, the character development in The Isle of Blood was the best part of the novel, with both Will Henry and the Monstrumologist evolving significantly, yet naturally.One thing that I love about this series are the cameos of real life historical figures. Jack the Ripper and Bram Stoker have significant roles in The Monstrumologist and The Curse of the Wendigo, respectively. In The Isle of Blood, Jack the Ripper is back in all his horrible and cruel glory. Arthur Conan Doyle also takes part in the story during a critical scene. It's super fun to see the many ways Rick Yancey comes up with to somehow integrate these cameos into the story.Though I did have some minor problems with the pacing, The Isle of Blood is a magnificent addition to the Monstrumologist Series. I know I mention it every time I write a review for this series, but they really are some of the best written books I've ever read. The imagery created with Rick Yancey's words is achingly beautiful. Add to that the fact that the writing just seems to get even better - more poetic - with each book, if that is even possible. I'm already looking forward to the newly announced fourth book in the series!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Will Henry and the great Dr. Pellinore Warthrop have spent the previous two books building their relationship--Will was thrust into the doctor's care by circumstance, but Warthrop is not a paternal, caretaking sort. And yet, as we come into the third book, they are both tentatively aware that they ARE each other's family--that they are becoming indispensable to each other. Yancey even says on his blog that "The books are a love story disguised as a monster story. I can think of no better way to describe them."--and he's absolutely right. For me, this volume was less about the creature they were hunting than the bond between them.
Also, Will Henry is headed down a dark path, and I don't think it's one Warthrop is eager to follow him down, so Book 4 had better become a reality.
[Audio performance of this series is excellent, btw.] - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Good Stuff Get a real kick out of the prologues in this series & this one was my favorite A lot more humour in this which I really enjoyed - laughed out loud quite a few times Dr. Warthrop comes across as more likeable & human in this one Fast paced story most of the time Not as much icky gory stuff like in the first two installments in the series (Boys will love that, 40 yr old Mom's, not so much LOL!) Main characters are very realistic, warts and all Unique Like the play on character names and the part about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is just plain delightful Lots of moral quandaries which make it a great book for class discussions Good character development from one book to the next Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessingThe Not so Good Stuff Still way too much violence and gore for me personally - if that doesn't bother you, than ignore this - more like an FYI Story drags a little for my preferenceFavorite Quotes/Passages"Ah." He was smiling slyly at me. "William James Henry, do you have literary ambitions? I am astounded.""That I might have literary ambitions?""That you have any ambition at all.""I don't wish to pick the case! The entire idea was yours to begin with. But you've shown your hand in this, and rest assured I will disavow anything you dare to publish under the guise of preserving my legacy. Holmes had his Watson indeed! And Caeser had his Brutus, didn't he.""No I'm lying to you. It is actually the Greek word for 'stupid child'. Yes it means 'nothing' in Greek, and there is no such thing as a pyrite tree."Who should/shouldn't read A must have for fans of the other 2 books in the series Perfect for YA boys who like the gore and creepiness (or girls of course) Wouldn't recommend this if you haven't read the first two books in the series Not for the squeamish or younger audience as it is quite violent and dark3.5 Dewey's I received this from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review