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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I enjoyed the beginning of this book then it just went down hill. Oppel creates a interesting origin for Frankenstein and I can see it leading into Shelley's story. The problem for me is that Victor has never been a terribly likable character and in this tale he starts to annoy me.
I did not expect much from this book. I have not actually read the original Frankenstein and so I have not dwelt upon wondering how the mad scientist might have become mad enough to create such a monstrosity. With all of that said I must admit I was blown away with This Dark Endeavor. The background story was interesting and plausible. The characters were multi-dimensional. Future events were foreshadowed. Victor appears to be growing into a Byronic Hero (go to review of Jane Eyre for definitions of a Byronic Hero). He is certainly a tortured soul and perhaps his innocent heroine will be Elizabeth.
Victor had a natural crazy streak. He was a dare-devil, curious, jealous, insecure, loving and defiant. Konrad was Victor’s opposite; easily liked, obedient, trust-worthy and in love with Elizabeth.
There was an eerie feeling in the book as Victor begins to make the choices that will ultimately lead to...
To read the full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com/
Victor had a natural crazy streak. He was a dare-devil, curious, jealous, insecure, loving and defiant. Konrad was Victor’s opposite; easily liked, obedient, trust-worthy and in love with Elizabeth.
There was an eerie feeling in the book as Victor begins to make the choices that will ultimately lead to...
To read the full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com/
I couldn't tear myself away from these books. I have never been a fan of chemistry, but after this book I can see the attraction. Somehow, Oppel has made alchemy and the occult sciences seem possible for me. I will add this to my list of books for lovers of smart science.
Halfway through, I just wasn't invested in the characters or the plot.
Reviewed at:
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/05/this-dark-endeavor.html
I read the book Frankenstein during my lit degree and found that it is one of the classics I truly enjoyed. If you've read it, you know that the star of the book is not the monster, but Victor Frankenstein. Mary Shelley gives us quite a bit of back story about Victor showing his interest in the sciences as well as the loss that ultimately pushes him to try to recreate life; however, Kenneth Oppel has taken Shelley's story and added more depth to it while still paying homage and being true to the styling and story that Shelley wrote.
From the beginning I was engrossed in Oppel's story of a teenage Victor Frankenstein as well as his twin brother Konrad, their cousin Elizabeth and friend Henry. I really enjoyed that Oppel stuck primarily with characters found in the original novel, but threw in a twin brother to add some conflict within the story. The story arc was perfectly paced and it held my attention the whole time. The main characters were well developed and you instantly liked the four-some.
I will definitely need to look back through this book, though, because Kenneth Oppel not only tells a great adventure story, he writes beautifully as well and I, unfortunately, did not jot down all of the snatches of text that I enjoyed while reading.
This book will be an asset to any classroom that is teaching Frankenstein as it is a great companion to the classic which may reel in more readers than reading the classic alone.
"When she'd first arrived, she was like a feral cat. She hid. Konrad and I, seven years old, were forever trying to find her. To us it was a wonderful game of hide-and-seek. But it was no amusement to her; she just wanted to be left alone. If we found her, she became very angry. She hissed and snarled and hit. Sometimes she bit." p. 10
"I felt oddly incomplete, moving about the chateau without my twin. Not that we were always side by side, but I felt his absences more intensely now. Once, when we were six, and Mother was unwell during her pregnancy with Ernest, Father made us each stay with different relations for a fortnight.
It was one of the most miserable times of my life.
But this was worse. Why wasn't Konrad getting better?" p. 45
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/05/this-dark-endeavor.html
I read the book Frankenstein during my lit degree and found that it is one of the classics I truly enjoyed. If you've read it, you know that the star of the book is not the monster, but Victor Frankenstein. Mary Shelley gives us quite a bit of back story about Victor showing his interest in the sciences as well as the loss that ultimately pushes him to try to recreate life; however, Kenneth Oppel has taken Shelley's story and added more depth to it while still paying homage and being true to the styling and story that Shelley wrote.
From the beginning I was engrossed in Oppel's story of a teenage Victor Frankenstein as well as his twin brother Konrad, their cousin Elizabeth and friend Henry. I really enjoyed that Oppel stuck primarily with characters found in the original novel, but threw in a twin brother to add some conflict within the story. The story arc was perfectly paced and it held my attention the whole time. The main characters were well developed and you instantly liked the four-some.
I will definitely need to look back through this book, though, because Kenneth Oppel not only tells a great adventure story, he writes beautifully as well and I, unfortunately, did not jot down all of the snatches of text that I enjoyed while reading.
This book will be an asset to any classroom that is teaching Frankenstein as it is a great companion to the classic which may reel in more readers than reading the classic alone.
"When she'd first arrived, she was like a feral cat. She hid. Konrad and I, seven years old, were forever trying to find her. To us it was a wonderful game of hide-and-seek. But it was no amusement to her; she just wanted to be left alone. If we found her, she became very angry. She hissed and snarled and hit. Sometimes she bit." p. 10
"I felt oddly incomplete, moving about the chateau without my twin. Not that we were always side by side, but I felt his absences more intensely now. Once, when we were six, and Mother was unwell during her pregnancy with Ernest, Father made us each stay with different relations for a fortnight.
It was one of the most miserable times of my life.
But this was worse. Why wasn't Konrad getting better?" p. 45
Kenneth Oppel has become one of my new favorite authors, and again he doesn't disappoint. I was dubious because I'm not a fan of horror particularly, and I found Frankenstien to be meh, but This Dark Endeavor is splendid. The characters are complex, real, and interesting, the dark gothic touches really well done, the sexual tension sizzles without taking over, and the action and adventure moves at a perfect pace. I am definitely not a young adult any more, but I am proud to enjoy and recommend well-done young adult fiction such as this.
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel is a "prequel" to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is going to be impossible for me to discuss the book independent of its source material, particularly as I just finished rereading and analyzing Frankenstein in preparation for teaching it this fall. It is certainly a testament to Oppel's work that I thoroughly enjoyed it right on the heels of the original novel.
This Dark Endeavour delves into the idea of dual natures, one's tame side and one's wild side. Konrad is an addition to the story, a source of Oppel's own imagination, but he provides a contrast to Victor. The idea being identical twins are two halves of one whole. Victor is the younger brother, and feels continuously inferior to his twin who learns faster, is better at sports, and has won the affection of Elizabeth. He loves his brother though and will go to any lengths for him. Oppel made no attempt to make Victor likable. He is conniving, jealous, selfish, and reckless. Yet there is something about him that makes him sympathetic. Maybe it is his love for his brother and his relationship to Elizabeth and Henry. They keep him human.
The whole idea of the dual nature is also evident in Elizabeth. She is pious, devout, and practical. But she has a wild impetuous side too. And yes, this leads her to have conflicting feelings for the two brothers. She is attracted to Konrad's steady devotion, yet Victor's wildness also draws her, though she is more wary of this. As she says at one point, "There is a passion in you that scares me." So this book has a love triangle. Sort of. I'm usually opposed to love triangles, but this one didn't bother me so much. I don't know if it was the male point of view or just how Oppel presented it. I do like how Oppel added color to Elizabeth. Victor is recognizable from the original, Elizabeth is not. I don't consider this to be a bad thing.
I enjoyed the banter and dialogue between the four friends and how it developed their characters so well, such as in this conversation about their futures. This is only one little slice of a greater whole that set up their characters perfectly for the story that lay ahead:
I thought a moment and then said, "When I see the stars, I think of the planets that must orbit them, and I would like to travel among them. And if we could do so, would we not be gods?"
"A modest goal, then," said my twin. "Victor just wants to be a god."
Laughing, I elbowed him in the ribs. "I'm imbued with high hopes and lofty ambitions. And if I can't travel between planets-"
"Always good to have a back-up plan," Henry interjected.
"-then I will create something, some great work that will be useful and marvelous to all humanity."
"Yes, perhaps,"I said, thinking more seriously now. "An engine that will transform the world-or a new source of energy. It seems scientific discoveries are being made every day now. In any event, I will be remembered forever."
There is a fair bit of foreshadowing there too. Oppel used foreshadowing quite a lot in the course of the story. He also used dreams and letters as integral parts of the plot, giving a nod to the original novel I quite enjoyed. The plot is action packed and fast paced keeping the reader completely engaged.
I think this is a book that would appeal to both boys and girls and is a good read whether you have read Frankenstein or not. Almost everyone is familiar enough with the story for it to resonate.
The sequel, Such Wicked Intent, is due out August 21.
This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel is a "prequel" to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is going to be impossible for me to discuss the book independent of its source material, particularly as I just finished rereading and analyzing Frankenstein in preparation for teaching it this fall. It is certainly a testament to Oppel's work that I thoroughly enjoyed it right on the heels of the original novel.
This Dark Endeavour delves into the idea of dual natures, one's tame side and one's wild side. Konrad is an addition to the story, a source of Oppel's own imagination, but he provides a contrast to Victor. The idea being identical twins are two halves of one whole. Victor is the younger brother, and feels continuously inferior to his twin who learns faster, is better at sports, and has won the affection of Elizabeth. He loves his brother though and will go to any lengths for him. Oppel made no attempt to make Victor likable. He is conniving, jealous, selfish, and reckless. Yet there is something about him that makes him sympathetic. Maybe it is his love for his brother and his relationship to Elizabeth and Henry. They keep him human.
The whole idea of the dual nature is also evident in Elizabeth. She is pious, devout, and practical. But she has a wild impetuous side too. And yes, this leads her to have conflicting feelings for the two brothers. She is attracted to Konrad's steady devotion, yet Victor's wildness also draws her, though she is more wary of this. As she says at one point, "There is a passion in you that scares me." So this book has a love triangle. Sort of. I'm usually opposed to love triangles, but this one didn't bother me so much. I don't know if it was the male point of view or just how Oppel presented it. I do like how Oppel added color to Elizabeth. Victor is recognizable from the original, Elizabeth is not. I don't consider this to be a bad thing.
I enjoyed the banter and dialogue between the four friends and how it developed their characters so well, such as in this conversation about their futures. This is only one little slice of a greater whole that set up their characters perfectly for the story that lay ahead:
I thought a moment and then said, "When I see the stars, I think of the planets that must orbit them, and I would like to travel among them. And if we could do so, would we not be gods?"
"A modest goal, then," said my twin. "Victor just wants to be a god."
Laughing, I elbowed him in the ribs. "I'm imbued with high hopes and lofty ambitions. And if I can't travel between planets-"
"Always good to have a back-up plan," Henry interjected.
"-then I will create something, some great work that will be useful and marvelous to all humanity."
"Yes, perhaps,"I said, thinking more seriously now. "An engine that will transform the world-or a new source of energy. It seems scientific discoveries are being made every day now. In any event, I will be remembered forever."
There is a fair bit of foreshadowing there too. Oppel used foreshadowing quite a lot in the course of the story. He also used dreams and letters as integral parts of the plot, giving a nod to the original novel I quite enjoyed. The plot is action packed and fast paced keeping the reader completely engaged.
I think this is a book that would appeal to both boys and girls and is a good read whether you have read Frankenstein or not. Almost everyone is familiar enough with the story for it to resonate.
The sequel, Such Wicked Intent, is due out August 21.
This Dark Endeavor was the first novel I've read by Kenneth Oppel and I found myself impressed. While I didn't always agree with Victor's actions, especially those regarding Elizabeth, he came across as a human being with feelings, some that weren't always charitable to his character.
When Victor's identical twin, Konrad, falls ill with a mysterious sickness, he sets out with friends Henry and Elizabeth to find a cure through alchemy, seeking the Elixir of Life. It can only be made using three key, hard-to-get ingredients, and the novel focuses on their efforts to gather them and present them to an alchemist who knows how to use them.
I wish that Henry had been more present in the plot. The main trio of Victor, Elizabeth and Henry were no Harry, Ron and Hermione. Their skills and abilities were not split as equally, with the result that Henry faded a bit when placed next to the other two. Konrad was somewhat more interesting than him, even though he was much less present at the key moments of the first half.
Nevertheless, it's not a bad book. I will be reading Such Wicked Intent in the future, and I'm interested to explore more of Mr. Oppel's work, because This Dark Endeavor left a good impression overall.
When Victor's identical twin, Konrad, falls ill with a mysterious sickness, he sets out with friends Henry and Elizabeth to find a cure through alchemy, seeking the Elixir of Life. It can only be made using three key, hard-to-get ingredients, and the novel focuses on their efforts to gather them and present them to an alchemist who knows how to use them.
I wish that Henry had been more present in the plot. The main trio of Victor, Elizabeth and Henry were no Harry, Ron and Hermione. Their skills and abilities were not split as equally, with the result that Henry faded a bit when placed next to the other two. Konrad was somewhat more interesting than him, even though he was much less present at the key moments of the first half.
Nevertheless, it's not a bad book. I will be reading Such Wicked Intent in the future, and I'm interested to explore more of Mr. Oppel's work, because This Dark Endeavor left a good impression overall.
Konrad Frankenstein is older than Victor by a mere two minutes. To Victor, Konrad is the perfect man, and Victor feels he cannot live up to his twin. While messing around in the library, the boys and their cousin Elizabeth find a secret passage that leads down to a alchemist's lab. Their father finds them there and makes them promise to never go down their again. Mr. Frankenstein is vehemently opposed to alchemy and doesn't want his sons dabbling in it. Then Konrad falls ill. Torn between love and jealousy for his brother, Victor is determined to save him. When the doctors fail at their treatments, Victor resorts to alchemy, sacrificing his own well being.
A very suspenseful read.
JHS/HS
A very suspenseful read.
JHS/HS
Ugh, the one female protagonist is the romantic interested of all three male protagonists.
The story was otherwise cute but this ruined the book for me.
The main character is a jerk.
The story was otherwise cute but this ruined the book for me.
The main character is a jerk.