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A review by chriskoppenhaver
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
4.0
Victor Frankenstein is the younger, darker, more brooding, and more intense of two twins:
"Konrad's a fine fellow, but there's one thing I have that he doesn't. A passion to match your own."
"What nonsense you talk!"
"Is it? Konrad sees your angel, but I see your animal."
Although the quote I really want to use to describe Victor actually comes from another book:
"I thought about mistakes I had made in the past. I thought about when things went wrong. And I realized it was never an issue of intent, but of intensity. I was a good guy, recall."
Victor is a good guy with good intentions, but sometimes his intensity causes him to take his intentions too far. Whether it's the passion he feels for the girl who loves his brother, his desire to learn and achieve, his wish to be more like his charming, easy-going brother, or, most of all, his impatience with feeling helpless in the face of his brother's mysterious illness, he has a way of doing a bit too much until his attempts at doing good become harmful.
Victor and Konrad's father, as a magistrate for the city of Geneva, has outlawed the study and practice of alchemy, despite the fact that the family mansion contains a hidden alchemical library created by an ancestor. Yet, when none of the doctors can do anything about the strange affliction that has suddenly threatened Konrad's life, Victor and a couple of friends find themselves willing to risk his displeasure for the promise of an "Elixir of Life." They track down an outlaw alchemist and embark on a quest to gather the materials they hope will save Konrad's life, a quest that leads to more adventure and danger than they ever expected. The forbidden knowledge will come at a cost, but it will be worth it if they can save Konrad's life.
I waffled between three and four stars for this one. Three because it is not the deepest or most insightful story I've read and I can imagine it being more so; four because of the very effective tension, pacing, and excitement that drew me in as a reader and kept me interested. Ultimately, I settled on four because I could identify with the character's realistically flawed nature--I didn't always like or admire Victor and wanted to yell at him for his stupid mistakes, but I knew he wouldn't because I've done similar things in similar circumstances, been similarly self-centered and pig-headed. I found him believable, and that makes it not just an entertaining adventure story, but an interesting one.
"Konrad's a fine fellow, but there's one thing I have that he doesn't. A passion to match your own."
"What nonsense you talk!"
"Is it? Konrad sees your angel, but I see your animal."
Although the quote I really want to use to describe Victor actually comes from another book:
"I thought about mistakes I had made in the past. I thought about when things went wrong. And I realized it was never an issue of intent, but of intensity. I was a good guy, recall."
Victor is a good guy with good intentions, but sometimes his intensity causes him to take his intentions too far. Whether it's the passion he feels for the girl who loves his brother, his desire to learn and achieve, his wish to be more like his charming, easy-going brother, or, most of all, his impatience with feeling helpless in the face of his brother's mysterious illness, he has a way of doing a bit too much until his attempts at doing good become harmful.
Victor and Konrad's father, as a magistrate for the city of Geneva, has outlawed the study and practice of alchemy, despite the fact that the family mansion contains a hidden alchemical library created by an ancestor. Yet, when none of the doctors can do anything about the strange affliction that has suddenly threatened Konrad's life, Victor and a couple of friends find themselves willing to risk his displeasure for the promise of an "Elixir of Life." They track down an outlaw alchemist and embark on a quest to gather the materials they hope will save Konrad's life, a quest that leads to more adventure and danger than they ever expected. The forbidden knowledge will come at a cost, but it will be worth it if they can save Konrad's life.
I waffled between three and four stars for this one. Three because it is not the deepest or most insightful story I've read and I can imagine it being more so; four because of the very effective tension, pacing, and excitement that drew me in as a reader and kept me interested. Ultimately, I settled on four because I could identify with the character's realistically flawed nature--I didn't always like or admire Victor and wanted to yell at him for his stupid mistakes, but I knew he wouldn't because I've done similar things in similar circumstances, been similarly self-centered and pig-headed. I found him believable, and that makes it not just an entertaining adventure story, but an interesting one.