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  • Such Wicked Intent: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein
  • Karen Coats
Oppel, Kenneth . Such Wicked Intent: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein. Simon, 2012. [320p]. Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-0318-5 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-0320-8 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10.

Even though young Victor Frankenstein's attempts to save his twin brother Konrad's life through alchemy failed (in This Dark Endeavor, BCCB 9/11), his appetite for the dark arts has only been temporarily dampened. After burning the contents of the Dark Library, he is drawn to a book that did not succumb to the fire, and finds therein the key to communing with the dead. Convinced that he has received a message from Konrad, he investigates further, discovering a way to actually cross over into the spirit world. Victor follows and finds Konrad, lonely and in limbo, stuck in the family home while seemingly dark forces menace him from outside and under the house. Elizabeth, Konrad's betrothed and Victor's passion, also travels through the portal, as does their trusty friend Henry Clerval. There they find power and threat, as well as a desire and possible method to bring Konrad back to life. Little do they realize that they are being co-opted by an ancient evil, and if their plans succeed, that evil will be released from its centuries-old confinement. Oppel seamlessly combines Victorian sensibilities with prehistoric myth and timeless relationship dynamics to plunge readers into a genuinely creepy horror tale; in particular, Elizabeth's fervent belief wars unsuccessfully with her desire, making her vulnerability to the homunculus the trio creates to provide a host for Konrad's spirit to inhabit all the more terrifying. Victor's obsession with acquiring knowledge of any kind and at any cost ripens as the series continues, firmly and convincingly establishing the character he will become in Shelley's classic. Henry also grows into a stalwart foil for Victor's and Elizabeth's lack of balance, rounding out a successful, tried-and-true character constellation. Readers who enjoyed the first in the series will be well pleased with this sequel.

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