Book Info
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Paperback384 pages
Author's Website
www.kennethoppel.caAuthor's Facebook Latest
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Publisher
David Fickling Books an imprint of Random House Children's Publishers UKSuitable for Ages
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Publication date
7th June 2012ISBN
9781849920896Children's Author 'Like-for-Like' recommendations
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This Dark Endeavour
Kenneth Oppel
Part of the 'This Dark Endeavour' Series
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Selected by Julia Eccleshare:
This Dark Endeavour is a thrilling, sumptuous adventure story for teens and adults which prequels Mary Shelley's classic, Frankenstein. Twin brothers Victor and Konrad, together with their distant cousin Elizabeth, are raised in their wealthy family home on the shore of Lake Geneva; Chateau Frankenstein. The boys' parents are forward-thinking, educated and liberal, encouraging a variety pursuits and interests alongside the teenagers' academic study. But when Victor, Konrad and Elizabeth discover a Biblioteka Obscura - a Dark Library of alchemical, magical and forbidden texts - buried within the castle walls, the twins' father bans them from returning to it.Then Konrad falls strangely ill and with his brother's recovery uncertain, Victor resolves to unlock the Dark Library's secrets. With the help of Henry - their sharp, steadfast friend - and beautiful, pious Elizabeth, Victor embarks on a daunting, sinister and precarious journey to create the Elixir of Life.Kenneth Oppel crafts young Victor Frankenstein into a daring, zealous and alluring young man, who compels the reader to follow his obsessive path into the unknown. In search for the obscure and bizarre ingredients they need, the three friends also unearth truths and emotions which heighten and endanger their relationships; unleashing a furious jealousy within Victor which could threaten their very lives. What is Victor willing to sacrifice for the chance to save his brother's life?
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Synopsis
This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth OppelThe purest intentions can stir up the darkest obsessions. In this prequel to Mary Shelley's gothic classic, Frankenstein, 16-year-old Victor Frankenstein begins a dark journey that will change his life forever. Impossible odds, dangerous alchemy and a bitter love triangle threaten his quest at every turn. Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science, and love - and how much he is willing to sacrifice. Victor's twin, Konrad, has fallen ill, and no doctor is able to cure him. Unwilling to give up on his brother, Victor enlists his beautiful cousin Elizabeth and best friend Henry on a search for the ingredients to create the forbidden Elixir of Life.
Reviews
'Adventures do not come more thrilling, gorgeously-written or absorbing than this.' - Amanda Craig, The Times
'A true page-turner... Oppel has reinvented the gothic thriller for modern readers. The narrative crackles with tension, emotions run high, and the atmosphere is perfectly dark and brooding. The Shelleys would be proud.' - Rick Riordan
Praise for Half Brother:
'Oppel is pleasingly unafraid to ask awkward questions, often right at the point where readers might have made up their minds. What a particular joy for a teenage reader, to be challenged rather than instructed.' - The Guardian
'..a compulsively readable, extraordinarily gripping and moving book.' - The Bookseller
About The Author
Kenneth Oppel wrote his first novel at the age of 15, and enterprisingly sent it to his favourite writer, Roald Dahl. Publication soon followed, and since then he has written more than twenty for which he has won many prizes in his native Canada. He now lives and works in Toronto with his wife and children.
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