Goodreads Summary
Billy is a street urchin, a pickpocket, and a petty thief. Mister Creecher is a giant of a man whose appearance terrifies everyone he meets. Their relationship begins as a matter of convenience. But before long, a bond develops between these two misfits as they embark on a bloody journey that will take them from London northward on the trail of their target . . . Doctor Victor Frankenstein. It seems the good doctor had promised Mister Creecher a bride, and Mister Creecher will stop at nothing to get what he's been promised. Nothing.
Perfect for fans of horror novels, this frightening new book from Chris Priestley reinvents a classic literary monster for a new generation of readers.
There seems to be a bit of trend for ‘new horror’ where the older classics are being revisited for a new generation and re imagined in a way that appeals to a new audience. With Mister Creecher we see the world of Frankenstein being dipped into with new eyes; the view point of a London pick pocket who discovers what he thinks is a dead man but turns out to be a sleeping monster in the form of Frankenstein’s creature (or whom he calls Mister Creecher upon mishearing his name).
I’m a big fan of the horror genre as a whole and I’m really excited to see more and more books like this that introduce a new generation to the world of classic and Gothic novels and hopefully encourages them to look into more books and the originators of these new books. Mister Creecher is a nice starting point for those that haven’t read Frankenstein or those that have read it but have an interest in explore other concepts and ideas based on the story of the scientist gone too far and the being he creates. If I’m honest, I didn’t instantly fall in love with this book but I think that’s down to my love of the original Mary Shelley story and so after I got over the fact that Chris Priestley’s book wasn’t his take on Frankenstein and more a companion tale that gives a nod to the first book and their characters within it.
I loved the telling of the world and life of Creecher from the point of view as a child and a brother in arms as such as they are both outcasts and don’t fit in and so are bonded together. Billy’s point of view has an innocence about it and gives us a view on Creecher as a being with a need for friendship and love rather than a monster that the rest of the world see’s him as. I adored their bond together and how hard hearted they both were to let one another into their lives and past but when they do they find friends with each other and salvation.
What is clear is that Chris Priestley knows his Horror and knows his audience and gives them what they want and what they need to really enjoy the story of Creecher as he follows Frankenstein from afar with the help of Billy and both learn about trust and the strengths and weaknesses in humanity and themselves.
Rating: 7.5/10
Published by Bloomsbury Books and is available here and from all book shops from 3rd October 2011
I agree, once I realised it was a companion and not a retelling I was very impressed with this book, I loved the way it grabed a tiny bit of the original story, made an entire book out of it and then drops it back off into the original story without altering anything! :D
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