Scan barcode
A review by joshgauthier
The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht
4.0
Such a curious and quick novella. Giesbrecht's writing is lyrical and lovely, carrying the momentum of the story along easily with a balance of character, action, and worldbuilding. There is plenty here that is left unexplained or touched on simply, but the story doesn't suffer for the brevity. Gritty, disturbing, and humorous in equal measure, The Monster of Elendhaven is multiple things. At its center, we find the monster himself--an uncertain being of violence and wit in an world teetering on the edge, a creature if mystery and magic uncertain even to himself.
But the monster finds himself not so alone as he once believed. An illegal sorcerer, hiding his nature from society, has his own dark plans for the city that holds him. And so the monsters are drawn together in a quest for vengeance and bloodshed. And so the story unfolds, but not so simply as might it might seem at first.
While the delivery is occasionally uneven in its construction, Giesbrecht brings together ideas of myth and industry, determination and identity, sexual desire and harbored secrets. The past shapes the course forward and a name is a powerful piece of knowing who a person truly is. But as secrets and violence are dealt out or forgotten, ignored and revealed--the nature of the monsters and the mark they will leave upon the world is still to be revealed.
But the monster finds himself not so alone as he once believed. An illegal sorcerer, hiding his nature from society, has his own dark plans for the city that holds him. And so the monsters are drawn together in a quest for vengeance and bloodshed. And so the story unfolds, but not so simply as might it might seem at first.
While the delivery is occasionally uneven in its construction, Giesbrecht brings together ideas of myth and industry, determination and identity, sexual desire and harbored secrets. The past shapes the course forward and a name is a powerful piece of knowing who a person truly is. But as secrets and violence are dealt out or forgotten, ignored and revealed--the nature of the monsters and the mark they will leave upon the world is still to be revealed.