Monday, February 11, 2013

This Dark Endeavour

This Dark Endeavor

by Kenneth Oppel

Synopsis:

Victor Frankenstein leads a charmed life. He and his twin brother Konrad and their beautiful cousin Elizabeth take lessons at home and spend their spare time fencing and horseback riding. Along with their friend, Henry, they have explored all the hidden passageways and secret rooms of the palatial Frankenstein chateau. Except one.
The Dark Library contains ancient tomes written in strange languages, and filled with forbidden knowledge. Their father makes them promise never to visit the library again, but when Konrad becomes deathly ill, Victor knows he must find the book that contains the recipe for the legendary Elixir of Life.
The elixir needs only three ingredients. But impossible odds, dangerous alchemy, and a bitter love triangle threaten their 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.

My Thoughts:

I have read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein but it's been a few years and the details are sort of fuzzy.  This book made me want go back and reread Shelley's novel.  For those that now the story of Frankenstein have you ever wonder what happened to make Victor Frankenstein a man that would dare to try to create life?  Oppel has written a masterpiece that could easy explain what happen to Victor to make him into the mad scientist that we know from Shelley's classic. In Shelley's Frankenstein Victor has two little brothers, Elizabeth (a cousin) and a friend named Henry;  Oppel has added one more character to the family Victor's twin Konrad.  Konrad and Victor are inseparable but very different in personality.  Konrad is charming, brilliant, practically perfect and Victor is  . . . well not; he tries to be good but he can never seem to measure up to Konrad.  When Konrad falls ill and medicine and science seem to be failing him, Victor takes it upon himself to look for a cure. Having found a library of dark arts (mainly alchemy) hidden in the castle Victor decides that the only way to save Konrad is with the Elixir of Life and with the help of Elizabeth and Henry starts to collect the necessary ingredients.  Making the elixir is a dangerous quest and Victor is pulled deeper into the dark arts.  I loved how Oppel wrote the characters especially Victor because you know how Victor is going to turn out and so his descent into darkness needs to be believable. You see Victor as just a desperate teen trying to save his brother but at the same time he is desperate for the attention ad praise (and maybe even Elizabeth's hand) that could be earned from saving Konrad.  It is so very easy to like Victor even as his ambition takes over and he becomes more aggressive and twisted in his quest; you still want him to succeed even though you know where that success will lead him.

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