Perfect Halloween Reading: The Monster Blood Tattoo Books

On Friday I got Books One and Two of the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy by D.M.Cornish in the mail. At first glance, I thought I might put them away until Luke was old enough to read them. Then I opened Foundling, the first book, and skimmed the beginning. I was immediately hooked. Even though we had an outrageously busy weekend, I'd devoured the first one by Sunday night and I'm halfway through the second book, Lamplighter, as I type. (And this one weighs in at over 700 pages.) I can't tell you how much this surprises me.

Cornish's elaborately detailed world, in which the people of the Half-Continent are in constant battle with the monsters that live in the wilder regions outside the fortified towns and cities, is absolutely fascinating. But what's most appealing to me is the story's moral complexity. While fans of monster-fighting, like Luke, will get more than their fill of elaborate descriptions of outlandish monsters, monster-hunters, weapons, and battles,  there is a constant sense throughout that the situation is not as straightforward as it first appears. Although the entire society seems to be united in its war against the monsters -- you are in danger of being put to death if you even so much as utter a word of sympathy for them -- the protagonist,  a young boy named Rossamund, is deeply confused by the harsh treatment the monsters receive. Some of them are clearly not dangerous, some might even be helpful, and the humans engage in a dodgy sort of underground trade in monster parts that is probably causing most of the animosity. There are even hints that Rossamund, a foundling, may have some monster blood himself. And there is a strong feminist slant to the second book. (I was also charmed to see that Cornish thanked many of the frequent visitors to his blog by name in the acknowledgements.) Cornish, who started as an illustrator, has spent fifteen years imagining the Half-Continent into being and it shows.   The books come with a lot of fun extra material, including glossaries of invented words, maps, and other appendices. I cannot wait until Luke, whose current obsession with fighting and monsters worries me a little, is old enough to read these.

There is a good interview with Cornish here. And Betsy, of course, said it all months ago.

Comments

[megan]

I went and bought those two books tonight at Chapters. (Hardcover of Foundling was $4.99!) The both look great. I also got Neil Gaiman's new YA book called The Graveyard Book, which seems to be creepy along the same lines as Coraline.

Thanks for the recommendation!

[tattoo design]

This sounds like it could be an engaging read for children that have absorbed the chronicles of narnia? I used to love Neil Gaimand Sandman and will definitely keep an eye out for The Graveyard Book.