Only with sleep-deprived, widened eyes and a sped-up heartbeat could anyone read through the pages of The Monstrumologist. Published in 2009, the horror and science-fiction novel was written by Rick Yancey, an award-winning author for young adults.

Okay, so it isn’t a recently published work. So what? Books don’t have to be new to be a great read. This novel probably isn’t well known — even though it really should be.The Monstrumologist itself contains beautifully structured language, solid character development, and a great story pace.

The story begins with a man in modern times being called in to investigate journals that were left behind by a recently deceased elderly man named Will Henry. Within those journals unravels the story of Will Henry’s apprenticeship to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop.

The monster in the center of the story is the anthropophagi, creatures without heads, eyes in their shoulders, and foul-smelling mouths full of row after row of jagged teeth situated in the center of their chests. These monsters have mysteriously appeared in the town Dr. Pellinore and Will Henry reside in and it is up to them, the only ones in the town who have knowledge that such monsters exist, to purge them from the town.

Yancey uses advanced and depictive writing styles to create vivid pictures of the events that occur in the story. This requires readers to be familiar with general knowledge, especially in the historic and scientific manners. Scientific terms and names for animals and anatomical parts are commonly used and events in history are often referred to, as well. This makes the novel tricky to read for people who know little of each subject but even more riveting to those who understand the terms.

Each character was obviously thought through, each one having their own habitual manner that they represented. Will Henry displays a loyalty to Dr. Warthrop and tendency to reply to Warthrop’s commands with “Yes, sir” or “No, sir.” Dr. Warthrop has an insistence to keep poking at mysteries until they come back to blow up in his face.

Yancey craftily paces out events to prevent any bland areas in the plot. Any section where action isn’t happening is filled with intriguing information that is necessary to know to make sense in the story.

Also, the movie company Warner Bros. is attempting to gain licensing rights of the book in order to make a movie out of it, and Sony pictures is working with Yancey to make a movie out of another one of his books. If created parallel to Yancey’s novels, then there is no doubt both books will make great motion pictures.