Do You like book The Monster Variations (2009)?
Whoever wrote the synopsis that appears on the jacket flap of this book should be ashamed of him or herself. By making it appear as if The Monster Variations is a horror thriller, the unknown blurbster has done both the potential reader and the book's brilliant author, Daniel Kraus, a great disservice. The Monster Variations is a visceral tale of twelve-year-old boys on the cusp of manhood. The story is riveting, the imagery remarkable ("his heart scraped itself across the sharp blades of his ribs" ) and the prose luminous.James Wahl is desperately eager to leave his hometown, his parents, and his childhood behind. Making his getaway to college, James stops at a hole-in-the-wall town for gas and comes face to face with the past he can't outrun. Reggie Fielder was once one of James' best friends and during their twelfth summer they shared adventures and horrors that profoundly changed the young men they would become.One week into that long ago summer vacation a boy named Greg Johnson is killed in a hit and run. The grown-ups are in an uproar, convinced that a deliberate killer is targeting the town's boys and a curfew is soon declared. This is all particularly troubling for best friends James, Reggie and Willie. Clearly an 8 pm curfew will curtail their summer plans and it won't really protect them. They know this for a fact because Willie was the mad driver's first victim and the hit-and-run that cost him his left arm occurred much earlier in the evening than 8. The boys decide that no curfew is going to mess up their long, glorious summer and when the need arises they won't hesitate to ignore it.As the weeks go by and the killer is not caught, the boys plan a series of meaningful outings that will test their courage and their friendship. With each passing summer day, it becomes clear that growing up means changing and sometimes even growing apart, but the people who share your transition from childhood to adolescence are the ones who leave the biggest marks on your soul.I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Do yourself a favor: skip the jacket flap and sink your teeth directly into this wonderful book.
—Karen Keyte
I probably would have enjoyed this more had I read it before reading Rotters. Maybe it's not fair for me to compare the two (since they're totally different books), but this one was kind of a letdown. It was very well-written, and it held my interest through to the end, but I just didn't enjoy as much as some of the folks who've reviewed it before me. In fact, I'm even willing to go so far as to say that I don't think I got my money's worth. And I paid less than $5 for my copy.I must agree with what some others have said about the synopsis being misleading. The book jacket gives you an entirely different perception of what type of story you're in for.
—Stephen
If your a person that likes to read books about mystery then i think this book is ment for you! The genre of this book is mystery, there's so many dramatic plots. It also wants you to read it more because every time when there's a mystery it's so exciting. In my opinion this book was very good and interesting because most of the books talke about more then one person and this book focused on three people. That's what i like because when most books focus on more then one person it gets confusing The setting mainly takes place in the three main characters house. Mel Herman bullies boys if they wonder off. Also nobody knows about his life, i think that's a bit spooky and strange don't you think. The type of conflict is person v.s person because Willie, Reggie and, James that are dealing with the mystery person. The theme is mystery/mystery solving because the have to solve three things. The setting of the book is important to the theme because it helps you get a little summery of what the book could be about. The title relates to the book because there trying to catch this monster that keeps messing with them and the book is called The Monster Variations. In my opinion i like how the author discribes everything because he gives a lot of detail. I thought the ending of the book was good because at the end they were all happy and i think that was good for them because they were exausted though out the whole story because of finding the mystery person. My favorite part is when they lied to there mom and dad about sleeping over each others house and they spent the night at the school to catch the mystery person. I give this book a 4 out of 5 because i liked the beginning but the middle started getting boring buy then the end got amazing. It's a really good book! I really don't like reading books about mystery's but this book is so good. I think i'm going to read books about mysteries for now on!
—Jenna Amador
