It's Alive!!

Feel like more monster in your life?

I'm very pleased to announce that my latest book THIS DARK ENDEAVOR: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein goes on sale today in the United States.

For my fellow Canadians, it will be published next week on August 30th by HarperCollins.

And to my British friends, you will alas have to wait until October 6th when it will be published by David Fickling Books/Random House. But that will just give you time to read Mary Shelley's gothic masterpiece Frankenstein.

Here's what reviewers are saying so far about the book. (And by the way, whenever you see those .... ellipses in a review blurb, it means I'm just skipping ahead to the next really good bit, or deleting something mean or silly the reviewer said. You'd be amazed at how even the stingiest, most negative reviews can yield at least one good pull quote. Trust me.)

"In this stylish gothic tale, teenage Victor Frankenstein makes a desperate attempt to create the forbidden alchemical Elixir of Life, in order to save his beloved twin brother, Konrad, from an untimely death.... Oppel hews closely to the Frankenstein mythos, and with a delicious mix of science, history, and horror, he peers into the psyche of a young man who is beginning to hunger for greater control over life and death. Publishers Weekly (starred review).


"As a prequel to Mary Shelley's gothic classic Frankenstein, this is both meticulously researched and highly original.... Written from Victor's perspective and filled with his believable internal moral struggles, Oppel's novel is a gripping tale of undying devotion, mixing hope with foreboding. Horn Book (starred review)

"Dark psychological drama is the main engine here: Victor’s determination to succeed is as much an urge to outperform Konrad as to save him. Oppel grapples with the human duality of animal and soul in ways that recall (but don’t repeat) Shelley’s similar thematic explorations as he revitalizes the classic horror tale for a new generation." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)


"A dark and dramatic back story for Shelley's tormented creator." Kirkus Reviews

"Brash, jealous, and arrogant, Victor is sweet relief from today’s introspective YA protagonists, and one can easily visualize how this teen becomes the mad genius of Shelley’s Frankenstein." Booklist


“Oppel has reinvented the gothic thriller for modern readers. The narrative crackles with tension, emotions run high, and the atmosphere is perfectly dark and brooding. The Shelleys would be proud. I definitely recommend you check out the book when it's published August 23. I anticipate This Dark Endeavor will get a lot of attention, and rightly so." Rick Riordan, author of  the Percy Jackson series