The Final Descent (Monstrumologist Series #4)

by Rick Yancey

Overview

In their final horrific adventure, can Will Henry endure a monstrumological terror without his mentor? “Beyond a simple finale, this is a brave statement about the duplexity of good and evil, and the deadly trap in which all of us are snared” (Booklist, starred review).

Will Henry has been through more than seems possible for a boy of fourteen. He’s been on the brink of death on more than one occasion, he has gazed into hell—and hell has stared back at him, and known his face. But through it all, Dr. Warthrop has been at his side.

When Dr. Warthrop fears that Will’s loyalties may be shifting, he turns on Will with a fury, determined to reclaim his young apprentice’s devotion. And so Will must face one of the most horrific creatures of his monstrumology career—and he must face it alone.

Over the course of one day, Will’s life—and Pellinor Warthrop’s destiny—will hang in the balance. In the terrifying depths of the Monstrumarium, they will face a monster more terrible than any they could have imagined—and their fates will be decided.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442451544
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	11/18/2014
Series:	Monstrumologist Series , #4
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	108,788
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	HL760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Rick Yancey is the author of The 5th Wave and The Infinite Sea, the first two books in this series. His debut young-adult novel, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, was a finalist for the Carnegie Medal. In 2010, his novel The Monstrumologist received the Michael L. Printz Honor, and the sequel, The Curse of the Wendigo, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. When he isn't writing or thinking about writing or traveling the country talking about writing, Rick is hanging out with his family.

Read an Excerpt

The Final Descent


I reach for the end, though the end will not reach for me.

It has already reached for him.

He is gone

while I, locked in Judecca’s ice,

go on and on.

If I could name the nameless thing

My father burns, and living worms fall from his eyes.

They spew from his sundered flesh.

They pour from his open mouth.

It burns, my father cries. It burns!

His contagion, my inheritance.

If I could face the faceless thing

From the fire’s depths, I hear the discordant duet of their screams. I watch them dance in the final, fiery waltz.

My mother and father, dancing in flames.

If I could pull the two apart

If I could untangle the knot

Find one errant strand to tug

And lay out the thing from end to end

But there is no beginning nor ending nor anything in between

Beginnings are endings

And all endings are the same.

Time is a line

But we are circles.

Editorial Reviews

* "It can now be said with assurance that The Monstrumologist series is a landmark of modern YA fiction...Beyond a simple finale, this is a brave statement about the duplexity of good and evil, and the deadly trap in which all of us are snared."

starred review Booklist

* "A little bit of Mary Shelley, H.P. Lovecraft, Hitchcock, and Poe are brought to bear in this heavy tale...Adults who love YA will enjoy this one, too."

VOYA

"The Monstrumologist series proves young adult literature is capable of being intelligent, thought provokidng, and horrifyingly dark."

Romantic Times Book Review

"Should thrill and horrify—in the best way possible—ardent and loyal fans."

The Horn Book