Such Wicked Intent

Such Wicked Intent starts shortly after Konrad's funeral, with the entire family in mourning. In his grief, Victor's father orders the contents of the Dark Library burned, and it is in the ashes that Victor finds a metal box containing notes and instructions on how to build a spirit board to converse with the dead and a strange, ornate pendant. Retracing some discoveries made by his ancestor Wilhelm Frankenstein, Victor soon finds that he is able to travel to the spirit world, where he can see and speak with his twin. With the help of his friends Elizabeth and Henry, Victor tries to build a new body for Konrad to inhabit, but Konrad isn't the only one wanting to escape from the spirit world ...

I thought this was another fantastic, tense show more and at times unsettling read from Kenneth Oppel, giving the characters, established in This Dark Endeavour, more depth and colour. By telling the story from Victor's point of view, the reader can't help but identify with him, thereby asking oneself repeatedly whether one would dare do the things that Victor does in order to help one's sibling, given the opportunity, knowing full well that he dabbles with things he doesn't understand and that are best left well alone. The emotions evoked and discussed in this sequel are quite adult, and the whole comes with a high creepiness factor, making it unsuitable for anyone under 12 years of age, in my opinion. As the sense of misgiving and unease grows, Kenneth Oppel is brave enough to reduce the pace in places and to show us the poignancy inherent in Victor, Elizabeth and Henry's attempt to bring Konrad back from the dead. The ending is left deliberately open for a third book; if there is, I will definitely want to know how the story continues and whether Victor will eventually succeed.

This is an intelligent page-turner that will undoubtedly appeal to teenagers and young adults and will confront them with a few important and profound questions. show less

Oh, young Victor Frankenstein, you rascal!

Such a book! Oppel truly understands the horror, the deepest, subtlest horror of our modern Prometheus, who shapes a living being out of clay (or flesh, if you prefer Mary Shelley's version), and who is then sickened to comprehend the folly of his act, of his ego made flesh.

Such Wicked Intent takes up exactly where This Dark Endeavor leaves off, hurtling at breakneck speed toward a conclusion that we know won't satisfy our hotheaded anti-hero, Victor.

He'll be back.

Positively brilliant sequel to Oppel's This Dark Endeavor. Plenty of fast paced action, twists and turns. Had me on the edge of my seat and I had no idea what was going to happen, even after having read Mary Shelley's tale. All of the characters are richly developed and feel so very real. Once again Oppel doesn't write down to his readers and he has created a dark gothic tale for readers 13 plus. The ending is left open so even if Oppel doesn't write another story, you feel satisfied with what happened.

Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel (#2)
Pages: 310
Release Date: Aug. 21st, 2012
Date Read: 2012, August 11th-12th
Received: ARC (borrowed)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Recommended to: 14+

There are some maaaajor spoilers in this review, so if you don't want the first book ruined for you, I suggest you skip reading this! Howevvver...I HIGHLY recommend this series, so if you're interested, check out the first book, This Dark Endeavor.

SUMMARY -
Victor has made a promise - an oath. After the death of the one closest to him, Victor has promised to bring him back from the dead. But since they burned the Frankenstein library, how will he discover the way? When he sees the unburnt binding of a book among the ashes, he snatches it and gives rein to curiosity. show more What he and his friends, Elizabeth and Henry, discover through the book, the thing they can do in the spirit world, suck them into a dangerous game. What all can they accomplish with this new-found power? How can they raise Konrad from the dead...and at what cost?

MY THOUGHTS -
Oh holy gracious, I'm just so happy. Not that I was doubting Oppel's genius or anything...I was just a bit nervous, because I'd hyped myself up about this book and was worried if wouldn't live up to my expectations. But heck, why did I ever worry my little head over it? It was perfect, from beginning to end. The only thing stopping me from awarding this series "forever favorite" is that I haven't read what comes next, and that will be the deciding factor.

CHARACTER NOTES -
I know I'll need to do a lot of explaining for this statement, whether you've read the book or not: I am madly in love with Victor. Goodness, he's just so...amazing. Obsessive, unrelenting, disobedient, and proud, yes... But every time he does something, foolish or no, I fall a little more in love. I believe he's one of the only "bad boy" types I've ever loved like this. The passionate way he sees things, especially his love for Elizabeth, makes me blush and read faster for more. And you know what? I think that's just it - his passion. I love him for it, so so much.

Now, Elizabeth. She's amazing, too, in a very level-headed, sweet-tempered way. She is very maternal, but also very wild, like an animal, and only Victor really sees that side of her. I think she and Konrad had a comfortable love, but she and Victor could have something very passionate, a love like fire, and I'm rooting for that without a doubt.

Henry seemed to grow so much this time around. He became so manly and attractive. The story really compared Henry's/Victor's strengths and showed how selfish Victor can be sometimes. Henry was almost like an angel, pure and strong. I loved him all the more this time!

And the pit-god... Oh, I shudder at that name! What a formidable, unbeatable enemy!

STORY NOTES -
I think Oppel's trademark is that he makes everything that could possibly go wrong happen, one thing after another, slamming the heroes in the face until it seems like they won't be able to win after all... And that's also his brilliancy. It's rare that a story sucks me in so much that by the end I can no longer sense things going on around me, that my heart is beating wildly, my stomach is churning with worry, and htat my hands shake with anticipation as I turn the pages. And this book - it did exactly that.

From beginning to end I couldn't stop. I read it all in 2 sittings, only putting it down 'cause I had to, only picking it up once I knew I could just sit and finish it all.

This is a dark, sad, humorous, startling, gripping, and completely lovely. It holds twists I couldn't foresee, and writing that sweeps you up in TWO different tenses. Victor's voice and Oppel's style, while both unmistakable, mesh perfectly.

It's also a story that sticks with you. I know that in my review of This Dark Endeavor I said the story wasn't very memorable, but I take that back. I remembered everything about Book 1, and now Such Wicked Intent sticks out to me even more.

Also, as Christian, I found the religious discussions and aspects of the story VERY fascinating. They weren't over the top or taking over the whole story, but OMG (excuse my lack of proper grammar) but that was a brilliant touch. You have the dynamics of an athiest, a Catholic, and a Protestant. So, soooo fascinating!!

So, honestly, I have nothing bad to say. At all!

SUMMING IT UP -
Just....wow. I personally cannot recommend this series enough. I want everyone to read it - hurry hurry go go go go go go go go!!!!!

For the Parents -
A kiss or two (Victor thinks about one of them afterward and about the intimacy between he and Elizabeth, but not in explicit terms). Maybe a curse word or two. Some intense action but not really any violence. Some spooky scenes (looooved those!). Overall, recommended 14+. show less

I've decided that I'm a fan of gothic horror novels. Really, no time period does horror better than gothic. It's dark, twisted, terrifying...while being free from all the gore and disgusting stuff that turn me off in modern horror.

This series is no exception. When I read the first book, I was a little put off in the beginning by the slower pacing. By the time I finished, however, I realized that it was perfect. The story NEEDED it. It didn't need to speed by at a pace I couldn't keep up with.

The sequel is no exception. Slow moving, but perfectly paced. It's just exactly what makes a gothic horror story so fabulous. You never really know where it's going or how things will be resolved. There isn't a lot of 'Oh, I can guess what's going show more to happen next because this is YA." Sure, we know that things are going to work out in the end. But they rarely work out in the way one expects, and the characters never come out of it unscathed. They are figuratively torn apart and have to put themselves back together in some cobbled fashion. This is, for me, a metaphor for the larger Frankenstein story. We all know that one.

Oppel is a brilliant story crafter. The way he weaves the tale leaves me breathless - not because it's all happening so fast, but because I can't figure out where we're going next. The world building is fabulous and so realistic. There were times when I felt like I could smell the same things that the characters were, see the same sights, experience the same feelings. It was great.

As far as characters go, WOW. After reading this, and having read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I can totally see how Victor got to be the way he did. The two authors should really go hand-in-hand. Read the books together.

Victor is power hungry and always wanting what he knows he can't have. It never stops him from trying though, which carries through to Shelley's masterpiece. I really liked getting a glimpse of teenage Victor. The way Oppel writes him leads perfectly into Victor as an older student. He isn't a bad person; he's just consumed with the need to KNOW and the need for power.

The supporting characters are also strong. Elizabeth, Konrad, and Henry all serve as foils for Victor. Each one of them has a characteristic that he lacks. Elizabeth is staunch in her belief in God and refuses to back down from that when challenged. Konrad has a love for life and living things. Not that Victor doesn't, but Konrad is motivated more by love than power. Henry is loyalty and quiet strength defined. There is nothing loud or showy about any of them and it's the perfect contrast to Victor's bravado.

I'm guessing that there is another book coming in this series, based on the ending of Such Wicked Intent. I will definitely be on the lookout to continue this story.

4.5 Eiffel Towers show less

When his grieving father orders the destruction of the Dark Library, Victor retrieves a book in which he finds the promise of not just communicating with the dead, but entering their realm, and soon he, Elizabeth, and Henry are in the spirit world of Chateau Frankenstein, creating and growing a body. Summary BPL

If you look up "gothic" in the dictionary, you will find Such Wicked Intent! This novel vibrates with more creepiness and vital darkness than Mary Shelley's original! Action, action and more action replace the first novel's exposition with an almost graphic intensity, while still retaining the 19th century mores.

Kenneth Oppel has scripted a riveting Part Two of his Frankenstein trilogy: around page 42 when the undaunted trio of show more Victor, Elizabeth and Henry first enter the realm of the dead-but-not-yet-gathered, I couldn't stop reading. Black butterflies, elixirs, a fetal-sparrow-adorned timepiece and an ancient monster-birthing cave help to re-create early19th century science fiction. Shelley's original novel reveals her generation's speculation on the origins of life which the following generation would carry on--Darwin's Origin of the Species was published about 40 years later.

Looking up Shelley's novel I saw that the subtitle was The Modern Prometheus; the Titan who gave fire to humans. I didn't know that Prometheus also made clay models into humans. Victor Frankenstein, rebel, atheist, polymath, seeker stands for every scientist who has strained against religious or cultural limitations in the pursuit of knowledge and has been denigrated as arrogant or mad or evil. Is it bad that I approve of Victor employing arcane arts--which might simply be primitive science--to defeat death?

Beautiful cousin Elizabeth continues to prove herself Victor's equal, perhaps even his superior in wisdom. I think Oppel has modeled her on Mary Shelley. A nice twist that rescues Elizabeth from victim and sets her as co-player.

8 out 10 Recommended to fans of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and to readers of 19th century historical and science fiction. And to anyone who loves an engrossing story! show less

I love Kenneth Oppel. Well, at least I love his books. His Airborn series was one of the best middle grade series I have ever read. The only reason why I did not read his bat series is because a personal disinclination towards talking animals (unless it is Manchee from the Knife of Never Letting Go. Poo Todd! Poo. Squirrel, Todd), but I hear it is fabulous.

So imagine my excitement when I discovered he wrote a book riffing on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! Oppel. Historical fiction. Old-fashioned 18th century Gothic horror. I. am. so. there.

As usual, Mr. Oppel does not disappoint. The Frankensteins live an idyllic life. They are well off, having a country house in the countryside outside of Geneva as well as a townhouse. Victor and his show more twin brother Konrad are very close to each other as well as their cousin, the beautiful and spunky Elisabeth. But the picturesque scene crumbles when Konrad falls ill. Victor turns to the alchemical secrets in a hidden chamber, secrets his father does not want him to investigate in order to find a cure for the wasting disease afflicting his brother.

Oppel does a brilliant job of telling a story from the perspective of the villain. And as villains go, Victor is complicated, nuanced and arrives at his villainy not through bad intentions but through a twisted desire to do good. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Add a heart-breaking love triangle, shady alchemists, rare cave-dwelling fish as big as small whales and you’ve got yourself a fine tale to wile away a winter’s eve.

I am doing some homework in terms of my own writing these days, and am thinking a lot about scene. How they need to be tight. How they have their own story arcs, with beginning, middle and ends. How nothing can be superfluous. Oppel sets his scenes brilliantly- in fact the first scene of the book is genius. The reader is immediately drawn into the story by the first sentence: “We found the monster on a rocky ledge high above the lake.” Then a few pages comes the unexpected twist. The reader then thinks the surprise is over, lets their shoulders down, takes a breath, only to be thrust right back into the tension. The first scene also serves as a wonderful foreshadowing for Victor’s journey into the dark side of alchemy. Oppel is indeed a master craftsman- I am looking forward to reading the sequel, which is now waiting for me on my desk! show less