Adventure; Young Adult Literature; Gothic Fiction
Gothic Fiction
When you picture The Monstrumologist in your head, does it evoke a sense of dark, looming catastrophe, and feelings of dread? Do you get little shivers down your back just thinking about the Anthropophagus and the fact that it could be standing behind you, right now, huffing and preparing to pounce? Yeah, us, too. That's why we put it solidly into the horror/gothic fiction category. It follows the same basic tenets as the classic Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, one of the original gothic fiction stories.
Adventure
In The Monstrumologist, our main characters are responsible for hunting down and eliminating a dangerous, violent, impulsive beast at great risk to themselves. And if they fail, the odds of the Anthropophagi reproducing unchecked and terrorizing the general population are catastrophic. This adrenaline-fueled aspect of the story helps heighten the sense of dread and foreboding that the main character, and the reader, experiences. From the moment Erasmus knocks on the door, it's pretty much non-stop adventure.
Young Adult Literature
Like many of the examples of this genre nowadays, The Monstrumologist is a YA book that is geared toward young adults but appeals to a wide spread of ages. Even though adults will thoroughly enjoy the story, the language and themes are meant to appeal to a slightly younger audience. No terrifying words here, only terrifying beasts and innocent kids facing terrifying odds.