Once a Monster
A reimagining of the legend of the Minotaur
$22.50
- Paperback
512 pages
- Release Date
28 January 2025
Summary
Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache … Richly textured and with an appropriately labyrinthine plot … Book of the Month - The Sunday Times
Some villains are meant to be heroes …
London, 1861: Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers, she spends her days searching for treasure in the mud …
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781529097399 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1529097398 |
| Author: | Robert Dinsdale |
| Publisher: | Pan Macmillan |
| Imprint: | Pan Books |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 512 |
| Release Date: | 28 January 2025 |
| Weight: | 346g |
| Dimensions: | 31mm x 130mm x 197mm |
| Audience Age: | 18 |
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Critics Review
A wonderful magic trick of a story, full of very human monsters and monstrous humans. Dinsdale is a beautiful, evocative story teller. – Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
[An] imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic. * The Times *
Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache in Once a Monster – The Sunday Times Book of the Month (Nick Rennison’s historical fiction picks)
What if the Minotaur survived, and followed Ariadne’s string out of the twisting darkness of the labyrinth? From this thread, Dinsdale spins an engaging yarn about dreams, second chances, and monsters both ordinary and supernatural. The story flows as smoothly as the waters of the Thames, and is just as dark and deep. Of note is Dinsdale’s ability to turn a phrase, shimmering like fine crystal held to the light. A dazzling and heartfelt book. – Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros
An inventive and irresistible retelling of the legend of the Minotaur. * I News *
A labyrinthine delight of a novel where a world of Dickensian darkness is infused with ancient myth. Historical writing at its finest … unique, seductive, and accomplished. – Essie Fox, bestselling author of The Fascination
I was very moved by this story about shame, the costs of survival, and being loved in all one’s brokenness. Minos makes perfect sense as a character living at the margins in Victorian London, and the different ways Nell searches for beauty in the dirt will stay with me for a long time. – Kate Mascarenhas, author of The Psychology of Time Travel and Hokey Pokey
Like the magic at the heart of the story, this vivid, haunting novel is both vast and intimate. A wonderful and thought-provoking read. – Katherine Arden, author of The Winternight Series, on The Toymakers
The crystalline prose, deep characterisation and compelling story carry you along. Highly recommended. * Historical Novel Society *
Robert Dinsdale
Robert Dinsdale was born in North Yorkshire and currently lives in Leigh-on-Sea. He is the author of five previous critically acclaimed novels including the bestselling The Toymakers, which was his first venture into magic.
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