Essay Questions

What is monstrumology?

Monstrumology is the study of—and the hunting of—monsters. As one of the world's leading monstrumologists, Dr. Warthrope is positioned to take on many cases involving monsters in his area and in the United States as a whole. In The Monstrumologist, Dr. Warthrope must contend with the murderous and cannibalistic Anthropophagi, who are hell-bent on killing every human they come across with. Monstrumologists deal with monsters that are benevolent and malevolent (like the cannibalistic Anthropophagi).

Why, ultimately, do Will's parents die?

On one tragic day, Will's parents' home is engulfed in flames and both of them perish. To Will and many onlookers, the fire was sudden, mysterious, and unexplained. But Will eventually learns the truth. Will's parents died because of a monstrumology-related death (they were killed by a species of very strange worms which infected things). Because Will's parents died as a result of the monsters which Dr. Warthrope were studying and had vowed to safeguard his community from, he took pity on the couple's orphaned boy and felt responsible to take him in and give him food and shelter.

Why do Will and Dr. Warthrope enlist the help of Varner?

In a strange and ironic turn of events, Will and Dr. Warthrope enlist the help of Varner to get rid of the Anthropophagi scourge. When the two meet Varner, who had previously been the sole survivor of a heinous shipwreck, he was locked in a mental institution and left to rot with his own thoughts. A deeply unhappy and mentally ill man, Varner seemingly had no hope. But in Varner, Will and Dr. Warthrope see someone who is very capable and could be useful for their cause. And he proved to be just that: a useful asset.