The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black

[VikingLegion]

I just picked up this book last week and was very impressed. It's about a brilliant but creepy 1800's surgeon who starts to delve into a bit of "alternative medicine". Without revealing too much, he develops his own hypotheses on why so many cultures believed in mythical creatures that were often hybrids (animal-man like centaurs, minotaurs, harpies, merfolk and the like, or even animal-animal like pegassus and chimera) and sets out to test his theories. It has roots in Frankenstein, Isle of Dr. Moreau, etc.

On the downside, the story itself is only 60-65 pages and goes by quick. It is framed as part narrative, part excerpts of journal entries from the doctor himself. Interspersed are newspaper and scientific journal/magazine clippings, photographs, and so on. It delves into the doctor's childhood upbringing, his time at university, his trips across country with a traveling carnival freakshow, and so on. It flies by and only took me 2 sessions to read. The remainder of the book is devoted to The Codex Extinct Animalia a series of old-school anatomical drawings with various plates of skeletal, vascular, muscular, and other systems. Each creature gets a writeup in the beginning about its mythological significance, as well as Dr. Black's own notes and commentary.

The $25 price tag might balk some for such a quick read. But the story is satisfying despite its brevity, and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous and compelling. I was hoping to go to the author's website and see if full sized prints could be ordered for framing purposes. I'll look into that and get back to you guys. Meanwhile, here's a link to the publisher if you want to check it out further. They have some cool stuff to look at, including a trailer (yes, a video trailer for a book) that is decent.

https://www.quirkbooks.com/book/resurrectionist
Trailer Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6bBAvpzGbY