''The Curse of the Wendigo'' is a 2010 young adult horror novel by

Rick Yancey Richard Yancey (born November 4, 1962) is an American author who writes works of suspense, fantasy, and science fiction aimed at young adults. Life Rick Yancey was born in a Miami suburb, Florida. Yancey wrote his first short story in seventh ...

. It was first published on October 12, 2010 through

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

and is the second book in Yancey's ''Monstrumologist'' series.

Synopsis

The book follows Dr. Warthrop, a scientist trying to debunk theories that

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...

could possibly exist. He's drawn from his research by his former fiancé, who pleads with him to save her husband from the flesh eating

Wendigo Wendigo () is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of Canada, the Great Plains region of the Uni ...

. Not believing that such a creature could exist, Warthrop ventures out and succeeds in saving his ex's husband, only for the man to then transform into a Wendigo himself. Warthrop and Will Henry are then forced to hunt and destroy the creature.

Reception

Critical reception for ''The Curse of the Wendigo'' has been mostly positive and the book received starred positive reviews from

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

, and

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

. The

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

commented that the book worked well as a standalone text and the reviewer marked it as one of her favorite book reads for 2010. HorrorNews.net gave a more mixed review, saying that it "may not be as good as The Monstrumologist or really even a worthy follow up, but it is a book that deserves to have a second look if you did not like it after the first read like I did."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curse of the Wendigo American young adult novels American horror novels 2010 American novels Wendigos in popular culture Simon & Schuster books