Someone is killing boys in a small town. The murder weapon is a truck, and the only protection is a curfew enacted to keep kids off the streets. But it’s summer—and that alone is worth the risk of staying out late for James, Willie, and Reggie.
Willie, who lost his arm in the first hit-and-run attack, finds it hard to keep up with his two best friends as they leave childhood behind. All of them are changing, hounded by their parents, hunted by the killer, and haunted by the “monster,” a dead thing that guards the dangerous gateway between youth and manhood. But that’s not all: shadowing the boys everywhere is Mel Herman, the mysterious and brilliant bully whose dark secrets may hold the key to their survival. As the summer burns away, these forces collide, and it will take compassion, brains, and guts for the boys to overcome their demons—and not become monsters themselves.
In this chilling and poignant debut novel, NYT bestseller Daniel Kraus deftly explores the choices boys grapple with and the revelations that occur as they become men.
“Utterly unique from the very first line.”
-JOSHUA FERRIS, award winning author of Then We Came to the End
“Beneath the terror and the thrills, there is truth in this haunting tale. It pierced my heart straight through.”
-LAUREN MYRACLE, NYT bestselling author of the Internet Girls series.
MY REVIEW:
DESPITE THE TITLE, THE MONSTER OF VARIATIONS IS A COMING OF AGE STORY ABOUT 3 BOYS FACING THE REALTIES OF GROWING UP AND DRIFTING APART. THE STORY IS WELL WRITTEN BY DANIEL KRAUS AND COVERS THE MONSTERS INSIDE OF MAN WITH A MYSTERY IN THE STORY. ADDICTION, INFIDELITY AND AGGRESSION, ALL THESE THINGS AND MORE ARE LURKING INSIDE THE CHARACTERS IN THE MONSTER VARIATIONS.
OVERALL THE STORY KEPT ME INTERESTED AND INTRIGUED AS THE BOYS TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHO WAS KILLING THE CHILDREN AND YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BOYS. I LOVE DANIEL KNAUS' WRITING AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ THIS BOOK. 4 STARS
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Daniel Kraus DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling author. He co-authored THE LIVING DEAD with legendary filmmaker George a. Romero. With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored THE SHAPE OF WATER, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus co-authored TROLLHUNTERS, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. Kraus’s THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s Top 10 Books of the Year, and he has won two Odyssey Awards (for both ROTTERS and SCOWLER) and has been a Library Guild selection, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Bram Stoker finalist, and more.
Daniel Kraus DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling author. He co-authored THE LIVING DEAD with legendary filmmaker George a. Romero. With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored THE SHAPE OF WATER, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus co-authored TROLLHUNTERS, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. Kraus’s THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s Top 10 Books of the Year, and he has won two Odyssey Awards (for both ROTTERS and SCOWLER) and has been a Library Guild selection, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Bram Stoker finalist, and more.
Kraus’s work has been translated into over 25 languages. He lives with his wife in Chicago. Visit him at danielkraus.com.
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