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Monster Blood Tattoo #2
Lamplighter
The eagerly awaited second book of the critically acclaimed trilogy!
Orphan Rossamund Bookchild has been sworn into the Emperor's service his duty is to light the lamps along the Emperor's highways and protect travelers from the ferocious bogles that live in the wild. But he's found it no easier to fit in with the lamplighters than he did with the foundlings always too small and too meek and his loneliness continues no matter how hard he tries to succeed.
But when a haughty young girl, a member of a suspiciously regarded society of all-women teratologists monster hunters is forced upon the lamplighters for training, Rossamund is no longer the most despised soul around. As Rossamund begins to make new friends in the dangerous world of the Half-Continent, he also seems to make more enemies, finding himself pushed toward a destiny that he could never have imagined.
702 pages, Hardcover
First published May 27, 2007
88 people are currently reading
2185 people want to read
About the author
D.M. Cornish
17 books698 followersD. M. (David) Cornish (born 1972) is a fantasy author and illustrator from Adelaide, South Australia. His first book is Foundling, the first part of the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy. The second book named Lamplighter was released in May 2008. The third in the series is yet to be named.
D.M. Cornish was born in time to see the first Star Wars movie. He was five. It made him realize that worlds beyond his own were possible, and he failed to eat his popcorn. Experiences with C.S. Lewis, and later J.R.R. Tolkien, completely convinced him that other worlds existed, and that writers had a key to these worlds. But words were not yet his earliest tools for storytelling. Drawings were.
He spent most of his childhood drawing, as well as most of his teenage and adult years as well. And by age eleven he had made his first book, called "Attack from Mars." It featured Jupitans and lots and lots of drawings of space battles.
He studied illustration at the University of South Australia, where he began to compile a series of notebooks, beginning with #1 in 1993. He had read Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels, The Iliad, and Paul Gallico's Love of Seven Dolls. Classical ideas as well as the great desire to continue what Mervyn Peake had begun but not finished led him to delineate his own world. Hermann Hesse, Kafka and other writers convinced him there were ways to be fantastical without conforming to the generally accepted notions of fantasy. Over the next ten years he filled 23 journals with his pictures, definitions, ideas and histories of his world, the Half-Continent.
It was not until 2003 that a chance encounter with a children's publisher gave him an opportunity to develop these ideas further. Learning of his journals, she bullied him into writing a story from his world. Cornish was sent away with the task of delivering 1,000 words the following week and each week thereafter. Abandoning all other paid work, he spent the next two years propped up with one small advance after the other as his publisher tried desperately to keep him from eating his furniture.
D.M. Cornish was born in time to see the first Star Wars movie. He was five. It made him realize that worlds beyond his own were possible, and he failed to eat his popcorn. Experiences with C.S. Lewis, and later J.R.R. Tolkien, completely convinced him that other worlds existed, and that writers had a key to these worlds. But words were not yet his earliest tools for storytelling. Drawings were.
He spent most of his childhood drawing, as well as most of his teenage and adult years as well. And by age eleven he had made his first book, called "Attack from Mars." It featured Jupitans and lots and lots of drawings of space battles.
He studied illustration at the University of South Australia, where he began to compile a series of notebooks, beginning with #1 in 1993. He had read Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels, The Iliad, and Paul Gallico's Love of Seven Dolls. Classical ideas as well as the great desire to continue what Mervyn Peake had begun but not finished led him to delineate his own world. Hermann Hesse, Kafka and other writers convinced him there were ways to be fantastical without conforming to the generally accepted notions of fantasy. Over the next ten years he filled 23 journals with his pictures, definitions, ideas and histories of his world, the Half-Continent.
It was not until 2003 that a chance encounter with a children's publisher gave him an opportunity to develop these ideas further. Learning of his journals, she bullied him into writing a story from his world. Cornish was sent away with the task of delivering 1,000 words the following week and each week thereafter. Abandoning all other paid work, he spent the next two years propped up with one small advance after the other as his publisher tried desperately to keep him from eating his furniture.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
May 6, 2008
You can like the first book in a new fantasy series. You can love a first book in a new fantasy series. You can compare that book to the works and worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien or Philip Pullman, if you’ve half a mind to do so. But no matter how much you love a book, when you see that its sequel is a whopping 711 pages long you may find yourself somewhat reluctant to pick it up. I’m a busy reviewer. I get sent a lot of books to read and I’m only able to review a tiny portion of them. If a book is 711 pages long then it better earn my trust. I’d better be sure that there isn’t any needless information there. For all its length this had better be one heckuva lean, exciting, entrancing read. So I hefted this tome (there’s no other word for it) around with me and found pretty quickly that not only is Lamplighter, the second book in the Monster Blood Tattoo series, good, it happens to be even better than its predecessor. If Cornish tackled the idea of creating an original world and laying down the foundations in his first book, the second speaks to human prejudice, ignorance perpetuated, and maybe even the author’s Australian roots in this remarkable middle book in an increasingly multilayered world.
When last we saw of young Rossamund Bookchild he had successfully arrived at Winstermill, the fortress of the lamplighters. The boy is to learn the dangerous job of keeping the Empire’s roads lit at all times, despite the omnipresent fear of monsters on all sides. Because he has arrived a little late Rossamund is considered a bit of a laggard by his fellows. His status changes substantially, however, after a young noblewoman by the name of Threnody also arrives to become a lamplighter (the first female ever, perhaps). She and Rossamund strike up an uneasy friendship and good thing too. Dark machinations are afoot at Winstermill. The Master-of-Clerks has taken over in the Lamplighter-Marshal’s sudden absence. Rossamund finds a creature of despicable origins in the bowls of the fortress. And suddenly he and Threnody are bundled off to serve their first posts, but in a place as dark and dangerous as any in the Empire. Between parsing his own thoughts on monsters and trying to keep alive, Rossamund soon finds that the strange secrets from the past have a way of coming to light.
Generally the second book/film in any trilogy is going to be your weakest part. What percentage of people can honestly say that The Two Towers is their favorite book or Empire Strikes Back their favorite Star Wars movie? But Lamplighter is surprisingly strong and engaging for all that it’s a stepping stone to a conclusion. Maybe Cornish is helped by the fact that you never quite know where the storyline is headed until you’re almost to the end of the book. If Rossamund was a mild sedorner (monster lover) at the end of the first book, he’s made leaps and strides in that direction by the finale of the second. True, Lamplighter ends on a very “To Be Continued” note, which I usually despise. But in spite of this cliffhanger the book stands tall on its own two feet. Villains have been fleshed out and identified properly. Heroes are also named, though Rossamund is increasingly anxious over the moral complexities of people like Europe. And he finds himself wondering about his friend Sebastipole, “Could he be what Rossamund considered a good man and still do this? Could a man be wrong for doing what he thought was right?” And on top all of this, the book’s theme has been polished and defined.
It took me a little while to realize it, but D.M. Cornish shares much in common with his fellow Australian writers. As I read this book I was reminded of John Marsden’s remarkable “picture book” The Rabbits, as illustrated by Shaun Tan. In that book, a group of native animals are colonized violently by an invading species. Now look at the Monster Blood Tattoo books. Cornish has given us a set of assumptions and then turned them slowly on their head. In the first book you acquired Rossamund’s own “learned suspicions” as pertaining to the “fact” that all monsters are evil and must be destroyed else they will destroy you. Now in the second book we get a glimpse of the true stakes of the battle. Humans, it seems, have been encroaching on the monsters’ land for years. They destroy them regularly, even creating disgusting zombie-like creatures to fight them, and the monsters respond violently to this. As the book continues, you even got a glimpse of how little the humans even know about monsters. Their ideas about monster birth is a kind of spontaneous regeneration involving mud or maybe the buds on trees. These people know so little about their foes that they would rather kill them than learn anything about them, and it has been this way for centuries upon centuries.
You would think that this would mean that Rossamund was destined to do something to end all of this conflict. I’d like to think he could bring monster and man together in peace, but in truth I’m not sure if Cornish is really aiming that high. It seems like it will be enough for him to simply have Rossamund defeat the villains of the piece in the end. Then again, maybe it’s all connected. Hard to say. I guess we’ll just have to see what Cornish has up his sleeve in the last installment. One thing I will say (and this may be a tad spoilerish so avoid the rest of this paragraph if you care) is that I made a mistake in reviewing Lamplighter’s predecessor Foundling. In that review I said something along the lines of “never have I had such a clear sense that a character’s parentage is not the point of the series.” I might have as well have said, “I believe the next novel in this series will be written with Cheerios rather than words”, since that’s roundabout how off-base I was with that assumption. It’s not immediately apparent at the start, but Rossamund’s parentage may be the sticking point on which this entire series hinges.
Second novels have the luxury of getting to begin with an already well-informed bang. Lamplighter begins with excitement, heroism, blood, and women kicking monster-butt. Because the book assumes that you’ve read Foundling, it brings up multiple references to the occurrences in the previous book. A word to the wise then, do not begin this series with this book. It may be stronger than the first novel, but you need to understand this world completely from the first book to get anything at all out of the second. As for the new characters you meet, they’re fun. You can’t help but love poor sweet Numps, the seltzerman who is no longer quite right in the head but turns out to be a good friend to Rossamund. Or Threnody, the young noblewoman who wishes to be a lamplighter and who has such a crush on Rossamund that it shows itself in biting remarks, snipes, and a lot of pouting (which he never catches on to, sweet boy). What’s more, characters from the previous book are better fleshed out, which is helpful.
As in the second, Lamplighter retains Cornish’s ear for a well-turned phrase in his world’s particular vernacular. “Move your ashes, scrub!” sounds like a real enough sentence to me. Descriptions too remain sparkling and bright. Cornish isn’t afraid to use delightful words in average sentences as with, “A susurrus of deep displeasure stirred about the boys.” And then the names have multiplied here and become delicious. There’s Sourdoor, Epitome Bile, Bellicos, and more.
It has been said many many times before regarding other series, but I don’t think one more time is going to hurt anyone. Having finished this book at long last my sole regret is that I don’t have the third. Perhaps Mr. Cornish will be kind enough to make the final book in the trilogy a good 1,000 pages at least so that I don’t have abandon Rossamund and his world quite so soon. Someday I like to think that children’s literary scholars will take some time to pick apart Cornish’s histories and theories regarding conflict and how it is perpetuated by a society that would perhaps prefer peace if they considered the matter. Until then, you’ll just have to enjoy the books on their own. It’s a brilliant little number and hopefully will garner the fan base it so desperately deserves.
Ages 10 and up.
When last we saw of young Rossamund Bookchild he had successfully arrived at Winstermill, the fortress of the lamplighters. The boy is to learn the dangerous job of keeping the Empire’s roads lit at all times, despite the omnipresent fear of monsters on all sides. Because he has arrived a little late Rossamund is considered a bit of a laggard by his fellows. His status changes substantially, however, after a young noblewoman by the name of Threnody also arrives to become a lamplighter (the first female ever, perhaps). She and Rossamund strike up an uneasy friendship and good thing too. Dark machinations are afoot at Winstermill. The Master-of-Clerks has taken over in the Lamplighter-Marshal’s sudden absence. Rossamund finds a creature of despicable origins in the bowls of the fortress. And suddenly he and Threnody are bundled off to serve their first posts, but in a place as dark and dangerous as any in the Empire. Between parsing his own thoughts on monsters and trying to keep alive, Rossamund soon finds that the strange secrets from the past have a way of coming to light.
Generally the second book/film in any trilogy is going to be your weakest part. What percentage of people can honestly say that The Two Towers is their favorite book or Empire Strikes Back their favorite Star Wars movie? But Lamplighter is surprisingly strong and engaging for all that it’s a stepping stone to a conclusion. Maybe Cornish is helped by the fact that you never quite know where the storyline is headed until you’re almost to the end of the book. If Rossamund was a mild sedorner (monster lover) at the end of the first book, he’s made leaps and strides in that direction by the finale of the second. True, Lamplighter ends on a very “To Be Continued” note, which I usually despise. But in spite of this cliffhanger the book stands tall on its own two feet. Villains have been fleshed out and identified properly. Heroes are also named, though Rossamund is increasingly anxious over the moral complexities of people like Europe. And he finds himself wondering about his friend Sebastipole, “Could he be what Rossamund considered a good man and still do this? Could a man be wrong for doing what he thought was right?” And on top all of this, the book’s theme has been polished and defined.
It took me a little while to realize it, but D.M. Cornish shares much in common with his fellow Australian writers. As I read this book I was reminded of John Marsden’s remarkable “picture book” The Rabbits, as illustrated by Shaun Tan. In that book, a group of native animals are colonized violently by an invading species. Now look at the Monster Blood Tattoo books. Cornish has given us a set of assumptions and then turned them slowly on their head. In the first book you acquired Rossamund’s own “learned suspicions” as pertaining to the “fact” that all monsters are evil and must be destroyed else they will destroy you. Now in the second book we get a glimpse of the true stakes of the battle. Humans, it seems, have been encroaching on the monsters’ land for years. They destroy them regularly, even creating disgusting zombie-like creatures to fight them, and the monsters respond violently to this. As the book continues, you even got a glimpse of how little the humans even know about monsters. Their ideas about monster birth is a kind of spontaneous regeneration involving mud or maybe the buds on trees. These people know so little about their foes that they would rather kill them than learn anything about them, and it has been this way for centuries upon centuries.
You would think that this would mean that Rossamund was destined to do something to end all of this conflict. I’d like to think he could bring monster and man together in peace, but in truth I’m not sure if Cornish is really aiming that high. It seems like it will be enough for him to simply have Rossamund defeat the villains of the piece in the end. Then again, maybe it’s all connected. Hard to say. I guess we’ll just have to see what Cornish has up his sleeve in the last installment. One thing I will say (and this may be a tad spoilerish so avoid the rest of this paragraph if you care) is that I made a mistake in reviewing Lamplighter’s predecessor Foundling. In that review I said something along the lines of “never have I had such a clear sense that a character’s parentage is not the point of the series.” I might have as well have said, “I believe the next novel in this series will be written with Cheerios rather than words”, since that’s roundabout how off-base I was with that assumption. It’s not immediately apparent at the start, but Rossamund’s parentage may be the sticking point on which this entire series hinges.
Second novels have the luxury of getting to begin with an already well-informed bang. Lamplighter begins with excitement, heroism, blood, and women kicking monster-butt. Because the book assumes that you’ve read Foundling, it brings up multiple references to the occurrences in the previous book. A word to the wise then, do not begin this series with this book. It may be stronger than the first novel, but you need to understand this world completely from the first book to get anything at all out of the second. As for the new characters you meet, they’re fun. You can’t help but love poor sweet Numps, the seltzerman who is no longer quite right in the head but turns out to be a good friend to Rossamund. Or Threnody, the young noblewoman who wishes to be a lamplighter and who has such a crush on Rossamund that it shows itself in biting remarks, snipes, and a lot of pouting (which he never catches on to, sweet boy). What’s more, characters from the previous book are better fleshed out, which is helpful.
As in the second, Lamplighter retains Cornish’s ear for a well-turned phrase in his world’s particular vernacular. “Move your ashes, scrub!” sounds like a real enough sentence to me. Descriptions too remain sparkling and bright. Cornish isn’t afraid to use delightful words in average sentences as with, “A susurrus of deep displeasure stirred about the boys.” And then the names have multiplied here and become delicious. There’s Sourdoor, Epitome Bile, Bellicos, and more.
It has been said many many times before regarding other series, but I don’t think one more time is going to hurt anyone. Having finished this book at long last my sole regret is that I don’t have the third. Perhaps Mr. Cornish will be kind enough to make the final book in the trilogy a good 1,000 pages at least so that I don’t have abandon Rossamund and his world quite so soon. Someday I like to think that children’s literary scholars will take some time to pick apart Cornish’s histories and theories regarding conflict and how it is perpetuated by a society that would perhaps prefer peace if they considered the matter. Until then, you’ll just have to enjoy the books on their own. It’s a brilliant little number and hopefully will garner the fan base it so desperately deserves.
Ages 10 and up.
August 1, 2012
This took a long time to finish because I was listening to this at night before bed and I would often fall asleep and have to rewind it the next night! I finally finished it early this morning. While I didn't like this one quite as much as the first book or the last (I had to read book 3 a few months ago for review), it was still a good read, and I was drawn into the world of our intrepid young hero. I just love Rossamünd. He's like my honorary little boy. Just a sweet kid. When he hurt, I hurt, when he was lonely and uncertain, I wanted to hug and comfort him. I was proud of him when he triumphed. He has a lot more honor, bravery, love, and heart than a lot of grown men, and he is a very humane person, which counts for a whole lot in these books. He alone makes this book series worthwhile.
I wasn't as enamored of the lifestyle of a lamplighter. Perhaps a bit too regimented for me. I believe that Rossamünd is about ten or so, but he is treated like a grownup, like an army recruit in a dangerous job that didn't make a lot of sense to me. Mind-numbingly boring, and unnecessarily dangerous. Not a good mix at all. Basically folks risking their lives on the roads to keep the highways lighted, way out in the boondocks (because that's so important), for the glory of the Emperor of the Half-Continent. The grunts are hard-working folks, and some of their superiors as well. But as always, you run into useless bureaucrats like the Master of Clerks who appear to want folks to end up dead. I couldn't figure out if he was just clueless or deliberately evil. I am leaning towards the latter since he is in cahoots with one in this book who definitely is evil.
As always, Rossamünd struggles with the moral conflicts of killing monsters or stepping aside in this war, when innocent humans' lives are at stakes. He knows quite well that not all monsters are bad and not all humans are good. He has to make the choice to fight or not near the end when things come to a head. And he chooses rightly. But for his troubles, he has to deal with enemies that are high in the government's workings. Good to know he has a powerful person or two on his side like Europe.
I have to be honest that I spent a lot of this book looking for Europe when she wasn't around. It's because I love the relationship between her and Rossamünd. I think that she is the mother that he never had, and he is her child in all but birth. But beyond that is a mutual respect and an essential aspect to their relationship that challenges them both to be better in the ways that are unique to each as an individual.
Threnody, a young girl that also joins the Lamplighter corp is much as I would have imagined Europe as a girl. Very haughty, yet unsure, her social superiority much like armor against the hurts of the world and the fact that she can't ever live up to her highborn mother's expectations. It was not surprising that she and Europe didn't get along at all. No doubt due to a sort of jealousy for Rossamünd's attention that Threnody feels, and perhaps some projection on her by Europe for the young Europe that she sees in the girl. Threnody was a bit annoying for most of the book, but at the same time, she grew on me, because I could see how she connected to Rossamünd and depended on a relationship with him to be 'normal' and perhaps feel human. And that is a bit of irony in itself.
Cornish has a way with imbuing this work with characters of distinction, even if their roles are quite small at times. I loved seeing Masters Fransitart and Cramupalin again. And I liked some of the fellow lamplighters and authoritative figures that Rossamünd engages with. The bad guys are quite unlikeable, be it evil monsters or evil beaurocrat humans. But the good thing is no one is cardboard or lackluster.
As far as world-building, this book has a complexity that makes it a more difficult listen than read. However, it was distinct, creative, and interesting. This world of monsters against humans isn't all black and white, but very much in shades of gray, which works well when you have a lead figure like Rossamünd who doesn't fit especially perfect in either world.
Although I didn't enjoy this as much as book one or book three, it was still enjoyable. More than anything, this is due to an unforgettable and utterly endearing main character. My beloved Rossamünd stands out to me. What a sweet kid he is. Equally fascinating is our Lady Europa, The Branden Rose. A woman of power and authority who has a surprisingly tender heart when it comes to Rossamünd. I love her for that.
I am sad to see this series come to an end as far as my reading pleasure. I would love to see more of Rossamünd and Europe.
This won't work for every YA or even older reader, but I like that it is a bit off the beaten track and challenging in the subject matter. I feel that the writer put a lot of energy and effort into building this world, and his characters will linger long in my mind, even though I have finished this book. A sign of a good book indeed for this reader.
Kodi Smit-McPhee as Rossamünd Bookchild
[image error]
Gemma Arterton as Lady Europe, The Branden Rose
[image error]
I wasn't as enamored of the lifestyle of a lamplighter. Perhaps a bit too regimented for me. I believe that Rossamünd is about ten or so, but he is treated like a grownup, like an army recruit in a dangerous job that didn't make a lot of sense to me. Mind-numbingly boring, and unnecessarily dangerous. Not a good mix at all. Basically folks risking their lives on the roads to keep the highways lighted, way out in the boondocks (because that's so important), for the glory of the Emperor of the Half-Continent. The grunts are hard-working folks, and some of their superiors as well. But as always, you run into useless bureaucrats like the Master of Clerks who appear to want folks to end up dead. I couldn't figure out if he was just clueless or deliberately evil. I am leaning towards the latter since he is in cahoots with one in this book who definitely is evil.
As always, Rossamünd struggles with the moral conflicts of killing monsters or stepping aside in this war, when innocent humans' lives are at stakes. He knows quite well that not all monsters are bad and not all humans are good. He has to make the choice to fight or not near the end when things come to a head. And he chooses rightly. But for his troubles, he has to deal with enemies that are high in the government's workings. Good to know he has a powerful person or two on his side like Europe.
I have to be honest that I spent a lot of this book looking for Europe when she wasn't around. It's because I love the relationship between her and Rossamünd. I think that she is the mother that he never had, and he is her child in all but birth. But beyond that is a mutual respect and an essential aspect to their relationship that challenges them both to be better in the ways that are unique to each as an individual.
Threnody, a young girl that also joins the Lamplighter corp is much as I would have imagined Europe as a girl. Very haughty, yet unsure, her social superiority much like armor against the hurts of the world and the fact that she can't ever live up to her highborn mother's expectations. It was not surprising that she and Europe didn't get along at all. No doubt due to a sort of jealousy for Rossamünd's attention that Threnody feels, and perhaps some projection on her by Europe for the young Europe that she sees in the girl. Threnody was a bit annoying for most of the book, but at the same time, she grew on me, because I could see how she connected to Rossamünd and depended on a relationship with him to be 'normal' and perhaps feel human. And that is a bit of irony in itself.
Cornish has a way with imbuing this work with characters of distinction, even if their roles are quite small at times. I loved seeing Masters Fransitart and Cramupalin again. And I liked some of the fellow lamplighters and authoritative figures that Rossamünd engages with. The bad guys are quite unlikeable, be it evil monsters or evil beaurocrat humans. But the good thing is no one is cardboard or lackluster.
As far as world-building, this book has a complexity that makes it a more difficult listen than read. However, it was distinct, creative, and interesting. This world of monsters against humans isn't all black and white, but very much in shades of gray, which works well when you have a lead figure like Rossamünd who doesn't fit especially perfect in either world.
Although I didn't enjoy this as much as book one or book three, it was still enjoyable. More than anything, this is due to an unforgettable and utterly endearing main character. My beloved Rossamünd stands out to me. What a sweet kid he is. Equally fascinating is our Lady Europa, The Branden Rose. A woman of power and authority who has a surprisingly tender heart when it comes to Rossamünd. I love her for that.
I am sad to see this series come to an end as far as my reading pleasure. I would love to see more of Rossamünd and Europe.
This won't work for every YA or even older reader, but I like that it is a bit off the beaten track and challenging in the subject matter. I feel that the writer put a lot of energy and effort into building this world, and his characters will linger long in my mind, even though I have finished this book. A sign of a good book indeed for this reader.
Kodi Smit-McPhee as Rossamünd Bookchild
[image error]
Gemma Arterton as Lady Europe, The Branden Rose
[image error]
July 4, 2008
Heck, what can I say about a book that has made me excited about reading again? Waiting eagerly for the next installment like a young child? There's just something very magical about this series, and this book has only continued that, broadening the world and making the story only more deep and disturbing.
Following orphan Rossamund as he becomes a Lamplighter in the Most Serene Emperors service, it quickly becomes more apparent than the first book that something is truly rotten in the world. The power of Cornish's writing is that he hints and lays down clues throughout rather than just coming out and saying it. It really makes you feel as if you are discovering the truth of the world along with our young hero.
Probably a more complex write than the first book, its also (thankfully) longer. The language of the world hits you thick and fast, as does the war and violence of the setting. As Rossamund sets into the drudge of his apprenticeship as a Lamplighter, the book could have risked bogging down, but thankfully Cornish took that time to also lay the groundwork for which became a killer of an ending.
I wail as I wait painfully for book three to come out. Probably the best book I'll read this year, I think. If you want a fresh fantasy world very unlike any other, and filled with character and depth, then give this series a try.
Following orphan Rossamund as he becomes a Lamplighter in the Most Serene Emperors service, it quickly becomes more apparent than the first book that something is truly rotten in the world. The power of Cornish's writing is that he hints and lays down clues throughout rather than just coming out and saying it. It really makes you feel as if you are discovering the truth of the world along with our young hero.
Probably a more complex write than the first book, its also (thankfully) longer. The language of the world hits you thick and fast, as does the war and violence of the setting. As Rossamund sets into the drudge of his apprenticeship as a Lamplighter, the book could have risked bogging down, but thankfully Cornish took that time to also lay the groundwork for which became a killer of an ending.
I wail as I wait painfully for book three to come out. Probably the best book I'll read this year, I think. If you want a fresh fantasy world very unlike any other, and filled with character and depth, then give this series a try.
February 23, 2011
When a book has somewhere close to 100 pages of an appendix with definitions and explanations of terms and things found in the book, I draw the line. Thumbs-up D.M. Cornish for creating an amazing new world. Thumbs-down for making it nearly impossible to understand unless I devote serious, and I mean SERIOUS, time to reading that cumbersome appendix (which I refuse to do). Which then means, I am half confused for a good three-quarters of the book. (And COME ON, is anyone DYING to know all about lamp-lighting?) So many pages are eaten up with confusing terms and things that by the time the book really got going, I had only a quarter left to read. Happily, that quarter was GREAT. I simply adore Miss Europe. I suspect it's partly because she refers to Rossamund as "little man" which puts me in mind of my "little man" (almost a year old). I can well understand the soft spot one can have in their heart for a child. Meanwhile, I will plod on with this series. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, each books leaves you hanging. I would look forward to the next one if I wasn't so afraid of the size of the appendix.
(Aside: if you read my review of Foundling, to answer the question: he might have grown a very small pair in this book.)
Find my review on the final book in this trilogy here: Factotum
(Aside: if you read my review of Foundling, to answer the question: he might have grown a very small pair in this book.)
Find my review on the final book in this trilogy here: Factotum
August 14, 2017
Продължавам с „Фенерджия”, книга втора от трилогията „Татуировка с чудовищна кръв” („Monster Blood Tattoo”) на Дейвид М. Корниш (изд. „MBG Books”), чиято първа част така ме грабна преди време. Продължението на историята за сирака Розамунд Книжни е не само доста по-обемисто от своя предшественик, но се оказа и доста по-вълнуващо! Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
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September 10, 2025
The second volume of the “Monster Blood Tattoo” trilogy, “Lamplighter” picks up shortly after the events of the first book, “Foundling”. Our intrepid young protagonist, Rossamünd Bookchild, has begun his apprenticeship at Winstermill, in order to become a fully trained lamplighter and ultimately fulfill his duty to light the lamps along the emperor’s highways, protecting all travelers from the ferocious monsters (bogles) that live at the edges of civilization.
Turns out, becoming a lamplighter isn’t as easy as one might expect. It is a dangerous profession after all, especially for a youngster so meek and mild-tempered as Rossamünd. The first book dealt partly with his inability to fit in anywhere and that theme continues here. Nevertheless, new characters enter his life, most especially a haughty, socially superior young lass by the name of Threnody. The first half of the book is devoted to the heavily regimented training at Winstermill before the newest students are forced to graduate early and obtain their assignments as full lamplighters. Rossamünd, naturally, is selected to be stationed at the farthest away, most dangerous outpost at the end of the main highway. No matter what the setting, adventure abounds throughout the story. A few monster battles are sprinkled here and there but Rossamünd, as well as we readers understand that oftentimes, the more dangerous monsters might just be the men and women living alongside us.
The first volume of this trilogy introduced us to this world with all its gloriously creative juices. This book not only expands that but leads us to understand much more of what transpires in the greater world. It must be noted that this is a lengthy novel, coming in at ~600 pages of text followed by an extremely detailed set of appendices comprising another 125 or so pages. But, as in book one, the story, the fabulous settings, the fully realized characters, as well as the plot itself, drive the story forward without bogging it down.
The final twenty pages managed to not only change all my predictions about what might happen in book three, they also provided one of those much-prized “Wow” moments I always seek when reading novels. Let’s just say, “I never saw that coming.” I have high hopes for what it might mean, but for now, I remain as much in the dark as Rossamünd is. No doubt the author will provide a completely appropriate conclusion, although I realize now that it might not be at all what I expect.
Among the highest forms of praise I can give to a novel, is that I can’t wait to see what happens next. It applies to both these first two books and will no doubt permeate the third as well. I trust author D.M. Cornish to bring it home.
Turns out, becoming a lamplighter isn’t as easy as one might expect. It is a dangerous profession after all, especially for a youngster so meek and mild-tempered as Rossamünd. The first book dealt partly with his inability to fit in anywhere and that theme continues here. Nevertheless, new characters enter his life, most especially a haughty, socially superior young lass by the name of Threnody. The first half of the book is devoted to the heavily regimented training at Winstermill before the newest students are forced to graduate early and obtain their assignments as full lamplighters. Rossamünd, naturally, is selected to be stationed at the farthest away, most dangerous outpost at the end of the main highway. No matter what the setting, adventure abounds throughout the story. A few monster battles are sprinkled here and there but Rossamünd, as well as we readers understand that oftentimes, the more dangerous monsters might just be the men and women living alongside us.
The first volume of this trilogy introduced us to this world with all its gloriously creative juices. This book not only expands that but leads us to understand much more of what transpires in the greater world. It must be noted that this is a lengthy novel, coming in at ~600 pages of text followed by an extremely detailed set of appendices comprising another 125 or so pages. But, as in book one, the story, the fabulous settings, the fully realized characters, as well as the plot itself, drive the story forward without bogging it down.
The final twenty pages managed to not only change all my predictions about what might happen in book three, they also provided one of those much-prized “Wow” moments I always seek when reading novels. Let’s just say, “I never saw that coming.” I have high hopes for what it might mean, but for now, I remain as much in the dark as Rossamünd is. No doubt the author will provide a completely appropriate conclusion, although I realize now that it might not be at all what I expect.
Among the highest forms of praise I can give to a novel, is that I can’t wait to see what happens next. It applies to both these first two books and will no doubt permeate the third as well. I trust author D.M. Cornish to bring it home.
June 19, 2011
What a great story! This book is the second in the series 'Monster Blood Tattoo' and it brings us into the second phase of the lead character's life - Rosamund Bookchild - as he begins his apprenticeship into the life of a lamplighter. It really does help if you haven't put too much time inbetween the first book and this, as the world that D. M. Cornish has created -although tantilizingly familiar - is completely topsie turvey and he writes it with such conviction that it exists that you really have to be in the mindset of the place to get it flowing. Regardless - by mid way through you're right into it and it's hard to put down.
The story takes place primarily in the training facility/fort/stronghold of Winstermill, an imposing outpost that is positioned out in the boonies (for lack of a better description but is closest to the rest of humanity than the road that stretches east of it is). Winstermill trains young men to become the lamplighters which light the lamps along the way on such road. Although it sounds run of the mill, the job is anything but, as these young men also have to learn the ways to defend themselves against the threat of monsters. In this world, men and monsters live in a world together... and they don't co-exist comfortably.
We follow Rosamund as he trains to become a fully fledged lamplighter. Arriving late to the start of training (due to the adventure of the first book), he's labled as trouble - and although he's not, he certainly finds it. Or attracts it. He now becomes introduced to the lovely world of politics in the workplace and how easily it is to be at it's mercy. Along the way, he makes some new and sometimes powerful friends, and he starts to think and ask questions. Which only lead him to more questions that have no easy answer, other than who your friends really are in a time of trouble.
Again, like the first book, this book has been furnished with an awesome section at the back of the book that explains every new word, concept, personage that this new world D. M. Cornish has created, as well as fantastic maps that now show the areas that this phase of Rosamund's life. There's a particularly great map of the stronghold of Winstermill that really lets you follow the action as it happens. And I found I consulted the map that showed the lay of the land as our character headed east to his posting. Very handy for those of us who like to 'know'!!
I can't wait to read on!
The story takes place primarily in the training facility/fort/stronghold of Winstermill, an imposing outpost that is positioned out in the boonies (for lack of a better description but is closest to the rest of humanity than the road that stretches east of it is). Winstermill trains young men to become the lamplighters which light the lamps along the way on such road. Although it sounds run of the mill, the job is anything but, as these young men also have to learn the ways to defend themselves against the threat of monsters. In this world, men and monsters live in a world together... and they don't co-exist comfortably.
We follow Rosamund as he trains to become a fully fledged lamplighter. Arriving late to the start of training (due to the adventure of the first book), he's labled as trouble - and although he's not, he certainly finds it. Or attracts it. He now becomes introduced to the lovely world of politics in the workplace and how easily it is to be at it's mercy. Along the way, he makes some new and sometimes powerful friends, and he starts to think and ask questions. Which only lead him to more questions that have no easy answer, other than who your friends really are in a time of trouble.
Again, like the first book, this book has been furnished with an awesome section at the back of the book that explains every new word, concept, personage that this new world D. M. Cornish has created, as well as fantastic maps that now show the areas that this phase of Rosamund's life. There's a particularly great map of the stronghold of Winstermill that really lets you follow the action as it happens. And I found I consulted the map that showed the lay of the land as our character headed east to his posting. Very handy for those of us who like to 'know'!!
I can't wait to read on!
November 18, 2010
This is a very, very special book.
For those of you always looking for something to fill the Harry Potter hole, this blows everything else away - completely.
Our hero, Rossamund, is now a Lamplighter in training. Lamplighters are a branch of the military whose job it is to light the Emperor's highways, and help keep traveler's safe.
The fortress where he lives and trains, is as large and mysterious as Hogwarts ever was. Although there is no magic, there is Alchemy EVERYWHERE, large and small, helpful and lethal.
The world is full of monsters. As Rossamund learns his trade, he becomes increasingly aware that people are not always good, monsters are not always evil, and figuring out which is which, can be deadly. He wrestles with choices, finds friends in unlikely places, riddles out greater mysteries, and wonders why he is different - and what that means.
Sound familiar?
It's not. This book is SO different. Example: A lamplighter's tool/weapon is called a Fodicar. Part pike, part screwdriver, it's used on the lanterns to turn and crank the inner workings and light them. It's also used against monsters as a weapon. Well, I wondered what it looked like. Then I went to the back of the book, and found a two-page detailed illustration of, not only a Fodicar, but the entire uniform of a Lamplighter, with 21 various detailed accoutrements and their respective uses.
Did I mention the maps? Did I mention the Explicarium (glossary)?
Ummm, Wow!?!?!
The larger world is vast, and filled not only with monsters, but political intrigue. The Emperor and his wars with other countries, where they don't kill monsters (???). The economy, the guilds, the trades - how they revolve around monsters, how they work together, and how they relate to politics locally and nationally is COOL, and just so beyond some Harry-Potter-hole-filling kid's book.
I'm going into my Foundling review and giving it a 5th star. I think I was just so surprised by the detail, and the characters, many of whom are so strange and slightly disturbing - that I just couldn't embrace it at the time.
But the whole experience is really growing on me. Book Three just came out and I'm off to find it.
For those of you always looking for something to fill the Harry Potter hole, this blows everything else away - completely.
Our hero, Rossamund, is now a Lamplighter in training. Lamplighters are a branch of the military whose job it is to light the Emperor's highways, and help keep traveler's safe.
The fortress where he lives and trains, is as large and mysterious as Hogwarts ever was. Although there is no magic, there is Alchemy EVERYWHERE, large and small, helpful and lethal.
The world is full of monsters. As Rossamund learns his trade, he becomes increasingly aware that people are not always good, monsters are not always evil, and figuring out which is which, can be deadly. He wrestles with choices, finds friends in unlikely places, riddles out greater mysteries, and wonders why he is different - and what that means.
Sound familiar?
It's not. This book is SO different. Example: A lamplighter's tool/weapon is called a Fodicar. Part pike, part screwdriver, it's used on the lanterns to turn and crank the inner workings and light them. It's also used against monsters as a weapon. Well, I wondered what it looked like. Then I went to the back of the book, and found a two-page detailed illustration of, not only a Fodicar, but the entire uniform of a Lamplighter, with 21 various detailed accoutrements and their respective uses.
Did I mention the maps? Did I mention the Explicarium (glossary)?
Ummm, Wow!?!?!
The larger world is vast, and filled not only with monsters, but political intrigue. The Emperor and his wars with other countries, where they don't kill monsters (???). The economy, the guilds, the trades - how they revolve around monsters, how they work together, and how they relate to politics locally and nationally is COOL, and just so beyond some Harry-Potter-hole-filling kid's book.
I'm going into my Foundling review and giving it a 5th star. I think I was just so surprised by the detail, and the characters, many of whom are so strange and slightly disturbing - that I just couldn't embrace it at the time.
But the whole experience is really growing on me. Book Three just came out and I'm off to find it.
December 16, 2008
The concept and overall story are quite good, but the continual barrage of made-up words is tiresome. The glossary at the end is nearly 1/5 of the hefty-sized novel, and that's not even comprehensive - all the words I looked up were not included. It feels like reading a book in a foreign language that you only took a few years of back in high school; you're left to guess at most noun's meanings by context alone.
The main character has about as much personality as soggy white toast, but fortunately he's surrounded by plenty of memorable and unique individuals: he may be completely predictable, but at least they are not.
The mind-numbing amount of mundane details and vocabulary lends to a rich fantasy environment, but it could also be accused of lending to boredom. :) Still, there are packets of action and suspense that help keep the story moving.
My only other gripe is the same one I have with most series: too much is left completely unresolved, and few if any questions from the first installment are answered. I felt like the author was merely stalling for time and page space to force me to seek out the next book. Frustrating. Will I read the 3rd book, though? Most likely.
The main character has about as much personality as soggy white toast, but fortunately he's surrounded by plenty of memorable and unique individuals: he may be completely predictable, but at least they are not.
The mind-numbing amount of mundane details and vocabulary lends to a rich fantasy environment, but it could also be accused of lending to boredom. :) Still, there are packets of action and suspense that help keep the story moving.
My only other gripe is the same one I have with most series: too much is left completely unresolved, and few if any questions from the first installment are answered. I felt like the author was merely stalling for time and page space to force me to seek out the next book. Frustrating. Will I read the 3rd book, though? Most likely.
January 30, 2011
It is hard to describe just how wonderful the Monster Blood Tattoo series is. To say that the writing is meticulous, the world-building immaculate, the prose beautiful, the language sublime, is to damn it with faint praise.
This is one of the most satisfying spec-fic series I've ever read - the level of detail is astronomical, mind-boggling and amazing.
This is one of the most satisfying spec-fic series I've ever read - the level of detail is astronomical, mind-boggling and amazing.
April 13, 2019
Well. For so long I've staunchly resisted giving out five stars to almost anything but the greats, Tolkien and Lewis. It just felt wrong to put lesser things in the same class as the absolute best we have, the works of the Masters. The Monster Blood Tattoo series is helping me see that to give the same rating to books of different kinds, isn't necessarily to equate them. It's not comparing apples to oranges, more like peanuts to peacocks, or toadstools to trampolines. A five-star hotel is not the same thing as a five-star broadway play, but both items are capable of excellence in their own line. So, I'm giving Lamplighter five stars. It isn't The Lord of the Rings, no, but taken as what it is and is trying to be, it's doing its job deftly. It's top-shelf for the sort of thing it is. My daughter is enjoying them too, if proof were needed that it's working for the series' intended audience as well.
After a generation or two of cheap Tolkien knock-offs that replicate the superficial aspects of his fiction and entirely miss its spirit, the world of the Half-Continent feels unique and original - and vividly realized. While rooted recognizably in real-world history, it's also sprouting creative and imaginative ideas on every side, and the incredible level of detail has been organized into what feels a real civilization with thousands of years of history. First-rate worldbuilding.
I won't say there are no flaws at all - the characters, especially the protagonist, who's in possession of the most clues the soonest, can be frustratingly slow at putting them together and recognizing the villains' concealed treachery. As a reader I wanted Rossamund to smarten up a little. But this sort of thing isn't able to sink what is in most respects such a well-built tale.
Looking forward to the third book. And I just learned from looking up author D.M. Cornish that he did the superb illustrations himself. This fellow is one to watch.
Mr. DJ Edwardson: you simply must. If I have a friend who can appreciate the labor that went into this, it is you.
After a generation or two of cheap Tolkien knock-offs that replicate the superficial aspects of his fiction and entirely miss its spirit, the world of the Half-Continent feels unique and original - and vividly realized. While rooted recognizably in real-world history, it's also sprouting creative and imaginative ideas on every side, and the incredible level of detail has been organized into what feels a real civilization with thousands of years of history. First-rate worldbuilding.
I won't say there are no flaws at all - the characters, especially the protagonist, who's in possession of the most clues the soonest, can be frustratingly slow at putting them together and recognizing the villains' concealed treachery. As a reader I wanted Rossamund to smarten up a little. But this sort of thing isn't able to sink what is in most respects such a well-built tale.
Looking forward to the third book. And I just learned from looking up author D.M. Cornish that he did the superb illustrations himself. This fellow is one to watch.
Mr. DJ Edwardson: you simply must. If I have a friend who can appreciate the labor that went into this, it is you.
October 26, 2025
3.5 I would have given this a 3, but my son, for whom this book was intended would score it higher. So I've bumped it up to 3.5 and then rounded up to 4.
I think my son liked this better than the first book because there was more action and suspense. And when I first read this as a child, I'm certain I agreed with his opinion. As an adult, I find it a little more predictable, which took away from the suspense. But given that this book is meant to be YA, that could be okay were it my only qualm.
My biggest gripe is that the vocabulary used in this book is so over the top convoluted. I'm not talking about the made up words used for this magical world (something I actually noted as a positive in my review of the 1st book in this series). No, it's the regular English words that are the problem. Picking a page at random, less than ten sentences in the author has used the words "knavery", "concomitant", and "insalubrious". I don't mind some large words mixed in here and there, it can be good for my son to either learn by context or by asking me to clarify. But for a YA especially, the insane frequency of overlarge words used is ridiculous. Or rather, it's sesquipedalian - a word this author ironically would probably love to use.
It reminded me of the episode of Friends when Joey tried to make his adoption recommendation letter sound smarter by using a thesaurus for every single word, and ended up writing about Chandler and Monica's "full sized aortic pumps" instead of their big hearts.
I think my son liked this better than the first book because there was more action and suspense. And when I first read this as a child, I'm certain I agreed with his opinion. As an adult, I find it a little more predictable, which took away from the suspense. But given that this book is meant to be YA, that could be okay were it my only qualm.
My biggest gripe is that the vocabulary used in this book is so over the top convoluted. I'm not talking about the made up words used for this magical world (something I actually noted as a positive in my review of the 1st book in this series). No, it's the regular English words that are the problem. Picking a page at random, less than ten sentences in the author has used the words "knavery", "concomitant", and "insalubrious". I don't mind some large words mixed in here and there, it can be good for my son to either learn by context or by asking me to clarify. But for a YA especially, the insane frequency of overlarge words used is ridiculous. Or rather, it's sesquipedalian - a word this author ironically would probably love to use.
It reminded me of the episode of Friends when Joey tried to make his adoption recommendation letter sound smarter by using a thesaurus for every single word, and ended up writing about Chandler and Monica's "full sized aortic pumps" instead of their big hearts.
March 20, 2023
This was one HELL of a ride!
July 22, 2021
I loved the first of this series, this one, well, it was a little tedious, 602 pages of it. Too many things or places were given a plethora of names. I don't mind one alternate name for a place (as an example), but several? Then there was also a long, boring trip to Wormstool--86 pages worth, four chapters of scenery, meals, and rest stops. The trip could have been summed up in one sentence. "Five days we traveled, stopping at inns along the way."
I was left hanging, too. What happened to Dr. Crispus, Numps, Freckle, Threnody, Sebastipole, and the Lamplighter Marshall?
I was left hanging, too. What happened to Dr. Crispus, Numps, Freckle, Threnody, Sebastipole, and the Lamplighter Marshall?
July 25, 2008
Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish (Putnam, 2008) is, like its predecessor Foundling (Putnam, 2007), a dark and dense pleasure indeed. Young Rossamund has begun his prenticeship as an Emperor’s Lamplighter at the labyrinthine stronghold Winstermill and begins to adapt to the rigorous schedule. Rossamund has a remarkable talent for finding and befriending the gems among some truly rough characters, and these friends come in very handy as a sinister hidden plot results in Winstermill being controlled by nefarious schemers. To shorten the rest of the plot to one sentence – Rossamund and his reluctant friend Threnody are prematurely placed in the most dangerous, monster-ridden stronghold in the Empire, survive several nasty monster attacks, and end up back at Winstermill, where Rossamund is accused of something that the reader has suspected all along. What that is, you’ll have to discover for yourself; I’m no plot spoiler!
The many vivid characters and their intriguing relationships to each other, the intricate details of dress, routine, language, food, and everything else, and most of all Rossamund’s growing awareness of his own nature and thoughts about the world – these elements, bound together by masterful prose, make reading these two books an intense experience. Cornish has built an entire rich world, and I plunged into it gladly.
May I use that word “obsessive” again? Cornish’s drawings, tables, charts, glossary, and maps point to a seriously deranged mind. Reading these books is like reading a foreign language you’re not quite fluent in; you have to keep checking the glossary until finally you just let the strange words sweep you away into the story. In one section of Lamplighter, Rossamund and some others play a card game called Pirouette. Some general rules were given. I checked the glossary; there was an entry but the full rules weren’t given. However – I am quite sure that if I dropped by Mr. Cornish’s house in Australia and asked him to play a game of Pirouette with me, he’d whip out a deck of cards (handpainted by himself) and teach me to play.
The many vivid characters and their intriguing relationships to each other, the intricate details of dress, routine, language, food, and everything else, and most of all Rossamund’s growing awareness of his own nature and thoughts about the world – these elements, bound together by masterful prose, make reading these two books an intense experience. Cornish has built an entire rich world, and I plunged into it gladly.
May I use that word “obsessive” again? Cornish’s drawings, tables, charts, glossary, and maps point to a seriously deranged mind. Reading these books is like reading a foreign language you’re not quite fluent in; you have to keep checking the glossary until finally you just let the strange words sweep you away into the story. In one section of Lamplighter, Rossamund and some others play a card game called Pirouette. Some general rules were given. I checked the glossary; there was an entry but the full rules weren’t given. However – I am quite sure that if I dropped by Mr. Cornish’s house in Australia and asked him to play a game of Pirouette with me, he’d whip out a deck of cards (handpainted by himself) and teach me to play.
December 21, 2019
I love this book. Odd as it may seem, this second-book-in-a-trilogy, maybe aimed at year 7 or so, is one of my absolute favorite books ever. Far better than the generally very excellent other books in the series.
Like Rosamund himself, it is easy to underestimate the intelligence and depth of the book. It is easy to think that it has a good heart, but not a lot going on upstairs.
But then there are hidden gears. Just because a person is quiet and goodhearted doesn't mean they don't see into the darkness of the people they love, and doesn't mean they don't see disaster building all around them. Rosamund understands more than you might think at first glance, and Threnody as well, and the Branden Rose. It's written 3rd-person-omniscient, but Rosamund takes you off guard. You feel like you are can't fully see into the mental life of the protagonist, however good and straightforward he is.
All this character underflow occurs in a simple (ancient) plot construction and woven through a mesmerizing world of wordplay and technologies of the flesh. Please read this book everyone.
Like Rosamund himself, it is easy to underestimate the intelligence and depth of the book. It is easy to think that it has a good heart, but not a lot going on upstairs.
But then there are hidden gears. Just because a person is quiet and goodhearted doesn't mean they don't see into the darkness of the people they love, and doesn't mean they don't see disaster building all around them. Rosamund understands more than you might think at first glance, and Threnody as well, and the Branden Rose. It's written 3rd-person-omniscient, but Rosamund takes you off guard. You feel like you are can't fully see into the mental life of the protagonist, however good and straightforward he is.
All this character underflow occurs in a simple (ancient) plot construction and woven through a mesmerizing world of wordplay and technologies of the flesh. Please read this book everyone.
January 29, 2009
The sequel does not disappoint and in fact tops aspect of the first Monster Blood Tattoo book as it develops a rich cast of characters and builds a sturdier world and intriguing plot in which to inhabit than the first. (Although you can see from my comments on the Book 1, I was enthralled with the depth of the Half-Continent!)
Skipping the summary/any spoilers of the book, I will say that the action in the book (theroscades!), intrigue (the plot thickens!), colorful characters (black-eyed wits!) and more monsters (!) kept my sons (12 and 8 now) enthralled and begging for more (and made bed time reading for me a true pleasure!) Now they are in the agony of waiting for Book 3. They have gentleman's bets that it will be called 'Factotum'.
Long after we have finished reading this book, we still dip into the maps and glossary, refreshing a half-remembered phrase or peculiar-sounding place name, so this is one book we are happy to have and not to have checked out of the library.
Skipping the summary/any spoilers of the book, I will say that the action in the book (theroscades!), intrigue (the plot thickens!), colorful characters (black-eyed wits!) and more monsters (!) kept my sons (12 and 8 now) enthralled and begging for more (and made bed time reading for me a true pleasure!) Now they are in the agony of waiting for Book 3. They have gentleman's bets that it will be called 'Factotum'.
Long after we have finished reading this book, we still dip into the maps and glossary, refreshing a half-remembered phrase or peculiar-sounding place name, so this is one book we are happy to have and not to have checked out of the library.
September 17, 2009
This was very, very good. I have decided to buy the series (I've been reading library editions). I know I will want to be rereading it. Unlike the first one, which takes a long time to really get going, this one starts in with a high tension and keeps up the pace. Action! Fascinating world-building! More cool ladies!
I've seen some reviews of the series complaining that Rossamund's secret was not very surprising. Well, I didn't guess the details, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be a surprise. Cornish has been telegraphing that Rossamund is at least partly monster from the get-go, the only question has been when our naive hero would finally find out. I am a little disappointed that he didn't work it out on his own though.
I love Europe. This book would only have been better if it featured more Europe.
I've seen some reviews of the series complaining that Rossamund's secret was not very surprising. Well, I didn't guess the details, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be a surprise. Cornish has been telegraphing that Rossamund is at least partly monster from the get-go, the only question has been when our naive hero would finally find out. I am a little disappointed that he didn't work it out on his own though.
I love Europe. This book would only have been better if it featured more Europe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2011
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I did the first but still a solid tale.
The story takes up directly where the first book leaves off and gives us some new characters to be interested in with a couple of the old ones still around. Again, each chapter begins with the definition of a new word. One of the things I like about this story is the careful consideration Cornish has put into worldbuilding. The clothes and buildings and characters are all very evocative and are helped along by the author's excellent sketches of certain characters and buildings. It is a young-directed fantasy colorful enough to be a movie by Terry Gilliam.
The ending, as the first, left us with many questions and little Rossamund has just as many as we do. Already looking to find out about book number three.
The story takes up directly where the first book leaves off and gives us some new characters to be interested in with a couple of the old ones still around. Again, each chapter begins with the definition of a new word. One of the things I like about this story is the careful consideration Cornish has put into worldbuilding. The clothes and buildings and characters are all very evocative and are helped along by the author's excellent sketches of certain characters and buildings. It is a young-directed fantasy colorful enough to be a movie by Terry Gilliam.
The ending, as the first, left us with many questions and little Rossamund has just as many as we do. Already looking to find out about book number three.
May 28, 2008
Had to read the first book again to remember the story. I didn't really get into this one until after I had read about 100 pages. After the first 100 pages I couldn't put it down. The only thing that is a little distracting is that the last 200 pages are a glossary that keeps referring you to the first book's glossary.
November 29, 2009
This books is the second in the Monster Blood Tattoo series which takes place in an intricately created world. How many books have you read that include an "Explicarium, Being a Glossary of Terms & Explanations Including Appendices" of over 100 pages. The characters are extremely interesting, too.
December 19, 2016
I feel kind of silly for waiting so long to come back to this series. Foundling was a really good book and I should have jumped right in to this one but I let other books cut in line and we all know how that goes. Anyways, the point is this second book is just as good, if not better than book 1. The story only gets more intriguing and captures the readers attention. Looking forward to book 3!
July 19, 2015
Re-read, this time aloud to my kids. Review to come.
January 3, 2009
God, if this thing had ONE SMILE in it I might be able to temper my reaction, but as it is, I can only find this series a totally self-indulgent exercise in world-building.
July 22, 2017
Second read - so nice, I've read it twice.
July 8, 2014
more Cornish magic - love the way these characters are developing. What a great series. Has to be a movie made of this.
May 24, 2020
I loved this series! I've spent a lot of time trying to buy book 3 1/2, The tales from the Half-Continent. It's so rare I haven't been able to buy it from major sellers Australia.
November 11, 2021
‘Lamplighter’ is the second book in the ‘Monster Blood Tattoo’ trilogy. In ‘Book One: Foundling’ we followed hero Rossamünd Bookchild as he left the orphanage where he grew up and set off for the lamplighter headquarters at Winstermill but was delayed by various mishaps and adventures. Finally, he has arrived.
Apprentice lamplighters receive four months training before beginning the dangerous work of tending lamps along the roads of the empire to light the way for humans through territory full of dangerous monsters. Humans share the world with a huge variety of other creatures. Large ones are called bogles and small ones are nickers. All are enemies to man and to speak well of any such creature is to risk condemnation as a sedorner, which usually carries the death sentence.
To Rossamünd’s secret shame, he has found that some monsters are not so terrible and one, a nicker called Freckle, even saved his life. He keeps carefully silent about this, especially as monster attacks are increasing across the land and the lamplighters are suffering heavy losses. They have even hired teratologists, mercenary monster hunters, to help at some stations.
All is not well at Winstermill. The training is efficient and Rossamünd respects his immediate superiors, experienced lamplighters all. He likes the esteemed Lamplighter-Marshall, too, a kindly old battle veteran. Unfortunately, between the great man and the lower ranks stands the Master-of-Clerks, one Podius Whympre, who seems to require an ever-increasing number of staff to generate more and more paperwork so that the Lamplighter-Marshall is snowed under and barely able to function. Whympre is slowly taking control of Winstermill for his own ends and has several dubious allies, including a surgeon.
As a fresh apprentice, Rossamünd is the lowest of the low and can’t do much about his superiors’ troubles. He has enough of his own. But he has friends. Threnody is a young lady of noble birth, the first female lamplighter apprentice. Her mother is ruler of a clave of calendars. These are women of rank with money, clout and a social conscience who go out into the world to help those less fortunate than themselves. Like the famous monster hunter Europe, Rossamünd’s ally in book one, Threnody is a fulgar, surgically altered to have special abilities, but unlike that capable and deadly woman, she is young and untrained.
There are a thousand details of the imagined world that can’t be covered in a brief review but rest assured that D.M. Cornish has created here a rich, well-realised fantasy setting to match anything out there and provided illustrations and maps to show it. This is even better than the first book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Several of the characters from that one reappear here and are developed further, as is Rossamünd. Many new personalities are introduced, some likeable, some villainous.
In parts, there is much lush description of the landscape, too, beautifully written, but it doesn’t slow the action. Rossamünd continues to do his best and discovers that he can do some things very well. The story climaxes on a high note with all the main characters gathered in a confrontational setting and ends with an unusual resolution that paves the way for book three, ‘Factotum’.
It’s a wonderful tale, a terrific read and might become a classic. Oddly, the guidelines say for readers age 9-11 but that’s a ludicrously narrow scope. Sure, there are dozens of unusual words as part of the fantasy setting, all explained in the text, so it might be a struggle for very young readers but certainly, teenagers should like it and plenty of adults, too. After all, ‘Lord Of The Rings’ is a children’s book and has something of an adult following, as does Harry Potter.
This is another timeless tale of heroism and adventure. I haven’t been eleven for fifty years but I loved ‘Lamplighter’ and intend to get on with the next book ASAP.
Apprentice lamplighters receive four months training before beginning the dangerous work of tending lamps along the roads of the empire to light the way for humans through territory full of dangerous monsters. Humans share the world with a huge variety of other creatures. Large ones are called bogles and small ones are nickers. All are enemies to man and to speak well of any such creature is to risk condemnation as a sedorner, which usually carries the death sentence.
To Rossamünd’s secret shame, he has found that some monsters are not so terrible and one, a nicker called Freckle, even saved his life. He keeps carefully silent about this, especially as monster attacks are increasing across the land and the lamplighters are suffering heavy losses. They have even hired teratologists, mercenary monster hunters, to help at some stations.
All is not well at Winstermill. The training is efficient and Rossamünd respects his immediate superiors, experienced lamplighters all. He likes the esteemed Lamplighter-Marshall, too, a kindly old battle veteran. Unfortunately, between the great man and the lower ranks stands the Master-of-Clerks, one Podius Whympre, who seems to require an ever-increasing number of staff to generate more and more paperwork so that the Lamplighter-Marshall is snowed under and barely able to function. Whympre is slowly taking control of Winstermill for his own ends and has several dubious allies, including a surgeon.
As a fresh apprentice, Rossamünd is the lowest of the low and can’t do much about his superiors’ troubles. He has enough of his own. But he has friends. Threnody is a young lady of noble birth, the first female lamplighter apprentice. Her mother is ruler of a clave of calendars. These are women of rank with money, clout and a social conscience who go out into the world to help those less fortunate than themselves. Like the famous monster hunter Europe, Rossamünd’s ally in book one, Threnody is a fulgar, surgically altered to have special abilities, but unlike that capable and deadly woman, she is young and untrained.
There are a thousand details of the imagined world that can’t be covered in a brief review but rest assured that D.M. Cornish has created here a rich, well-realised fantasy setting to match anything out there and provided illustrations and maps to show it. This is even better than the first book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Several of the characters from that one reappear here and are developed further, as is Rossamünd. Many new personalities are introduced, some likeable, some villainous.
In parts, there is much lush description of the landscape, too, beautifully written, but it doesn’t slow the action. Rossamünd continues to do his best and discovers that he can do some things very well. The story climaxes on a high note with all the main characters gathered in a confrontational setting and ends with an unusual resolution that paves the way for book three, ‘Factotum’.
It’s a wonderful tale, a terrific read and might become a classic. Oddly, the guidelines say for readers age 9-11 but that’s a ludicrously narrow scope. Sure, there are dozens of unusual words as part of the fantasy setting, all explained in the text, so it might be a struggle for very young readers but certainly, teenagers should like it and plenty of adults, too. After all, ‘Lord Of The Rings’ is a children’s book and has something of an adult following, as does Harry Potter.
This is another timeless tale of heroism and adventure. I haven’t been eleven for fifty years but I loved ‘Lamplighter’ and intend to get on with the next book ASAP.
April 19, 2024
I put off reading Lamplighter because the page count runs at an intimidating 600 pages. Mercifully, the prose style goes by fast once one gets used to it.
Though perhaps unable to live up to Foundling, Lamplighter’s world-building continues to be immaculate and the characters are no less developed or likable. I especially enjoyed the addition of Threnody and Numps, and I was pleasantly surprised that I missed Europe (that’s the character’s name, for the uninformed) almost as much as Rossamund did.
I didn’t notice in Foundling if this was the case, but, in Lamplighter, I noticed that Rossamund is quite passive. Things just seem to happen to Rossamund, and much of the information that Rossamund needs, falls into his lap without effort. On the one hand, I understand why this is; Rossamund is literally an orphan in a world that prizes hierarchies and pedigrees, and he effectively is compulsorily drafted into the military. Rossamund inarguably doesn't have a lot of say over his own life. However, even with Rossamund’s limited life choices, in the next book, I hope that he will play a more active role as he develops his own identity and plans.
I’m uncertain what the narrative’s attitudes toward capitalism and statism are. Unlike Harry Potter, which romanticizes institutions (Hogwarts, an exclusive boarding school) and labels boutique shopping on the weekends (Hogsmeade) the most fun activity someone who LITERALLY HAS MAGIC can do, Lamplighter takes a more ambivalent stance. The lamplighters complain about low wages, and there’s a clear class difference between Rossamund and Threnody, yet the narrative doesn’t venture further than that. As far as statism goes, there are several instances of the imperial government’s damning characteristics. The empire more or less operates like a feudal state in which the emperor promises protection in exchange for unquestioned obedience. This promise of protection requires a large military force, leading to the obviously dubious practice of drafting teenagers into the military. Additionally, the emperor’s claim to legitimacy on the basis of protection is founded on a lie—Rossamund and others suggest that the citizens don’t need to be “protected” from the monsters. Despite this rebellious notion, the presence of corrupt bureaucrats in the plot leads me to believe that the narrative is not headed to an anarchist conclusion. More likely, the book will fall back onto the neoliberalism belief that government is only oppressive when the least inadequate people are in power.
I was worried the whole book that the revelation that . Oh, and there’s a moment that reminds me of Mob Psycho 100. In one episode, Mob says something like, “I’m no one,” and Reigen is like, “Don’t say that! You’re my assistant.” Similarly, Rossamund asks, “Who am I?” and Europe responds, “You’re my factotum.” Idk, it gave me the same vibe, communicating that all people have value, so there’s no need to degrade oneself or develop an ego.
Even though I prefer Foundling to Lamplighter, Lamplighter is still extremely well written, and I’m excited to finish the trilogy.
Though perhaps unable to live up to Foundling, Lamplighter’s world-building continues to be immaculate and the characters are no less developed or likable. I especially enjoyed the addition of Threnody and Numps, and I was pleasantly surprised that I missed Europe (that’s the character’s name, for the uninformed) almost as much as Rossamund did.
I didn’t notice in Foundling if this was the case, but, in Lamplighter, I noticed that Rossamund is quite passive. Things just seem to happen to Rossamund, and much of the information that Rossamund needs, falls into his lap without effort. On the one hand, I understand why this is; Rossamund is literally an orphan in a world that prizes hierarchies and pedigrees, and he effectively is compulsorily drafted into the military. Rossamund inarguably doesn't have a lot of say over his own life. However, even with Rossamund’s limited life choices, in the next book, I hope that he will play a more active role as he develops his own identity and plans.
I’m uncertain what the narrative’s attitudes toward capitalism and statism are. Unlike Harry Potter, which romanticizes institutions (Hogwarts, an exclusive boarding school) and labels boutique shopping on the weekends (Hogsmeade) the most fun activity someone who LITERALLY HAS MAGIC can do, Lamplighter takes a more ambivalent stance. The lamplighters complain about low wages, and there’s a clear class difference between Rossamund and Threnody, yet the narrative doesn’t venture further than that. As far as statism goes, there are several instances of the imperial government’s damning characteristics. The empire more or less operates like a feudal state in which the emperor promises protection in exchange for unquestioned obedience. This promise of protection requires a large military force, leading to the obviously dubious practice of drafting teenagers into the military. Additionally, the emperor’s claim to legitimacy on the basis of protection is founded on a lie—Rossamund and others suggest that the citizens don’t need to be “protected” from the monsters. Despite this rebellious notion, the presence of corrupt bureaucrats in the plot leads me to believe that the narrative is not headed to an anarchist conclusion. More likely, the book will fall back onto the neoliberalism belief that government is only oppressive when the least inadequate people are in power.
I was worried the whole book that the revelation that . Oh, and there’s a moment that reminds me of Mob Psycho 100. In one episode, Mob says something like, “I’m no one,” and Reigen is like, “Don’t say that! You’re my assistant.” Similarly, Rossamund asks, “Who am I?” and Europe responds, “You’re my factotum.” Idk, it gave me the same vibe, communicating that all people have value, so there’s no need to degrade oneself or develop an ego.
Even though I prefer Foundling to Lamplighter, Lamplighter is still extremely well written, and I’m excited to finish the trilogy.
November 22, 2019
Cornish already had a flair for excellent use of language and worldbuilding, and here he ups his game in almost every way. The Half-Continent, which we were introduced to in the first book, feels even more real and fleshed-out here. And that's a high bar. It strikes such a perfect, unique tone. With dialogue skills matching those of Brian Jacques in Redwall and creativity not unlike that of J. K. Rowling in Harry Potter, these books are a delight to read.
Speaking of Harry Potter, we follow Rossamünd through lamplighter (part military, part maintenance) training at Winstermill, and it does seem to have quite a lot in common with Harry's time at Hogwarts. It's not quite as polished, though. And while there is a cast of memorable characters, there simply aren't as many as there were at Hogwarts, making Winstermill feel a little empty. It's hard to venture into that realm without drawing comparisons to Harry Potter, and Harry Potter casts a long shadow.
Also, while we do get a nice continuation of the mystery of Rossamünd's origin, as well as a secondary mystery to solve (yay!), I found it easy to guess both early on and would have liked to see the author use that to his advantage as a red herring (granted, there's still time in the third book to do that). It's difficult to pull off, but the best mysteries have the reader solving them just before the reveal comes.
Complaints aside, this is a really enjoyable read. Rossamünd is likable as ever--a gentle soul who struggles to buy into the all-encompassing monster-hunting culture. Showing mercy to monsters is looked down upon, and if you're not careful, it can result in your execution as a monster lover. That adds a great level of tension to his internal conflict. He's a sweet kid and while he dreamed of adventure, he never wanted the amount of violence that's part-and-parcel of his life as a lamplighter. He's very relateable.
Supporting characters are excellent as well. Threnody, the first girl lamplighter who has a sharp tongue; Numps, the kindly but mutliated lamp repairman and seltzer-maker; Europe, the seasoned lightning-caster whose motivations you can't ever quite figure out; and so on--they all feel lifelike and interesting and play a part in Rossamünd's moral struggle whether they realize it or not.
Amazing prose, flawless worldbuilding, and a small-but-great cast of characters make this a really fun read. I can't wait to get to the final book.
Speaking of Harry Potter, we follow Rossamünd through lamplighter (part military, part maintenance) training at Winstermill, and it does seem to have quite a lot in common with Harry's time at Hogwarts. It's not quite as polished, though. And while there is a cast of memorable characters, there simply aren't as many as there were at Hogwarts, making Winstermill feel a little empty. It's hard to venture into that realm without drawing comparisons to Harry Potter, and Harry Potter casts a long shadow.
Also, while we do get a nice continuation of the mystery of Rossamünd's origin, as well as a secondary mystery to solve (yay!), I found it easy to guess both early on and would have liked to see the author use that to his advantage as a red herring (granted, there's still time in the third book to do that). It's difficult to pull off, but the best mysteries have the reader solving them just before the reveal comes.
Complaints aside, this is a really enjoyable read. Rossamünd is likable as ever--a gentle soul who struggles to buy into the all-encompassing monster-hunting culture. Showing mercy to monsters is looked down upon, and if you're not careful, it can result in your execution as a monster lover. That adds a great level of tension to his internal conflict. He's a sweet kid and while he dreamed of adventure, he never wanted the amount of violence that's part-and-parcel of his life as a lamplighter. He's very relateable.
Supporting characters are excellent as well. Threnody, the first girl lamplighter who has a sharp tongue; Numps, the kindly but mutliated lamp repairman and seltzer-maker; Europe, the seasoned lightning-caster whose motivations you can't ever quite figure out; and so on--they all feel lifelike and interesting and play a part in Rossamünd's moral struggle whether they realize it or not.
Amazing prose, flawless worldbuilding, and a small-but-great cast of characters make this a really fun read. I can't wait to get to the final book.
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