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Creating Monsters
A psychedelic romance in a city on the verge of disaster. In modern Philadelphia, where a deep economic depression has left the city near collapse and most of its inhabitants in gruesome poverty, Mitchell Gray, a twenty-year-old graduate student in a beleaguered university physics department, spends most of his time playing piano and touring the city’s worst slums in stolen cars. He is a technical virtuoso whose scientific ideas challenge the foundations of his field but he lives in hiding from one of the world's most powerful billionaires who is obsessed with Mitchell and determined to capitalize on his strange inventions. When he falls in love with an older woman, the wife of a wealthy pharmaceutical executive, their relationship inspires him with a mad plan to use his creations to change the world. With the help of a brilliant and neurotic chemistry student named Charlie Nolan and technology so advanced that it resembles magic, Mitchell devises horrifying yet harmless schemes and supernatural hoaxes, causing an uproar in the city. His nights as a modern day robin hood also raise the alarm of some of the real monsters in Philadelphia, including a mysterious child murderer rumored to possess supernatural powers, known only as "The Demon." Christopher Rankin's debut novel is a haunting story of love, friendship and survival in a world of revolution.
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First published January 10, 2012
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About the author
Christopher Rankin
5 books27 followersChristopher Rankin grew up with a love of science, animals and horror movies. He studied chemistry and physics and received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He currently lives in California with his wife, Jennifer, and a small pride of cats.
Please visit his website www.christopherrankin.net for updated information.
Please visit his website www.christopherrankin.net for updated information.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 10, 2016
I don’t normally write reviews for novels because I read and write so much for my job as an attorney that the anticipation of writing a review for a novel takes the pleasure out of the reading experience. However, I felt compelled to write a review for Creating Monsters because, well, I know the author, and the novel intelligently blends three of my favorite things - horror, romance, and technology. I also wanted to convey to any potential readers who might be trying to decide on their next good read that this book is definitely worth picking up.
I found myself getting lost in the pages of this book, and Chapter Six especially deserves a mention. This chapter, entitled "Wei-Lu Chen and The Sea Monster," is amazing and very important foreshadowing of what lies ahead. Up until this point in the book, we are following Mitchell Gray, an unconventional and somewhat rogue graduate student in physics, as he maneuvers his way through the debilitated streets of Philadelphia at the height of the worst economic depression the city has ever seen. All the while he is also mingling with a powerful and secretive billionaire named Richard Barry and an older eccentric woman named Ana Durnova, who clearly have a hidden agenda and want to exploit Mitchell's scientific abilities for their own yet undisclosed purposes. It doesn't get any less complicated for Mitchell as time goes on because he has also started to develop romantic feelings toward Ana and has started a secret relationship with her, and his very existence is in jeopardy because he has become the target of a creepy figure who calls himself "the demon."
The characters you meet in Creating Monsters are very strong and clearly developed, and you feel like you really come to know and care about them in a very short amount of time. The story is also really intriguing and you will find yourself having to quash your desire to cheat and flip ahead to find out what will happen next. However, in Chapter Six, we deviate a bit from the initial storyline and are introduced to Wei-Lu Chen, a young teenager with an aptitude for physics on his way to America in the cargo hold of a ship circa 1948. He's been warned by his parents to stay off the ship's top deck, but his curiosity gets the best of him and he comes face-to-face with a 100 foot wave Chen calls "the monster." He clings to the boat for dear life and ultimately survives the wave's wrath, but in the moments after the wave subsides, he realizes that he is the only one aboard who actually saw what had shaken the boat so violently, and everyone else on the ship believes his off-the-cuff remark about how a giant sea monster had attacked the ship. Chen is instantly and permanently changed by his realization of how gullible people can be and he knows that he will never look at the mysteries of the universe or another human being in the same way again.
The imagery in this chapter is so vivid that you feel like you are "hurtling across the Pacific" with Chen himself. And I have a very strong suspicion that this chapter may be the basis for the author's choice of title for this book. Chapter Six really stands out and is by itself a good reason to read this book. However, if you are anything like me, you will find yourself hooked as you continue reading beyond this chapter, and you will be thrilled to see what happens next as Mitchell goes on to devise his own schemes and supernatural hoaxes and unleashes them on an unsuspecting Philadelphia.
I found myself getting lost in the pages of this book, and Chapter Six especially deserves a mention. This chapter, entitled "Wei-Lu Chen and The Sea Monster," is amazing and very important foreshadowing of what lies ahead. Up until this point in the book, we are following Mitchell Gray, an unconventional and somewhat rogue graduate student in physics, as he maneuvers his way through the debilitated streets of Philadelphia at the height of the worst economic depression the city has ever seen. All the while he is also mingling with a powerful and secretive billionaire named Richard Barry and an older eccentric woman named Ana Durnova, who clearly have a hidden agenda and want to exploit Mitchell's scientific abilities for their own yet undisclosed purposes. It doesn't get any less complicated for Mitchell as time goes on because he has also started to develop romantic feelings toward Ana and has started a secret relationship with her, and his very existence is in jeopardy because he has become the target of a creepy figure who calls himself "the demon."
The characters you meet in Creating Monsters are very strong and clearly developed, and you feel like you really come to know and care about them in a very short amount of time. The story is also really intriguing and you will find yourself having to quash your desire to cheat and flip ahead to find out what will happen next. However, in Chapter Six, we deviate a bit from the initial storyline and are introduced to Wei-Lu Chen, a young teenager with an aptitude for physics on his way to America in the cargo hold of a ship circa 1948. He's been warned by his parents to stay off the ship's top deck, but his curiosity gets the best of him and he comes face-to-face with a 100 foot wave Chen calls "the monster." He clings to the boat for dear life and ultimately survives the wave's wrath, but in the moments after the wave subsides, he realizes that he is the only one aboard who actually saw what had shaken the boat so violently, and everyone else on the ship believes his off-the-cuff remark about how a giant sea monster had attacked the ship. Chen is instantly and permanently changed by his realization of how gullible people can be and he knows that he will never look at the mysteries of the universe or another human being in the same way again.
The imagery in this chapter is so vivid that you feel like you are "hurtling across the Pacific" with Chen himself. And I have a very strong suspicion that this chapter may be the basis for the author's choice of title for this book. Chapter Six really stands out and is by itself a good reason to read this book. However, if you are anything like me, you will find yourself hooked as you continue reading beyond this chapter, and you will be thrilled to see what happens next as Mitchell goes on to devise his own schemes and supernatural hoaxes and unleashes them on an unsuspecting Philadelphia.
April 2, 2015
Awesome, radically delicious book with the exception of the ending, which seemed abrupt. I felt like one of the authors theodine (or gongorophan) addicts craving a fix and wanting to read more, more, more about what happens now to the characters.
May 19, 2014
Such an Amazing Tale
While I am not qualified to understand the science involved, the tale of two future genius level robin hoods set against a dystopian background using technical innovation to stop injustice in New and creative ways was a kick in the pants. Mr. Grey and Mr. Nolan use their scientific minds to build innovative tools to stop the corrupt in their tracks. My favorites were Manhaddan Fish Oil and the Fire Breathing Dragon.
All along the story there is an undercurrent of mystical pharmacology in the form of a rare plant that changes things like magic. There will be more about this in the second book about this, I'm sure of it.
Mr. Rankin has not resorted to cheap tricks, or sparkling paranormal creatures who are alpha in character and stunning in looks, instead, he tells the tale of two, young men who want something justice for the world, which is a lot worse than what we have today. The difference is, these young men have the brains to pull off some amazing things.
Don't get me wrong, not all is sweetness and light in the land of robin hood, far from it. There is death, beating, evading arrest, intimidation, threats, police harassment, car chases, jail, broken hearts, fleeing the country and more. These boys don't have it easy.
The story is rather fanciful, but hugely entertaining. I enjoyed it immensely. It is definitely a genre-bender, as it couples sci-fi with technology and dystopian and while there are barely any guns ( our protagonists don't need them ), it is a bit of a thriller as well.
My only concern is that when the novel gets to the exciting parts, a word gets dropped here or there. For this story, I can overlook that, but maybe in the future, an edit might be a good idea. Otherwise, I love the plot, the characters, the setting, the inventions, even the bad guys. If you can ignore some typos, grab this book, and read it now.
While I am not qualified to understand the science involved, the tale of two future genius level robin hoods set against a dystopian background using technical innovation to stop injustice in New and creative ways was a kick in the pants. Mr. Grey and Mr. Nolan use their scientific minds to build innovative tools to stop the corrupt in their tracks. My favorites were Manhaddan Fish Oil and the Fire Breathing Dragon.
All along the story there is an undercurrent of mystical pharmacology in the form of a rare plant that changes things like magic. There will be more about this in the second book about this, I'm sure of it.
Mr. Rankin has not resorted to cheap tricks, or sparkling paranormal creatures who are alpha in character and stunning in looks, instead, he tells the tale of two, young men who want something justice for the world, which is a lot worse than what we have today. The difference is, these young men have the brains to pull off some amazing things.
Don't get me wrong, not all is sweetness and light in the land of robin hood, far from it. There is death, beating, evading arrest, intimidation, threats, police harassment, car chases, jail, broken hearts, fleeing the country and more. These boys don't have it easy.
The story is rather fanciful, but hugely entertaining. I enjoyed it immensely. It is definitely a genre-bender, as it couples sci-fi with technology and dystopian and while there are barely any guns ( our protagonists don't need them ), it is a bit of a thriller as well.
My only concern is that when the novel gets to the exciting parts, a word gets dropped here or there. For this story, I can overlook that, but maybe in the future, an edit might be a good idea. Otherwise, I love the plot, the characters, the setting, the inventions, even the bad guys. If you can ignore some typos, grab this book, and read it now.
July 2, 2015
A very dark, enigmatic story that explores the familiar themes of despair, anger, and revenge, Creating Monsters is a book that is hard to put down. If you had the intelligence and ability to exact revenge, would you? The main character is thoughtful and insightful, but allowed himself and his talents to be manipulated in ways he didn't approve. Along the way to revenge, monsters are created all around him: some by his doing, some by circumstance. In the end, when he steps back to view the whole picture, what has he really accomplished?
The storytelling is exquisite. Word choices and ease of phrasing lull the reader into this dream-like world. The haze over the city is a great metaphor for the lack of clarity most of us have for what is happening around us. At times, imagery reminded me of the dark Batman movies.
There are other common themes in this book: vigilantism, love, losing one's parents, young scientists in a lab... Many readers can enjoy this story because of their interests in similar genres.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the editing. Many issues of missing punctuation, missing words, incorrect pronouns, homonyms used, spelling errors were throughout the entire book. Normally, this would be quite upsetting to me. However, I enjoyed the story so much, I jumped right over the problems. This may not be the case for all readers. For this book to be great, it needs a thorough editing job. For now, it is very good.
If you are a reader who enjoys dark stories, who likes to read about characters exacting revenge, you enjoy comic book characters who create a new powerful persona to seek justice, or you enjoy futuristic fantasy, please check out this book. It's the author's debut novel, and I'm excited to read more from him!
The storytelling is exquisite. Word choices and ease of phrasing lull the reader into this dream-like world. The haze over the city is a great metaphor for the lack of clarity most of us have for what is happening around us. At times, imagery reminded me of the dark Batman movies.
There are other common themes in this book: vigilantism, love, losing one's parents, young scientists in a lab... Many readers can enjoy this story because of their interests in similar genres.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the editing. Many issues of missing punctuation, missing words, incorrect pronouns, homonyms used, spelling errors were throughout the entire book. Normally, this would be quite upsetting to me. However, I enjoyed the story so much, I jumped right over the problems. This may not be the case for all readers. For this book to be great, it needs a thorough editing job. For now, it is very good.
If you are a reader who enjoys dark stories, who likes to read about characters exacting revenge, you enjoy comic book characters who create a new powerful persona to seek justice, or you enjoy futuristic fantasy, please check out this book. It's the author's debut novel, and I'm excited to read more from him!
September 26, 2017
First of all I'm not sure if the author meant for this to be a complete novel, or a two part series. There are many aspects of this story left unsaid, a mystery that will fulfill alot of intricacies of some of the characters complexed interactions. The main characters Mitchell and Charles's storey's to me are incomplete. Their journey's, experiments, friendship isn't or cannot be or just end in a blink! I truly understand what the pearl did to Mitchell. I understand what David's willful ignorance, and violent behavior changed him. But what I do not understand is how much wasn't accomplished when it comes to the ending. Nothing came to order or to an end when the antagonist were involved. Yes, in some way Mitchell and Charles stopped them temporarily from time to time, but there wasn't a permanent solution, not to mention a whole nother life Mitchell has in Carracan. There's were so many, too many unknowns this wasn't a mystery I suppose there was more much more!
October 12, 2013
It's like your standard fare television action adventure that has interesting moments that grab your attention the first time but when you see the series finale you realize that the writers were pretty much just going from one scene to another, one interesting concept to another, without any real endgame in mind. The last third of my kindle version of the book was filled with typos. Since I just finished reading Riddley Walker I just ploughed through, but it was reflective of the overall writing too. Lots of attention in the beginning with some interesting ideas that you hoped would be developed but which just run out of gas and attention to detail in what feels like an effort to just get the book done. Not bad for a free book, though.
February 21, 2014
Fell apart at the end.
February 18, 2015
Great story. Can't wait for the next book.
February 4, 2015
Man I was hoping the end was a little better than it turned out. I was left a little disappointed but I enjoyed the read anyway.
June 3, 2015
Interesting read. Style is very different, as is the progression of the plot. Hate that I have to wait for the next book.
June 21, 2021
This story is really great. I like it.
June 3, 2024
I tried to read this book longer than I normally would have (got over 33% through it), but I just had to stop. I have no idea how this book was recommended to me or how I even found it. It has a lot of typos and grammatical errors. The story was not cohesive at all. The plot wasn't moving on in a direct manner. The main story of him getting hired to do work for a billionaire and a genius woman, then there's a book about special plants and becoming a monster, but then he's working with his friend Charles, whose mother has a pain med addiction... what the F is going on. I'm not willing to even skim the rest of the book to find out. Where are all of these good reviews coming from?!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews