Resurrection Men

by T.K. Welsh

London, 1830s. Twelve-year-old Victor, an orphan, knows that life is dangerous, and death by disease or accident is common. But to Mr. Tipple and Mr. Biggs, these are streets teeming with possibility, where a child, once dead, is a commodity, and a “fresh subject” can fetch as much as nine guineas. In this dark underworld, Victor must uncover the identity of the ghoulish murderer who is at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human corpses.

T. K. Welsh, author of The Unresolved, spins an intricate and chilling story of greed, malevolence, and redemption based on the body-snatcher trials of 1831.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Teen, Historical

214 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2007

About the author

T.K. WELSH is the pen name used by J.G. Sandom when he first released his YA work. THE UNRESOLVED and RESURRECTION MEN have since been re-released in newer editions under the author's birth name -- J.G. Sandom.

THE UNRESOLVED
Published by FANGLESS FABLES PRESS
Philadelphia
ISBN: 1453639705
EAN-13: 978-1-453-63970-2
June 2010

Reviews

[Trevor Oakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

While attending to the immediate medical needs of a young street urchin trampled by a nobleman’s carriage, Dr. Lambro tells the tale about a similar boy he once knew, named Victor. Victor, formerly of Modena, a London transplant, was cruelly orphaned and eventually sold into servitude as a street beggar. The dark, putrid, gray atmosphere of 1830s London is recreated here in vivid and sometimes brutal detail, accurately reflecting the environment of the era. While begging for his food and lodging, he befriends other children in the Master’s keep: Nico, a fellow Italian, and Rebecca, a blind girl with a wisdom and understanding of the world beyond her few years. Along with the Master and the juvenile beggars are a duo, Tipple and Biggs. These are the Resurrection Men of the title: body snatchers who procure corpses for resale to the medical community, which happens to be experiencing a renaissance of sorts. The burgeoning field of medicine requires cadavers — the fresher the better — for surgeons to dissect and unlock the secrets contained within. The duo attempts to lure Victor into the macabre arts of grave robbing using salvation from the streets as the lure.



Welsh has incorporated gothic, mystery, and horror genres into a historical novel that is very readable. I made the mistake of attempting to eat macaroni salad while reading the vivid description of the Smithfield district, complete with the putrifacted animal carcasses, rotting fat, skins strewn about, blood spraying, walking ankle deep in gore, and all other manner of butchery by-products. The feel of the language of the time has been maintained without getting bogged down in exact replication — the cockney of Tipple and Biggs is explained by Victor — fact is the language is as foreign to him, being Italian, as it is to some of us reading the book as modern English speakers. The action and pace is steady and quick, rarely pausing, and finishes in an unforgettable, movie-quality fight-to-the-death.

[Ben W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chilling portrait of 1830s London, when corpses were highly valued for medical research, and the streets of London were filled with homeless children. The fresher the subject, the more valuable the cadaver. Eventually, someone realized it was easier to kill the children, than to dig them up after death.

The book follows the troubles of Victor, from his home in Italy where he witnesses the murder of his parents as Carbonari, to the muck-filled streets of London where he's sold to a Master and forced to beg for a living.

Chilling and yet beautifully written. The book haunted me long after I put it down.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This odd novel reminded me of the rags-to-riches and the picaresque types of stories. The main character went through a lot of adventures and suffering to end up in a good position. The description of the beggar subculture and the state of surgery at the time was fascinating. For a closer look at the beggar culture, and their language, see A Pickpocket's Tale by Karen Schwabach.

[Baobab · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this book much. I was impressed by the introduction which briefly explains the political situation in northern Italy in the 1830s. In a way much of the book comes across as a sort of clone of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, in that the hero endures one terrible experience after another (his parents are shot to death in front of him, he is sold to the captain of a small boat run by smugglers, he is sexually molested by a member of the crew, he breaks his leg in several places trying to escape a murderous assault, he is thrown overboard in the middle of the English Channel, he is again sold to a pair of resurrection men, etc., etc. When something good finally happens (he gets adopted by a rich doctor and educated as a doctor himself), it just doesn't fit. But then of course he discovers that the doctor's friend is a murderous fiend and child molester, so the pattern does continue... In the end he manages to defeat the fiends and become a full-fledged doctor and marry his sweetheart, but I was pretty numb to it all by that time. I was planning to send this book to some young readers in my wife's niece's family, but given the content I've decided not to.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 1830s, twelve-year-old Victor is an orphan in a cold and dangerous world. Death by disease and accidents are common. However, to Mr. Tipple and Mr. Biggs, a death of a child is a commodity that can fetch a high price. While a fresh specimen can fetch an even higher price. Victor must uncover who is behind the body snatching before it is too late. Will Victor be able to figure out who the murderer is?

I originally picked up this book based on the glossy black and red cover. I thought the novel was going to have a stronger focus on "Resurrection Men" but, the novel seems to be more about Victor's life. I thought it was interesting that the author based a book on a historical occurrence that isn't well known (at least to me). I would have enjoyed if they novel had included background information on the historical topic. Overall, a decent book but, it left me wanting more.

[Emma Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Resurrection Men by T.K. Welsh was the story of Victor, a young Italian boy who suffered from several hardships throughout his life. He is taken by several adults, has to live through several levels of poverty, molestation, and injury. Eventually, he is taken in by a doctor of sorts, and he want to heal his leg and teach him his craft. The book itself was very short and dull. I found it very difficult to become invested, none of the "twists," including the answer to the frame story, were shocking in any way. This book had a large potential to be new and interesting, and it went so slowly and then somewhat quickly, and then incredibly slowly, and nothing made sense. I was not a fan.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resurrection men was made by T.K. welsh. I was excited to read this book because I thought it was something that included some type of alchemy. The name was misleading for me because I thought it would have included more action. But overall I liked the book. It had a lot of turns that I wouldn’t expect to happen. The main character, Victor, had a hard time going through his life but he was able to survive his challenges. He was able to meet friends that helped him. Overall I think that this book was a good book.

[Karly Glauser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story, it ended quite well, however I do wish it spent more time talking about the job of resurrection men. I appreciated the details given about daily life during that time period but overall did feel a little mislead by the title. I also felt that the first half of the book could have been shortened or omitted so that the reader could have spent more time in 1830’s London.

[Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This odd novel reminded me of the rags-to-riches and the picaresque types of stories. The main character went through a lot of adventures and suffering to end up in a good position. The description of the beggar subculture and the state of surgery at the time was fascinating. My favorite character is victor. The novel is pretty fast paced, my favorite event is when he escaped the adoption center.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resurrection Men is fun & quick trip through pre-Victorian era England. Body snatchers, street children and morally ambitious physicians around every corner. It reminds me a bit of “Something Wicked this Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury. A perfect read in October when the air is crisp and Halloween is upon us.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Christian C. for TeensReadToo.com

1830, Modena, Italy. 12-year-old Victor returned to his home and had to watch with horror the cruel murder of his parents by three Tyrolean soldiers. The reason? They were Carboniaris, a group of revolutionaries that fought to keep Italy united.

After the massacre, the soldiers sold Victor as a cabin boy to the Chief Mate of the Ceres, a ship that was about to set sail. The ship departed from Italy, and sailed along the Mediterranean coast through the Strait of Gibraltar. It sailed past the coasts of Portugal, northern Spain, and France.

One day, in the middle of a big storm, Victor climbed up the mainmast, all the way to the topgallant, trying to escape from a crew member whom he had accused of stealing food. But as the seaman drew closer, Victor lost his footing, fell on the deck, and crushed his leg completely. The Chief Mate didn't think twice: "A cabin boy who cannot walk is of no value to this ship.... Throw him overboard." Which he did.

Clinging to a gaff, Victor drifted in the middle of the sea for several days, until he arrived at the coast of England. He was rescued by an old man and his dog. The old man treated his leg, fed him, and taught him how to speak English and fight with his crutch.

After a few months, the old man couldn't afford to keep Victor any more and, once again, Victor was sold. This time to Tipple and Biggs, two unscrupulous men who took Victor to London, by hiding him in a coffin with a decaying body.

In London, Victor lived in a house full of children and animals. He was forced to beg in the streets during the day. Life in London at that time was difficult: jobs were scarce, health conditions were deplorable, the streets were full of excrement and mud; people were dying of cholera. Victor soon discovered that there was a black market for dead bodies and body parts. Doctors wanted to study the human body and were willing to pay high amounts of money for them. People like Tripple and Biggs met the demand, and were willing to do anything for a few guineas, including digging up corpses, kidnapping, selling, or even killing someone. Victor found out that Tripple and Biggs were after some of his friends, and he decided that he had to reveal the mastermind of this wicked market and put an end to it.

RESURRECTION MEN is an intense, dark work of historical fiction that made me read every page intently to the end, while trying to cope with the knot of sadness and anguish that I had in my stomach. T. K. Welsh's rich vocabulary and detailed descriptions, where almost no noun goes without an adjective, transported me to the streets of London, and made me smell the putrid odors of the city, live the horrors of the children's lives, witness the horrid dissections of the dead bodies, and hear the unsettling noise of the broken bones.

When I finished the novel, I was looking forward to reading the section at the end of the book that explained which historical facts of the book were real, but unfortunately, there was none.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction and is interested in learning more about an unfortunate time in the history of medicine and the city of London. But if you're looking for a fun, happy read, this may not be it!

[Emily Tuckett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welcome to London, 1830, the crown jewel of England, a thriving epicenter of commerce, wealth, and scientific discovery. Amazing new discoveries are being made daily! Diseases discovered and the largest prize of all, a cure for Cholera, and the wealth that will bring, all for the taking. Join Victor in a haunting tale of London 1830's, not the glitzy ballgowns and Austen's romantic trysts, but the dark, slimy underbelly of the city the way things really were. T.K. Welsh's Resurrection Men is sure to tingle your spine and set your head spinning. Teens everywhere will be shocked to discover the true price of modern medicine and our understanding of the human body.

My final say: While Welsh's writing is very engaging and the story unique, I struggled to enjoy Resurrection Men because of the adult content, see content ratings below. Welsh also ended up telling a story within a story, but it felt like an after thought. When Welsh went back to the first story, after I was deeply engaged in the main story, I struggled to recall what was going on. This is an eye-opening novel, great for Halloween. However, I would only recommend this novel for mature teens and adults.

Content Ratings:

Sexual Content: mild, except for two severe situations (Reference to one character's mother who was a prostitute, and Two instances of child abuse that is sexual in nature.)

Language: Mild, (At least I don't recall much. There was some derogatory name calling.)

Adult Content: High or Severe (Themes of child abuse/torture, desecration of the dead, cruelty, experimentation on children, murder, a violent scene where a man gets ground up by machinery, kidnapping, teens beating a younger boy, violent death from disease, and some drug references to opiates.)

Review published September 25, 2012 at www.MyNovelAddiction.Blog.com/2012/09...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was nothing like what I expected. I honestly thought that it was going to be a ghoulish horror novel about a boy working with the bodysnatchers. Instead, it was rather like reading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (or almost any other of Dickens' works). The author's style was all his own--he didn't write like Dickens (or try to). Like Dickens, he dealt with the grim and gritty reality of the London underground. The story was dark, sad, and grisly, but ended in a satisfyingly positive light. Warning for the sensitive: this book contains not only violence (and violence against children), but child molestation. None of this was terribly graphic, but it was definitely present in the story.

[Magnolia]

Resurrection Men was a dark book, telling the story of someone on the very bottom of the social pyramid. From blood and filth-run streets to buyers and sellers of children and corpses, the main character gets the full brunt of the worst side of 1830’s London from all sides. I did have trouble understanding his emotions, but I got the general gist and could imagine the rest for myself. It was strange that I could empathize with some of the minor characters more than with those the book was actually supposed to be about, but they weren't robots. Besides, the writing style is easy enough to follow and watching Victor be thrown from caste to caste and reading about the state of the city and its workings at the time is fascinating enough to overlook this issue.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is not for the faint of heart. The setting is London in the 1830s. Twelve-year-old Victor, an orphan, knows that life on London streets is dangerous, and death by disease or accident is common. But to Mr. Tipple and Mr. Biggs, these are streets teeming with possibility, where a child, once dead, is a valuable commodity for doctor's experiments, and a corpse can fetch as much as nine guineas. In this dark underworld, Victor must uncover the identity of the ghoulish murderer who is at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human corpses. A very dark story about child enslavement and other horrors of the Victorian age, but it is a fascinating read.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was first attracted to the red and black cover, with the eerie picture. The book jacket description sounded interesting, too -- body stealing in 19th century England. But the book is far more complex than that, with a lot going on. I do not think the book jacket information adequately described what the book was about. There are several disturbing scenes, but the book is reasonably satisfying if you can get through them. Given the blood, grime, and gore, this book should fly off the shelves around Halloween. Recommended for those who like historical novels that will keep them up at night.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this book as what the jacket of the book makes it sound like it's about is misleading. It seems like we would spend more time about the abduction and murders of the kids in London while exploring the trade in human corpses, but really there's too much lead up to that part of the book. While some of it was interesting, and can be categorized as Historical Fiction, I can't say that I would jump to recommend it to readers.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book for boys. The story takes place in the 1830's in London. Victor is a beggar on the streets trying everything he can to survive, when a friendly Doctor finds him and takes him in. Things start to turn sour for Victor when his friends start to disappear and he is left with their fate in his hands.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully told and spellbinding tale of an outcast in the London underworld of the 1830s. I can't help but wonder if the author drew inspiration from the nonfiction book The Italian Boy; the similarities are too many to ignore.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about Victorian London. So smoggy and mysterious and sinister. This book really was all of these things. Add sadistic doctors, orphaned children and grave robbers, and that's a fun read!

[Andrew]

This book i would recommend for almost anybody. Probably only eighth grade and up though. This is about a boy named Victor and how he lost his parents and spends time a on a ship and meet a nice elderly man. It is a great adventure to read and I suggest it.

[May · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is not quite what I was expecting for. Twice,in the beginning, did I want to put this book down when I feel the boy's life twists too fast (if you get what I mean). But, overall the book has an interesting plot. The death in end was a disappointment though; it seems very unrealistic.

[Griff · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Murder mystery in the setting of ""body-snatchers"" for medical science in 1830's England"

[kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

i had a thrilling adventure with Victor.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh