The Nature of Monsters
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| The Nature of Monsters | |
| Author | Ronald Damien Malfi |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Literary |
| Publisher | 5 Story Walkup |
| Publication date | August 2006 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0978676100 (trade paperback) |
| Followed by | Via Dolorosa (novel) |
The Nature of Monsters is a mainstream novel written by Ronald Damien Malfi, originally published in 2006 by 5 Story Walkup, LLC. It is cited as Malfi's initial foray into mainstream literature following the success of his 2004 horror novel, The Fall of Never. In various interviews, Malfi has said this is the first in a loosely-connected trilogy of Baltimore novels.
[edit] Plot
Robert Crofton, a socially inept and naïve young farmboy, arrives in Baltimore to write his first novel and to reacquaint himself with an old home town friend: poet-turned-prizefighter Rory Van Holt. In an effort to resume their peculiar and mysterious friendship, Robert Crofton abruptly ensconces himself in Rory Van Holt's circle of friends-and soon finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into the quagmire that is their lifestyle. They are corrupt and privileged socialites, damaged by extraordinary wealth, gluttony, greed, arrogance, and power.
Dreamlike, the characters float in and out of Robert's life with inebriated casualness while Robert's innocence invites these characters to subtly abuse and ridicule him while also accepting him, for the purpose of their own relief against monotony, into their monstrous society.
The Nature of Monsters explores the struggle between personal gratification and the damning, acquisitive allure of monetary wealth.
[edit] Editions
- 2006, USA, 5 Story Walkup, ISBN 978-0978676100, trade paperback
