Chapter One: A Singular Curiosity Summary

In Chapter One, Will Henry admits he is about to reveal his secrets, forty years after the Monstrumologist's death. He recalls clearly the night in 1888 that the doctor and himself are awakened by Erasmus Gray, a grave robber who has accidentally stumbled on the remains of a creature he has never seen. Will Henry, twelve years old, is immediately put to work readying the laboratory, making tea, and generally preparing for a long night's work as the doctor and Erasmus bring a bundle in from outside. The doctor, Pellinore Warthrop, sends Will to see Erasmus out, and when asked, Will admits he is with the doctor because his parents were killed in a fire the previous year, and the doctor was kind enough to take him in. When pressed, Will claims the doctor is a...