{"product_id":"once-a-monster-9781529097399","title":"Once a Monster","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache . . . Richly textured and with an appropriately labyrinthine plot . . . Book of the Month' Sunday Times\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMan or monster? Hero or villain?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLondon, 1861: Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died four years past, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers in her possession, she spends her days dredging up coals, copper and pieces of iron spilled by the river barges - searching for treasure in the mud in order to appease her master, Benjamin Murdstone. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut one day, Nell discovers a body on the shore. It's not the first corpse she's encountered, but it's by far the strangest. Nearly seven feet tall, the creature has matted hair covering his legs, and on his head is the suggestion of horns. Nell's fellow mudlarks urge her to steal his boots and rifle his pockets, but as she ventures closer the figure draws breath - and Nell is forced to make a decision which will change her life forever . . . \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the critically acclaimed author of The Toymakers comes an imaginative retelling of the legend of the Minotaur, perfect for lovers of historical fiction with a mythical twist such as Stone Blind and Circe. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Once a Monster: \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic' - The Times\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A wonderful magic trick of a story, full of very human monsters and monstrous humans. Dinsdale is a beautiful, evocative story teller' - Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-11925263\"\u003eRobert Dinsdale\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pan Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/07\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 512\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.64h x 5.12w x 1.26d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781529097399\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1529097398\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC014000\"\u003eHistorical | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC010000\"\u003eFairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends \u0026amp; Mythology\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRobert Dinsdale was born in North Yorkshire and currently lives in Leigh-on-Sea. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe is the author of five previous critically acclaimed novels including the bestselling \u003ci\u003eThe Toymakers\u003c\/i\u003e, which was his first venture into magic.","brand":"Pan Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48456727199981,"sku":"9781529097399","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/files\/img_da72f3af-e78c-4c67-a74e-f5e95eeaf7e9.jpg?v=1753565891","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/es\/products\/once-a-monster-9781529097399","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}