Shelly's Book Blog

In Mister Creecher, by Chris Priestley, a fifteen-year-old boy named Billy meets Victor Frankenstein's creature late at night on New Year's Day, 1818. At the time, Billy is not only very ill but also in imminent danger of receiving a sound beating courtesy of several neighborhood thugs who have taken a servere dislike to him. The creature, whom Billy soon starts to call Creecher, as though that were his last name, saves Billy from the bullies and nurses him back to health, and thereafter the two form a bond. At its heart, this book is the story of Billy and Creecher's complex, changing relationship.

It turns out that Creecher does not care for Billy simply out of the goodness of his heart; he wants Billy to spy on Victor Frankenstein for him. Billy, who is a thief by trade, is happy to comply because his profession becomes considerably easier and more successful once he has the terrifying Mr. Creecher to scare his marks into submission. For a while, they are both content with what they are getting out of their relationship. As the story progresses, however, Billy learns more of the back story behind Creecher's actions. Readers familiar with Mary Shelley's story will understand why Billy's enthusiasm for continuing his relationship with Creecher may begin to wane.