As the laboratory assistant to the brilliant but demanding Doctor, Igor spends his nights robbing graves, stitching together body parts, and ensuring that his master doesn’t electrocute himself (too badly).
When a mob of peasants wielding torches and pitchforks drives them out of town (again), Igor and the Doctor relocate to the isolated Ravenwald Manor to resume their experiments creating new life from dead flesh. But Igor and the Doctor are not the only ones seeking refuge within the walls of Ravenwald. The manor is already home to a vampiric Count and his highly dissatisfied bride, Cornelia—and an enigmatic witch and her feline familiar, Grimalkin, intend to use it as the site of a magical ritual.
At Igor’s suggestion, the three pairs come to an uneasy agreement to cohabitate in Ravenwald, lest they attract the suspicion of the nearby village. In the wake of this truce, Igor, Cornelia, and Grimalkin soon begin to realize that they might have more common with one another than their respective masters. When the trio discovers that they’ve been unwitting participants in a horrible plan to destroy the world as they know it, they must work together to stop their masters from bringing on armageddon . . . and stop the increasingly suspicious villagers from reaching for their pitchforks and torches.
The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore is quirky and heartfelt, emotional yet funny as Igor and his friends navigate new friendships and find a way to have healthy boundaries with their masters. Igor’s point of view is hilarious but also deeply emotional as readers will see as he begins to want more from life than just being an assistant.
I love how Igor, Grimalkin and Cornelia come to find things in common and develop a friendship. The book has a steady theme of choosing friendship and choosing good in the face of past patterns of negativity. I love how Igor and his friends resolve matters with their respective masters and with the village.
If you like funny, quirky and heartfelt stories, I highly recommend The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing. Igor and Grimalkin really steal the show but when does the cat not take center stage? Cornelia gets a wonderful resolution and I love the ending for all three as they choose their friendship over their masters. The sardonic and gentle humor makes the story entertaining but the emotion made me stay until the end as I fell in love with Igor, Grimalkin and Cornelia.
Rating: 5 out of 5 body parts
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