The Workshop of Filthy Creation by Richard Gadz is a chilling gothic horror story about what it means to be human. In these pages, you will see plenty of the darkness that humanity can create, but you will also see the light!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book per request of an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on The Workshop of Filthy Creation by Richard Gadz
Centering around an artificially-created being who goes by Maria, this story is unsettling from the start!
As Maria and her host, a biologist named Professor George Hobson, arrive in London after fleeing the man that created Maria, Hobson tries to keep her a secret at first. But his quest for knowledge gets the better of him and he reveals her to a small group of friends.
As you can likely guess, this reveal doesn’t go well and it sends the story into a tailspin of horror. From betrayal and violence, to an attempted forced exorcism or something along those lines from the transfixed religious folk… we see it all!
From the start, readers hearts will go out to poor Maria. The further into the story you get, that feeling will only grow. She’s such a powerful character, you can’t help but be drawn to her and hope for only the best.
Throughout the tale, the atmosphere and the settings that the author creates really paints a dark picture. Some of the description is done so well, you will feel like you’re standing in the streets or in the factory watching the scenes play out. And as a heads up to squeamish readers, there is some body horror involved, so tread lightly here if that bothers you.
The author also finds time to discuss the horrible working conditions for the lower classes and the unfairness of the class system itself.
As Maria sees everything playing out, I loved getting to see how she approached every situation with a bit of innocence but a heavy sense of logic. This was such a neat blend that even though I dreaded seeing her go through something else, I also couldn’t wait to see how she handled a new tricky situation. Maria is certainly a character that never disappoints!
My Favorite Passages from The Workshop of Filthy Creation
It was almost six o’clock in the evening, and the docks were crowded and noisy. London was beginning to breathe out its workers, just as it had breathed them all in twelve hours earlier. From home to work, work to home, in and out, inhaling and exhaling the industry and economy of the city. A steady flow of people pulsed through the capital’s streets and alleys, blood flowing through the veins of a living creature.
To the north of Whitechapel High Street, a spider’s web of dim streets and alleyways crept out into spitalields and the Mile End New Town. Narrow passages met to form small backyard squares, overlooked by surrounding buildings and cloaked in perpetual shadow, like deep sinkholes in the forest of brick and slate. Chimney smoke from dwellings and factories oozed into the low clouds, congealing the air into a bilious-smelling, viscous mist that languished around street corners and upper floors, never lifting.
Here, people walked with their heads down, minding their own business. The bright hubbub of the high street could have been a thousand miles away.
“The ability of your species to hate is breathtaking.”
The cavernous entrance hall of the museum was a cold mass of shadows.
My Final Thoughts on The Workshop of Filthy Creation
Ready to dive into a dark and dreary tale about gruesome medical practices set in Victorian London? Go pick up The Workshop of Filthy Creation today! I can’t wait for you all to meet Maria!
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Thanks for reading!
A powerful female character, body horror involved, discussion around the issue of the horrible working conditions for the lower classes and the unfairness of the class system itself … sounds like my kind of read.
😀