Monkey Shines (novel)
Monkey Shines is a 1983 British psychological horror novel by Michael Stewart. Its plot follows a quadriplegic man whose service animal, a capuchin monkey named Ella, grows increasingly violent. It was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 1988 by director George A. Romero.
First edition cover art | |
Author | Michael Stewart |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Horror, science fiction |
Published | 1 September 1983 |
Publisher | Freundlich Books |
Media type | |
Pages | 256 (first edition) |
ISBN | 978-0-881-91001-8 |
OCLC | 9555443 |
Premise
The novel follows Allan Mann, an Oxford law student who becomes quadriplegic after an accident, and is given a service monkey named Ella to help him with daily tasks. However, Ella has been scientifically altered, and begins to channel his inner fury, carrying out his most devious desires.
Critical response
Kirkus Reviews deemed the novel "Uneven in tone, with neither the sparkle of Michael Crichton nor the involving seriousness of, say, Richard Setlowe's The Experiment--but a lively, often intriguing smorgasbord of medical-ordeal, neuro-science, paranormal chills, and man/animal love-story."[1]
References
- "Monkey Shines by Michael Stewart". Kirkus Reviews. September 1, 1983. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020.