Author(s): Robert Dinsdale

Novel | Historical | London | Dystopia, Science Fiction and Fantasy

'All we're waiting for, you and I, is for something nobody's seen before to wash up on these beaches. Something so special and unique that its power cannot be denied. And there is every hope it will happen today. Perhaps it's out there, even now, begging for its chance to upend our world . . .'

London, 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. But one day, Nell discovers a body on the shore.
It's not the first corpse she's encountered, but by far the strangest. Nearly seven feet tall, the creature has matted hair covering his legs, and on his head are 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 . . .

Review: [An] imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic. * The Times *
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
Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache in Once a Monster -- The Sunday Times Book of the Month (Nick Rennison's historical fiction picks)
What if the Minotaur survived, and followed Ariadne's string out of the twisting darkness of the labyrinth? From this thread, Dinsdale spins an engaging yarn about dreams, second chances, and monsters both ordinary and supernatural. The story flows as smoothly as the waters of the Thames, and is just as dark and deep. Of note is Dinsdale's ability to turn a phrase, shimmering like fine crystal held to the light. A dazzling and heartfelt book. -- Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros
An inventive and irresistible retelling of the legend of the Minotaur. * I News *
A labyrinthine delight of a novel where a world of Dickensian darkness is infused with ancient myth. Historical writing at its finest . . . unique, seductive, and accomplished. -- Essie Fox, bestselling author of The Somnambulist
I was very moved by this story about shame, the costs of survival, and being loved in all one's brokenness. Minos makes perfect sense as a character living at the margins in Victorian London, and the different ways Nell searches for beauty in the dirt will stay with me for a long time. -- Kate Mascarenhas, author of The Psychology of Time Travel and Hokey Pokey
Like the magic at the heart of the story, this vivid, haunting novel is both vast and intimate. A wonderful and thought-provoking read. -- Katherine Arden, author of The Winternight Series, on The Toymakers
Engaging and enchanting . . . a fairytale for adults, with all the wonder - and terror - that that entails . . . * Observer on The Toymakers *
Beautifully captures the hazy dissonance of storytelling and invention * Guardian on Paris by Starlight *
There is magic at the heart of The Toymakers, a glittery inventiveness that shimmers through the dark corners of a story about love, war and sibling rivalry . . . truly glorious . . . a gripping, moving story * Sunday Express on The Toymakers *
What an extraordinary and wonderful achievement this novel is! I was gripped, and thrilled, and touched, and above all I was completely swept into the magic of the book . . . Just astonishing! -- Adam Roberts on The Toymakers
Truly magical . . . Prepare to be charmed by this utterly enchanting tale * CultureFly on The Toymakers *
Magical * Metro *

Author Biography: Robert Dinsdale was born in North Yorkshire and currently lives in Leigh-on-Sea. He is the author of five previous critically acclaimed novels including the bestselling The Toymakers, which was his first venture into magic.