Mr. Thundermug: A Novel

By Cornelius Medvei

Mr. Thundermug is the inventive, entertaining, and—against all odds—poignant story of an animal who acquires the ability to eloquently speak human language. Using his own beautiful, eerie lithograph illustrations, Cornelius Medvei places us in a vivid world that is both familiar and alien. It's a world in which Mr. Thundermug and his family take up occupancy in an abandoned apartment building. On the roof of that building, Mr. Thundermug gazes at the heavens and thinks deep thoughts while his wife picks bugs off him and eats them. Understandably, he's somewhat confused by his complex existence as a fluent member of human society who has the essential nature of a more ancient species, but he assimilates as best he can. His worlds inevitably collide, and he is eventually brought to court for a petty crime and asked to defend himself in impossible ways.

Simultaneously playful and foreboding, Mr. Thundermug announces the arrival of a bold and imaginative talent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 31, 2010
• ISBN: 9780062047342

Cornelius Medvei

Cornelius Medvei was born in 1977 and grew up in Suffolk and London. He studied French and German at Oriel College, Oxford. He then went to China and worked as a teacher, first in Changzhou and then in Nanjing. Cornelius took an MA in Chinese at Sheffield University, 2001-2002. Cornelius currently lives and works in London.

Reviews for Mr. Thundermug

[shaunas_29 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun little read, but with some intersting ideas/themes adding depth. The comparisons drawn between Thundermug's situation and those of poor, alien or any "other" people are incisive and thought-provoking satire, but infused with enough humor to keep the tone deceptively light. It's an enjoyable read that fools the reader into thinking about real world issues. I don't know about you, but sometimes I need that extra push.

[realbigcat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

AN entertaining quirky little book. Very short so you read this quickly. But I rather liked it as a first novel. Mr. Thundermug a Baboon can speak the English language. This gets him in a multitude of unusual situations. However, while he can speak he can't read which also causes many problems. I'm not sure really how to explain the story onther than it's unusually entertaining.