Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow

The Ratbridge Chronicles Volume 1

Hardcover

Setting & Premise

Set in the quirky, Victoriansteampunk town of Ratbridgea onceprosperous cheesemaking center now in declinethe story unfolds both above ground and in a labyrinth of underground tunnels inhabited by peculiar creatures called Underlings, including Boxtrolls and Cabbageheads 

🧒 Hero & Conflict

The hero, Arthur, lives beneath Ratbridge with his adoptive grandfather, William (aka Grandfather). One evening, Arthur ventures to the surface in a homemade flying suit to gather food, where he witnesses an illegal cheese hunt run by the villainous Snatcher, head of the Cheese Guild. Snatcher steals Arthurs wings and blocks the tunnels, trapping Arthur above ground 

Allies & Adventure

Arthur is rescued by a Boxtroll named Fish and taken to Willbury Nibble, a retired lawyer and proprietor of the petshopcumboxtrollsanctuary Here Be Monsters. Living with Willbury are Underlings like Fish, Egg, Shoe, and a Cabbagehead named Titus. Arthur joins forces with Willbury, a clever inventor named Marjorie, and the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry crewrats and former pirates turned laundriesto find a way home and uncover Snatchers plot