Mr. Thundermug

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061146129
• ISBN13: 9780061146121
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 105 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

If You Were a Talking Baboon

Cornelius Medvei's Mr. Thundermug: A Novel is an imaginative short novel chronicling the life of Mr. Thundermug, a baboon who inexplicably learns how to speak English. This is another of the books I am reading as part of the Irresistible Review Challenge. I originally found the review for this book at Diary of an Eccentric, which is listed as book 38, I believe, in the recap. What a great look at the life of a Baboon as a human, or should I say ape in a human world. ***Spoiler Alert*** Mr. Thundermug, his wife, and his two children, Angus and Trudy, are all given names by Mr. Thundermug. The baboon soon realizes that he is the only one in the family able to speak and understand English when it is spoken. Through a series of run-ins with the Council on Housing, Thundermug soon comes to realize that he is governed by two contrary standards--that of human law and natural law. His grasp of speech amazes many, while others ignore the baboon who speaks their language as if he were a figment of their imagination. I wonder if this book is another look at discrimination, but at the same time I wonder if there is another meaning altogether. Perhaps as humans we are not as superior to animals as we would like to suggest or believe. Perhaps they are wiser than we are. ***End Spoiler Alert*** It's interesting to see a study of animal conditions from another perspective, rather than the human entering the world of the gorilla, for instance. The baboon enters the world of humanity and what he learns is striking.

Great story and enjot it as such

I purchased this after hearing a review on NPR. I love the book and have passed it around several friends. Everyone loved the story. We all tried to put the old "deeper meaning" on it. My take was that maybe this is a vehicle to think about relationships. All that being said just sit back and enjoy it.

Mr. Thundermug

I bought this book because it has a positive review on NPR. I got the book and loved the characters,their way of life. Unfortunately I got no info from the book about his wife except she could not learn the English language.

an auspicious beginning

OK, so you know the plot. Baboon and family suddenly appear in exotic city and move into condemned building. Mr. Thundermug (the BABOON) learns how to speak, read, interact, even love and then he vanishes along with his family. The story is being reconstructed by a newspaper reporter. One reviewer has complained that this should be called a "novella" due to it's length. I can't quibble with that but what needs to be said is that Medvei is a bold new talent. His writing is pithy and succulent. Sure, the book could have been longer but that's all that he needed to say. It's a fantastic debut. He's witty and funny and he knows his way around "THE WORD." And one other thing...this is NOT a kid's book. Teenagers perhaps. This is a book for adults as there are subtle issues here. Do you think that humans and monkeys should have sex ? Well, that's the kind of issue being raised here. A book for kids? I don't think so.