The Cult of Dr. Black
The long-awaited follow-up to The Resurrectionist, this gorgeously illustrated volume continues the story of Dr. Spencer Black. Genius. Healer. Madman. Destroyer.
Once, a gifted surgeon believed he could cure all illness with quick strokes of his knife, that he could create perfection in the human body. Spencer Black's fascination with mythical creatures led him to believe they had once lived and walked upon the earth; he became determined to re-create them.
Triumphant for a time, Dr. Black traveled the world, opening people's eyes to wonder and horror, until tragedy struck. He lost nearly everything, including his son, Alphonse. But Dr. Black's desire to usher in a new world remained unquenched. He married machinery and medicine in a quest to form new beings who would lead humanity into a golden age of immortality and perfection.
Word spread of Dr. Spencer Black's philosophy, growing into the Noumenon, a community where all were welcome, regardless of faith, ethnicity, creed, or state of health. Acolytes flocked there from across the United States, caught up in Dr. Black's vision of the future.
Presented here in deeply interwoven words and illustrations, The Cult of Dr. Black is told through meticulously rendered anatomical drawings, melancholic images from Alphonse's notebooks, newspaper clippings, and even the guiding texts of the Noumenon.
Herein lies an entire world, created by E. B. Hudspeth for the reader's enjoyment ...
These discussion questions were provided by the publisher, Blackstone Publishing.
Book club questions for The Cult of Dr. Black by E. B. Hudspeth
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Cult mentality has captivated our society for years. Why do you think humanity is so susceptible to cult recruitment tactics?
The Noumenon focuses on many ideas, but the primary is the idea of a true self. If your true self were revealed, which mythical creature do you think you would be? Why?
At the start of the book, Dr. Black is entering into a new stage in his life, exiled from the medical community. How do you think his isolation from the realm of accepted science influenced his descent into madness?
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Create My ClubThe book deals heavily with the line between myth and reality. Do you believe mythical creatures once walked the earth?
Is Dr. Black’s vision for the future a beautiful dream, or a nightmare? Why?
Dr. Black lives many versions of a new life before his legacy of the Noumenon comes to be. He has the carnival caravan, the apothecary, and finally, the hidden lab, attempting to surgically alter human beings into mythical creatures. Which did you find the most interesting? And Why?
Why do you think so many people were drawn to the promises of the Noumenon?
Which mythical creature would you want to be? Why?
Much of the book is told through the journal entries of Dr. Black’s son, Alphonse, who carries a great amount of resentment and bitterness toward his father. How does his perspective color your perception of Dr. Black himself as the story goes on?
What did you learn or gain from the many illustrations and supplementary stories included from this world in the book?
The Cult of Dr. Black Book Club Questions PDF
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