Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow

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Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow is a 2020 novel written by Jessica Townsend, serving as the third instalment in the Nevermoor series.

Morrigan Crow has survived a lot: dealing with the social stigma associated with being a cursed child, getting into the prominent Wunderous Society, trying to control her own powers, and making her own Unit 919 warm up to her. She's accomplished all that, in Plucky Girl fashion and still remains as a Little Miss Snarker. She's finally mastering her abilities, growing stronger with each passing day. She even cheated death. This must mean her troubles are over, right?

Ha Ha Ha No.

A new threat takes over Nevermoor. The titular Hollowpox sends the city into shambles as it is torn apart from civil unrest. The disease is selective, only targeting Wunimals. Wunimals are supposed to be magnificent animals capable of human language and actions, but the disease turns them into a hollow shell unlike their former self, sending them back into the realm of animistic behaviour. An infected animal loses all self control, and starts lashing out in the public, attacking those around them, before fainting and becoming an unconscious emotionless husk. It is up to Morrigan to stop this new threat (because Adults Are Useless and the Competence Zone), and to eradicate Hollowpox once and for all.

For more tropes, check out the page dedicated to the Nevermoor series as a whole

Tropes used in Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow include:
  • Do You Trust Me?: When Jupiter gives himself and Morrigan a pair of ice skates, and takes her skating in an indoor lake, he says this Stock Phrase word for word, as Morrigan has never skated before. Morrigan says yes.
  • Get It Off Me!: Occurs twice:
    • While Unit 919 is fighting off Book Bugs in the Gobleian Library, one leaps on Anah. Cue panic and screaming.

An iridescent green insect the size of a shoebox had broken apart from the pack and was crawling up her leg, up her side, along her shoulder ... the screaming intensified as it latched on to her hair, and Anah squeezed her eyes shut, waving her hands helplessly. ‘GET IT OFF ME GET IT OFF ME GET IT OOOFFFFFF!’

    • While Unit 919 is discussing the class What’s That Smell? A Masterclass in Minor Distractions that they all have together during Hometrain, Miss Cheery pulls a trick on Francis. Francis believes that there is a spider on his shoulder, before the entire unit realizes that they've been manipulated, leading to some very loud and panicked screaming.

‘WHERE?’ Francis yelped, frantically craning his neck to see his shoulders. He ran his hands repeatedly over his close-cropped hair and shook out his cloak. ‘WHERE IS IT? GET IT OFF ME!’

  • Green-Eyed Monster: Downplayed, as the jealousy never cause any long term consequences or harm. Morrigan adores Hawthorne's family, at how they fit together and interact when compared to her experience, isolated from her own family. Morrigan knows that the emotion she feels is jealousy, but only classifies it as a small ache, and largely ignores it. She mentally acknowledges that she is in the wrong several times. Aside from this instance lasting a magnificent total of two pages, jealousy has no bearing on the plot.
  • Hypocrite: Morrigan calls the Wunderous Society this, stating that they force Unit 919 to engage in a test or loyalty, and be bound to each for life and never betray each other. Then, they betrayed her by releasing information regarding her abilities as a Wundersmith to the public to distract the public from the Hollowpox.
  • "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: When Sofia is infected with the Hollowpox, and is attacking Morrigan, Morrigan says this to her.

Morrigan Crow:Sofia? Sofia, I know you're still in there. Wake UP.

  • My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels: Anah tries to say "you're welcome" in a foreign language. The linguist Mahir blurts out the proper translation, revealing a very naughty word.
  • Mystical Plague: The Hollowpox. The characters race to find a cure, and have to deal with the consequences of infected animals. The central conflict of this book revolves around stopping and eradicating it. It is revealed that the Hollowpox is manufactured by Ezra Squall, and its introduction into Nevermoor provides him with a tool to make Morrigan his apprentice.
  • Narrative Profanity Filter: In chapter one, Anah tries to say "you're welcome" in another language, but fails, instead saying a swear word. The book never says what the swear word translates to.

Mahir, Hawthorne, and Thaddea shouted the vulgar translation in gleeful unison. Anah's face turned bright red, Miss Cheery looked scandalised, and the rest of the unit didn't stop giggling for the rest of the journey to the Wunderous Society.

  • Pocket Dimension: The Gobleian Library, a pocket dimension copy of Nevermoor, filled with shelves upon shelves housing books. Morrigan and the rest of Unit 919 visits this dimension, where Morrigan finds Curiosities, Marvels, Spectacles, Singularities and Phenomena: Volume One of an Unabridged History of the Wunderous Act Spectrum, a more positive outlook on Wundersmiths, contrasting the book she was given by Professor Onstald in Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow.
  • Rousing Speech: In the climax. When Morrigan is about to eradicate the Hollowpox, but starts doubting herself, Ezra Squall (yes, the Wundersmith) gives her one. He lists her past achievements, and tells her to bring her old self back.
  • Self-Harm: Downplayed. Morrigan uses this it as a self punishment for turning into a very mild and controlled Green-Eyed Monster regarding Hawthorne's family and how they fit together. She digs her fingernails into her palms, leaving behind small red marks. It never has any long term consequences, though, and is only a one-off instance.
  • What Were You Thinking?: Fenestra asks Morrigan this when she runs out to try to eradicate the Hollowpox during the climax. Ezra Squall has confronted her, and Fenestra rushes to her, dropping this stock phrase when the Magnificat reaches her.
  • You Owe Me: Cadence says this when Morrigan tells her to mesmerise the librarian Roshni, to convince her that Morrigan hasn't stolen Volume Three Hundred and Seven of An Unabridged History of the Wundrous Act Spectrum. Morrigan steals it because she wishes to learn more about Wundersmiths, although the effort is all moot as the book is later destroyed by book bugs. After Cadence does this, she drops the phrase.

‘You owe me more than one, you filthy book-stealer,’ muttered Cadence. ‘Don’t worry, I’m keeping a tally.’

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