Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
1818 /240 pgs.  Classic/Thriller/Sci-Fi

No castle, no digging up bodies and putting them together, and no lightning!  Igor is not even a character in the story. Don’t allow all this to fool you; this is a thriller, and when it was written, it could also be a horror story or even a gothic novel.

Victor Frankenstein had visions of a possible future as he was creating the experiment. He wanted to cure all diseases and even cheat death.  Studying pseudoscience and current scientific theories of the time, he discovered how to reanimate flesh.  He worked long and created his man, and when he brought it to life, he realized the horror of his creation.

The entire story is told as a dictation.  First, a ship’s captain letters to his sister in the U.K. and his current status of ship and crew stuck in the ice for the winter.  Then, after witnessing a very large man on a dog sled going past his boat and following was a very frail man.  After sickly Victor boards the boat, the captain proceeds to listen to his tale.  In the middle of Victor’s story, the creation of the monster and the death of Victor’s young brother, William, Victor then reviews the tale that the demon tells Victor, a narration of a narration.

The tale continues, and Victor at first complies with the request of the monster to create a mate.  Victor continues with philosophical thinking and internal debates that cause him to destroy the monster’s mate before she is complete, which, naturally, causes the monster to go in a rage.  Then he exacts his revenge against his creator.  Victor finishes his narration of the nightmare that the monster causes, and then the final words are from the captain to his sister.

Not what I was expecting.  Although, it was a very delicious read.  It doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat and is a little predictable in places, and I was still curious about how it would end.  I would definitely recommend this for a good read.  A final note: Frankenstein is the name of the creator, the thing that we know as Frankenstein is called the demon or monster in the book. 

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and an excellent book

Lopaka