Fine writing, towering landscapes, scientists mucking with body parts, murder and sled chases through Arctic ice caps. What more could you ask for? Found myself siding more and more with the monster as the book went on ...what does that say about me??? :) Although I suspect that is really the point. A story of haunting isolation. The 1818 version is said to be much rawer than the more common later version written by Shelley. The introduction, which details Shelley's fascinating life, is also worth a read. Going on my work bookshelf and thence to Meetup.

Impossible not to feel sympathy with the "monster" here - dropped into existence fully formed with the intelligence and sensibility of a human but with no possibility of ever being treated as such.

Absolutely hated Frankenstein (the character) towards the end, for his ridiculous prejudice towards the monster (when he of all people should know it was innately benign to begin with), as evidenced by his revulsion at making it a companion, and his complete inability to cope with even minor challenges without hysterics. Had an overwhelming desire to hit the guy over the head with a baseball bat.

Interesting thought here - when written, this was a straight up horror book about an awful monster, and we were expected to identify and side with Frankenstein. Reading it as someone raised 200 years later, this was instead a tragedy / personal drama, where I identified with the unfairly persecuted monster against the bigotted humans. Hmmmm!

Going to meet-up

RELEASE NOTES:

Released at Adelaide monthly meet-up for month of December 2007

Caught in December, forgot to journal then, sorry.

Need some more classics in my bookshelf...


A fantastic read, where the pride in science of the protaganist leads to ultimate tragedy. That it is the lack of concern for the monster, rather than just the monster itself that leads to disaster for the young scientist is thought provoking, but the story can be read as straight horror as well.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

On the magazine rack.