Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering "the cause of generation and life" and "bestowing animation upon lifeless matter," Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts. However, upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.
Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? And how far can we go in tampering with Nature?
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"Of course being a classic, this book was beautifully written. Classics are written in a way we never will again be able to accomplish. The language in this book (being written so long ago) was a little dry and sometimes hard to follow. However, if you are patient and can get past that, the actual tale this book tells is beautiful and tragic. It took me a very long to finish it due to the language, but when I was finished, I was incredibly happy I took the time and trudged on through it. The story is well worth it in the end. I must also add I am completely disgusted with the Hollywood version of this story. It is not even close to the original novel. I must say I much prefer the book version (which really holds true with any novel) to the version Hollywood created. I expected something completely different, having seen Frankenstein depicted on television in many different movies and shows. I was pleasantly surprised at the ACTUAL story."
— Ashley (4 out of 5 stars)
Simon Vance's regal English accent provides the perfect tone for this early-nineteenth-century moral exploration of mankind's use of knowledge.
— AudioFile" Good, though a bit boring in some parts. "
— Katie, 2/17/2014" An overwrought classic, chosen for the Qld Art Gallery members bookclub to coincide with the horror films screening at the Cinematheque. The purple prose is hard to deal with, but Mary was only 19 when she wrote it under the influence of Shelley & Byron, so the novel has to be seen in context. And her book has influenced a whole genre of novels, films & plays etc. Just about every character is monstrous in some way... "
— Helen, 2/11/2014" Every character is so damn whiny and annoying. I expected this to be much better given the solid timeless concept. "
— Ny, 2/11/2014" I enjoyed every page of this book! Shelley did an excellent job comparing humanity versus monstrosity. The ending really upset me because well, everyone pretty much dies. But an incredible book nonetheless! "
— Caroline, 2/11/2014" Read for A Level. Some good things to think about even if writing is a little suspect at times. "
— Kate, 2/5/2014" It was so boring at parts I wanted to kill myself. That's a bit harsh. Some parts were okay but I really wish less people had died and the creature had been killed instead. "
— Rach, 1/30/2014" EPIC! ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS "
— Mario, 1/29/2014" This wasn't exactly what I expected, but It wasn't bad either. Nice story. Not really scary, just very sad. I was hoping that this would be more compelling book, but this just might be that I had too big expectations because of the classic status of this book. "
— Sofia, 1/28/2014" This book was NOT what I was expecting. I didn't find it particularly scary, in fact, Frankenstein is probably one of the few books I've ever read that put me to sleep (but you gotta wonder at the mind that conceived this bizarre story). The story of Frankenstein and his monster is one of the most heart-breaking stories I've ever read and Mary Shelley wrote their relationship beautifully, I thought. It made for an interesting contrast with God's role as our creator. The rest of the book was an unadulterated snore with cardboard characters and unnecessary verbiage. "
— Bill, 1/28/2014" Gothic Horror with a blend of science at its best. "
— Visalakshmi, 1/27/2014" One of the best books i have ever read. When i was in high school we had to do an ethics vs science paper on this book. So it really made us look at creation in a totally different light. "
— Felicia, 1/26/2014Mary Shelley (1797–1851), née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, was born in London, the second daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, well known feminist, philosopher, educator, and writer, and William Godwin, famous English philosopher, novelist, and journalist. She was best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, written when she was eighteen and published when she was twenty-one. She was married to the Romantic writer Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.