Frankenstein Reviews

There can be few books as well-known as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Adapted for stage, film and radio over 100 times, this chilling gothic tale is thought by some to be the very first science-fiction novel. Written in 1816, when Shelley was just 18, her story of a hideous monster of superhuman strength is indebted to contemporary scientific experiments and philosophical debates and is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling. Artist Angela Barrett has contributed eight ominously unsettling illustrations for our edition. Created in series with her remarkable illustrations for Dracula, each one is full of foreboding and set within an elaborate hand-drawn black-and-white border. Nine vignettes represent further aspects of the story, and Barrett’s work is completed with a striking binding design. Award-winning biographer Richard Holmes has contributed an exclusive introduction focusing on the scientific influences and cultural repercussions of the novel.