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    Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus
    Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus
    Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus
    Audiobook8 hours

    Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus

    Written by Mary Shelley

    Narrated by B. J. Harrison

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    About this audiobook

    In the frozen wastes north of Russia, a lone seaward vessel seeks the elusive Northwest Passage. Suddenly they sight a dog sled with a gargantuan figure in the shape of a man, driving the dogs northward to sure oblivion. The following day, they find another sled. This sled is filled with a European near death, and when asked what he is chasing, he simply replies, "to seek one who fled from me."
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherB.J. Harrison
    Release dateJan 1, 2010
    ISBN9781937091118
    Author

    Mary Shelley

    Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born in 1797, the daughter of two of the leading radical writers of the age. Her mother died just days after her birth and she was educated at home by her father and encouraged in literary pursuits. She eloped with and subsequently married the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, but their life together was full of hardship. The couple were ruined by disapproving parents and Mary lost three of her four children. Although its subject matter was extremely dark, her first novel Frankenstein (1818) was an instant sensation. Subsequent works such as Mathilda (1819), Valperga (1823) and The Last Man (1826) were less successful but are now finally receiving the critical acclaim that they deserve.

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    Reviews for Frankenstein

    4/5

    9,480 ratings270 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book is fantastic. Shelley brings the emotions of betrayal, grief, joy, love, hatred, loneliness, companionship, and so much more to center stage. It's less of a horror, and more of a tragedy. She draws parallels of God and Adam, man and creation, Satan and abandonment. For a book that is over 200 years old, it is very much relevant today.
    • 5/5
      Those of you who have preconceived notions about this story because you've seen the Hollywood film versions, read this book. You'll be pleasantly surprised. I guarantee it. This is nothing like the film and so much better. Shelley, in her brilliance, offers the hideous creature as the one to pity here. Not Frankenstein, not the townspeople, but the creature. A sad victim of his creator's selfish ambitions and the prejudices of a naive populace. In a way, a neglected and abused child, driven to acts of violence and rage as the only release from the agonizing rejection and isolation. His only real crime was his consuming need for acceptance...a friend...to love and be loved. This book was so ahead of its time when it was written. I highly recommend it. One of my favorites.
    • 5/5
      Why did I wait so long to read this? An excellent novel and highly recommended. Wonderful.
    • 1/5
      I really did not like this book.I thought that it was just way too depressing and blown out of proportion and I hated the style of writing, with the story within a story within a story deal. I just didn't think it was all that great. I think that there were other ways that that could've been done. Mary Shelley must not have had a happy life to write a story like this.
    • 1/5
      Yes, it's a classic with a kernel of genius in it, but it is also long-winded, pedantic, and tiresome. DNF at page 34.
    • 5/5
      I thought I had read this years ago, probably as a teenager. If so, I had apparently lost all memory of it, as my memories appear to have been of the events as depicted in the old flickering black and white films. The book itself is wonderful, the narrative lines complex, the prose dark and brooding. Lots of very modern themes here--fear of what technology can bring, the need for responsible science, prejudice and fear of the unknown. But also very character driven--even though Frankenstein's "monster" does horrific things, we sympathize with his plight. Highly recommended.4 1/2 stars
    • 5/5
      Best-ever illustrated version of Frankenstein.
    • 4/5
      Not the story you'd expect from the late-night "creature features. With the power of myth, Shelley tells the story of Dr. Frankenstein, the life he creates, and the lives he destroys. Makes me wonder about her other novels and what themes she tackled...Seeming only to gain in relevancy to the human condition with each passing year, this story will be with us for a long time.
    • 5/5
      The critical edition includes the 1818 edition of Frankenstein, plus annotations and critical articles (primary sources and secondary sources). In general, it is aimed at undergraduate students of English and Literature. Also, it is highly useful for writing essais and for writing thematic index cards.
    • 3/5
      An interesting, well written, and entertaining story. The story has some fatal flaws that render it less than it could have been. It is just unreasonable that Victor would not forsee the creature's desire to kill his wife. There is no attempt to explain how the creature obtains giant stature. The creature's explanation of his increase in knowledge is too fast and illogical. Alternatively, a brain from a dead person would perhaps retain some knowledge from it's prior life. This appears not to be the case. I also find it unlikely that the creature would commit suicide based on the described personality traits.
    • 4/5
      This book was not what I expected at all. I have seen various television and movie productions of Frankenstein, and none of them are accurate to the story at all outside of the creation of a "monster" out of dead human parts. The course of the story was very unexpected, and there is not nearly as much sympathy for the monster as I would have expected going into the book. The intellectual side of me very much enjoyed this book as it brings up many good philosophical questions about the meaning of life. It also even has a hint of science fiction in the sense that it looks the question of how would a creature such as this develop into an intelligent being.

      I am glad I read this and am surprised that it took me so long to get to it. Recommended for all.
    • 4/5
      If you haven't read this book, you should! Movies about the Frankenstein monster don't do him justice. When you read this book you will definitely understand a lot of the monster's actions and sympathize with him.
    • 4/5
      The storyline of this was very surprising! From all the pop culture references to the story, I thought that it was going to be completely different. I also found it quite absorbing. A great read, especially lovely that you can pick it up for free and pop it on your e-reader and then enjoy the whole thing instantly. Magic!
    • 3/5
      a good book tended to drag on a bit in some places very opposite from the movie perception of frakenstein
    • 4/5
      Written with just as much melodrama as you'll see in every film adaptation, Shelly's novel is nonetheless still quite powerful. Frankenstein still allows parallels to be drawn with our times despite being originally published nearly 200 years ago. For all its symbolism it remains a very human story.
    • 3/5
      Victor Frankenstein is an idealistic and ambitious young man who, having become entranced to fanciful writers of natural science, soon devotes his career to discovering the spark of life. Having attained this miraculous goal he sets about creating a human man from the scraps of the mortuary intending to infuse this new creation with life. Seriously, what could go wrong? Surprising absolutely no one, this corpse collage is grotesque once animated. Frankenstein collapses into temporary madness and the beast flees into the hills where human cruelty teaches it to hate all life. Soon it returns to its master intent on destroying all that is precious to him unless he is provided with a mate. Frankenstein is caught in an ethical bind: should he risk his life and the life of his family, or subject all humanity to the possibility of a race of evil supermen? A classic tale of horror that has haunted the human psyche for decades. It combines fantasy, science fiction, and Victorian morality in equal measure to form a narrative not easily forgotten.
    • 5/5
      Horribly mistreated by critics and analysts who won't allow the work to stand on it's own and insist on dissecting it until it's beauty can no longer be seen. Beautifully written, certainly a classic, and among my favorite books. But I wish people would stop trying to chop it up.
    • 2/5
      I found this book to be a little boring and extremely predictable. This is obviously because of our culture and knowledge of Frankenstein and not the books fault whatsoever. Considering it was the first true story of Frankenstein, I consider it a good classic. I also love that it came from a woman as a competition amongst a few of her friends. The story is exactly what you expect it to be, very sad and long and a little weird.
    • 3/5
      Beautiful writing, hated the story.
    • 4/5
      When I first read Frankenstein as a teenager I found it incredibly boring. But, thankfully I decided to re-read it after having found this edition and could not put it down. Great story, in a way timeless. I will seek out the "uncensored" 1818 version and compare. Fully worth the time it took to read.
    • 4/5
      I'm sorry, but I don't understand how on earth this book could be considered boring. I had to read it in school and I finished it before the rest of my class and then I went and bought my own copy. She clearly shows the character's pain that he felt with playing God. It tore him apart the fact that he created this poor creature and he didn't consider how it would survive, if it needed companionship, and especially how society would accept him. Frankenstein's ambition for knowledge ruined his life when he created the monster, and he was made to suffer when he lost his cousin. For me, these elements cannot be considered boring or a let down.
    • 5/5
      Knowing the real story of the writer, Mary Shelley, you can relate to the dilemma of whether to bring back a loved one back from the dead or not. The consequences of knowing it may not be someone you recognize.
    • 3/5
      A classic with a long legacy, and absolutely worth reading. Themes of loneliness and exile stand out to me. The backstory - Mary Shelley's age at writing, her incredibly smart parentage, the Lord Byron connection - is almost as tantalizing as the story. I will never imagine Frankenstein's unnamed "fiend, abhorred devil!" as the green, bolted machine portrayed in film. The true monster was more hideous, and much more pitiable.
    • 4/5
      While the story was great, I don't think the epistolary format did it any favors.
    • 4/5
      A good story really about the cruelty of man. The horror story about the big bad monster isn't really what I consider this book. The creation of Frankenstein is a horrid sight that he regretted instantly, but could have been a perfectly happy, respectable "human being" had he been given the chance. The pain and destruction that man causes is far more overwhelming than that of Frankenstein's creation, and it is easily seen in the book. A good read, gets slow at times, especially the end... but a pretty good read non-the-less.
    • 5/5
      Terrific fresh a marvel
    • 3/5
      There is a lot of commentary that can be had about the situation Frankenstein was put into and what the meaning of life is. I personally felt that what came out of the story and what can come from it was better than the delivery.
    • 3/5
      The novel that (in the minds of many) started the genre of science fiction. This original portrayal of Frankenstein's monster is much more interesting than our modern depiction of the slow, unintelligent beast. The story does hold up really well despite being 200 years old, but if you're not already a fan of 19th century prose, it's not the easiest read.
    • 3/5
      Things I learned

      1. Nothing like the Mel Brooks movie
      2. Viktor Frankenstein was a weepy little bitch
      3. Interesting when viewed as one of the first horror novels, yet the monster was more human than expected
    • 5/5
      I went into this book expecting villagers with pitchforks and torches. It's not like that at all. To me, it's a very philosophical book about what it means to be human. In some ways, the monster was more human than Victor Frankenstein.

      I highly recommend this Barnes and Noble edition since the end notes add immeasurably to the enjoyment of reading this book. The forward by Mary Shelley is also very worthwhile.