A dark and stormy night. A mad scientist locked away in his lab. A bolt of lightning flashing as he shocks life into his creature lying on the work bench. A giant, green monster rises, bolts in his head, stitches on his face. The scientist cackling in triumphant cries as his creature comes to life.

At least, that’s how Frankenstein is portrayed in the media. Who is the real Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley takes you on a literary journey of the ethical and moral dilemmas of creating life. Victor Frankenstein begins schooling at the university of Ingolstadt studying philosophy and natural chemistry. He becomes fixated on what the source of life is, and if man can create it. His fixation becomes unbearable, he feels weighted by his pursuits but sees no way to relieve himself except for completing his research. At long last, he does it. He finds the source of life. He seeks to prove himself by building a human-like form and giving it life. He congregates a mosaic of parts and bestows life on his creature. As the creature rises, Dr. Frankenstein is suddenly faced with the severity of what he has accomplished. Abandoning the creature, he eventually returns home to his family at the death of his younger brother. When he realizes the death was at the hands of his creature, the suffering of Dr. Frankenstein reaches new depths. When he encounters his creation again while climbing a nearby mountain, his creature begs Victor to listen to his tale. Reluctantly, Dr. Frankenstein obliges and the tales of the creature begin…

This book deals with themes of ambition, isolation/alienation and the power and responsibility of knowledge. Big themes in an older form of English combine to make it a brains-on read that is bursting with learning opportunities. You will feel strangely connected to both the doctor and his creation and get a chance to extend your vocabulary! I would recommend this book to the older end of the JI spectrum, a grade 10 classroom.