Customer Reviews

Frankenstein: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

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Daniel Clowes, the artistic genius who brought us Ghost World and Ice Haven, focuses his immense talents to reconfigure Shelley timeless literary masterpiece to fit the boundaries the four-color page. The result: one of the best comic book portrayal of the monster since Dick Briefer's 1950's horror comic The Monster of Frankenstein! Buy it today!

Victor Frankenstein is driven by his hunger for scientific knowledge and accomplishment. What he can not know is that one day, after he creates a living, breathing being, he will regret his scientific pursuits. This created being is hideous and rejected by all who meet him, including his creator. Rejection leads the creature to become a monster filled with despair and rage. In a futile attempt to pacify the creature, Victor agrees to create a female companion, but finds that he is unable to finish the task. At Victor's refusal to create the companion, the monster is filled with hatred and commits additional murders. The only recourse for Victor is to pursue his creation and destroy it.

This is not a book I would have chosen to read on my own. It was required reading for my current British Literature class and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Mary Shelley used three characters to narrate during the story: Captain Walton, Victor Frankenstein and the creature. I thought the chapters narrated by the monster were particularly interesting. They developed the character of the monster beyond just a hideous, killing machine. It gave insight was to why the monster behaved in the way he did. I suspect that Mary Shelley may have been making a statement about children. The creature craved love, affection and acceptance, just as all children do. Yet, when rejected and deprived of natural affection, the creature became a monster filled with pain and anger.

Mary Shelley was the daughter of writer Mary Wollstonecraft and the wife of poet Percy Shelley. I especially liked how Mary Shelley used some of her husband's poetry in the narrative of the story. The story behind the creation of this book is also unique. Mary and Percy were part of a small group which agreed that they would each write a ghost story. After being unable to think of a plot, Mary Shelley conceived the concept of Frankenstein during a resting period when she was neither conscious nor completely asleep.

This particular edition included an Introduction, Further Reading, Notes on the text, the Author's Introduction, a Preface by Percy Shelley and appendixes featuring works by others that were part of the group that committed to writing ghost stories.

i bought this edition of the book simply because i'm a total daniel clowes fanboy. i mean, the story itself is a classic, but i already own a less aesthetically appealing copy of it. this one was purely for the looks.

I recently read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the first time, then realized I had never read Frankenstein either. I bought it awhile ago and finally got around to reading it. Its a deserved classic, and there are some great things about this book and some disappointing things, all unexpected.

Some of things I was surprised by include the story itself. Very involved in literary history, quotes many authors. Frankenstein's monster is a sympathetic creation in a lot of ways. By the end of part 2, where the monster tells his own story, you start to feel sorry for him. Great story that casts light on sin, humanity, religion, and what life is. It is not a book that will really scare you, but it will make you think.

Some things I was disappointed in include the coincidences that occur. A story written like this today would never work . . . but it was fine for its era. The monster finding Victor's home based on some loose directions overheard from a French family is at best a stretch. The book drags in a few places as well for modern readers, but you are rewarded for pushing through it.

All in all, a well deserved classic that is a worthy read. The fact that Mary Shelley wrote this at 19 is astounding and humbling. Note that this is NOT a comic book. It has an illustrated cover, no graphics inside. Another review made it sound like it was a comic book.

Highly Recommended.

Just received my copy.

Must have skimmed the item description too fast. This is just the novel, with a fancy cover. I thought I was getting a graphic adaptation.

There are many less expensive editions available on Amazon. No real reason to buy this one.