Reviews - Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus

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33.3k reviews for:

Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus

Mary Shelley

3.86 AVERAGE

gayforgodzilla's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

orange_guice's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Mary Shelley please kiss me on the mouth

isaakatreviews's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A classic for a reason.

Mary Shelley wrote one of the formative texts of the horror genre as we know it, but 'Frankenstein' is so much more than that, too. Beyond the horror - or even interwoven with it - is a tale about morality, about creation, about responsibility. Victor Frankenstein is our protagonist, but the novel never shies away from showing sympathy for the creature, who, ultimately, is just a victim. The segment where the creature retells his story about Felix and the like was my favourite part; that just hit me so hard. There's so many shocking moments, yes, yet also so many beautiful, quiet, reflective scenes, and those are just as powerful. Everything is masterfully written, and even if I found it did occasionally drag, that doesn't take away from what an impressive book this is.

wearenotunique's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

danrennie2's review against another edition

3.5

sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This being written by a teenage girl in 1818 is crazy.

Criticisms of woman characters being passive become commentary of a woman's autonomy of the time.

Victor not only played god and created life from death, he also subverted women's role in nature.

The creatures perspective, the other, is fighting for pages in the middle of the book sandwiched between two loud unreliable male narrators.

The creature, ignored and shunned by his creator, learns how to be function in society by observing a nuclear family, and he arrives to the conclusion that he needs a woman. At no point during his persuasion of Victor to make him a mate does he consider her autonomy, meanwhile victors biggest concern is if she'll be pretty enough, if she'll be evil, if she'll help procreate a race of others who would rise up.

Victors family raised an orphaned girl with the intention of having her grow and marry Victor, but he rejects the opportunity to do the same for the creature. Not for morally superior reasoning, but hypocrisy.

Theres no hero in this story, there are countless pages of wallow, self pity, ego, destruction, revenge, and death.

Not the best read, but a story that will remain timeless.

vivio312's review against another edition

4.0

dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Works really well as a ghost story. I think there's a lot of room for easy philosophical discussion, which I missed out on by reading it alone, but I'm glad I now know the origin of the Frankenstein mythos.