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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Despite the premise (Gothic horror/Frankenstein/action adventure) and the beautiful cover, I found it boring. I was about to DNF at 40%, but then something finally happened. It was still slow going, but delivered quite a satisfying ending.
Am I the only one who wonders what happened to the creature? Could it possibly have made its way home to Inverness? Just a thought…..
Am I the only one who wonders what happened to the creature? Could it possibly have made its way home to Inverness? Just a thought…..
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read for the March 2024 Androids Dream Book club, and also was a Nightmares from Nowhere selection, May 2023.
The title is what caught my eye. But the feminist themes are what caught my heart!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A gorgeous and gory literary revisiting of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Our Hideous Progeny follows the story of Victor Frankenstein’s great niece, Mary. Something of a scientist herself, Mary and her husband, Henry, begin to experiment with the idea of reanimating their own stitched together creature, modeled after the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, an inaccurate series of extinct animals sculpted (irl!) by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins under the scientific direction of Richard Owen. I had to mention that specifically because I loved the mix of science fiction and real science history! So cool! Luv 2 learn!!
This was such an emotional and hard to put down read! From seeing the treatment of women in academic communities in the Victorian era, to all of Mary’s righteous anger at the men in her life, her upbringing as a “bastard” child being raised by her grandmother, and her struggles with her womanhood, her motherhood, and her sexuality— Mary is such a relatable and interesting protagonist. I was gasping out loud, leaning in while I read, and thinking about this book every time I had to be away from it. Genuinely felt angry, and sad, and hopeful, and happy alongside Mary the whole wild ride. I also ADORE Maisie. I wish I could’ve learned more about her! I don’t want to spoil much because I went into this book basically judging it by its stunning cover and Frankenstein name drop and it was so fun that way.
I’m currently very much in a Frankenstein-inspired media moment, as I’m sure is obvious with my recent reads and watches (Monstrillio, Lisa Frankenstein, Poor Things, and just yesterday I picked up a copy of The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White!) so this really hit the spot. If you’re also looking for a spooky, female rage, sapphic-yearning-filled page turner for this fall… Our Hideous Progeny! Five stars! (Can you tell I loved this book by all of the exclamation points?!!!) (!!!)
“I should like that, I think; to make an utter fool of myself, and be regarded not as a bad example of womanhood, but merely a bad example.”
“How utterly, reprehensibly unfair it was that after all this time I still bore the marks, his fingerprints pressed into me like candle wax, while he went on unburnt.”
This was such an emotional and hard to put down read! From seeing the treatment of women in academic communities in the Victorian era, to all of Mary’s righteous anger at the men in her life, her upbringing as a “bastard” child being raised by her grandmother, and her struggles with her womanhood, her motherhood, and her sexuality— Mary is such a relatable and interesting protagonist. I was gasping out loud, leaning in while I read, and thinking about this book every time I had to be away from it. Genuinely felt angry, and sad, and hopeful, and happy alongside Mary the whole wild ride. I also ADORE Maisie. I wish I could’ve learned more about her! I don’t want to spoil much because I went into this book basically judging it by its stunning cover and Frankenstein name drop and it was so fun that way.
I’m currently very much in a Frankenstein-inspired media moment, as I’m sure is obvious with my recent reads and watches (Monstrillio, Lisa Frankenstein, Poor Things, and just yesterday I picked up a copy of The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White!) so this really hit the spot. If you’re also looking for a spooky, female rage, sapphic-yearning-filled page turner for this fall… Our Hideous Progeny! Five stars! (Can you tell I loved this book by all of the exclamation points?!!!) (!!!)
“I should like that, I think; to make an utter fool of myself, and be regarded not as a bad example of womanhood, but merely a bad example.”
“How utterly, reprehensibly unfair it was that after all this time I still bore the marks, his fingerprints pressed into me like candle wax, while he went on unburnt.”
This book was interesting! Our Hideous Progeny tells the story of Victor Frankenstein's great niece as she battles against natural forces of death... and misogyny. Through the familiar lens of Frankenstein (and Frankenstein's monster), McGill's novel grapples with bioethics, loss, institutional sexism, and queerness.
Mary and Henry, her husband, are a geologist team in the era when dinosaurs are just beginning to be studied. Despite her academic prowess and contributions to Henry's work, Mary has little recognition by the broader scientific community. When she finds long-lost notes detailing her great uncle's experiments, it could be her big break. Having recently experienced a stillbirth, Mary's exploration of resurrection also reverberates with mourning. The two run into trouble with their finances and their academic reputation along the way. To cover their costs, they move in with Henry's chronically ill sister and develop ties with some unsavory figures. I'll leave my description there to save y'all from spoilers!
What I liked most about this book was the interior life that McGill built for Mary. She has a full history and complex motivations for each decision she makes. Her past traumas, ethical quandaries, and tumultuous relationships kept my attention and motivated me when the plot lagged. I'd recommend this book for anyone interested in contemporary iterations on the Frankenstein story!
Mary and Henry, her husband, are a geologist team in the era when dinosaurs are just beginning to be studied. Despite her academic prowess and contributions to Henry's work, Mary has little recognition by the broader scientific community. When she finds long-lost notes detailing her great uncle's experiments, it could be her big break. Having recently experienced a stillbirth, Mary's exploration of resurrection also reverberates with mourning. The two run into trouble with their finances and their academic reputation along the way. To cover their costs, they move in with Henry's chronically ill sister and develop ties with some unsavory figures. I'll leave my description there to save y'all from spoilers!
What I liked most about this book was the interior life that McGill built for Mary. She has a full history and complex motivations for each decision she makes. Her past traumas, ethical quandaries, and tumultuous relationships kept my attention and motivated me when the plot lagged. I'd recommend this book for anyone interested in contemporary iterations on the Frankenstein story!
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes