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The Casebook Of Victor Frankenstein (2008)

by Peter Ackroyd(Favorite Author)

3.3 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0385530846 (ISBN13: 9780385530842)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Nan A. Talese

review 1: Whilst the concept of re-imagining Victor Frankenstein as a real person set alongside the Shelley's and Byron was invigorating and fun, particularly the characterisation of Shelley, the ending was a complete disappointment. The trope of it all 'being in their head' is completely ridiculous, not to mention disrupted the entire narrative. Furthermore by implying it was Frankenstein himself who wrote the novel takes all credit from Mary Shelley. All in all it was a well written novel, but spoilt utterly by the ending. The metaphor of man and monster blurring into one was perfectly well articulated in the first novel, and this work seems to simply be reiterating it but adding nothing more to the story.
review 2: I found that this was a book that never really used, ... morewhat was a very good idea, to it's full potential. Peter Ackroyd is a very good author and I often enjoy his books, but this isn't one of his best. The idea is that Victor Frankenstein was a real person and not just a literary character. Many will know the story of how Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in the summer of 1816, a summer she famously spent with Lord Byron, John William Polidori, and Claire Clairmont near Geneva, Switzerland, where Mary conceived the idea for her novel Frankenstein, during a tremendous thunder storm. This is one of the events that is described in the book, but with the premise that it was Victor Frankenstein's explanation of his scientific experiments with electrical fluid and reanimation of living creatures, that gave her the idea of her famous novel. The twist at the ending is very well done. However, there are clues throughout the narrative, meaning some readers may work this out before the end. If you are a fan of Mary Shelley's classic then I would recommend giving it a go, as it is quite enjoyable to read how the author blends fiction with reality. less

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