Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Frankenstein is a classic gothic novel by Mary Shelley which is often considered the first science fiction novel. Briefly, and to avoid any spoilers, it is the story of Victor Frankenstein who is a student of natural philosophy. Through his reading, he learns the secret of imparting life to a creature that he has assembled from bones. We learn the story from three narrators: a sea captain exploring the Arctic, Victor Frankenstein, and the creature.

The basic plot was adapted into the Frankenstein series of movies, and many of the minor plot elements in the novel show up in the movie series: the blind old man, who encounters the creature; the young girl who was near drowning, and even the idea of a mate for the creature.

The novel is not really a horror story, it’s more of a dark tale about the misuse of power derived from scientific knowledge and the consequences that arise from it. I first read this book a long time ago for a literature class; it was fun to read it again after so many years. I highly recommend this book.