Frankenstein has been my favorite book for quite some time; it's a classic, as both a piece of literature and as the source for one of the most well known monsters in horror fims to date. So, naturally, the idea of a sequel is bound to polarize fans - how does one follow up on Mary Shelley's gorgeous story about man creating man in order to give any creator the middle finger, only to come to resent the decision and be plague for the rest of his days by his gruesome creature? Susan O'Keefe certainly found a way to make a stunning addition to the story, with florid but not overbearing prose and beautifully described characters that, in my mind, is definitely worthy of being put next to my copy of the original on my bookshelf.
Where the ending of the original had the creature running off to kill himself at the desolate North Pole, O'Keefe alters the story to have Robert Walton become obsessed with destroying the creature. He's come to the belief that he and Victor Frankenstein were something of kin, of two men with the same mind of exploration and discovery. Where Victor's career was biology and science, Robert is an adventurer exploring the arctic wastes of the North Pole. He feels beholden to Victor, and must right the dead man's wrongs: this includes completing the destruction of the creature.
Where the original story centers around Victor's perspective of the events, this sequel follows the creature (as is evidenced by the title); O'Keefe does a marvellous job of not simply painting the portrait of a sympathetic creature, but someone that I was conflicted in liking through both his actions and thoughts. The creature is a beast, though whether this is due to his creation and upbringing or through his psychological state is something that the reader themselves will have to decide.
A parade of characters joins the creature in this story, and none are more fascinating than O'Keefe's version of his bride. She remains true to the idea that Victor desecrated and destroyed the female he was creating, and in her place we receive two different characters that incredibly contrast one another. The first is the mute Mirabella, who is one of the few (if only) people to ever show the creature a shred of kindness for no perceptible reason. And then there is Lily, Robert Walton's niece, who is just as twisted and deformed in her mind as the creature is in body. The two make an antagonistic couple that seem to delight only in the torment of one another - Lily feeds into the creature's rage and salts his mental wounds, a fitting tormentor for the monster.
My only complaint against the book woud be in the creature adopting Victor's name; at least he didn't take the entirety and call himself Victor Frankenstein. Though I can see it being in the vein of children being named after their fathers, it irked me that while the creature wanted to be recognized as another living being and eventually grew to hate his 'father', that he would adopt Victor's name when pressured for something to call him by other than 'creature'. Or perhaps I'm just so used to seeing him named as such that it feels wrong to call him by the mad scientist's name.
Overall, this book is a welcome companion to Shelley's original; if you're a fan of Frankenstein: Or The Modern Prometheus, you will love biting into this beautifully written book. Or if you simply enjoy good literature, it's a fascinating read.
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