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Back from the Dead: The True Sequel to Frankenstein
Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B005S1CQEY.
BACK FROM THE DEAD: the true sequel to Frankenstein is a contemporary telling of the finding and revival of the thought-to-be mythical creature. The story follows the account by Sergio Carerra, the scientist who revives the creature from a two-hundred year arctic freeze, and with the help of his wife, Sophia, a psychologist, brings him into the family of man. The creature’s Gothic sojourns to the 1790’s through dreams and flashbacks reveals a unique perspective on the original story, why he survived, and what happened to his mate. How does present society see this formidable beast, so different than his movie counterpart, and how does he feel about his unwanted resurrection? Now, that he’s back, there are others interested in him for reasons not so apparent, and they will do anything to get what they want.
How he fares in the modern world is an assemblage of psychological drama, horror, romance, and sci-fi. Finally, after 200 years, we are about to learn the truth.
BACK FROM THE DEAD: the true sequel to Frankenstein is a contemporary telling of the finding and revival of the thought-to-be mythical creature. The story follows the account by Sergio Carerra, the scientist who revives the creature from a two-hundred year arctic freeze, and with the help of his wife, Sophia, a psychologist, brings him into the family of man. The creature’s Gothic sojourns to the 1790’s through dreams and flashbacks reveals a unique perspective on the original story, why he survived, and what happened to his mate. How does present society see this formidable beast, so different than his movie counterpart, and how does he feel about his unwanted resurrection? Now, that he’s back, there are others interested in him for reasons not so apparent, and they will do anything to get what they want.
How he fares in the modern world is an assemblage of psychological drama, horror, romance, and sci-fi. Finally, after 200 years, we are about to learn the truth.
ebook
First published November 24, 2013
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About the author
Stuart Land
12 books142 followersStuart’s story ideas come from his vivid imagination, but his inspiration draws from world travel and fascinating careers: from US military medic to hairstylist, then Washington D.C. Police officer to NYC photographer.
Later, he converted a chicken coop in the woods into a live-in studio and taught himself metal sculpture. That rudimentary craft expanded into the fine arts. Sculptures in bronze and fiberglass led to shows in the US, England, and Thailand.
Stuart’s passion for all arts segued into: costume design (top 100 designers in the book, Fashion: 2001); modeling agency art director; fashion show designer; water feature designer, computer illustrator, and a top sculptor for special effects, sets and props in the entertainment industry with work in over thirty major films, hotels, and theme parks worldwide.
During Stuart’s film career, he learned screenwriting firsthand, writing 20 screenplays so far. To explore character and environment more, he took up narrative fiction with short stories and published 14 novels. His writing has won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and finals in contests, and some of his screenplays sold or optioned.
He continues on the journey.
Later, he converted a chicken coop in the woods into a live-in studio and taught himself metal sculpture. That rudimentary craft expanded into the fine arts. Sculptures in bronze and fiberglass led to shows in the US, England, and Thailand.
Stuart’s passion for all arts segued into: costume design (top 100 designers in the book, Fashion: 2001); modeling agency art director; fashion show designer; water feature designer, computer illustrator, and a top sculptor for special effects, sets and props in the entertainment industry with work in over thirty major films, hotels, and theme parks worldwide.
During Stuart’s film career, he learned screenwriting firsthand, writing 20 screenplays so far. To explore character and environment more, he took up narrative fiction with short stories and published 14 novels. His writing has won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and finals in contests, and some of his screenplays sold or optioned.
He continues on the journey.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 7, 2019
I read Stuart Land’s Back from the Dead all in one sitting! I’ve always enjoyed the original Frankenstein, and this sequel was true to the source material. After reviving the original monster, scientist and psychiatrist couple Sergio and Sophia Carerra must help him try to integrate into society. It’s a deeply emotional and somewhat troubling look at humanity from which I especially loved ‘the monster’s’ perspective. All around a perfect one for any lovers of the original classic!
November 21, 2011
4.5 stars
Is it possible that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a true story, do we dare believe it? When a man is discovered frozen in ice, Dr. Sergio Carerra a cryobiologist, is called in to test to see if there is any viable living organisms left. Soon, Dr. Carrerra discovers that not only are there living organisms left, but that the whole man is still alive and functioning. Back in his lab in Florida where the body has been transported, Sergio and his wife Sophie, a noted psychologist, soon discover that it is possible they have found the real thing, Frankenstein.
This is the story of their journey to discover the truth behind the myth, and along the way, they just might discover more truth than they bargained for.
Told in both current time and flashbacks to 200 years earlier, Back From the Dead is a story of love, human failings and triumphs, and the ability of one man to impact all he comes in contact with. What can one say about Mr. Land’s writing style that has not already been said? I’ve compared it to a masterpiece of art, I’ve compared it to the style of a lost breed of author, it’s complicated at times and simply easy at others.
The characters here are also both complicated and simple. Sergio and Sophie are truly soul mates in every sense, to use a cliché, they complete each other. They give us moments of intense feelings from laughter to tears, to anger, to lust. Sergio is driven in his search for Frankie’s beginnings and how he functions, sometimes so driven he loses sight of what’s really important. He is balanced out by Sophie’s true shining spirit; the woman is just a good person.
Then there is Franstein’s creature (Frankie to his friends) is he a man or a monster? Is he human or inhuman? I think he is all of the above, he laughs, he loves, he feels pain and he feels joy. The three of them make up an odd sort of family and like all families they have their issues. These people will make you rethink what you consider right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies. There are a number of side characters in the book, all of whom are interesting in their own right and make the story come to life.
I have read three of Mr. Land’s books, they are all different from each other, but all contain what I’ve come to consider his trademark style. He will throw complicated themes at you, and take you to the brink of no return, then throw some silly something at you to break the tension. I did have a tiny problem with the style of this book; I felt at times Mr. Land wandered into the world of “literature”, not a bad thing, but I’m not sure what audience he was striving for. Let me give you an example. “The view gave them entry into a heavenly wilderness of ethereal luster, accented by glimpses into treacherous glacial gashes.” In the vernacular of my people (southerners) them sure are purty words. My point, maybe we can find a point somewhere between the two to land – no pun intended. I’m thinking for a complaint about a book, “it is written too well” isn't bad.
This book had it all and I ran the gambit of emotions while reading it. I actually laughed out loud at points, I really did cry big ole tears, I got angry at the attitude of people and in the end I was exhausted but satisfied, and more than a little sad. While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the other two of Mr. Land’s works I have read, it just gave me a sense of melancholy while I was reading it, I say well done once again.
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Is it possible that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a true story, do we dare believe it? When a man is discovered frozen in ice, Dr. Sergio Carerra a cryobiologist, is called in to test to see if there is any viable living organisms left. Soon, Dr. Carrerra discovers that not only are there living organisms left, but that the whole man is still alive and functioning. Back in his lab in Florida where the body has been transported, Sergio and his wife Sophie, a noted psychologist, soon discover that it is possible they have found the real thing, Frankenstein.
This is the story of their journey to discover the truth behind the myth, and along the way, they just might discover more truth than they bargained for.
Told in both current time and flashbacks to 200 years earlier, Back From the Dead is a story of love, human failings and triumphs, and the ability of one man to impact all he comes in contact with. What can one say about Mr. Land’s writing style that has not already been said? I’ve compared it to a masterpiece of art, I’ve compared it to the style of a lost breed of author, it’s complicated at times and simply easy at others.
The characters here are also both complicated and simple. Sergio and Sophie are truly soul mates in every sense, to use a cliché, they complete each other. They give us moments of intense feelings from laughter to tears, to anger, to lust. Sergio is driven in his search for Frankie’s beginnings and how he functions, sometimes so driven he loses sight of what’s really important. He is balanced out by Sophie’s true shining spirit; the woman is just a good person.
Then there is Franstein’s creature (Frankie to his friends) is he a man or a monster? Is he human or inhuman? I think he is all of the above, he laughs, he loves, he feels pain and he feels joy. The three of them make up an odd sort of family and like all families they have their issues. These people will make you rethink what you consider right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies. There are a number of side characters in the book, all of whom are interesting in their own right and make the story come to life.
I have read three of Mr. Land’s books, they are all different from each other, but all contain what I’ve come to consider his trademark style. He will throw complicated themes at you, and take you to the brink of no return, then throw some silly something at you to break the tension. I did have a tiny problem with the style of this book; I felt at times Mr. Land wandered into the world of “literature”, not a bad thing, but I’m not sure what audience he was striving for. Let me give you an example. “The view gave them entry into a heavenly wilderness of ethereal luster, accented by glimpses into treacherous glacial gashes.” In the vernacular of my people (southerners) them sure are purty words. My point, maybe we can find a point somewhere between the two to land – no pun intended. I’m thinking for a complaint about a book, “it is written too well” isn't bad.
This book had it all and I ran the gambit of emotions while reading it. I actually laughed out loud at points, I really did cry big ole tears, I got angry at the attitude of people and in the end I was exhausted but satisfied, and more than a little sad. While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the other two of Mr. Land’s works I have read, it just gave me a sense of melancholy while I was reading it, I say well done once again.
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
November 11, 2011
I am a lover of all things that go bump in the night, and I must also admit a lover of Stuart Land, author. I have just finished Back from the Dead a true sequel to Frankenstein, Stuart’s newest release, although not his newest book. This was written a few years ago, and re-released this month. While he has written a good book with a great story, I can see his growth as a writer even more in his newer books that I have read and reviewed here for the Paranormal Romance Guild. Penelope and I have reviewed both as Dual Reviews and individual reviews Original Blood, Shadow House and Epiphany. I am amazed at the topics this writer can jump to and hold me mesmerized with both his descriptions and words.
For this book Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein again comes to life in this very interesting depiction of what would happen if...
Sergio Carrera is a cryobiologist, living in Florida with his wife Sophia, a psychologist. Serge is called to fly up to the Northern wilds to look into something that was found frozen in the Arctic tundra. Imagine his surprise and fear after boring a hole thru the ice and running some tests on the matter drawn out, to find that whatever it is, the tissue showed life. Mr. Land describes in detail the bringing back of this astounding find to Florida. The lab techs were on 24 hour rotation watching the progress of the defrost. They find as the ice melts slowly but surely away, they have found Frankenstein, and he lives.
Sergio and his wife are true soul mates. He enlists her expertise as a psychologist to be able to to engage in talk with the Monster, after all, he has been encased by ice for 200 years, and now they may find so many secrets: one of eternal life, of the truth to the Frankenstein myth and Sergio's desire to help mankind. The secrecy is not easily kept, and now the battle rages between helping a monster and learning the truth.
Sergio and Sophia are tested both in what they believe, their love for each other, and their attachment to Frankie. I laughed at this nickname they called this eight foot tall monster. The book held me entranced, but also with a heavy heart, as through all that I read I kept on feeling... the other shoe was going to fall. As we the reader were taken back 200 years through the dreams of the monster to discern what was truth and what was fiction in the rampages and killings of this monster made by a monster, Victor Frankenstein. Were all the stories true, or was Frankie just a bull in a china shoppe ?
Mr. Land takes us again on a story of what agendas people have, what makes people do what they do for lust, power, and greed. There is always a hope in his stories, not only for his characters but for all mankind to take a look at themselves and maybe do what is right. After all we have a 50/50 chance. Right?
Stuart Land has become for me a leader in his field as a writer, and since I have been introduced to his books, he is an author I truly admire and respect. I truly hope from my humble opinion you would take the time to look him up and pick one of his stories that tweaks your interest. I do not think you will be sorry.
Review by Gloria Lakritz
Senior Review and Review Chair of the Paranormal Romance Guild
For this book Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein again comes to life in this very interesting depiction of what would happen if...
Sergio Carrera is a cryobiologist, living in Florida with his wife Sophia, a psychologist. Serge is called to fly up to the Northern wilds to look into something that was found frozen in the Arctic tundra. Imagine his surprise and fear after boring a hole thru the ice and running some tests on the matter drawn out, to find that whatever it is, the tissue showed life. Mr. Land describes in detail the bringing back of this astounding find to Florida. The lab techs were on 24 hour rotation watching the progress of the defrost. They find as the ice melts slowly but surely away, they have found Frankenstein, and he lives.
Sergio and his wife are true soul mates. He enlists her expertise as a psychologist to be able to to engage in talk with the Monster, after all, he has been encased by ice for 200 years, and now they may find so many secrets: one of eternal life, of the truth to the Frankenstein myth and Sergio's desire to help mankind. The secrecy is not easily kept, and now the battle rages between helping a monster and learning the truth.
Sergio and Sophia are tested both in what they believe, their love for each other, and their attachment to Frankie. I laughed at this nickname they called this eight foot tall monster. The book held me entranced, but also with a heavy heart, as through all that I read I kept on feeling... the other shoe was going to fall. As we the reader were taken back 200 years through the dreams of the monster to discern what was truth and what was fiction in the rampages and killings of this monster made by a monster, Victor Frankenstein. Were all the stories true, or was Frankie just a bull in a china shoppe ?
Mr. Land takes us again on a story of what agendas people have, what makes people do what they do for lust, power, and greed. There is always a hope in his stories, not only for his characters but for all mankind to take a look at themselves and maybe do what is right. After all we have a 50/50 chance. Right?
Stuart Land has become for me a leader in his field as a writer, and since I have been introduced to his books, he is an author I truly admire and respect. I truly hope from my humble opinion you would take the time to look him up and pick one of his stories that tweaks your interest. I do not think you will be sorry.
Review by Gloria Lakritz
Senior Review and Review Chair of the Paranormal Romance Guild
November 12, 2011
am forced to write this in brief because of having way too many things to do. Although I'm posting this review for the paperback, I actually read a Kindle edition provided to me by the author for reviewing purposes. This book is very satisfying. As a thriller writer he reminds me of Dean Koontz -- very solid, tightly plotted, easily shifting points of view as the most successful writers in the genre do. But at the same time, there is a genuine and strong infusion of Mary Shelley also. I definitely felt this was the same Frankenstein monster that Shelley wrote about. The book held my interest throughout. Honestly, the married couple were a bit cloyingly sweet on each other, but even this makes sense, given that Victor Frankenstein and Elizabeth were very much the same way. In other words, Stuart Land creates structural parallels to Shelley's book that are very intriguing.
I felt there was a setup for a sequel, because of various plot loopholes. These are moments where there could be closure, or the story could continue if desired. However, so far as I know, no sequel is planned. Maybe it's better to leave it how it is. Or, maybe not...
I felt there was a setup for a sequel, because of various plot loopholes. These are moments where there could be closure, or the story could continue if desired. However, so far as I know, no sequel is planned. Maybe it's better to leave it how it is. Or, maybe not...
November 12, 2011
4.5 stars
Is it possible that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a true story, do we dare believe it? When a man is discovered frozen in ice, Dr. Sergio Carerra a cryobiologist, is called in to test to see if there is any viable living organisms left. Soon, Dr. Carrerra discovers that not only are there living organisms left, but that the whole man is still alive and functioning. Back in his lab in Florida where the body has been transported, Sergio and his wife Sophie, a noted psychologist, soon discover that it is possible they have found the real thing, Frankenstein.
This is the story of their journey to discover the truth behind the myth, and along the way, they just might discover more truth than they bargained for.
Told in both current time and flashbacks to 200 years earlier, Back From the Dead is a story of love, human failings and triumphs, and the ability of one man to impact all he comes in contact with. What can one say about Mr. Land’s writing style that has not already been said? I’ve compared it to a masterpiece of art, I’ve compared it to the style of a lost breed of author, it’s complicated at times and simply easy at others.
The characters here are also both complicated and simple. Sergio and Sophie are truly soul mates in every sense, to use a cliché, they complete each other. They give us moments of intense feelings from laughter to tears, to anger, to lust. Sergio is driven in his search for Frankie’s beginnings and how he functions, sometimes so driven he loses sight of what’s really important. He is balanced out by Sophie’s true shining spirit; the woman is just a good person.
Then there is Franstein’s creature (Frankie to his friends) is he a man or a monster? Is he human or inhuman? I think he is all of the above, he laughs, he loves, he feels pain and he feels joy. The three of them make up an odd sort of family and like all families they have their issues. These people will make you rethink what you consider right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies. There are a number of side characters in the book, all of whom are interesting in their own right and make the story come to life.
I have read three of Mr. Land’s books, they are all different from each other, but all contain what I’ve come to consider his trademark style. He will throw complicated themes at you, and take you to the brink of no return, then throw some silly something at you to break the tension. I did have a tiny problem with the style of this book; I felt at times Mr. Land wandered into the world of “literature”, not a bad thing, but I’m not sure what audience he was striving for. Let me give you an example. “The view gave them entry into a heavenly wilderness of ethereal luster, accented by glimpses into treacherous glacial gashes.” In the vernacular of my people (southerners) them sure are purty words. My point, maybe we can find a point somewhere between the two to land – no pun intended. I’m thinking for a complaint about a book, “it is written too well” isn't bad.
This book had it all and I ran the gambit of emotions while reading it. I actually laughed out loud at points, I really did cry big ole tears, I got angry at the attitude of people and in the end I was exhausted but satisfied, and more than a little sad. While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the other two of Mr. Land’s works I have read, it just gave me a sense of melancholy while I was reading it, I say well done once again.
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Is it possible that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a true story, do we dare believe it? When a man is discovered frozen in ice, Dr. Sergio Carerra a cryobiologist, is called in to test to see if there is any viable living organisms left. Soon, Dr. Carrerra discovers that not only are there living organisms left, but that the whole man is still alive and functioning. Back in his lab in Florida where the body has been transported, Sergio and his wife Sophie, a noted psychologist, soon discover that it is possible they have found the real thing, Frankenstein.
This is the story of their journey to discover the truth behind the myth, and along the way, they just might discover more truth than they bargained for.
Told in both current time and flashbacks to 200 years earlier, Back From the Dead is a story of love, human failings and triumphs, and the ability of one man to impact all he comes in contact with. What can one say about Mr. Land’s writing style that has not already been said? I’ve compared it to a masterpiece of art, I’ve compared it to the style of a lost breed of author, it’s complicated at times and simply easy at others.
The characters here are also both complicated and simple. Sergio and Sophie are truly soul mates in every sense, to use a cliché, they complete each other. They give us moments of intense feelings from laughter to tears, to anger, to lust. Sergio is driven in his search for Frankie’s beginnings and how he functions, sometimes so driven he loses sight of what’s really important. He is balanced out by Sophie’s true shining spirit; the woman is just a good person.
Then there is Franstein’s creature (Frankie to his friends) is he a man or a monster? Is he human or inhuman? I think he is all of the above, he laughs, he loves, he feels pain and he feels joy. The three of them make up an odd sort of family and like all families they have their issues. These people will make you rethink what you consider right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies. There are a number of side characters in the book, all of whom are interesting in their own right and make the story come to life.
I have read three of Mr. Land’s books, they are all different from each other, but all contain what I’ve come to consider his trademark style. He will throw complicated themes at you, and take you to the brink of no return, then throw some silly something at you to break the tension. I did have a tiny problem with the style of this book; I felt at times Mr. Land wandered into the world of “literature”, not a bad thing, but I’m not sure what audience he was striving for. Let me give you an example. “The view gave them entry into a heavenly wilderness of ethereal luster, accented by glimpses into treacherous glacial gashes.” In the vernacular of my people (southerners) them sure are purty words. My point, maybe we can find a point somewhere between the two to land – no pun intended. I’m thinking for a complaint about a book, “it is written too well” isn't bad.
This book had it all and I ran the gambit of emotions while reading it. I actually laughed out loud at points, I really did cry big ole tears, I got angry at the attitude of people and in the end I was exhausted but satisfied, and more than a little sad. While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the other two of Mr. Land’s works I have read, it just gave me a sense of melancholy while I was reading it, I say well done once again.
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
March 2, 2014
It takes real guts for an author to attempt to write a sequel to a classic like "Frankenstein," but Stuart Land totally pulled it off. Because he refers to events in the original (which I had never read), I purchased a copy of Shelley's novel and am still reading that. (Mary Shelley wrote it in the early 1800s so the writing style is a bit dry. Land's novel is anything but dry.)
But it's clear Land did his research before he wrote "Back from the Dead." The science is believable, and the characters are totally human and evoke every bit as much pathos (or perhaps more) than do Shelley's. I consider it a brilliant and imaginative achievement and recommend it highly. It will make you laugh--and cry.
This is the second of Stuart's novels I have read, and I plan to read more.
But it's clear Land did his research before he wrote "Back from the Dead." The science is believable, and the characters are totally human and evoke every bit as much pathos (or perhaps more) than do Shelley's. I consider it a brilliant and imaginative achievement and recommend it highly. It will make you laugh--and cry.
This is the second of Stuart's novels I have read, and I plan to read more.
November 12, 2011
See my review for the newer Kindle edition.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews