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Promethean Horrors: Classic Stories of Mad Science
As tragic antihero, hubristic maniac or sadistic villain, the mad scientist is as familiar to the Gothic literary tradition as the seductive vampire or evil monk.
Assembled here are ten thrilling tales of literature’s most brilliant and misguided minds; minds that strive for the unnatural secrets of immortality, artificial life and the teleportation of matter; minds that must eventually grapple with the bitter cost of their obsessions.
From essential Gothic stories by Mary Shelley, E. T. A. Hoffmann and Edgar Allan Poe to later forays into the weird and psychedelic by E. Nesbit, H. P. Lovecraft and George Langelaan, the classic figure of the mad scientist is reanimated in these pages along with every untethered ambition and its calamitous consequences.
Assembled here are ten thrilling tales of literature’s most brilliant and misguided minds; minds that strive for the unnatural secrets of immortality, artificial life and the teleportation of matter; minds that must eventually grapple with the bitter cost of their obsessions.
From essential Gothic stories by Mary Shelley, E. T. A. Hoffmann and Edgar Allan Poe to later forays into the weird and psychedelic by E. Nesbit, H. P. Lovecraft and George Langelaan, the classic figure of the mad scientist is reanimated in these pages along with every untethered ambition and its calamitous consequences.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2019
29 people are currently reading
944 people want to read
About the author
Xavier Aldana Reyes
10 books36 followersXavier is Reader in English Literature and Film at Manchester Metropolitan University, and a founder member of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 15, 2023
This is another in the British Library Tales of the Weird series. This one concerns a particular trope, a favourite of horror and supernatural writers: the scientist who really just doesn’t know when to stop. A key figure in tales of the gothic. Of course this all started with the Faust story, selling one’s soul to the devil for unlimited knowledge.
There’s no Faust here but there are stories from Mary Shelley, E T A Hoffmann, Hawthorne, Poe, Stevenson, L T Meade, Nesbit, Auguste Villiers de L’isle-Adam, Lovecraft and George Langelaan. The oldest story dates back to around 1815 and the most modern is from the 1950s. That is The Fly which has spawned a number of films. Some of these border on alchemy, especially the Shelley, which looks at the search for eternal youth. There are body snatchers, experiments with what happens to a mind immediately after the guillotine, heightened senses, contacting the beyond and more.
Again they are a mixed bunch, but on the whole they are well worth reading and it was good to read The Fly, after having seen the films.
There’s no Faust here but there are stories from Mary Shelley, E T A Hoffmann, Hawthorne, Poe, Stevenson, L T Meade, Nesbit, Auguste Villiers de L’isle-Adam, Lovecraft and George Langelaan. The oldest story dates back to around 1815 and the most modern is from the 1950s. That is The Fly which has spawned a number of films. Some of these border on alchemy, especially the Shelley, which looks at the search for eternal youth. There are body snatchers, experiments with what happens to a mind immediately after the guillotine, heightened senses, contacting the beyond and more.
Again they are a mixed bunch, but on the whole they are well worth reading and it was good to read The Fly, after having seen the films.
bought-tbr
May 26, 2024English version can be found below.
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German version:
Werde das jetzt erst einmal längere Zeit pausieren, da nach einer Hausarbeit zum Thema 'Künstliche Menschen' vorerst mein Interesse für diese Thematik gedeckt ist. Wollte die Anthologie hauptsächlich wegen Shelleys Text 'The Mortal Immortal' lesen, nachdem ich 'Frankenstein' gelesen hatte und habe dann noch "Rapuccini's Daughter' (N. Hawthorne) angefangen, was ich noch fertig lesen werden. Bin vermutlich nicht der Typ Mensch, der eine Anthologie komplett liest, sondern eher einzelne Texte, die gerade aus irgendeinem Grund mein Interesse geweckt haben. Ich finde die Zusammenstellung der Texte im Buch aber dennoch wirklich gelungen und man kann auch inhaltliche Verbindungen zwischen den Texten herstellen, also zumindest bei den ersten drei von mir gelesenen, wobei ich 'Der Sandmann' (E. T. A. Hoffmann) schon kannte.
Außerdem finde ich es spannend wie alle drei bisherigen Texte eine gewisse Fremdbestimmtheit aufweisen, es geht mal mehr mal weniger in Richtung Automaten-Motiv, also neben dem verrückten Wissenschaftler-Motiv, das ja die eigentliche Grundlage für die Zusammenstellung aller Texte der Anthologie ist.
_____________
English version:
I'm going to take a break from it for a while now, as my interest in this topic is covered for the time being after writing a term paper on 'Artificial Humans'. I wanted to read the anthology mainly because of Shelley's text 'The Mortal Immortal' after reading 'Frankenstein' and then I started 'Rapuccini's Daughter' (N. Hawthorne), which I will finish. I'm probably not the type of person who reads an anthology in its entirety, but rather individual texts that have caught my interest for some reason. However, I think the compilation of the texts in the book is really well done and you can also make connections between the texts, at least with the first three I read. The first text, 'The Sandman' (E. T. A. Hoffmann), I already knew beforehand. I also find it exciting how all three texts so far show a certain heteronomy, sometimes more sometimes less in the direction of the automaton motif, in addition to the mad scientist motif, which is the actual basis for the composition of all the texts in the anthology.
___________
German version:
Werde das jetzt erst einmal längere Zeit pausieren, da nach einer Hausarbeit zum Thema 'Künstliche Menschen' vorerst mein Interesse für diese Thematik gedeckt ist. Wollte die Anthologie hauptsächlich wegen Shelleys Text 'The Mortal Immortal' lesen, nachdem ich 'Frankenstein' gelesen hatte und habe dann noch "Rapuccini's Daughter' (N. Hawthorne) angefangen, was ich noch fertig lesen werden. Bin vermutlich nicht der Typ Mensch, der eine Anthologie komplett liest, sondern eher einzelne Texte, die gerade aus irgendeinem Grund mein Interesse geweckt haben. Ich finde die Zusammenstellung der Texte im Buch aber dennoch wirklich gelungen und man kann auch inhaltliche Verbindungen zwischen den Texten herstellen, also zumindest bei den ersten drei von mir gelesenen, wobei ich 'Der Sandmann' (E. T. A. Hoffmann) schon kannte.
Außerdem finde ich es spannend wie alle drei bisherigen Texte eine gewisse Fremdbestimmtheit aufweisen, es geht mal mehr mal weniger in Richtung Automaten-Motiv, also neben dem verrückten Wissenschaftler-Motiv, das ja die eigentliche Grundlage für die Zusammenstellung aller Texte der Anthologie ist.
_____________
English version:
I'm going to take a break from it for a while now, as my interest in this topic is covered for the time being after writing a term paper on 'Artificial Humans'. I wanted to read the anthology mainly because of Shelley's text 'The Mortal Immortal' after reading 'Frankenstein' and then I started 'Rapuccini's Daughter' (N. Hawthorne), which I will finish. I'm probably not the type of person who reads an anthology in its entirety, but rather individual texts that have caught my interest for some reason. However, I think the compilation of the texts in the book is really well done and you can also make connections between the texts, at least with the first three I read. The first text, 'The Sandman' (E. T. A. Hoffmann), I already knew beforehand. I also find it exciting how all three texts so far show a certain heteronomy, sometimes more sometimes less in the direction of the automaton motif, in addition to the mad scientist motif, which is the actual basis for the composition of all the texts in the anthology.
October 5, 2020
PROMETHEAN HORRORS is another compedium in The British Library's excellent Tales of the Weird series and one I just had to snap up. My main problem with it is that many of the stories featured are well-known classics that I'm already well familiar with, unlike others in this series where I'd read few or none of the collected stories. There were exactly four “new to me” stories here, but if you're less familiar with the genre then you'll get more out of this.
Hoffmann's THE SANDMAN is a lengthy and decidedly weird place to start, an episodic fairytale type story that mixes together the creepy titular ghost with an interesting proto-robotic creature. It's a little unwieldy at times but for pure flights of imaginative drive it works nicely. THE MORTAL IMMORTAL sees Mary Shelley herself in strong territory as romance leads to a different kind of tragedy; a fresh and emotional exploration of the genre, this. RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER, meanwhile, sees Nathaniel Hawthorne exploring the tale of an expert horticulturist with a deadly secret concerning his daughter. When romance blossoms, something else does too....it's interesting stuff, not quite a classic perhaps, but engaging enough with some good ideas behind it. Poe's THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR is a much-anthologised classic with an incredibly gruesome climax that has to be read to be believed. Price and Corman did this one proud in their filmic adaptation TALES OF TERROR.
THE SECRET OF THE SCAFFOLD is a rarity by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam which looks at the age-old question of whether a decapitated head still contains conscious thought in the moments following death. It's short and to the point, but the climax is memorably ghastly and quite ahead of its time in some respects. Meanwhile, THE BODY SNATCHER is one of Robert Louis Stevenson's most ghastly stories, a perhaps definitive look at the ghastly work of the Resurrection Men who plied their trade throughout graveyards in the 19th century. Unforgettable stuff. As for Edith Nesbit's THE FIVE SENSES, it's an appropriately literate spin on the 'mad scientist' genre, in which a dedicated vivisectionist turns his investigations to more unusual territory with unforeseen consequences. This one has a nice spin on the old 'buried alive' trope. One of the best stories collected here, THE BLUE LABORATORY by L.T. Meade is a masterwork of suspense and mystery, with the kind of thrills and sensation you get from a Wilkie Collins novel.
The last couple of stories are classic pulp mad scientist works that both featured film adaptations. Lovecraft's FROM BEYOND was done as a follow up to RE-ANIMATOR by Stuart Gordon in 1986, and is a fun, creepy ride into freeing the mind from the body. George Langelaan's THE FLY is something any science fiction fan should know, in which an experiment into time travel goes awry thanks to the intervention of nothing bigger than a house fly. The '50s film with Price is good, but I think Cronenberg's '80s remake is the definitive version of this story.
Hoffmann's THE SANDMAN is a lengthy and decidedly weird place to start, an episodic fairytale type story that mixes together the creepy titular ghost with an interesting proto-robotic creature. It's a little unwieldy at times but for pure flights of imaginative drive it works nicely. THE MORTAL IMMORTAL sees Mary Shelley herself in strong territory as romance leads to a different kind of tragedy; a fresh and emotional exploration of the genre, this. RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER, meanwhile, sees Nathaniel Hawthorne exploring the tale of an expert horticulturist with a deadly secret concerning his daughter. When romance blossoms, something else does too....it's interesting stuff, not quite a classic perhaps, but engaging enough with some good ideas behind it. Poe's THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR is a much-anthologised classic with an incredibly gruesome climax that has to be read to be believed. Price and Corman did this one proud in their filmic adaptation TALES OF TERROR.
THE SECRET OF THE SCAFFOLD is a rarity by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam which looks at the age-old question of whether a decapitated head still contains conscious thought in the moments following death. It's short and to the point, but the climax is memorably ghastly and quite ahead of its time in some respects. Meanwhile, THE BODY SNATCHER is one of Robert Louis Stevenson's most ghastly stories, a perhaps definitive look at the ghastly work of the Resurrection Men who plied their trade throughout graveyards in the 19th century. Unforgettable stuff. As for Edith Nesbit's THE FIVE SENSES, it's an appropriately literate spin on the 'mad scientist' genre, in which a dedicated vivisectionist turns his investigations to more unusual territory with unforeseen consequences. This one has a nice spin on the old 'buried alive' trope. One of the best stories collected here, THE BLUE LABORATORY by L.T. Meade is a masterwork of suspense and mystery, with the kind of thrills and sensation you get from a Wilkie Collins novel.
The last couple of stories are classic pulp mad scientist works that both featured film adaptations. Lovecraft's FROM BEYOND was done as a follow up to RE-ANIMATOR by Stuart Gordon in 1986, and is a fun, creepy ride into freeing the mind from the body. George Langelaan's THE FLY is something any science fiction fan should know, in which an experiment into time travel goes awry thanks to the intervention of nothing bigger than a house fly. The '50s film with Price is good, but I think Cronenberg's '80s remake is the definitive version of this story.
July 11, 2022
The British Library short story collections are some of the best collections of short stories you can find, and 'Promethean Horrors' is one of the best collections within that series.
Part of the reason for this is because the mad scientist is itself one of the most interesting and compelling tropes in all science fiction and horror. But mostly it's because these classic and varied stories are some of the best works in these authors' careers, and some of the best works within this genre.
This collections is not entirely made up of masterpieces, but it does contain more than its fair share of masterpieces, plus several other short stories that offer unusual and compelling examples of this trope.
This collection, in short, is a must read for fans of sci fi horror, fans of classic Gothic horror, and especially fans of the mad scientist trope. I guarantee you'll find at least one short story here that becomes a new favourite.
Part of the reason for this is because the mad scientist is itself one of the most interesting and compelling tropes in all science fiction and horror. But mostly it's because these classic and varied stories are some of the best works in these authors' careers, and some of the best works within this genre.
This collections is not entirely made up of masterpieces, but it does contain more than its fair share of masterpieces, plus several other short stories that offer unusual and compelling examples of this trope.
This collection, in short, is a must read for fans of sci fi horror, fans of classic Gothic horror, and especially fans of the mad scientist trope. I guarantee you'll find at least one short story here that becomes a new favourite.
January 22, 2020
Classic mad scientist stories, including The Fly and From Beyond. Another excellent volume from the British Library. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
January 12, 2021
A brilliant collection of absolutely chilling stories, with a short introduction to each story. Would recommend if you are into gothic horrors.
October 26, 2021
A great selection of stories, some familiar and some new to me but well-chosen for the theme and all quite compelling.
June 8, 2023
It's always a pleasure to read E. Nesbit (The Five Senses), as it was to re-encounter "Rappaccini's Daughter" (Nathaniel Hawthorne) and"The Body Snatcher" (Robert Louis Stevenson). It was my first time reading E. T. A. Hoffman (The Sandman), still curious about some of his short stories, although I wasn't the biggest fan of this one. Enjoyed "The Blue Laboratory" and will look for more from L. T. Meade.
January 9, 2025
favourite stories: the sandman by e. t. a hoffmann*, the mortal immortal by mary shelley, rappacini’s daughter by nathaniel hawthorne*, the blue laboratory by l. t. meade, the fly by george langelan
*i only skimmed these stories because i’ve read both of them before (as assigned reading in school and in evil roots: killer tales of botanical horror, respectively), but they still deserve a mention here. they‘re among my favourite horror short stories/novellas and i think about them all the time
*i only skimmed these stories because i’ve read both of them before (as assigned reading in school and in evil roots: killer tales of botanical horror, respectively), but they still deserve a mention here. they‘re among my favourite horror short stories/novellas and i think about them all the time
December 18, 2023
An interesting collection of Mad Science from the Tales of the Weird series:
The Sandman by E. T. A. Hoffmann
The Mortal Immortal: A Tale by Mary Shelley
Rappaccini's Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe
The Secret of the Scaffold by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam
The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Blue Laboratory by L. T. Meade
The Five Senses by E. Nesbit
From Beyond by H. P. Lovecraft
The Fly by George Langelaan
The Sandman by E. T. A. Hoffmann
The Mortal Immortal: A Tale by Mary Shelley
Rappaccini's Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe
The Secret of the Scaffold by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam
The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Blue Laboratory by L. T. Meade
The Five Senses by E. Nesbit
From Beyond by H. P. Lovecraft
The Fly by George Langelaan
January 19, 2022
A lovely creepy collection of Mad Scientist tales, it was perfect to read in a cold winter night. There were so many good lesser known short stories by well known authors in this book, for sure one to read if you're interested in knowing more about gothic literature and people playing a twisted version of God.
May 21, 2024
I think overall I enjoyed these stories. The three stars are mostly because I didn’t really enjoy the first couple of stories, it felt like a bit of a slog getting through them, but the later stories were very good. It’s very interesting to see how horror has developed over the centuries, and the influence that these authors have had on modern writers today.
September 23, 2022
Read for Season 3 of our Whiskey and the Weird Podcast - great, classic stories mostly. Lots of fodder for deep discussions and a very solid entry in the Tales of the Weird series! Favorite stories include: The Sandman, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, The Body Snatcher, and From Beyond.
December 5, 2020
Very well chosen intriguing and exciting little stories!
July 4, 2021
The Blue Laboratory by L.T. Meade was definitely my favourite and I also really enjoyed The Fly by George Langelaan
December 4, 2021
this has been easily my favourite one of the series so far. an absolutely fantastic selection!
my favourites were definitely 'the body snatcher', 'the fly' & 'the blue laboratory'.
my favourites were definitely 'the body snatcher', 'the fly' & 'the blue laboratory'.
May 14, 2022
An excellent collection, perfectly curated and ordered. Topping it all off with "The Fly" was a masterstroke
April 9, 2023
If you're in the mood for old-fashioned prose and feeling creepy, this is a great selection.
May 29, 2023
So far one of my favourite collections with such incredible tales ranging from well known authors lesser known tales to the lesser known authors tales almost forgotten entirely
September 17, 2023
Well, I really enjoyed Rappaccini's Daughter, Five Senses, and The Fly. The others weren't really that great.
October 25, 2024
Some of the novels were really clumsy when compared with modern writing, but in general it was worth reading as the selection is informative and diverse.
February 25, 2025
lo q me he gozado el relato de la mosca... esta coleccion merece muchisimo la pena
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October 1, 2025The Sandman by E. T. A Hoffman - 4 stars
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews