The Ultimate Frankenstein

by Byron Preiss (Editor), David H. Keller (Editor), John Gregory Betancourt (Editor)

Some of the world's best-known authors of the fantastic and the mysterious explore the legend of Mary Shelley's classic monster. From Brian W. Aldiss' eerie look at a mysterious creature hidden for centuries, to S.P. Somtow's tale of passion and dismemberment in Thailand, to Katherine Dunn's examination of a bizarre affair -- here are spectacular Frankenstein stories transcending time and place.
- Introduction and selected filmography by Leonard Wolf.

- Featuring Kurt Vonnegut's classic story "Fortitude," plus tales by Brian W. Aldiss, Isaac Asimov, Loren D. Estleman, and Charles de Lint.

- Originally released in trade paperback by Dell Publishing -- out of print for more than 5 years!

CONTENTS
Introduction: The Lord's Apprentice (The Ultimate Frankenstein) - essay by Isaac Asimov
Near-Flesh by Katherine Dunn
Summertime Was Nearly Over by Brian W. Aldiss
The Creature on the Couch by Michael Bishop
Fortitude by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Monsters of the Midway by Mike Resnick
Dreams by F. Paul Wilson
Evil, Be My Good by Philip José Farmer
A Writ of Habeas Corpus by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
The State Versus Adam Shelley by Benjamin M. Schutz
Chui Chai by S. P. Somtow
I, Monster by Loren D. Estleman
This Icy Region My Heart Encircles by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem
Mad at the Academy by Esther M. Friesner
Last Call for the Sons of Shock by David J. Schow
Victor by Karen Haber
Part Five by Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Frankie Baby by Joyce Harrington
Pity the Monsters by Charles de Lint
The Last Supper and a Falafel to Go by George Alec Effinger
Selected Filmography (The Ultimate Frankenstein) by Leonard Wolf

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Victor Frankenstein

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Byron Preiss was the president of Byron Preiss Visual Publications and Ibooks, and was recognized as a pioneer in digital publishing. He was among the first publishers to release CD-ROM's and electronic books.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Preiss graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972 and earned a master's degree in communications from Stanford University. He produced The Words of Gandhi, an audio book that won a Grammy Award in 1985. He was also the co-author of Dragonworld, a novel he co-wrote with J. Michael Reaves that was published by Bantam Books in 1979.

A proponent of illustrated books, as well as comics and graphic novels, Preiss also published works by celebrity authors including Jane Goodall, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, LeAnn Rimes and Jay Leno.

Reviews

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two ideas on the operating table, stitched together. Do they live?

The themed anthology is always a wily and unpredictable creature - its success dependent on a solid topic of focus, the editor's skill in assemblage and placement, and (as always) the authors' actual work. There are too many themed anthologies nowadays but I understand why they keep being made (it's an easier pitch to a publisher and a way for an editor to cement acquaintanceship with authors - "hey, I have this money for you - write me a story"). I do wish there were more that took a historical overview of their topic and didn't feel the need to reinvent the (usually inferior) wheel - as a generalist in my field of interest I'm always intrigued by how stories reflect on and rub up against previous work.

The monster of Frankenstein is a wily and unpredictable creature. As I argued in my review of the excellent 1950's comics collection The Monster of Frankenstein, the creature has an identity problem - the philosophical, articulate and vengeful character from the novel having been subsumed in the public consciousness by the Karloff/Universal image of the mute, sympathetic, misunderstood misfit (movies 1, books 0). His very position as a figure of horror has been diminished by his singular status (unlike, say, vampires or werewolves) and reduced by the advance of history. The two main qualities of horror - philosophical and physical - associated with the figure are now so commonplace as to be passe. One man's "blasphemous hubris of tampering in God's domain" is pretty much the definition of modernity; and the advance of science has made organ transplants, plastic surgery and genetic manipulation so commonplace as to be boring (the buzzword "Franken-food" is a double-edged sword from this angle). If we were to discover that a new beauty procedure that gave fantastic results was rooted in utilizing the flesh of the dead, would we even bat an eye? Doubtful. On top of that, the creature is an everyman Rorschach projection; all of modern man's self-conceptions writ large, he is "us": his doomed emo-outsider status ("no one understands me"), his bi-polar rages and emotional instability ("rejection BAD!"), his uneasy, patchwork origins in a world he never made. Last I saw Frankenstein's monster he was fighting ninja gargoyles, sneaking into frame in a found-footage movie and working for the Nazis. I hear he's going to be rebooted into an action franchise star (since the first attempt at that didn't stick) and one of course must note resonances of mouth-to-anus surgery and "human centipedes". Pity the poor monster - this is a postmodern, late-capitalist necrophilic world and the plea of "we belong dead" can not be voiced by a commodity. Commodities, like dead bodies, exist to be exploited.

The Frankenstein-themed anthology is a wily creature. I have a few on the shelf (Haining's massive overview Frankenstein Omnibus read and enjoyed in the past, Beck's The Frankenstein Reader on the to-be-read pile, Jones' The Mammoth Book of Frankenstein yet to be tracked down) and of course the star attraction here, part of Byron Preiss' ULTIMATE series. This is not a horror anthology - the Frankenstein theme began life straddling the lines between Gothic horror and science-fiction (yet to be invented at the time) with just a touch of the fantastic; and the figure has become so ubiquitous as to find itself reflected in just about every genre (comedy and Frankenstein go together like bread and butter - just ask Chick & Wilbur) - so you get a wide variety of material here. Any of it good? Weeeelll... I have it on authority of one of the co-editors that he considered this the "weakest" of the ULTIMATE line, and with almost all anthologies balancing out as fair-to-middling regardless, this one pretty much runs right down that line. What you're gonna get in this book is a varied interrogation of the "ideas" of Frankenstein: the Monster (of course), the Maker, the Body, the Author, the Science, The Concept, The Philosophy, The Films, The Resonances. Not all of them work (just like not all brains stolen in the dark of night turn out "normal"), and not unexpectedly Hollywood shows up quite a bit. But picking and choosing helps. Here endeth the pre-review for those considering an investment of time. What follows is autopsy.

There are unworkable pieces which cannot be stitched to the whole. A number of these stories feel "written to order" (a recurrent flaw in the themed anthology game), ambitious or humorous ideas sketched out with little soul and often crammed into word-length limits. "Monsters Of The Midway" by Mike Resnick has no characters or plot, just the pitch: what if Frankensteinian science was used to build professional linebackers for the NFL? It doesn't even have a witty punchline. Joyce Harrington's "Frankie Baby" is a breezily told (rushed, honestly) piece about a dead daughter and genetic manipulation. It read more like a sketch for a story than an actual story.

There are spare parts, aborted leftovers littering the literary table. Sadly, the book leads with one of these: "Near Flesh" by Katherine Dunn has a powerful but emotionally cold and self-loathing businesswoman of the near future augment her collection of dominant and submissive sex-robots with one programmed to be her friend and lover - a situation which goes mightily wrong when the AI is placed in a functioning body. Not really my kind of thing. After this, the weaker stories are loaded towards the back of the book. Karen Haber's "Victor" makes us privy to the dying thoughts of the creator, freezing to death in the Arctic and reflecting on his life (nice irony in his given name). Moving and well-conceived if a bit undone by the conception of Victor's ultimate and evocative worry/horror - that the creature will return him to life - because we as the reader are safe in the knowledge that this will not happen (better for the story if it actually did!). "Part Five" by Garfield Reeves-Stevens has an ambitious young actress dine with a powerful Hollywood director (who only refers to himself in the royal "we"), only to discover his true secret. Eh. Hollywood, with its body-modification and plastic surgery is a recurrent theme in the collection and this felt a bit under-baked, lingering too long on a denouement we see coming very early (thanks to the story being in this very anthology). Charles de Lint seems to want to make an ironic comment on the expected pathos generated for the titular figure in "Pity The Monsters" but his scenario of a young woman held hostage by a crazy old woman and an unstable, scarred, hulking homeless man with multiple personalities is clumsy and egregiously abuses exposition info-dumps to cram its story into the allotted space. Weak. The "monster as homeless man" idea appears again in the anthology's capper, "The Last Supper And A Falafel To Go", where a vagrant creature is chewed up and spit out by a dysfunctional social system, gets to have a free Thanksgiving Dinner, and then proceeds to his inevitable ending of torches and crowds. George Alec Effinger's quirky satirical fable is not bad, but features odd, unnatural dialogue and writing ticks. Again, it felt rushed.

Next we have rejected tissue and organs - workable pieces that don't function completely. F. Paul Wilson's "Dreams" is interesting if somewhat inelegant - there's a big undigested lump of exposition at the three-quarter mark, but then it *is* a mystery story where a bright young woman wonders why she spends her days in a pastoral realm of beauty and intelligent conversation, but her nights are filled with violent nightmares of revenge in which she is a skulking masculine figure in a small village. Average. "I, Monster" by Loren D. Estleman begins with the undying monster in the icy wastes and ends somewhere in modern times with him being offered a completely unexpected, but not unlikely role in modern society. Going from the hell of suffering to the heaven of vindication (he approves of Universal's treatment of his story) to another form of media hell, this is an imperfect but nicely sour satire.

We move on to the solid and reliable parts - the trunk and cornerstone of any true creature. A therapist takes on a new patient - a hulking, brooding, self-loathing, misanthropic warehouse worker who claims to be the very figure of a famous novel in Michael Bishop's "The Creature On The Couch". Can modern psychiatry possibly help the ultimate literary misfit? An enjoyable dark fantasy and psychiatric examination of the monster's mind. "Evil, Be My Good" by Philip José Farmer is presented in the form of a letter written by a Professor to a friend from his former life - before he was struck by lightning, presumed dead, buried alive and his brain incorporated into an experiment by an ungrateful student of some fame. Now he is the conscience in a body driven by a baser mind, a passenger in a coach to which he only rarely holds the reigns; and said coach is beginning to deteriorate. Also features Farmer's trademarked frank sexuality (Elizabeth's murder was worse than portrayed), some solid musing on man's responsibilities, forgiveness and sin and an emotionally moving climax. The idea is almost reversed in "A Writ of Habeas Corpus" - which features the incarcerated creature (from a strange mashed-up past of the Shelly novel and the Universal film) making legal argument (with the help of an ambitious young attorney) that it (the "mind" of the physical body) is not responsible for actions of another's "brain" (which suffered with multiple personalities) - the outcome of which surprises everyone. A strange story from Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, a bit muddy, with a nice ending of uneasy ambiguity (is the creature smarter or at least more crafty than we assume?). S.P. Somtow's "Chui Chai" gives us the worlds of 80's & 90's high finance, sex, drugs & decadence, starting and ending in Bangkok in a sad, erotic and striking tale of jigsaw people, disposable humans, late capitalism and polymorphous perversity. An aging and sickly Mary Shelley, housebound by a blizzard and a stroke, forever mourns her brilliant, long-dead husband and inspiration (she kept his burnt heart in a box as a memento mori) in "The Icy Region My Heart Encircles", as her dying brain hallucinates visits from her dead children and acquaintances, and a shadowy form lurks outside in the cold. I'm generally not a fan of stories by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem - they're both accomplished writers but I find them generally too verbose and over-ornamented - but this is a nice examination of psychological/historical symbolism, with the subject very fitting to their styles. Hollywood rears its ugly head again in the last two tales. "Mad At The Academy" is a wry, arch little satire (a bit ROCKY HORROR) in which an ambitious Tinseltown grave-robber teams up with a mad-scientist, Eye-candy "Igor" to his Agent "Doctor", to create the ultimate star. A well-done tale of the myth of Hollywood in which studio micro-management is the ultimate Doctor Frankenstein ("Camera...Bad!" is "retro-crap") and, in the end, everyone owns a piece of you (and the monster isn't even the point), Esther M. Friesner writes in an enjoyably trippy, drunken, modern-decadent style. Fun! David J. Schow pens a nice love letter to the Universal Monsters in "Last Call For The Sons Of Shock" (where the conceit is that the 1940s films were acted by the actual monsters), tracking their histories after the studio chews them up and spits them out, landing us at a modern day reunion in a goth-rock club owned by Blank Frank where he entertains the cold, wealthy, drug dealing Count and Larry, the boisterous, gaudy and untamed professional wrestling star. They've all found places for themselves but has the world come to resemble them more closely as well? A heartfelt tribute and farewell, one last monster rally for the friends of our youth.

The last three pieces are the most vital (not surprisingly, two of them are reprints in this mostly-all-new anthology). The book's sad, cold and mournful heart can be said to lie in Brian W. Aldiss' "Summertime Was Nearly Over" where the isolated, brooding misanthrope has retreated to a cave in the Alps (like Byron's "Manfred"!) but, lacking human contact (save a pathetic "bride") and reduced to a scavenger, still clings to his tortured and persecuted (capital 'R') Romantic world view. Aldiss does a great job reminding us of the creature's mercurial emotional instability (when the he runs across a lone female hiker) and how the world has moved on (in the climax). Well done! Kurt Vonnegut does well installing the witty post-modern brain of the book in "Fortitude", a blackly comic playlet that touches on the ethics and potential inhumanity of medical transplants and the profit-drive and dysfunctional egos that now motivate high technology and cutting-edge science, as Norbert Frankenstein and assistant Tom Swift keep a fabulously wealthy women alive (even if she is in pieces) despite her own desires. There's a bitter undercurrent here about how "love" is warped by personality, circumstance and ability and Vonnegut wraps it all in a concise package (I wonder if it was ever produced?). The mind or soul of the book can be found in "The State Versus Adam Shelley" by Benjamin M. Schutz, a cold document prepared on the titular case at hand that does not feature the novel's creation in any way. Instead, we are treated to a clinical report and all the facts involving a violent, woebegone young man, failed by society and every system put in place to help him, an institutional Frankenstein if every there was one. This realistic drama is a well-done study of juvenile delinquency and how an abused and neglected ward of the state can become a monster when all responsibilities for his actions are eventually shifted onto his damaged and unprepared self (Saint Ronald Reagan would approve). As expected, it ends in monstrous violence. Heartfelt in its cold distance, just like the Monster.

So, there you are - a patchwork anthology stitched together from greater and lesser stories and a bit of an odd assortment, just like its topic.

[Althea Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mainly got this for the S.P. Somtow story, which I had not read before, and which was excellent. He manages to mix disturbingly sick with lyrically beautiful like no one else...

However; the rest of the book was pretty underwhelming - not as good as I expected, even by the general standards of theme anthologies.

Contents:

The Lord’s Apprentice · Isaac Asimov
An introductory essay by Asimov. Leads one to believe that good things will be coming. But.

Near Flesh · Katherine Dunn
Probably the least Frankenstein-y story in the book, it tells of a nasty, unattractive woman who uses male sex robots to gratify herself... and gets what's coming to her. I didn't like it.

Summertime Was Nearly Over · Brian W. Aldiss
Frankenstein's monster has holed up it a mountain cave, with his bride, till modern times. When he encounters a young hiker, things come to a head...

The Creature on the Couch · Michael Bishop
Frankenstein's monster works as a night watchman. But his boss sends him to a psychotherapist due to his obvious maladjustment.

Fortitude · Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Not written for this anthology. Written as a screenplay. An elderly woman is kept alive by machinery - which is controlled by her obsessed doctor, who prevents her from committing suicide. Better-crafted than most of these stories, but I still didn't love it.

Monsters of the Midway · Mike Resnick
What if reanimated monsters were set to playing pro football?

Dreams · F. Paul Wilson
One of the men whose corpse has been integrated into Frankenstein's monster seeks out the girl he loved in life...


Evil, Be My Good · Philip José Farmer Frankenstein's monster is writing a missive, while in the process of freezing to death in arctic climes. He waxes philosophical.

A Writ of Habeas Corpus · Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
"Frank" is stuck in a mental hospital, but appeals to a good lawyer to get him out. The celebrity advocate pushes him into a role as a movie star.

The State Versus Adam Shelley · Benjamin M. Schutz
A portrait of a teenage psycho, in the form of a mental evaluation.

Chui Chai · S. P. Somtow
As I said, this is a great, disturbing piece. Thai legend and myth mixes with seedy reality in this story of prostitution, money, and an amoral doctor.

I, Monster · Loren D. Estleman
Another where the monster survives up to the current day and has to find a place in today's society. Here, he becomes a pro wrestler.

This Icy Region My Heart Encircles · Steve Rasnic & Melanie Tem
Mary Shelley keeps her dead husband's heart sitting around, after his death.

Mad at the Academy · Esther M. Friesner
Tries way too hard for humor, and falls flat. The monster gets to be a movie star, again, here.

Last Call for the Sons of Shock · David J. Schow
Frankenstein, The Wolfman, Dracula &c get together at a bar, as they do annually, and reminisce about the good old days.

Victor · Karen Haber
Frankenstein is destroyed by his monster.

Part Five · Garfield Reeves-Stevens
An aspiring actress in LA is ready for the casting couch - but not ready for what's actually in store for her.

Frankie Baby · Joyce Harrington
After the visit of a long-lost childhood friend, a young mother's child dies. But then the friend, now a renowned doctor, offers a replacement.

Pity the Monsters [Newford] · Charles de Lint
A young woman is assaulted by a monstrous man in an alley. When she comes to, she seems to have been rescued by an eccentric old woman. But the reality is far creepier. (This one wasn't bad.)

The Last Supper and a Falaffel to Go · George Alec Effinger
Once more, the monster makes it to the present day - and this time becomes a homeless man.

Selected Filmography · Leonard Wolf
Some dude's opinions about some Frankenstein movies. Unnecessary.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Homenaje a la criatura, no a su creador.-

Género. Relatos.

Lo que nos cuenta. Con prólogo de Asimov (en su línea, ya me entienden) y cierre que repasa la filmografía más interesante al respecto del tema, firmada por Leonard Wolf, homenaje en forma de trabajos cortos al sexagésimo aniversario de la película Frankenstein y todos, con la excepción del relato de Vonnegut que fue publicado en 1968, escritos para la recopilación, más centrado en la criatura (o el monstruo de Frankenstein) que en el propio doctor (aunque algo hay), que nos llevarán a conocer robots de placer, aplicaciones deportivas de distinto tipo para las habilidades de este tipo de criaturas, la soledad del monstruo o su actividad social con amigos particulares, entre otros asuntos. Libro también conocido como El mito de Frankenstein.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad collection of Frankenstein tales. The writers use the Frankenstein novel as inspiration, in come cases only loosely and in other cases very closely.

The stories range from humorous to very dark, with many falling between.

Overall one of the better horror short story collections I've read.

[Jim Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m continuing to work my way through books that have been collecting dust on my library shelves unread for ... well, a long time. Back in the 1990’s, I was a member of the Science Fiction Book Club. One month, they offered the three books in the “ULTIMATE” monster series: THE ULTIMATE DRACULA, THE ULTIMATE WEREWOLF and, of course, this one for a very reasonable “bundle” price. I immediately placed my order.

In the years since, I have read a very large number of disappointing short story collections and, since short stories make up each ULTIMATE book, I’ve left them unread. (I could just imagine what various writers would make of my iconic friends.) Then, on a day when I needed to search for a new book to read, Alexa announced that it was “Frankenstein Friday” ... a celebration of Mary Shelley’s classic novel. Dutifully, I removed THE ULTIMATE FRANKENSTEIN from its dust-covered shelf.

I am pleased to report that I was very pleasantly surprised!

Usually, in such volumes, there are a number of spoofs and comic interpretations that are meant to generate a humorous chuckle from the Reader, but they always strike me as being disrespectful and lazy. In the case of FRANKENSTEIN, one of my favorite works of literature, there are so many levels that are brought into play to enlarge the main story ... psychological, societal, duty, religious ... and it is a crackling good Gothic Romance to boot. (I’ve been pondering whether to classify Victor Frankenstein as one of literature’s greatest sociopaths.) So, to make light of it is a waste of my reading time.

There were some that I could have done without:

* “Fortitude” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
* “Monsters of the Midway” by Mike Resnick
* “Mad at the Academy” by Esther M. Friesner
* “Last Call For the Sons of Shock” by David J. Schow

That’s 4 out of 19 or about 21%.

The remainder were very satisfying. There were also some that were truly remarkable and stayed with me:

* “Summertime Was Nearly Over” by Brian Aldiss
* “Dreams” by F. Paul Wilson
* “Chui Chai” by S.P. Somtow
* “This Icy Region My Heart Encircles” by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem (Exceptional!)
* “Victor” by Karen Hager
* “Frankie Baby” by Joyce Harrington (Caused me to literally gasp out loud!)

That’s 6 out of 19 or about 32%. 32% Remarkable. I’m impressed.

The unfortunate news is that the final section is “Selected Filmography” by Leonard Wolf. Out of the vast number of films that have been made on the subject of Frankenstein, Mr. Wolf only found 11 that he wanted to mention ... and one of those was JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER. Now, to his credit, he didn’t like that last film, but his overall list and especially his comments were useless. If you want to leave THE ULTIMATE FRANKENSTEIN with a pleasant emotional impression, I would strongly advise avoiding the cloying “Selected Filmography.”

Although I don’t plan on racing to them right away, THE ULTIMATE DRACULA and THE ULTIMATE WEREWOLF now have advanced on my list of books that I want to read. And if a third of them are also Remarkable, I’ll be very satisfied.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains one introductory piece and nineteen stories. Unfortunately almost every one of them is pretentious and wordy drivel composed without slightest effort made towards entertaining the reader. Amidst all the excruciatingly tortuous writing the exceptions were
1. Isaac Asimov's brilliant and thoughtful 'The Lord's Apprentice';
2. Brian Aldiss's 'Summertime Was Nearly Over';
3. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr's 'Fortitude';
4. Mike Resnick's 'Monsters Of The Midway"— most enjoyable story of the collection;
5. Esther M Friesner's 'Mad At The Academy'.
The collection gets some grace marks for the thoughtful 'Selected Filmography' at the end compiled by Leonard Wolf.
Overall, the book doesn’t really explore the creature envisaged by its creator. Instead, bulk of it contains the authors' sadomasochistic visions regarding humanity. If someone is interested in making a study of American literary mindscape along those lines, this book would be a good study material.
'Nuff said.

[Laura Janeiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

taking stock of the stars: 3.6 stars

Warning: contains spoilers.
An uneven book, as short story anthologies tend to be, but here it is very noticeable. I think I would have appreciated fewer stories with a more exhaustive selection. There are 19 stories, plus the introduction and the appendix. Writing this review, largely for myself, reminds me why I don't like multi-author anthologies. If I don't write something about each one I won't remember it, and writing something about each one is a lot of work and the story doesn't always justify it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Introduction: "The Lord's Apprentice" by Isaac Asimov Asimov is Asimov. His introduction is among the best in this book. He explores the "sorcerer's apprentice" as a metaphor for the connection between humanity and technology, of creation but without control. He takes a brief stroll through the history of artificial life (golems, automatons) and points out why Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is the first true science fiction novel: “The important thing about Frankenstein is that it is the first tale in which life was created without any divine intervention, but purely by material means”, since the creation of life is achieved through science and not divine intervention.

⭐⭐ "Near-Flesh" by Katherine Dunn Thelma Vole, a bitter and lonely woman, sexually uses and physically abuses her robot lovers. Finding no adequate stimulation, she invests in a robot designed to fall in love with her and make her fall in love with it, but when he physically declares his love, she rejects him, enjoying the emotional abuse she can inflict upon him more. In the end, the robot (unable to watch her suffer anymore from the cruelty that overwhelms her?) causes her death and its own destruction in a final embrace.

⭐⭐⭐ "Summertime Was Nearly Over" by Brian Aldiss The Monster lives with his "wife" Elsbeth, hidden in the Alps, avoiding contact with humans. Due to Elsbeth's detachment, he captures Vicky, hoping to take her to his cave and make her his wife's friend and also his lover. Vicky reveals herself as a police decoy, leading to the Monster's capture. Aldiss adds a macabre touch at the end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "The Creature on the Couch" by Michael Bishop A therapist treats Vyvyan, a man who believes he is Frankenstein's monster. Through therapy and reading Shelley's novel, Vyvyan integrates socially with the help of the doctor's secretary, Nessa. When Nessa announces that she is leaving, Vyvyan's integration reverts and the traits he sought to overcome resurface. I like the irony and subtlety, and I particularly appreciated the names. Vyvyan Franklin Goodloss brings together an alter ego of Victor, the one who attracts the lightning of the gods, and the one who loses them as a human.

⭐⭐⭐ "Fortitude" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. A much-explored story, with an unexpected ending.


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Monsters of the Midway" by Mike Resnick Both the story and the way it is narrated, as well as the irony of the ending, make for a surprising combination that deserved not to be overshadowed by many of the accompanying stories. Pure sports, science fiction, and social irony.

⭐⭐⭐ "Dreams" by F. Paul Wilson In the context of stories on this theme, it is for me just one more that has an excellent idea, with a twist on a not entirely original theme, and which for my taste lacks some mastery in its execution, even though it is unfair to expect mastery in everything. I think I would applaud it very much in a literary workshop, but it leaves me a bit indifferent in a book with the names this anthology gathers. In fairness to F. Paul Wilson, these other names didn't shine that much either, in my opinion.

⭐⭐⭐ "Evil, Be My Good" by Philip José Farmer Another example of why the theme of the previous story wasn't so original. And I appreciate Philip José Farmer very much, but not here.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A Writ of Habeas Corpus" by Quinn Yarbro Again, I appreciate the clever names and the original stories. The ending is one of the predictable ones in terms of plot twists, but it is very well resolved and fits perfectly into the story.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "The State Versus Adam Shelley" by Benjamin M. Schutz A very present dystopia, taking this already iconic character as a starting point, with an excellent story, social background, and execution.

⭐⭐ "Chui Chai" by S.P. Somtow An American executive in Bangkok falls in love with Keo, an exotic dancer, contracts AIDS, and returns seeking Dr. Frances Stone, who reanimates dead body parts using electricity. The protagonist surrenders his body to join a shared existence with parts of Keo and others when they are reanimated by electricity. It is more macabre than what I particularly appreciate and tolerate.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I, Monster" by Loren D. Estleman The Monster did not die in the ice, but remained frozen until found by an expedition in 1988. After escaping and learning about the modern world (and his own cinematic fame) through television, he becomes a professional wrestling star under the name "Frankenstein".

⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This Icy Region My Heart Encircles" by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem It is not so much about the monster as it is about Mary Shelley; it's a kind of continuation. Mary, elderly and dying, keeps the heart of her husband Percy. She is visited by the ghosts of her dead children and by the Monster (who turns out to be female). The Monster claims Percy's heart, but they discover that the wrapping is empty (the heart has disintegrated or was stolen), and then, she accompanies Mary to her death.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Mad at the Academy" by Esther M. Friesner An aspiring actress helps Dr. Shelley steal parts of famous deceased actors to build a perfect monster. The creature wins the Oscar for Best Actor, but the plan falls apart on stage when several aspiring stars claim to be the partners of the monster's different body parts. A bit in the vein of 'Miss Congeniality'. Humor and a good script, with something more than just fun.

⭐⭐⭐ "Last Call for the Sons of Shock" by David J. Schow The Monster (Frank), Dracula (the Count), and the Wolf Man (Larry) meet in a modern bar. They discuss how they have survived and adapted to modern times (Dracula sells drugs, Larry is a wrestler). Frank, depressed by the cyclical and commercial nature of his existence, decides to burn down the bar to put an end to the reunion and perhaps to his own legend. Good story, I think a fan of Marvel heroes might appreciate it better. I got a bit burned out on them.

⭐ "Victor" by Karen Haber I had to skim through it again to remember what it was about. It is a story with more aspirations than results. Victor Frankenstein is dying in the Arctic, hounded by the memories of his lost loved ones, his actions, and their consequences. The Monster appears and adds reproaches. The story closes in a circular, karmic, and dreamlike way. It is not badly written, but it was evidently very forgettable for me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Part Five" by Garfield Reeves-Stevens A familiar theme but very well handled. An actress, Samantha, has dinner with a rich producer, Edward Styles, hoping to get a part. She discovers that Styles is the Monster, who has survived by changing bodies over the decades (using the bodies of people in the industry). Samantha has been chosen to be his next body.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Frankie Baby" by Joyce Harrington The brilliant scientist Francesca "Frankie" Stein clones her friend Johanna's deceased daughter. When Johanna discovers that the "perfect" girl has no belly button, she deduces that Frankie killed her original daughter to test her experiment. The story delves into an already-explored theme, but it stays in the memory. I suppose that how it describes emotions, associated with a provocative theme, makes it relevant.

⭐⭐⭐ "Pity the Monsters" by Charles de Lint Just another story, a reimagining of a modern thriller format that Shelley's Frankenstein doesn't have when read today, but must have had in its time. Harriet has an accident in a snowstorm and is rescued by a crazy old woman and a deformed giant (Frank) who live in an abandoned building. The old woman wants Harriet to be Frank's partner. Harriet manages to escape, and the police reveal to her that they were escaped patients from a hospital for the criminally insane.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ "The Last Supper and a Falafel to Go" by George Alec Effinger Original, with a touch of complicity, irony, and humor, and I really appreciate the latter. A naive giant with a stitched head (Victor) wanders through the modern city. He tries to get help but is rejected by bureaucracy. He sees a Thanksgiving parade and believes that Santa Claus can help him. Finally, hungry and desperate, he steals a falafel and is chased by a mob, recreating the classic ending of the Frankenstein movies.

⭐⭐⭐ Selected Filmography by Leonard Wolf A summary and critical commentary of several important films about Frankenstein, from the 1931 classic to Young Frankenstein in 1974, analyzing how cinema has interpreted the myth. Boring to me, but I do not deny recognition to the breadth of the material reviewed.

[Elentarri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed bag.

[Chris Meger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ho-hum. Not great. I guess I was looking for some interesting commentary regarding post-humanity and the science of god.
All I got was how funny it would be if Frankenstein's monster were in a band, what if he were a wrestler. what if he were a movie star. Geh.

[Kyle Cheuvront · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's rare for me to not finish a book I started, but, I had to throw this one aside. I like the premise of the book, a collection of short stories with different takes on Frankenstein's monster. However, the stories are mostly garbage. There were a couple that seemed like they were a writing assignment in a 5th grade class or something. I got over 2/3rds through this book and had enough of the lackluster stories and prefer to read something else with my time.

[Cine de Escritor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña completa en mi blog: https://goo.gl/FDRx92

Como toda antología, algunas de las historias que conforman "Frankenstein insólito" son brillantes, mientras que otras propuestas no son tan espectaculares; igualmente el conjunto me ha parecido recomendable.

[Anthony Messina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting twists to the original, but hard to read so many stories with the same theme back to back

[Dave Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

like its companion volumes and uneven mix - but enough good stuff to get a passing grade

[Mandi Hidalgo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of Frankenstein-esque tales with a broad scope of settings and circumstances. Rather enjoyable.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Fortitude' and 'Last Call for the Sons of Shock' are always amazing - otherwise this Frankenstein collection is more down to earth than other Frankenstein collections with the funny story of 'Monsters on the Midway' standing out from what are otherwise not very moving dream sequences, allegories and repeats of the original story.

[Darby]

Loved all the stories.

[Tsumi Tsunami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Little Timmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like short stories and people taking a new view of a subject then this is a good book. I enjoyed a few of the stories but overall was not pleased. Not recommended

[Roberto Rosas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Antología de 20 cuentos de terror basados en la obra de Mary Shelley ,flojitos y aburridos la mayoría ,rescatables 5 de los 20 , dudo mucho que sea una relectura.

[Emilio Abarzúa · Rating 2 out of 5]

De los 20 cuentos me gustaron 7, el libro no fue de mi agrado, hubieron partes que me llegaron a aburrir bastante y tan sólo quería terminarlo rápido