Book Review (Canon): This Monstrous Thing

This Monstrous Thing

Written by MacKenzi Lee in 2015

The Raccoon: This Monstrous Thing paints a world in which Frankenstein was Mary Shelley’s attempt to process witnessing her best friend resurrect his brother.  The book is set in a steampunk re-imagining of Geneva.

UNMASKED: Like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Neverending Story, This Monstrous Thing is a book about a book.  What elevates this story above the other two is its exploration of the earth-shattering impact Frankenstein could have had on society if people even slightly considered that the events within the pages were grounded in truth.

The book brilliantly illustrates how different factions grapple with the idea that Man can create life as well as God, from claiming that people with mechanical parts disrespect God’s image to becoming obsessed with the scientific potential of the discovery.  This culminates in a social revolution that seems too thrilling and eventful to be contained in a book.

The struggles and decisions faced by all of the characters, especially Alasdair, the narrator, also make This Monstrous Thing an emotional journey.  I found myself pondering what I would do in most situations and feeling strongly connected to all four of the main characters at different times.

Ultimately, This Monstrous Thing is a masterfully constructed “what if” that takes the best parts of Shelley’s iconic story of the scientist and his creation and delves into how each of us must wrestle with the man and monster within us when faced with life’s sudden turns.

Strengths:

• The creative technology, most notably the shock-producing ‘pulse gloves,’ helps excite the reader and immerse them in Lee’s world.
• Alasdair’s life draws several subtle parallels to Victor Frankenstein’s, along with the more obvious ones called out by other characters.
• The characters are content at the end, with a purposeful lack of romance needed for their fulfillment.
• The book unintrusively comments on our society’s history of segregation and intolerance.
• Unlike Mary Shelley, who decided that Victor Frankenstein would REFUSE TO TELL THE READER THE SECRET TO CREATING LIFE, BREAKING MY HEART AND STEPPING ON MY THIRST FOR WONDER AND KNOWLEDGE, Lee explains how Alasdair is able to resurrect his brother.  Thank you for that.

Weaknesses:

• Lee uses the word “clockwork” more than I use “like” in conversations.
• There is a frivolous amount of suspense around the obvious revelations that Mary Godwin became Mary Shelley (after marrying Percy Shelley) and that she wrote Frankenstein.

Rating: 18/20 oil-paper lungs

Ideal Setting: Read this while nestled up in a tower on an October night, as the specters and rebels dance in the streets.