Title: A Cold Legacy

Author: Megan Shepherd

Date of First Publication: 2015

Place of Publication: Balzer + Bray

Type: Novel

Characters: Victor Frankenstein (through his journals)

Themes: ANDROID; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; WOMEN WRITING MONSTERS; BYRONIC HERO

Critical Summary: The third book in the Madman’s Daughter trilogy, A Cold Legacy concludes the story of Juliet Moreau, the daughter of H.G. Wells’ famous doctor. In this installment, Juliet and her friends make their way to an estate on the Scottish moors, owned by Elizabeth von Stein, where Victor Frankenstein carried out some of his experiments. Eventually, Elizabeth names Juliet her heir and, producing Victor’s original journals, intends to teach her how to recreate his work.

By the end of the novel, Juliet comes to resemble a mad scientist, and she struggles with some of the same questions that arise in Frankenstein. She questions the morality of bringing a person back to life, as well as potentially endangering humanity broadly to save the ones she loves. A Cold Legacy also confronts issues of gender, as Juliet considers the consequences of her father’s actions and hopes to break free from his legacy.

Administrative Notes:  Yan Zhou, CSUF; Alex Goodman, CSUF (editing)