Title: Frankenstein: The Shadow of Frankenstein
Author: Stefan Petrucha
Date of First Publication: 2006
Place of Publication: Dark Horse Press
Type: Novel
Characters: The Creature; Victor Frankenstein; Elizabeth Frankenstein
Themes: ANDROID; LAST MAN; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER
Critical Summary: The novel begins in the aftermath of a tragedy: the monster, angry and confused about his ‘birth’ and subsequent torture, escapes and goes on a rampage in the nearby village. While this occurs he kills several people, rips the arm off a young boy, and captures Elizabeth Frankenstein, the wife of one his creators Baron Henry Frankenstein. The rampage ends when the frightened villagers burn down the windmill where the monster resided, believing him dead. On the run from Inspector Krogh, who blames Henry for his creation’s sins — including the loss of his son’s arm —Henry takes his traumatized wife from Germany to England. Unbeknownst to him, his ‘abnormal-brained’ monster follows him to London. In London, both Frankenstein and the monster get caught up in a string of local murders that seem like the work of Jack the Ripper. Frankenstein is considered the lead suspect in the case of the killings and is also thought to be performing hysterectomies on local prostitutes. Two of these future victims befriend the monster, treating him with the kindness before their gruesome deaths, which brings Jack the Ripper into contact with the monster. Jack has been using black magic to keep himself alive for the last half a century and is awed by how Frankenstein created the monster to defy death. On the run from Inspector Krogh and Scotland Yard, Frankenstein is forced to help Jack the Ripper become one of his monsters, and thereby immortal, after Jack kidnaps his wife. Both Frankenstein and the monster come together in the end to defeat Jack: Frankenstein creates a temporary monster from the bodies of the murdered prostitutes, and it and the monster work together to kill him. At the end of the novel, Frankenstein is cleared of charges and returns home to Germany with his wife and the creature, still driven by a mad desire to conquer death.
Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with discovering the secrets of death and life, much like his basis, Victor. Like Victor, Henry’s scientific goals come between him and his loved ones, even bringing them harm at times. Particularly, Henry’s relationship with his wife Elizabeth, who shares the same name with her Frankenstein counterpart, is affected; she is kidnapped by both the monster and Jack the Ripper and suffers from PTSD and anxiety symptoms as a result. The Creature’s counterpart in this modern tale suffers the same sort of loneliness and anger at his condition. Like in Mary Shelley’s original, the monster and Frankenstein have a complex relationship in which they both need the other but harbor resentment at the same time. Although The Creature is referred to continuously as a ‘monster’ and commits crimes, he is written as a sympathetic character, especially relative to Jack the Ripper and Frankenstein. The persistent themes of Android, Last Man, and Post-Human are shown through Jack the Ripper’s black magic, murders, and quest for immortality; the monster’s resurrection, immortality, and desire to return to his natural state of death; and Frankenstein’s search for the answers to the science of creating and restoring life. Even though Jack the Ripper uses dark arts and Frankenstein uses science, they both have higher goals of advancing humanity to a new level.
Administrative Notes: Sarah Stucky, CSUF; Lee Koehler, CSUF (editing)