Title: Frankenstein’s Children, Book One: The Creation

Author: Richard Pierce

Date of First Publication: 1994

Place of Publication: Berkley Books

Type: Novel

Characters: Victor Frankenstein

Themes: BYRONIC HERO; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; ANDROID

Critical Summary: The story begins with Sara Watkins visiting her boyfriend Josh Frankenstein, who talks about being born cursed, and being part of a family who creates death. After giving her a ring adorned with the Frankenstein family crest, Josh insinuates that it might be better placed with someone living and good. Later, Sara dreams of the death of her boyfriend, followed by him shoving the Frankenstein Family Ring onto her finger as a skeleton. When she wakes up, she discovers that Josh had thrown himself off the roof of his family home, resulting in his death.

Following the death of Josh Frankenstein, Grandfather Frankenstein reveles to Sara that Mary Shelley’s novel is partially true and based on his family. He convinces Sara to use her scientific background to help bring Josh back to life, because Grandfather Frankenstein’s hands have been ruined and he can no longer perform the intricacies of the long held secret of creating life. Sara, along with Josh’s younger sister Jessie, and a technological genius from her school named Eddie, come together to re-create Josh’s destroyed body, and then bring it to life.

Josh awakens as a monster, unable to remember his previous life, but able to recognize that he is hideous and should not be alive. His realization causes him to crave death, and when he cannot find it, he seeks to kill others. After a horrific scene with a bully on top of the school roof, Josh throws the bully to his death, and Sara agrees that they must kill Josh. Just before she does, however, Josh sees the Frankenstein Crest on Sara’s ring, and says her name, stilling Sara’s will, and leaving the story to be continued in two more novels.

Throughout the novel, we get short insights into the mind of Grandfather Frankenstein, who appears as a Byronic Hero through his belief that he knows best, and that despite his experiments having always gone wrong, that his knowledge must be pursued. Sara Watkins is shown as the mad scientist when she brings Josh back to life, and when she resurrects Josh’s dog later in the novel. However, unlike Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of Sara’s creations does not become a monster. Josh’s dog actually returns to behaving the same as he did before he was brought back to life. Josh, on the other hand, is presented as a sympathetic monster like Frankenstein’s Creature in the original novel. This theme is showcased when we learn that he remembers choosing death and does not understand why he was forcibly pulled back. His anger is displayed when he later attempts to kill himself again, and when he can’t, decides that he will master death by killing others.

Administrative Notes: Elizajane Wright, CSUF, Joshua Newman (editing)