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    This Monstrous Thing
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    This Monstrous Thing
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    This Monstrous Thing
    Ebook330 pages4 hours

    This Monstrous Thing

    By Mackenzi Lee

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A wildly creative Gothic fantasy retelling of Frankenstein, This Monstrous Thing is a wholly new reimagining of the classic novel by Mary Shelley and is perfect for fans of retellings such as Cinder by Marissa Meyer, fantasy by Libba Bray and Cassandra Clare, and alternative history by Scott Westerfeld.

    In an alternative fantasy world where some men are made from clockwork parts and carriages are steam powered, Alasdair Finch, a young mechanic, does the unthinkable after his brother dies: he uses clockwork pieces to bring Oliver back from the dead.

    But the resurrection does not go as planned, and Oliver returns more monster than man. Even worse, the novel Frankenstein is published and the townsfolk are determined to find the real-life doctor and his monster. With few places to turn for help, the dangers may ultimately bring the brothers together—or ruin them forever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateSep 22, 2015
    ISBN9780062382795
    Unavailable
    This Monstrous Thing
    Author

    Mackenzi Lee

    Mackenzi Lee holds a BA in history and an MFA from Simmons College in writing for children and young adults. Her short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Atlas Obscura, the Boston Globe, Crixeo, and the Newport Review, among others. Her debut novel, This Monstrous Thing, won the PEN New England–Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award. Her second book, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, was a New York Times bestseller and an ABA bestseller, earned five starred reviews, was a #1 Indie Next Pick, and received a 2018 Stonewall Book Award Honor and a New England Book Award. She loves Diet Coke, sweater weather, and Star Wars. On a perfect day, she can be found enjoying all three. She currently calls Salt Lake City home.

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    Reviews for This Monstrous Thing

    3.5/5

    56 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I really wanted to like this book, I loved the general concept, but I wish the author had done a better job of explain the fantastical, steampunk world this novel takes places within. The story wasn't too bad, but there were a number of questions I had about the world and its history and how the clockwork people came to be. My favorite parts were when the text of Frankenstein were discussed and I kinda loved the nuanced portrayal of Mary Shelley (even if she's mostly fictional in this version). If you're really into steampunk, this book might work for you, but if you like more elaborate world-building, this one might be disappointing.
    • 4/5
      In the beginning, I found this all but intoxicating. Lee's version of Shelley's world had such a wonderful and dreamlike quality that the book was nearly impossible to put down, and I loved the seeming depth of even the simplest of her characterizations. From moment to moment, I was hooked into the world and anxious for the next turn.Yet, as the pacing picked up, and as the action surged forward, I lost the feeling for some of what had so pulled me into the book. There were fewer quiet moments between characters that offered connection and magic, and things became a bit more predictable, and felt a bit too rushed. I still didn't want to stop reading... but the last fourth or so of the book just lost some of the inertia and magic that the earlier portions had had, and it was missed.I should say... I'm struggling with the question of how different readers will react, based on whether they have or haven't read Shelley's original Frankenstein. I have read the book, more than once, and adore it; in fact, it's what drew me to this work, and it's actually impossible for me to attempt to figure out what readers who aren't familiar with it will think of Lee's work. For me, there was such an intimate and undeniable connection that I'm just not sure, and I'll be curious to read reviews from readers who haven't read Frankenstein. But with this caveat in mind... For me, it was absolutely worth diving into. Much as I wanted the end of the book to live up to the beginning, perhaps that wasn't possible, given the world-building involved and the fact that the point This Monstrous Thing built to, for readers of Shelley's work, was bound to be somewhat predicted. Regardless, I'd certainly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Fans of both Steampunk novels, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, are going to adore this book. I can tell you that right now. I would know, seeing as how I fit right into that category as well. While I knew this was a retelling, going in, I had no idea that there was also a Steampunk aspect attached to it. Needless to say, it was a rather pleasant surprise! That ended up being one of the many things I really enjoyed about this book.

      This Monstrous Thing sets us in the middle 1818 Geneva. Alasdair, our protagonist, has grown up as a "Shadow Boy", or part of the group who help "repair" injured people through the use of clockwork. Which, as you might imagine, is rather frowned upon by the general public. Their work is seen as against God, and is therefore illegal. So, our young protagonist has to no choice but to operate in the shadows. Let me tell you, I fell in love with young Alasdair from page one. He's so smart, so inherently kind, and yet has the analytical mind of a scientist. I loved that he, buried in a sea of sheep, was the one who thought for himself.

      What progresses from here is a story that skims along the edge of its source material. While This Monstrous Thing is a reimagining of Frankenstein, it happily takes off on its own course. There are some brilliant discussions of morality, of death, and even of the bonds between family members. Mary Shelley herself makes her debut, and the relationship between her and Alasdair was just perfection to me. In fact, I adored the fact that there was no romance front and center, to steal the stage. Having a protagonist who can meet a female character, and have a platonic relationship with her, is generally rather rare. I'm glad there wasn't any of that to muck up Alasdair's destiny.

      This book is quick paced. It's vividly written, and easily the type of story that you won't want to set aside until it's over. The historical part of all of this meshes perfectly with the fictional side, creating a book that it just a treat to read! I'm impressed, and I'm genuinely hoping that there's more out there somewhere.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this steampunk retelling of "Frankenstein" and how the author threaded the original classic throughout the story. The fact that Mary Shelley was one of the main characters made for a creative inclusion. However, the story left me cold. While the characters were diverse and unique, I never really connected with any of them, and I felt the language was too modern for the 19th century setting.The plot wasn't very exciting and at times it dragged, but I liked the characters' internal struggles with lies, secrets, mistakes and betrayals.
    • 5/5
      This re-imagining of Frankenstein set in a steampunk world was fascinating and filled with characters I cared about. Alasdair Finch is a Shadow Boy. He and his family - father, mother and older brother Oliver - have fled from place to place in Europe because combining medicine with mechanics is reviled. He and his family secretly help those who are injured by creating clockwork limbs. When his brother Oliver dies in an accident, Alasdair goes a step further and brings him back to life with clockwork parts. He hides Oliver in a castle outside Geneva. Prejudices in Geneva are especially bad regarding anyone with clockwork parts. The head of the police Jiroux is determined to rid the city of them. Exacerbating matters in all of Europe is the publication of Frankenstein by an anonymous author. Alasdair reads enough to know that it is telling his and Oliver's story. He wonders who wrote it. He thinks it might have been Oliver. Or perhaps it was Geisler, the scientist who started his father on the path of being a Shadow Boy. Or it might have been Mary Godwin. Two years earlier Mary, Alasdair and Oliver spent a summer together. Mary was staying in a villa near Geneva. Alasdair begins to fall in love with her until she tells him that she is already engaged to be married to Percy Shelley.After Oliver's accident, it is Mary who helps Alasdair dig up his grave and reanimate him. Then she disappears.I ached for Alasdair who wanted the life his brother despised. He wanted to be Geisler's student and attend the university in Ingolstadt while his father was pushing that future on Oliver. When Oliver died, Alasdair didn't think of the far-reaching consequences, he just wanted the brother he loved back with him again. And, poor Oliver - reanimated and without his memories, in a body he despises and forced to stay in hiding. He is so very angry. While he was always reckless and impulsive, he had a loving heart. Now that part of him seems not to have been resurrected.This was a wonderful story both for people who have read Frankenstein and for those who have not. I recommend it.
    • 5/5
      When I saw the blurb for this book, it drew me in... and I'm glad! This book centers around two teenage brothers who were friends with Mary Wollstonecraft. In this universe, if a person were missing a limb, that limb could be replaced with clockwork parts. When the older brother, Oliver, dies, the younger brother, Alisdair (who is a gifted clockwork mechanic) decides to try to bring him back to life using clockwork parts. Of course, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and the Oliver that came back to life was not the same Oliver who died. Their friend, Mary, leaves soon after Oliver's death to be with her fiance, Percy Shelley. Suddenly a new book shows up called Frankenstein and people are afraid of those that are not wholly human. Alisdair is convinced someone he knows wrote it... but who?This is a great retelling of the Frankenstein story written by Mary Shelley. Great for middle schoolers - and for adults who like a good story.**I received my copy through GoodReads Member Giveaway. The opinion is solely my own.**
    • 3/5
      I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I was hesitant starting it because I didn't know how it would be, and ended up Very surprised. It's like a steampunk version of Frankenstein and kept me interested the entire way through.