Customer Reviews
Great concept, but doesn’t deliver:
Jeremy Kay does a great job in bringing forth a great idea for all the die-hard Frankenstein fans (such as myself), but beyond that fact it doesn’t do a good job as posing like the journal. I never got the impression I was ACTUALLY reading the secret journal of Dr. Frankenstein. Considering this is the whole premise of the book, its inadequacy on this part makes me give the rating only 2 stars.
The journal covers all the way from Victor’s childhood, through his creation of the monster, all the way to his dying words in the icy North. There are a few drawings in the book that (unlike previous comments) seem “too good” to be a sketch of a scientist. It becomes obvious one is looking at the work of an artist rather than a sketch of a brilliant scientist.
All this to say, I am completely spoiled from the best adaptation concept of Victor’s diary with TIMOTHY BASIL ERING and ROSCOE COOPER’s “Diary of Victor Frankensteins”. I HIGHLY recommend this as the supreme out of the two. Every entry looks like the paper would after a couple hundred years of decay with dark sketches that are highly real and with hand writing that seems completely life-like (and difficult to read at times as a result…a nice touch indeed). Keep away from Kay’s book and search for Ering’s book instead!
Now the secrets are available to anyone.:
Now that the private,secret journals have been discovered and made available ,the methods,procedures and scientific discoveries of Dr.Frankenstein are explained in detail so that it is now possible for others to follow and produce new monsters.
The journals are beautifully written and illustrated and while giving the secrets involved;the journals also give a clear insight into the mindset and intentions of Dr.Frankenstein.The journals show why he pursued his scientific studies.It also gives a detailed insight into the state of medical science and what rudimentry equipment was available for scientists to carry on their research during the early 1800’s.
We also see how the generally accepted wisdom of the time was so wrong.For instance, around 1817,the process of blood transfusions were banned by the French Parliament,England’s Royal Society and the Pope.The issue of Stem Cell Research and Cloneing is now endorsed by the Scientific Establishment.Could they be just as wrong?Just remember the generally accepted wisdom at the time is usually proven totally wrong in the future.
The personal, handwritten script and wonderfully detailed illustrations along with the nine page wide fold-out illustration of the laboratory and all its equipment is ,all by itself,worth the price of the book.A wonderful book to accompany Mary Shelley’s classic book.
an incredible work of art.:
this book is dazzling. it fills in what Mary Shelley decided to skip, and does it well. the handwriting is in a flowing cursive, and it shows all the flights of fancy and madness Frankenstein had. a beautiful foldout shows his lab and equipment. reading it, one gets the feeling that you really could make a monster. The illustrations are not for the weak of heart, for they are often magnificently disgusting.
