Monster by Dave Zelterserman

Ed here: I read Monster in manuscript shortly after Dave finished writing it. I'll tell you what I told him. I think it's a masterpiece of originality, beauty, ugliness, eloquence, wisdom and power. I mean all this sincerely.And it's one hell of a page-turner as well. I'm glad to see the critics agree with me.BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW Issue: June 1, 2012 *Monster: A Novel of Frankenstein. Zeltserman, Dave (Author) Aug 2012. 224 p. Overlook, hardcover, $23.95. (9781590208601). Repudiating the “outrageous fabrication” of Victor Frankenstein’s story as told by Mary Shelley is the aim of this imaginative and grotesque novel from the revisionist perspective of the monster. First off, the monster had a name, Friedrich Hoffmann. Second, he had a true love, Johanna. So that they could become unwilling participants in unholy experiments, the lovers were murdered by Dr. Frankenstein, whom Zeltserman portrays as a perverse maniac in the mold of Lovecraft's Herbert West, working in league with the Marquis de Sade. Awakening to find himself inside a hideous, patchwork body, Hoffmann’s first friend is Charlotte, a reanimated severed head in a bowl. Things get worse. Zeltserman’s monster is every bit as eloquent as Shelley’s, though his rage is more focused. He seeks to avenge Johanna, plain and simple. But the mystical rituals enacted by the doctor make insurrection difficult, and so Hoffmann wanders the countryside encountering changeling vampyrs, kindly monks, groveling Satanists, and, finally, a castle in which 200 girls have been kidnapped to be a part of Frankenstein and the Marquis’ unspeakable “drama.” This is juicy material for Franken-fans, and Zeltserman is just faithful enough to the original (he, too, ends with the fateful wedding night and the icebound ship) that his many fresh contributions feel entirely normal. Well, abnormal, to be accurate, but deliciously so. — Daniel KrausForeword Pick of The WeekMonster: A Novel of Frankenstein by Dave Zeltserman78-1-59020-860-1 / Fiction / Overlook Press / Hardcover / $23.95 / 224pp

In nineteenth century Germany, a young man is

about to marry his beloved, but she is found murdered

, and he, who is innocent, is accused and put to death.

A few weeks later, he wakes to find himself transformed

into a hideous monster by the mad scientist Frankenstein.

With his brain and memory intact but trapped inside an

enormous, mismatched body, he escapes the lab and

embarks on a journey to take revenge on his accuser.

A tale of justice, true love, and ultimate forgiveness,

this gruesome novel is perfect for fans of Stephen King

and similar horror stories.

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