Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus

By: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

SPECIAL OFFER: Get the full text of this classic novel as an eBook when you purchase the audio. You'll receive an e-mail with a link to download the eBook after your purchase is confirmed. Having the novel in convenient Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format will allow you to read along with the audio, perform a "cover to cover" search for your favorite passages, and more.

Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only 18. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein.

Obsessed with discovering "the cause of generation and life" and "bestowing animation upon lifeless matter", Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts. However, upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness.

Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, an instant best seller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science-fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? And how far can we go in tampering with Nature?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A novel which excites new reflections and untried sources of emotion." (Walter Scott, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine)

Definitely not the Movie

I have never read Mary Shelley's original story of Frankenstein. It completely surprised me with it's detail and the original version of the Monster is very strange, not to mention creepy. Mary Shelley must've been a very chatty lady, because although this book is excellently written the story is overly wordy to the point it feels like she was trying to fill paper space. It could've been tightened up considerably. Great story none the less. Performance was excellent. Highly recommend.

good story telling

Good narration. As a classic book it is a must "read". And I am very happy i did listen to this. But honestly Frankenstein and his monster were so whinny and overly sensitive it was kind of annoying.

Great audio book for school

Would you listen to Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus again? Why?

no, but i would pass it down to my siblings that are going into English IV

Who was your favorite character and why?

Victor Frankenstein, because he is a mad scientist.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

The monster

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

this book is great for people that are in English IV, it is a good book and the audio is great and i would advice all high school students download this audio and read this great book.

I am alone...

I listen to this story every year around the holidays. It's one of my favorites. It's heartbreaking and beautiful just the same. Vance is an excellent narrator and shows the emotions ever so strongly in his telling. It's safe to say that Mary Shelley wins the game that Byron, Poladari, and her husband Percy played long ago in that Italian villa...

Classic must read.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The classics should be read by everyone at least once. I did like the book but not enough to listen to it a second time.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I didn't really like the main character or his friends. I sympathized more for the Frankenstein monster.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good performance each characters' voices where distinct.

MASTERPEICE!!!!!! My God!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book is a masterpiece of literature! One of the most amazing books I have ever experienced! Simon Vance is awesome as usual. The writing is exquisite and conveys emotions I did not think possible in the written word! Sit back and be amazed!!!!!! Worth listening to for a second time just to hear human emotion and life described by this author!

What did you like best about this story?

Everything! Simon Vance, the story, the writing is superb!!!! You must experience this book!

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Frankenstein! and his monster is second.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, this book brought tears and terror to me! This book is a look into the human condition itself.

Any additional comments?

I will have to listen again, it is so wonderfully written. I did not know such beauty existed in a book!

Interesting story.

The performance of Simon Vance was great, as usual.

The story sucked me in from the very start, but got somewhat drawn out in the middle of the book (my subjective opinion, of course). It got more interesting again towards the end, I found.

Overall a good read, I can well recommend this.

* please excuse any spelling errors ;)

excellent reading

i had never read the book but always meant to. my daughter was assigned it for 9th grade English (NYC Public School) so i wanted to be in sync with her assignment, i opted for the audiobook because i can listen while cooking. Simon Vance is terrific as always (i also enjoyed his reading of Bram Stoker's Dracula) and i was appreciative of his distinctive voices for each character. this is a pretty heavy moralistic tale about the state of mankind, but this reading made it enjoyable and perhaps even inspiring. i recommend it.

Abuse warps a creature

The creature was originally good but became evil due to mistreatment by men. He is Everyman. The challenge is to find good amid the evil. Thought provoking story by Mary narrated beautifully.

Great read of a great book:

This being the first time I have read/listen to this book I was amazed. This is not the modern day Frankenstein I was brought up with. This was a lot more then I expected. It was simply great! What added to the wonder of my experiences was the awesome narration of Simon Vance. I have listened to Mr. Vance’s narration in past and have found him to be very enjoyable but, this narration takes the prize. You won’t be disappointed with this book or the narrator.