Classic & Modern Monster Books to Read This Frankenstein Day

by MK French

August 30th is Frankenstein Day and celebrates the birth of the author Mary Shelley. To honor Shelley on this day, I've put together a list of monster books. 

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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This is the original work that everything else is based on. It's a nested story within a story format, which Guillermo del Toro sort of mimicked in his gorgeous movie. He took some liberties with the details to enhance the themes that he was working on. Kenneth Branagh's version pulled more accurate details from the book, but still made changes for the finale to fit his vision. Read the original and decide for yourself who the monster really is.

Buy Frankstein at Amazon

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Another original work that spawned multiple derivative works, from other books to movies, references, and music. This is a novel told in epistolary format, which has been reformatted as Dracula Daily. That rearranged everything in chronological order, which isn't always placed that way within the novel. Most movies have changed a lot of details, downplaying the "lizardlike fashion" that Dracula moves around in in the original, the cowboy, Lucy not behaving the way she did in the iconic 1992 film, and no gushing fountain of blood. As visually intriguing as the movie can be, go read the book and see where it all started.

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Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

That being said, I happen to love this particular reimagining of Dracula, published in 2011. In the world of this novel (and others in the series that continues after this book; see my review of book 5), Bram Stoker was a man who wrote Dracula as propaganda against the Count, who marries Queen Victoria and turns her into a vampire. That goes about as well as you think it will, and has some interesting bits of vampire lore in it.

Buy Anno Dracula at Amazon

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

If a house can be a monster, this book will show how it could happen. It's creepy and weird and must have been a typographer's nightmare when it was published in 2000, but that enhances the experience. There's also the nested story-within-a-story-within-a-story format, like the original Frankenstein and Dracula, references to found footage, and creepy locations that, throughout the ages taunted mankind. There are different editions: one where every instance of the word house is in blue, one where edition is purple, and all of it is unsettling to read. Did you enjoy the movie Backrooms? If so, you'll love this book. While you're at it, go pick up Poe's Haunted, the album written to complement the book. It makes sense, because Poe is Mark's sister.

Buy House of Leaves at Amazon

Alien by Alan Dean Foster

If that doesn't work, there's always the classic Alien movies. Grand master award winner Alan Dean Foster wrote the novelization of the first movie; there's a ten-book collection of original novels set in that universe, a guide to the classic movies, and this September Titan Books will be releasing Giger's Alien, which has the art and insight into the creation of the Xenomorphs. Yes, I'll be reviewing that book once it comes out too!

Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth

A recent publication is Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth. It's a companion collection of short stories, and includes horror authors Ramsey Campbell, Kim Newman, and Caitlin R. Kiernan. The book contains twelve stories featuring cosmic horrors and monsters that are beyond your imagining or only too human. We have secret cults, a dowser looking for water, a fossil hunter looking for Innsmouth, and people who know more about the Deep Ones than they let on. The art in the book complements the stories and gives you a creepy visual. Check out my review.

Buy Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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