FRANKENSTEIN’S BRIDE

British author Bailey (The Strange Adventures of Charlotte Holmes, 1994, etc.) offers a continuation of the Mary Shelley classic.

First published in the U.K. in 1995, the book is told from the perspective of Jonathan Goodall, who recounts his association with Victor Frankenstein. Jonathan meets Victor through mutual friends and the two men quickly develop a rapport, sharing an interest in the origin of languages. Eventually Victor forms a bond with (and displays an unseemly attraction to) a strange and beautiful woman, Maria Clementi, a singer and performer of some renown. When Victor's lovely wife, Elizabeth, and small son are found in Elizabeth's bed with their throats cut, Jonathan can't help but be disturbed by Victor's reaction. While on a mission to solve the killings, Jonathan observes an enormously strong, odd individual near Victor's home. Jonathan is distressed by the monster-like man's insistence that he wants his “bride” and flees in fear from the creature. It isn't until Victor suffers serious injury that the truth of his doings is revealed.

Bailey displays a competent understanding of Shelley’s original tale in this inventive narrative. Bonus: For those who need a refresher, the text of Frankenstein is also included.