Creatures The Legacy of Frankenstein is an anthology collection of five stories inspired by the infamous scientist and monster tale crafted by the genius Mary Shelley.
As a fan of Shelleys creation I was excited to read this anthology expecting this collection to be filled with gruesomely inspired takes on the creation of life, death, the moral implications, dark scenes and unique monster ideals.
While I'll admit there were some great parts from each story only one really grabbed my interest and really gave a new inspired look that I was hoping to find in this collection that I seek in many similar "Frankenstein" collections though I applaud all the authors on thier ideas and styles included in the collection.
I felt so much potential was untapped with this collection many of the stories fell short and we're somewhat lacking that dark undertone or grittyness.
The exception was "Made Monstrous" by Emma Newman this inspired unique tale was great I really enjoyed the female written perspective a 1920s tale of two women who reanimate a woman together for a combined art/science project as a detective investigates the disapearance of body parts. This story was really good so dark and gritty and I enjoyed the female focused aspect.
I really enjoyed the gruesome factor and give props to the respective authors for incorporating the medical matters and encompassing body part theft and expert discussion on huhuman anatomy a true nod to Shelleys masterpiece.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

2018 is the 200th anniversary of the original Frankenstein so the timing seems right for a collection of sequels, homages, and semi-pro fan fics. I thought the first story had decent prose and decent pacing but when it ended I can't see it really added anything to the genre. It's 50 years after the original and two medical students repeated the famous experiment. In a bit of D&I, one of them is from India and later - SPOILER - there is a twist about his/her gender. I don't mind saying that here because it doesn't affect the story in the least. There is another story twist at the end, when we learn who the narrator is, but it didn't surprise me and while I enjoyed the reading I can't say any of it left an impression.

What to make of A NEW WOMAN, the second story? It's full of anachronisms - bohemians in Victorian England playing the Surrealists' game of Exquisite Corpse, for instance. The twist on the traditional story is that two woman, identified as live-in lovers, create a female monster. The title's double meaning is certainly the monster they create as well as the new type of woman they portray. One is an artist, one practices medicine, and the artist's role is to make the monster pretty. Hmm. What are we to make of the "new woman" (in either sense) when the inevitable happens at the end of the story?

‘Creatures’ is an anthology of five short stories all of which have been inspired by the story of Frankenstein. Much like all anthologies there is a mix of fantastic, average and not so good.

Because of that mix I have given this collection 3 stars overall but also would add the caveat that this collection is probably only going to really appeal to those who like or are interested in stories about Frankenstein.

While some have a ‘creep’ factor, there is nothing particularly scary about any of the stories and also the nuance of the message that Mary Shelley was trying to convey about playing god is lost with some of them. But then, it’s a bit hard to present such a complex theme via the short story medium and some of the stories have a bash at a very decent message of their own.

The stories are arranged in a chronological manner as follows:-

‘Kaseem’s Way,’ set in London in the mid 1800’s about a young man working in a prison who becomes interested in the cadavers for more than the traditional sense of scientific research.

‘The New Woman,’ also set in London in the final days of 1899 where a bohemian artist and her doctor girlfriend decide to embark on creating a new ‘Eve’ to impress their outlandish ‘friends.’

‘Reculver,’ an old man reminisces about a strange summer in Kent during the Second World War when he was a young boy and a peculiar ‘man’ he met.

‘Made Monstrous,’ a policeman in the 80’s and a helpful young policewoman investigate a recent spate of body part thefts from a graveyard and morgues.

‘Love Thee Better,’ in the here and now a couple go on a cruise ship that specialises in medical procedures allowing people to donate pieces of their body that they don’t want to those who do. Meanwhile the Captain partakes in an unusual hobby of his own.

So what did I find fantastic, average and not so good?

In terms of ‘not so good’:-

I think my least favourite was ‘Reculver.’ In all honesty I didn’t see the connection of it to the other stories but then I found myself skimming this one as it wasn’t the most engaging. There is a very brief moment where the creature is met (but motives are strangely unclear) and aside from that I was unsure of how this fit as it was a more a ‘coming of age’ story and the reminiscing of events that occurred during the war.

‘The New Woman’ was my next least favourite. It started slow, a group of pretentious bohemian artiste friends gathering around for Christmas dinner with discussions of the next steps of avant garde art. It kicks up when two women decide to mix science and art and create a beautiful creature of their own, ready to be displayed as a moving performance piece at their hostess’ next party. After their creation is successful one displays a guilty conscience at the treatment of their sentient new life but begins a slightly disturbing sexual relationship with her. I don’t know. It was supposed to be erotic but I’m not seeing sex with a dead body, however reanimated, as a sexy thing.

What was ‘average?’

‘Love Thee Better’ was enjoyable (if that’s the right word?) because it was genuinely disturbing in showing how, in modern times, science needs moral boundaries and regulatory bodies to monitor what people do with their intellect and technology. The claustrophobia heightens as things go from fun to not so fun and then from bad to worse on a cruise ship no one can seem to escape from. However the introduction of a ‘creature’ didn’t seem necessary as the purpose of the ship was creepy enough and unfortunately I found the narrator rather passive and highly irritating in her denial of events.

I know I didn’t include it as a category but this one was good.

‘Kaseem’s Way’ was a look at the abandonment of creator to their creation or father figure to their child. Kaseem is a street urchin found on the streets as a child by a science professor and adopted by him. Kaseem takes a keen interest in cutting up bodies for research and puts this to good use. This is interspersed with the actual creature of Frankenstein’s (in this world a real person) who laments the death of his ‘father’ and his prior cruel abandonment. Their paths cross and the creature himself abandons a creation of his own.

What did I think was ‘fantastic’?

‘Made Monstrous,’ is a clever police investigation story with a twist. We have a grizzled older policeman and a plucky younger policewoman who is constantly passed over for promotion on account of being a woman. Our policeman doesn’t believe in that nonsense and they both set out to investigate a case of grave-robbing and body stealing. The story is well paced and well written containing both a dark sense of humour, camaraderie, and a truly sad and painful message; that sometimes humans are the most monstrous.

Like I said, it’s a mixed bag (of body parts, haha. I’m so punny) but I would recommend it to you if you crave stories inspired by Frankenstein. If not, then it may not be for you.

Creatures is a collection of five long novelettes and/or short novellas exploring the legacy of Victor Frankenstein and his creation, through a series of stories which share the universe of that story and deal with other creators in other situations, all circling the same themes of life, death, autonomy and monstrosity that the original text evokes so effectively. This is my second experience with an Abaddon books anthology, the first being Monstrous Little Voices: a highly effective exploration of the shared fantastic elements in some of Shakespeare's plays.

As with Monstrous Little Voices, Creatures draws on some foundational English Literature experiences for me, as the Frankenstein text basically bookended my secondary school career. I didn't read the novel itself until my final year, as part of a term paper on Gothic fiction which cemented my late teen aesthetic (a kind of Rebecca-from-Jane-Eyre meets the Rules of Attraction, except without any experimentation beyond alcohol), but I have stronger memories of performing parts of a dramatised version in first year. At the time, I was tall, awkward, had just moved back to the UK from Australia with a deeply uncool hybrid accent. I'd also just started getting periods, and I viscerally remember trying to work with classmates on this strange, tragic story while feeling crampy and sticky and wrong, as if my entire body was about to give itself away at any moment and condemn me to eternal embarrassment on top of all its other betrayals. That I associate this feeling -- which I assume was happening just as much during Maths and Science and History and all the other highlights of the English Year 7 curriculum -- with Frankenstein specifically is, I think, an indicator of how resonant the Frankenstein myth is even when filtered through age-appropriate dramatisation lens. I've never quite gotten over the tragedy of the creature, perhaps because at the time I encountered it, it felt all too real.

The stories in this volume proceed in chronological order, from the mid 19th century to a contemporary tale, and I believe that all five also feature the original creature somewhere in the story, although only in Tade Thompson's "Kaseem's Way" does he get to speak to the audience directly. The story alternates between the first person, epistolary narrative of the creature and the perspective of Kaseem, a Black boy from London who ends up becoming the ward of a scientist named Gull. Twelve years after meeting Gull, Kaseem is now deep into illegal scientific practices alongside Radha, another young scientist, when Gull's discovery of Victor Frankenstein's original notes leads to a replication of that experiment, drawing the attention of the creature and the authorities down on the pair. By placing Frankenstein's work into the hands of two young people of colour in 19th century London, Thompson's opening story immediately sets the myth in a more diverse context, playing on the power structures inherent in both the science fiction conceit and the real-world societies of the time to great effect. Neither Kaseem nor the creature ultimately come out well in this story, but the end has a fitting amount of rage to see them both off in style.

"The New Woman", by Rose Biggin, is a decadent, queer, female-driven story set in the last days of the 19th century, in a "bohemian assemblage" centred around Mrs Stella Moore. Into this company of artists has been brought a medical student, Christine Sparks, who has been experimenting on embalming corpses in formaldehyde, and her description of her work captures the imagination of another artist, Fran, who has been "sculpting" with dead creatures (think taxidermy, but with more glitter). It quickly transpires that Christine and Fran already know each other quite well, and that the next stage in their relationship will be a joint project to create a work of living art out of a corpse. Their creation, Eve, ends up being realised and impacting their relationship in ways that neither predicted. Of all the "creatures" in this volume, Eve ends up being the most well realised, and her journey from "living artwork" to a fully realised person, cognisant of the limitations of her state, is compelling and tragic. Unfortunately, that tragedy also ends up punishing its queer characters in favour of heteronormativity, which I can't quite forgive it for.

Of all the tales here, I felt Paul Meloy's "Reculver" had the least to bring in a speculative sense, although it deals interestingly with disability and wartime experience, drawing parallels between the myths that built up around those who fought, and the parallel mythology of those who, for whatever reason, didn't. Of all the stories, it leans most heavily on the motif of the outsider: its teenage protagonist, who had polio as a child and has been left with a bad leg, feels he does not fit in to his small seaside town, but it's not clear who among the remainder of the cast does. The protagonist's obsession with childhood crush Ann Bennett and the man she begins a relationship with, Geoffrey Dodd, forms a large part of the plot, as does the reaction of Ann's "shellshocked", violent father. Told in an almost slipstream style, with lots of odd dream sequences and narrative skips, the direct appearance of the Frankenstein myth in "Reculver" ends up feeling more minor than any of the other stories, and it was less successful with me as a result, although as a standalone it would still be a strong experience.

Emma Newman brings what, on the surface, feels like a classic Ashes to Ashes style period police procedural in "Made Monstrous", with a detective and his assistant dealing with a series of "mysterious" corpse thefts whose basic purpose won't come as a supririse to a reader coming to this story as part of a Frankenstein collection. However, as the title indicates, this is a story that plays particularly heavily on the "who is the monster" element of Frankenstein and there's an interesting subversion of Victor's original intent in how the mystery plays out. Detective McGregor is a compelling lead in all of this, and I have to note that this is the second time, after Carlos Moreno of After Atlas, that Newman has made me root strongly for a gruff male detective who represents the system but has also been deeply, irreversibly wounded by it. WPC Hannerty, despite a deeply unpromising introduction through McGregor's casual chauvinist lens, ends up being a great addition too, and the relationship between the two leads is one of the best parts of the story. Emma Newman's involvement in this collection was a major factor in my picking it up and I was far from disappointed with her contribution here.

And then there's "Love Thee Better", by Kaaron Warren. This story, frankly, terrified the hell out of me. Protagonist Nina, and her partner Declan, are gifted paid berths on a mysterious medically-inclined cruise ship run by her father's family friend, after an accident leaves accident at the building site he works on which ends up completely removing his arm. It quickly becomes clear that the main passengers are either waiting for limb donations or want to be donors; this is only the tip of the weird iceberg and there's very little hope of Declan or Nina getting out untouched. Worse, there's a sense of claustrophobia and fatalism among all of the passengers, Nina included - while there are hints that not everybody is on board with the captain's agenda, nobody does anything to stop themselves from falling prey to it. I find stories which feature utter complacency in the face of horror far more terrifying than reading a story where people are struggling against their fate, and the timelessness and lack of escape that the cruise setting brings only makes this worse. Of course, this is a Frankenstein story, so limb transplants are not the whole story, and the way the introduction of artificial life takes place here is just part of the tense, relentless escalation. I think this was an excellent story, but I felt sick for about an hour after finishing it, so there's no way I'm going back to check.

Put together, this is a very strong collection: what the stories as a whole lack in inter-relatedness and consistency, they make up for in terms of the sheer breadth of the Frankenstein experience that they cover between them. There's no simple moralities here, no clear answer to questions about scientific progress, life and death, revenge and forgiveness, or the condition of otherness which the original story deals with so successfully. Equally, with the possible exception of "Kaseem's Way", these are all stories that I think would work even for readers unfamiliar with the original: each stands alone, narratively speaking, and these are universal themes. Whether or not you're a fan of Shelley's 200-year-old masterpiece, Creatures is a worthy, varied anthology.

Can I just say that fall is my favorite season? There's just something about falling temperatures, the crisp smell in the air, and the Halloween decorations that's just my right up my alley. I've always been a fan of suspense, and horror so whenever this time of year rolls around I'm always looking for something nice and creepy to read. Creatures: The Legacy of Frankenstein really fit the bill. I was provided a copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it but, as always, this has no bearing on my opinions.

Fans of Shelley's original monster, like me, will be interested to see him reappear in different ways within each of the five short stories included in this collection. My two favorites involved a reanimation cruise and a mystery involving a grave robber. Each story tells a tale about reanimation and being an outsider in an increasingly more modern setting so you get to follow the monster through time. Even though Frankenstein is a tale that is often re-imagined I enjoyed reading a few new takes on the tale.

As with any short story collection some of these stories were better than others but I think that most of them are worth a read. While none of them are particularly scary, all of the stories had a gloomy, sombre tone much like the original and they really are great to sit down with on an October night. Creatures will be available on October 16th and if you're looking to get into the Halloween spirit with a quick but interesting read I recommend it.

I have read a few of the collections in this series so far and this one does not disappoint. Following the legacy of Frankenstein, the five offerings here provide insights into the people inspired by the doctor's macabre experiments to attempt their own forays into the world of medical regeneration. Each tale takes place in a different time period, ranging from the 1850s in Tade Thompson's fantastic and tragic 'Kaseem's Way' through to the present in Kaaron Warren's wonderful 'Love Thee Better', which I think was my favourite story in the collection, dealing with a cruise ship for those who hate their bodies and those who want replacements. The tragedy of Shelley's novel is writ large amongst the pages of this collection and the tone is suitably sombre. The 'monster' is often in the background, lurking in the shadows, but his presence can be felt on every page and all in all, I thought this was a wonderful collection paying homage to one of the best horror/science fiction novels ever written.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love Frankenstein. I love the ripples that such a story has made through modern literature and cinema, so I absolutely had to snatch up this book. I don't often read short story anthologies, so it's difficult to judge the book on the whole when the stories inside of it vary so wildly. There are some true stand out moments and I especially loved Eve, the beautiful creation of two bohemian women. At times though, other stories did drag and in my opinion, were a little too derivative and dependant on the source material rather than finding an original spark and story to tell. So, there are highs and lows but the good parts were very enjoyable.

It starts with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and his monster. It continues through out this book with others and their makers. No two are just alike. No story exactly the same. All different and the same. I loved that these authors make the story their own. Different perspectives and yet all parts, just like the creature. For all Frankenstein fans. I recommend it highly. I don't want to give too much away but the stories flow from one to the other. I received this book from Net Galley and Rebellion Publishing for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.The opinions and thoughts are my own.

As so often happens when I read short story anthologies, I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to rate "Creatures". Some of the stories in here are absolutely stunning. I loved Emma Newman's "Made Monstrous", focusing on a detective trying to solve the mystery of a series of body part thefts. The 1920s tale of two women who reanimated a woman together as a project of science and art combined was also fabulous. However, some of the other stories were less to my taste. Perfectly serviceable fiction, but nothing which really caught my imagination. Not to mention my squeamishness over medical matters definitely is a hindrance when trying to read a story about the first treatise on human anatomy. Definitely would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the original novel, it's well worth a read.

Creatures: The Legacy of Frankenstein edited by David Thomas Moore was received direct from the publisher. Frankenstein, upon hearing or reading the name most everyone conjures a picture of the creature or maybe the Doctor. Most likely this scene is from one of the myriad of movies they had seen. I dont know how many have actually read the book that started the whole Frankenstein genre, but everyone should, which brings us to this compilation of Frankenstein based stories. The stories, five of them, are in chronological order, which is mostly just and interesting fact. The one that stood out to me was Made Monstrous, who’s author I will be looking to read more of for certain (it is the police procedure that won me over in this particular tale). Anyway, if you or someone you buy gifts for likes Frankenstein type books, this one should certainly be in the reading list.

4 stars

Creatures: The Legacy of Frankenstein, a well written and interesting novel. These 5 authors have come together to write what are essentially continuing novellas into the Frankenstein legacy. They fit very well into this genre and feel fairly authentic.

An anthology of five stories having everyone’s favourite scientist and monster as inspiration? Of course I had to request this book as soon as I saw it.

I had big hopes for this collection but got greatly disappointed. I quite enjoyed “Kaseem’s Way” by Tade Thompson and “Made Monstrous” by Emma Newman but the rest felt just unnecessary raw, sexual, confusing and even pointless. One of the short stories even reminded me more of H. G. Wells' “The Island of Doctor Moreau” than the book that should be the inspiration ... so they maybe got the wrong doctor on that one.

Frankenstein it’s a story that make us think about morals, responsibility, life, death, creation, rights... Yet most of these stories did not evocate any of those thoughts in me. I felt that some stories picked and chose things from Mary Shelley’s creation and went with it not having much of a real goal. That they did not go beyond the aesthetics that surrounds the mythical monster and that have gained a life of their own.

The idea was a good one, the chronological order of the stories was also a nice feature, but over all I just felt that this project missed to achieved its true potential.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but not to everyone. I would only recommend to the readers that do like horror and want to expand their catalogue of books in the genre.

Creatures is a fascinating anthology in honor of one of the greatest Gothic books in the history of literature, Shelley's Frankenstein. A series of imaginative stories based on Shelley's original concept, creatures is well constructed, with the stories of different authors fitting together very well.

There was, sincerely, no boring parts in this anthology. All stories were original, well written and enjoyable. This is a book I would recommend to all fans of the Gothic literature genre, and it is also a must-have for fans of the original Frankenstein.

I was looking forward to this book, but unfortunately I found it overall ok. Each writer seemed to have the same style, & honestly I found every story kind of boring because of it. There was just no excitement or intrigue for me at all. Sorry!

Creatures is a fantastic collection of five stories from five relatively unknown authors, each one contributing a top-notch masterful piece of literature. If you think a book about Frankenstein stories is going to be some cheap Seventies-era paperback trash, you're wrong. The depth and literary quality of each and every one of these five tales is impressive. Based on Mary Shelley's fascinating tale of a mad scientist playing God by building a new creature from body parts, these authors have captured the mad doctor/ mad scientist essence, but taken the idea in wildly different directions. There's a story about mad experiments by doctors in a secret prison room, creating something from body parts. There's a story about introducing a new creature, the first new woman, an Eve if you will, into high society and to ballroom affairs. Eve is nothing like you'd expect such a creature to be. There's a story about a lonely boy in the English countryside during the Second World War, a coming of age tale, that touches on horror. There's a story featuring a British detective searching for the thief who stole a corpse's arm right out of the grave behind the church. Elementary, my dear Watson. And, there's the story about the Doctors Without Borders cruise, the strangest, most magical boat ride ever imagined. Each of these stories is poetic in imagery, evocative in mood, and beautifully written. Not your classic scary horror because, of course, we readers have some idea about the creatures being designed. But, fully imaginative and worth reading more than once.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this collection of stories to fans of Frankenstein or classic novels in general.. It was well-written and interesting collection. I mainly picked it because of the subject matter.