Apologies for anyone reading this who thought that this would be about a movie, or a video game, or robots, or any combination of the three. BOTS stands for "Books of the Summer," a little something I'm going to write whenever I finish a book, and to let the internet realize that some reading will go on while I am not in school.
The Ultimate Frankenstein is a compilation of short stories about that legendary movie monster, the creation of one Victor Frankenstein. I remember reading the original on a sunny July 1st, Canada Day, when I was seven or eight. There was a book tent and I ran inside and just got to it. I may or may not have read the entire thing, but I assure you that it was a lot. Anyway, carrying on-
Edited by Byron Preiss, this work is filled with a wide variety of tales, many of them picking up where Mary Shelley left off, and many others barely referencing the original novel. I am sorry to say that many of the authors thought it would be witty to "hide" names throughout their respective texts, a la "Francesca Stein."
My favourites include:
"Near Flesh" by Katherine Dunn, which centred largely around today's advances in technology, and where that will lead us.
"The Creature on the Couch" by Michael Bishop, a fascinating peek into the creature's psyche, and an abrupt conclusion you may or may not expect.
"Chui Chai" by S.P. Somtow- set in Thailand and written by a Thai author, this narrative will make you feel very, very uncomfortable.
Would I recommend this to another? Perhaps. If you are familiar with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, then yes, I think you should pick it up sometime. Reading it would also do you some good.
Hopefully the next BOTS post will be on Brighton Rock, by Graham Greene.
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On the bus back from my friend's place I was reading this book and noticed that the woman in front of me also had her face in a novel. The book she was reading? Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.
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