Man or Monster?: THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT and FRANKENSTEIN Conversation

Man or Monster?:
THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT and FRANKENSTEIN Conversation

Ever since 18-year-old Mary Shelley wrote FRANKENSTEIN during a stretch of summer boredom in 1818, writers have been including mad scientists (and the monsters of their creation) in their tales.

THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT features a "flock" of humans gifted with wings and the ability of flight due to a genetic alteration by, yes, those dastardly mad scientists.

Like Frankenstein's monster, the flock is hunted by their creators and must walk the line between man and monster.

Where else do these tales cross, we wonder, and what thoughts, curiosities, and other monstrous things arise when you listen? JOIN the conversation in comments below.

Sorry! The free download period for these titles has passed.

You can join the conversation about these titles by looking for these editions at your library or your preferred retailer:

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson, read by Evan Rachel Wood
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, read by Simon Vance

SYNC EVENT
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Simon Vance, the narrator of FRANKENSTEIN, and others will be joining this conversation for a SYNC EVENT later in the summer (date TBA). If you have a question or comment about the FRANKENSTEIN discussion, post it in the discussion with "For Sync Event" leading the comment. When to leave your comment? Anytime it occurs to you, fine listener.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sync Head on June 30, 2010 at 1:57pm

Quote from Dr. Victor Frankenstein on his monster mash-up:

"I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart...”

-FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley

Permalink Reply by Marita Thomson on July 6, 2010 at 3:32am

Very much enjoying Simon Vance's reading of Frankenstein. I have not read it before and am finding the story much more interesting than I had expected. Especially good is that I can hear the echoes of other books I have read which owe something to Shelley that I had not know when I read them.

The one which comes to mind most strongly is Anthony Eaton's Into White Silence. Much of this is set on a black metal ship seeking Antarctica in the early 20th Century. A mythical trip filled with menace and strange characters, along with idealistic youthful dreams of adventure, doomed of course. There is even a shadowy man or monster somewhere in the ice - or is there? (Available from Louis Braille audio on CD)

Permalink Reply by Kirsten Cappy on July 7, 2010 at 12:17pm

Marita, I was also reminded of another title, WHITE DARKNESS by Geraldine McCaughrean, Read by Ruth Sillers and Richard Morant (BBC Audiobooks America). There is the same beauty of language and haunting Antarctica landscape.

ALSO of GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman, Read by a Full Cast (Listening Library) which will forever define the fictional opposite pole for me. Absolutely stunning production.

Permalink Reply by Marita Thomson on July 7, 2010 at 8:52pm

I've heard that Golden Compass recording (called Northern Lights in my neck of the woods) and agree.

White Darkness I haven't read, but love McCaughrean's work (The Stones are Hatching for instance - superb).

Permalink Reply by Jenn Dowell on July 7, 2010 at 11:56am

From The Writer's Almanac:

It was on this day [March 11] in 1818 that Mary Shelley published her gothic horror novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. In 1816, 19-year-old Mary and her lover Percy Shelley were staying with Lord Byron in Switzerland. It rained a lot, and they were stuck in the house. They read ghost stories, and Lord Byron got the idea that they should each write a ghost story themselves. Byron and Percy Shelley gave up quickly, but Mary spent many days trying to think of a story. One night the two men had a conversation about the spontaneous generation of life and the possibility of re-animating a corpse. Mary went to bed, but she couldn't sleep, and she had a vision: "I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion." And she went to work writing. Two years later, on this day in 1818, Frankenstein was published in London, and it became an instant best-seller. Mary Shelley was 21 years old.

Permalink Reply by Kirsten Cappy on July 7, 2010 at 12:19pm

Obviously people were thinking about reanimating the dead long before the advent of Zombie flicks and zombie meet-ups. Go Mary Shelley!

Permalink Reply by Marita Thomson on July 7, 2010 at 8:47pm

I knew a little of this background and as I continue to listen often wonder at the amazing feat of a 19th C teenager writing this story. But Mary Shelley was far from average. Reading of her life (I just did the wikipedia shortcut) it seems she was a very intelligent and persistent artist, and much overlooked (in the shadow of Percy Shelley) until recent times.

Permalink Reply by Sync Head on July 7, 2010 at 12:29pm

Check out the MAXIMUM RIDE "Meet the Flock" Page:
http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/page/maximum-ride-characters

Permalink Reply by Sync Head on July 7, 2010 at 12:31pm

There is a MAXIMUM RIDE Wiki! Spoilers for those new to the series...

Permalink Reply by AudioFile Magazine on July 9, 2010 at 3:38pm

If you enjoyed James Patterson's THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT, there are five more audiobooks to check out in the Maximum Ride series!

#1 THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT, read by Evan Rachel Wood (abridged)

#1 THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT, read by Nancy Wu & James Jenner (unabr...

#2 SCHOOL'S OUT - FOREVER, read by Valentina de Angelis (abridged)

#2 SCHOOL'S OUT - FOREVER, read by Nancy Wu & James Jenner (una...

#3 SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS, read by Nancy Wu &...

#4 FINAL WARNING, read by Justine Eyre (unabridged)

#5 MAX, read by Jill Apple (Unabridged)

#6 FANG, read by Jill Apple (Unabridged)

Permalink Reply by Cristina Payne on July 9, 2010 at 6:02pm

Does anyone know what the difference is between the abridged and unabridged versions? I enjoyed Evan Rachel Wood's reading, but I keep wondering about what I missed!

As far as the question about the two books, I noticed more contrasts: I found it much more sinister for there to be a whole team of "mad" scientists in The Angel Experiment compared to the singular madness of Dr. Frankenstein. Without any ethical code, it seems that the group of scientists can cause more havoc. Of course, I say this without having read the rest of Patterson's series, so maybe that was his point!

Also, the winged kids had what Frankenstein's monster most desired: A family that shared their challenges. I think it helped mold them into better people to have each other.

Permalink Reply by AudioFile Magazine on July 9, 2010 at 6:09pm

Cristina, I can tell you that the unabridged version of THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT is almost twice as long as the abridgment! Maybe some of our other Sync listeners have heard the unabridged version (or read the print book) and can talk about what got chopped.

Love your comparisons between the two titles—you get a lit crit gold star!