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
--------------
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 Miriam Kahn on July 9, 2010 at 6:41pm

There is always a tension between abridged and unabridged. Do I want to hear it all or just get a taste of the story and go out and read the book, savoring every word, every nuance. I've always loved the abridged format for just that reason, so Maximum Ride has been a great listen, hooking the listener from the first few words and never letting go. Now I'm driven to experience the print versions of not only this series, but Patterson's other books for YA.
Frankenstein, that pastiche of man, transports the listener to a time when stories unfurled in slow, even tones, griping the soul inches at a time. vance's reading of the experiments of the Scientist creating a monster will linger for years to come.

What a perfect pairing for the first YA Sync than stories of created beings told from the point of view of the creator and the created. Why create a monster? What are the advantages of augmentation? Should we look at created beings as something less than human? Leaving listeners with much food for thought.
I cannot wait to listen to the next set of stories.

Permalink Reply by Marita Thomson on July 10, 2010 at 8:55am

I finished listening to Frankenstein last night and thought it ended rather abruptly. Sure enough, the final pages of the last chapter (Ch 24) are missing from my download of the audiobook. Has anyone else had this problem? I found the final words online so am not being kept in suspense any longer!!

Don't have access to The Angel Experiment, but not too disappointed as it is an abridgment. I will look forward to reading the book when I am back at school in a week's time. This was a series I had not been attracted to but my interest is aroused now. Looking forward to seeing how it contrasts with Frankenstein.

Permalink Reply by Sync Head on July 10, 2010 at 5:38pm

Marita, we are checking our files. How strange!

Permalink Reply by Cristina Payne on July 11, 2010 at 11:53am

It was definitely missing the last nine pages according to my book copy of Frankenstein. Luckily, I had the book, so we finished it as a read aloud. It was an odd place to end it!

Permalink Reply by AudioFile Magazine on July 12, 2010 at 3:12pm

There are many wonderful versions of FRANKENSTEIN on audio, read by different talented narrators. Here are some of our favorites:

FRANKENSTEIN, read by Simon Vance (unabridged)

FRANKENSTEIN, read by George Guidall (unabridged)

FRANKENSTEIN, read by Jim Weiss (unabridged)

FRANKENSTEIN, read by Ralph Cosham (unabridged)

FRANKENSTEIN, read by Anthony Heald, Stefan Rudnicki, and Simon Tem...

YOUNG ADULT CLASSICS: FRANKENSTEIN, read by Daniel Philpott, Jonath...

Permalink Reply by Sync Head on July 13, 2010 at 8:27am

James Patterson can dive into the action on page one because readers know, yes, there are genetically engineered creatures created by, yes, mad scientists. It does take Mary Shelley a long time to get to the monster, but she had to invent the concept of the scientist driven mad by ambition to build a creature not quite human. Again, here's to the slightly twisted mind of Mary Shelley and to all the horror and scifi she has bred.

Permalink Reply by Marita Thomson on July 13, 2010 at 6:27pm

Shelley framed her story by introducing another "mad scientist" in the letter writing adventurer. She makes her story a kind of Rime of the Ancient Mariner, where Frankenstein warns of his terrible mistake in letting his scientific passion lead him to experiments which should never have been completed.

The unfulfilled concept of the bride of 'Frankenstein' has also had appeal to later writers.

All the way through the story I wondered how it might have played out if Victor Frankenstein had had the courage to face his creation on the day of his birth. The act of running away and hoping the creature would do the same was at odds with his scientific dedication and strong family ties (although he let his family and fiance stew for years while he stuffed around).

Permalink Reply by AudioFile Magazine on July 27, 2010 at 2:38pm

James Patterson isn't the only one who might have been inspired by Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN. Horror writer Dean Koontz has his own Frankenstein series, where Victor Frankenstein is alive and well in New Orleans and busy creating an entire race of “new men.”

#1 PRODIGAL SON by Dean Koontz with Kevin J. Anderson, read by Scott Brick

#2 CITY OF NIGHT by Dean Koontz with Ed Gorman, read by John Bedford Lloyd

#3 DEAD AND ALIVE by Dean Koontz, read by John Bedford Lloyd

#4 LOST SOULS, by Dean Koontz, read by Christopher Lane

Permalink Reply by Susie Sharp on September 29, 2010 at 6:08pm

Sorry to say I gave up on listening to The Angel Experiment I did not like the narration at all I couldn't tell one "voice" from the next I never knew who was talking.Also to find out it was abridged I don't like them because I'm left wondering what I missed.
But Simon Vance narrating Frankenstein he is great as usual!