Since it was first published in 1818 Mary Shelley&s seminal novel has generated countless print stage & screen adaptations but none has ever matched the power & philosophical resonance of the original Composed as part of a challenge with Byron & Shelley to conjure up the most terrifying ghost story Frankenstein narrates the chilling tale of a being created by a bright young scientist & the catastrophic consequences that ensue Considered by many to be the first science-fiction novel the tragic tale of Victor Frankenstein & the tortured creation he rejects is a classic fable about the pursuit of knowledge the nature of beauty & the monstrosity inherent to man