This Monstrous Thing

This Monstrous Thing reimagines Frankenstein's genesis in an alternate 1818 Geneva, where clockwork mechanics can bring people back from death. Alasdair Finch works as a Shadow Doctor, illegally crafting mechanical parts to heal people, while hiding his greatest secret - his brother Oliver, whom he revived through clockwork after a fatal accident. Against the backdrop of rising tensions between clockwork healers and those who view their work as an abomination, Alasdair crosses paths with Mary Shelley. His world becomes more complex when her novel Frankenstein is published, mirror ing events from his own life with unsettling accuracy. The story weaves together historical fiction, steampunk elements, and the real-life circumstances surrounding Mary Shelley's creation of Frankenstein. Through questions of science, mortality, and what makes us human, the novel explores the price of ambition and the boundaries between healing and playing god.

Readers describe this as a unique twist on Frankenstein that effectively blends historical fiction with steampunk elements. Liked aspects: - Complex sibling relationship between Oliver and Alasdair - Integration of Mary Shelley as a character - LGBT representation - World-building details around clockwork medicine - Fast pacing in the second half Criticisms: - Slow start with lengthy exposition - Predictable plot developments - Some found the steampunk elements underdeveloped - Several readers noted confusion about the magic system rules - Romance subplot feels rushed Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (5,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (80+ ratings) Common reader comments: "The brotherly relationship carried the story" - Goodreads reviewer "Wanted more development of the clockwork mechanics" - Amazon review "Interesting premise but telegraphed its twists too early" - Barnes & Noble review "Strong character work overshadows plotting issues" - BookTube reviewer

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🔧 The novel reimagines Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in an alternate 1818 Geneva where clockwork mechanics can be used to bring people back from the dead ⚡ Author Mackenzi Lee worked as a bookseller at an independent bookstore while writing this novel, her debut work 📚 The book incorporates real historical tensions between science and religion in 19th century Europe, particularly around medical advancement and human anatomy studies 🎭 Many characters in the novel are based on real historical figures from Mary Shelley's life, including Lord Byron and her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley ⚙️ The steampunk elements in the story were inspired by Lee's fascination with clockwork mechanisms and the industrial innovations of the early 1800s