Discount Price: $6.99
Price fluctuation possible.
How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781595820358
ISBN number: 1595820353
Label: Dark Horse
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 206
Printing Date: December 19, 2007
Publishing house: Dark Horse
Sale Popularity Level: 202065
Studio: Dark Horse
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Attempting to create life through dreadful experiments, Henry Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorius instead created unspeakable horror: two misshapen monsters, a brutish male and his female mate, stitched together from the bodies of cadavers. Crafted to be the monster's bride - an undead Eve to an equally accursed Adam - the female creature was destroyed mere minutes after taking its very first breath - or was it? This new novel by the critically acclaimed Elizabeth Hand reinterprets the memorable characters from Universal Picture's classic 1935 film for a new generation of horror fans. Detailing the bride of Frankenstein's secret history, from the shadows of forgotten laboratories to the streets of Weimar Germany, Hand creates a richly atmospheric tale of horror, mystery, and tragedy as chilling as the creature itself. Elizabeth Hand's novels and short story collections include Mortal Love, Black Light, Bibliomancy and the cult classic Waking the Moon. A longtime contributor to the Washington Post Book World and the Village Voice Literary Supplement, she lives in Maine.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
It seems whenever anyone in the last twenty years wants to tell the story of the Bride of Frankenstein they just turn it into a feminist parable.
Why?
I dunno....and neither does this author.
The film is referenced but largely discarded as characters remain VERY inconsistent.
Dr.Pratorius,the insane professor from the film, is made into a loveable father figure here,none too convincingly.
As is Henry Frankenstein,who is a megalomaniac,and hardly the guilt ridden,neurotic from the films.
He is a chauvinistic stereotype who wants all women to be robots....if that sounds stupid,it is.
The bride is an independant,and cuts her hair into a flapper style,calls herself "Pandora" and goes to Berlin.
The whole point is she's a "free woman"....or something.
Her character was largely apathetic,and the forced feminism and demonizing of virtually ALL male characters was somewhat disheartening.
The book relies alot on stereotypes....how about the villainous turn offered Frankenstein's wife?
Even the Monster is changed,becoming in a way,a cross between Shelly's conception and the male protagonist in a bad romantic novel.
If there is anything to praise in this book it's the fun references to so many german expressionist classics....even though there is almost nothing from Universal's OWN mythology.
It's nice to see the Bride and the Monster actually hook up,too...though in a very,contrived sort of way.
Alot of it dosen't work,and like the rest of the books in this series,has more of a taste for outrageousness,rather than gothic horror,that it falls very flat.
The general misanthropy that runs through the story is one of it's big killers,really.
You'll love this book if you hate the male population and find them all useless,but everyone else that's on planet Earth,would be best finding a more intelligent(and fun) read.
Not reccomended.
Rated by buyers -
Every few years, Universal Studios comes out with some officiated product, which not only helps keep the monsters as "properties" active, it also slakes the thirst of us fans.
The last couple of years have seen a novel each about the big four or five -- Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy, Big Frankie, and this one, The Bride of Frankenstein: Pandora's Bride, by Elizabeth Hand. All are published by Dark Horse Press.
What's good: the idea of the female creature, who takes the name Pandora, learning about the world and making allies and enemies. The idea of interaction with other fictional people -- people from other fictions, I mean. The idea of her again meeting the Monster and becoming friends (he can grow and learn, too).
What's bad: The choice of good guys and bad guys. In this tale, Dr Pretorius is like a New Ager's idea of God -- he's charming, whimsical, well-wishing, and powerless, except to create imperfect beings who outgrow him.
In this tale, Henry Frankenstein isn't the pathetic, neurotic genius seen in the films -- a man torn by self-doubt. No, he's an evil, endlessly rich fanatical genius who desires to enslave all women as domestic robots, because (in Hand's view), THAT'S WHAT MEN WANT.
This either says a lot about misanthropy on Hand's part, or tells us Too Much Information about her formative years.
Then we find out that Henry Frankenstein, that mean ol' slimy devil, isn't even the REAL Mad Genius behind it all.
No, the ultimate villain is a character so marginal that in the two films (Frankenstein and Bride ) they were played by two different performers!
What's fun anyway: Mixing it up with characters from M , Metropolis, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari , and other fictions. Somebody tell me, who are Wykstan and Christopher? Are any of the night-club types characters from Caberet?
This book is set in Germany, between WWI and WWII. Another book in the series featuring the male Monster, Frankenstein: The Shadow of Frankenstein by Stefan Petrucha, also includes Baron Frankenstein and his creation, but is set in the 1880s. Chronology impairment much?
This tells us that the editors of this series couldn't care less about any internal whatchamacallit, they just wanted to sell some books to fanboys.
Oops! I bought one.
Anyway, if you are a Psycho Nut Completist like me, or merely somebody who believes that a "Y" chromosome denotes evil, feel free to read this book.
Rated by buyers 
-
as other reviewers have mentioned, this book contains excellent references to other classic films, while exploring in greater depth the fictional universe created by james whale.
also i was touched by the bride's gradual acceptance of her mate, as is only becoming of such an intelligent woman as she is portrayed to be. however having read stephen petrucha's excellent frankenstein novel, several glaring inconcistencies became apparent: when did the male creature learn to speak so fluently? why did it require english lessons after being in london (in petrucha's novel) and supposedly able to reclaim speech despite mental difficulties? also the explanation provided here for the bride's trademark hairdo is blurred. imagine if you can , the bride wandering about with this towering arrangement yet drawing so little comment!
but far more importantly, what happened to the henry frankenstein a-la-colin-clive, so successfully captured by petrucha in his book? unfortunately for no discernable reason the author chose to turn him into a literal goon all throughout. elisabeth's development is equally far-fetched. if anything, she was able to point to henry how wrong is his treatment of both creature and bride!
wether all this arises from technical requirements or a desire to revolutionise the concept is unclear. to me it seemed, that the two creatures set out after the fire in the film not only on two separate tracks but into two separate universes. wether miss hand and mr.petrucha will collaborate on a future book that fills in the gaps is unclear, but until that happens i will give five stars for originality if not clarity. the series as a whole must continue. that's how good it is.
Rated by buyers -
"Pandora's Bride" is an outstanding book. Elizabeth Hand has captured the literary feel of the Victorian era "Fankenstein" to sheer perfection. Not only does she build on the Universal Films extension of the original novel, but she also ties the offshoot to the `legend' in a wholly remarkable way.
`The more things change, the more they stay the same' could almost be said of "Pandora's Bride." But, as dis-similar as the end and beginning are, the path to a frightening journey to escape one mans' mania is taut and compelling. The `monster' (Mr Smith, Frankenstein), and the `lady' (Pandora) recoil at the merest thought of being husband and wife which sends Pandora into the labyrinth of Dr Pretious and the zoo of mis-shapen, surviving experiments after being presumed lost. Pretorious, Pandora, and Thea (Caesare's sister), flee after being accused of murdering children through a tunnel, and towards Berlin on a fire breathing, carnivorous Schattengiest. As bizarre as the menagerie is, the traveling freak show is even more so, yet it plays to good crowds, providing food and lodging for the group. Dr Frankenstein appears at one of the `shows', and Thea/Pandora escape into the wild where they meet the Wild Boys led by Wendigo. Primal nature is exemplified by Pandora and Wendigo. Survival is paramount, and as Wendigo is inspired by Zane Grey (Men of the Wild) to live in the wilderness. Still trekking to Berlin, Thea and Pandora encounter Dr Henry Frankenstein and Septimus Pretorius as one `harvests' the streets and another seeks to stop the slaughter.
Nature or nurture? Innate or learned? Alive or dead? Who is truly living-the created or the creators? Is beauty really skin deep? Is free will truly free? Great themes resonate through the book as philosophy meets science and a fanatical devotion to the re-creation of life without a soul. How far will Dr Frankenstein go to meet his ends, and how far with Septimus and the brutish creations go to stop him?
I was very impressed with "Pandora's Bride", both in the far reaching scope of the book, and the entertaining style Ms Hand writes with. This is no monster fodder, but rather a quasi intellectual discussion/adventure of the Universal kind.
[...]
Tim Lasiuta
Rated by buyers -
When I very first read the line "What are the 39 steps?" I was HOOKED! References to "Three Penny Opera", "m" " Metropolis" " I Am A Camera"!
Etc, Etc.! I plan on reading it again immediately just to pick up on all of them!
I haven't had this much fun with a book in YEARS!!!
Well worth the wait!
Now I have to see all those movies again!!
Find other books like this one:
