Can I just say that fall is my favorite season? There's just something about falling temperatures, the crisp smell in the air, and the Halloween decorations that's just my right up my alley. I've always been a fan of suspense, and horror so whenever this time of year rolls around I'm always looking for something nice and creepy to read. Creatures: The Legacy of Frankenstein really fit the bill. I was provided a copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it but, as always, this has no bearing on my opinions.

Fans of Shelley's original monster, like me, will be interested to see him reappear in different ways within each of the five short stories included in this collection. My two favorites involved a reanimation cruise and a mystery involving a grave robber. Each story tells a tale about reanimation and being an outsider in an increasingly more modern setting so you get to follow the monster through time. Even though Frankenstein is a tale that is often re-imagined I enjoyed reading a few new takes on the tale.

As with any short story collection some of these stories were better than others but I think that most of them are worth a read. While none of them are particularly scary, all of the stories had a gloomy, sombre tone much like the original and they really are great to sit down with on an October night. Creatures will be available on October 16th and if you're looking to get into the Halloween spirit with a quick but interesting read I recommend it.

I have read a few of the collections in this series so far and this one does not disappoint. Following the legacy of Frankenstein, the five offerings here provide insights into the people inspired by the doctor's macabre experiments to attempt their own forays into the world of medical regeneration. Each tale takes place in a different time period, ranging from the 1850s in Tade Thompson's fantastic and tragic 'Kaseem's Way' through to the present in Kaaron Warren's wonderful 'Love Thee Better', which I think was my favourite story in the collection, dealing with a cruise ship for those who hate their bodies and those who want replacements. The tragedy of Shelley's novel is writ large amongst the pages of this collection and the tone is suitably sombre. The 'monster' is often in the background, lurking in the shadows, but his presence can be felt on every page and all in all, I thought this was a wonderful collection paying homage to one of the best horror/science fiction novels ever written.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love Frankenstein. I love the ripples that such a story has made through modern literature and cinema, so I absolutely had to snatch up this book. I don't often read short story anthologies, so it's difficult to judge the book on the whole when the stories inside of it vary so wildly. There are some true stand out moments and I especially loved Eve, the beautiful creation of two bohemian women. At times though, other stories did drag and in my opinion, were a little too derivative and dependant on the source material rather than finding an original spark and story to tell. So, there are highs and lows but the good parts were very enjoyable.

It starts with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and his monster. It continues through out this book with others and their makers. No two are just alike. No story exactly the same. All different and the same. I loved that these authors make the story their own. Different perspectives and yet all parts, just like the creature. For all Frankenstein fans. I recommend it highly. I don't want to give too much away but the stories flow from one to the other. I received this book from Net Galley and Rebellion Publishing for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.The opinions and thoughts are my own.

As so often happens when I read short story anthologies, I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to rate "Creatures". Some of the stories in here are absolutely stunning. I loved Emma Newman's "Made Monstrous", focusing on a detective trying to solve the mystery of a series of body part thefts. The 1920s tale of two women who reanimated a woman together as a project of science and art combined was also fabulous. However, some of the other stories were less to my taste. Perfectly serviceable fiction, but nothing which really caught my imagination. Not to mention my squeamishness over medical matters definitely is a hindrance when trying to read a story about the first treatise on human anatomy. Definitely would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the original novel, it's well worth a read.

Creatures: The Legacy of Frankenstein edited by David Thomas Moore was received direct from the publisher. Frankenstein, upon hearing or reading the name most everyone conjures a picture of the creature or maybe the Doctor. Most likely this scene is from one of the myriad of movies they had seen. I dont know how many have actually read the book that started the whole Frankenstein genre, but everyone should, which brings us to this compilation of Frankenstein based stories. The stories, five of them, are in chronological order, which is mostly just and interesting fact. The one that stood out to me was Made Monstrous, who’s author I will be looking to read more of for certain (it is the police procedure that won me over in this particular tale). Anyway, if you or someone you buy gifts for likes Frankenstein type books, this one should certainly be in the reading list.

4 stars

Creatures: The Legacy of Frankenstein, a well written and interesting novel. These 5 authors have come together to write what are essentially continuing novellas into the Frankenstein legacy. They fit very well into this genre and feel fairly authentic.

An anthology of five stories having everyone’s favourite scientist and monster as inspiration? Of course I had to request this book as soon as I saw it.

I had big hopes for this collection but got greatly disappointed. I quite enjoyed “Kaseem’s Way” by Tade Thompson and “Made Monstrous” by Emma Newman but the rest felt just unnecessary raw, sexual, confusing and even pointless. One of the short stories even reminded me more of H. G. Wells' “The Island of Doctor Moreau” than the book that should be the inspiration ... so they maybe got the wrong doctor on that one.

Frankenstein it’s a story that make us think about morals, responsibility, life, death, creation, rights... Yet most of these stories did not evocate any of those thoughts in me. I felt that some stories picked and chose things from Mary Shelley’s creation and went with it not having much of a real goal. That they did not go beyond the aesthetics that surrounds the mythical monster and that have gained a life of their own.

The idea was a good one, the chronological order of the stories was also a nice feature, but over all I just felt that this project missed to achieved its true potential.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but not to everyone. I would only recommend to the readers that do like horror and want to expand their catalogue of books in the genre.

I was looking forward to this book, but unfortunately I found it overall ok. Each writer seemed to have the same style, & honestly I found every story kind of boring because of it. There was just no excitement or intrigue for me at all. Sorry!

Creatures is a fantastic collection of five stories from five relatively unknown authors, each one contributing a top-notch masterful piece of literature. If you think a book about Frankenstein stories is going to be some cheap Seventies-era paperback trash, you're wrong. The depth and literary quality of each and every one of these five tales is impressive. Based on Mary Shelley's fascinating tale of a mad scientist playing God by building a new creature from body parts, these authors have captured the mad doctor/ mad scientist essence, but taken the idea in wildly different directions. There's a story about mad experiments by doctors in a secret prison room, creating something from body parts. There's a story about introducing a new creature, the first new woman, an Eve if you will, into high society and to ballroom affairs. Eve is nothing like you'd expect such a creature to be. There's a story about a lonely boy in the English countryside during the Second World War, a coming of age tale, that touches on horror. There's a story featuring a British detective searching for the thief who stole a corpse's arm right out of the grave behind the church. Elementary, my dear Watson. And, there's the story about the Doctors Without Borders cruise, the strangest, most magical boat ride ever imagined. Each of these stories is poetic in imagery, evocative in mood, and beautifully written. Not your classic scary horror because, of course, we readers have some idea about the creatures being designed. But, fully imaginative and worth reading more than once.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this collection of stories to fans of Frankenstein or classic novels in general.. It was well-written and interesting collection. I mainly picked it because of the subject matter.