Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the ARC of this book which was so different from anything I have red for a long time.

This was a really interested tale of Frankenstein's Monster, exploring themes of grief and scientific ethics in a really well done way.

The storyline really portrays what it may have been like to be an curious and very intelligent woman in Victorian England.

I would highly recommend reading this book - it took my out of my comfort zone of crime which was a really good thing. .

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a really interesting take on the story of Frankenstein's Monster, exploring themes of misogyny, grief and scientific ethics in a very accomplished manner. Although the main conceit of the plot is fantastical, the rest of the story is thoroughly realistic and portrays exactly what it must have been like to be an intelligent and curious woman in Victorian England. The ending is satisfying and the characters are very identifiable throughout.

The premise of this novel alone had me a little apprehensive - it’s a very difficult thing to take a much-loved and highly-respected classic and write an accompanying novel that even does the original justice, let alone stands out on its own merit. There are flashes of brilliance here, and I must give credit to McGill for their attempt alone, but unfortunately overall I felt it was an overly sentimental and laboured pseudo-sequel. Despite some initial enjoyment, I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and there was an unnecessarily long build-up to a rather unexciting conclusion and a hasty and convenient happy-ever-after.

England and Scotland in the in the 1850s. Mary Elizabeth Sutherland is an ambitious and feisty natural history illustrator married to Henry, a rather combative but feckless scientist who struggles to make his name within the maelstrom of British scientific endeavour. Their marriage is a tempestuous arrangement. Mary’s grandfather was brother to a certain Victor Frankenstein, and when his hidden notebooks are discovered, Mary has a idea about a project that will make both their reputation and fortune within the deeply conservative British intellectual community - the secret and creation of life itself.
The author has deployed excellent research with the account of the state of mid 19th century European scientific endeavour, and the jealousies and rivalries that permeated the ambitious community of (nearly all) men. The book is narrated with consummate skill and McGill is a highly talented story-teller. But because the book is so well written and plotted when the fantasy element enters the narrative it does come as a bit of shock to the reader, a wrenching departure from the hitherto plausible storyline. What the Sutherlands achieve is simply impossible from a scientific perspective, hence the reader has to cease incredulity and carry on. Occasionally Mary comes across as being just too 21st century in her enlightened, progressive outlook and views. While it is such an easy target to attack the antediluvian and wincingly awful customs and conventions of previous ages. This McGill’s first novel and shows extraordinary talent and promise.

This was one of my favourite reads of the year so far!

I love Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and because of that, weirdly, I was doubtful that I would like a 'retelling' of it, but this is a different kettle of sea monsters all together. The author clearly knows her stuff! I connected with many aspects of the plot and characters, from the dismissive way Mary is spoken to, to the use of the crystal palace dinosaurs as inspiration, and the emerging field of paleontology as a back-drop, each of these things have featured to some extent in my own life, and I do love a gothic, academic style.

I like that Mary's struggles to rise above the perception of her gender feel real, and not one-dimensional, her frustrations echo those I have had in the past, and will probably have again, but not all of the male characters are misogynistic, and not all those who are are maliciously so, there are interesting dimensions to the male characters, while still staying true to the period. Mary herself, in articulating her frustration is shown to be a flawed character, not merely a cardboard cut-out 'strong female lead', she has strengths and she has vulnerabilities, naivety, and character traits that are detrimental to her goals, so she has to grow as a character as well, she is not just better than the men around her because she is female, it is through her work, her friendships and the lessons she learns about herself and those around her that ultimately define her.

The pace is slow as Mary and her husband work towards accomplishing their goal. For me, the pacing suits the theme of lengthy study, scientific research, and trial and error, though some readers may want a faster race to the finish.

I love that Mary and Henry did not just repeat the experiments of Victor Frankenstein, they saw it's application in their own field and took it further. The relationships and how they unfolded also felt convincing and natural. I can't really think of anything I disliked, I hadn't read any reviews or really any plot summaries before I went into the book either, so all of the above was a pleasant surprise. It also made me want to read more about the Mary's that C.E.Gill named her central character after, and I immediately looked up the "Dinner in the Iguanodon" story, which is just one of the best things I've ever seen: an eight-course meal "in the interior of the Iguanodon!" Who thought my review would end on that sentence?!

Really enjoyed this fast paced gothic horror. I haven’t read much historical fiction but I found this a great intro to the genre!

Not the first time this device has been used to create a story within the world of an existing classic horror character, but I find this worked rather well in the case of “Our Hideous Progeny”

The characters were well fleshed out of you forgive the unintended pun, I found Mary abrasive and impulsive, but infinitely more human and relatable because of those flaw being so exposed. The relationship between Mary and Maisie was subtle and nuanced. The Anglo Indian couple were my favourite additions but the menfolk otherwise involved were vile to varying degrees both in attitude and behaviour. The resolution was very satisfying.

Gothic and scientific, fantastical and real,this was a story with depth and gravitas. The author is young, but you would never guess from the level of detail in the prose.

Very good

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I am a massive fan of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, so I jumped at the chance to read what has been described as the long awaited sequel. However, I found it to be incredibly slow, and I just didn't have it in me to care for much of the book. Once the plan was set up for Mary and Henry to bring to life a certain creature, in a certain part of Scotland I saw the plot unfolding before me as a very predictable thing.

I will say that the writing style was gorgeous but I wanted it to be scarier, more queer than advertised, and less predictable.

A gothic feminist spin-off of Frankenstein. An interesting take on Shelley's story with a classic style of writing, but fairly predictable and about 100 pages too long.

This wasn't a book that grabbed me from the start, it was definitely a 'slow-burner'. I found myself skimming over sections and my reading didn't really do the book justice.

This was a slow start for me but I kept with it and I'm so glad I did. It's a gothic story about women's fights to be seen and heard, in a world where women are deigned to be worth less than men. Really enjoyable.

The story centres around Mary, great-niece of Victor Frankenstein. Set in the 1850s, Mary is married to Henry after a previous dalliance with a woman ended in a row. She has discovered Frankenstein's work, and embarks on her own experiments to create life, which her husband assists with.

This is the hideous progeny of the title in this feminist, gothic, queer spin off from Frankenstein.

I confess that I knew very little about Victor Frankenstein, other than the Hollywood and Halloween stereo-types of his monster. But as I love a gothic Victorian novel with feisty women at their heart, I was keen to read Our Hideous Progeny by C. E. McGill. I wasn’t disappointed. I felt all the usual frustration and anger at the way women were treated, with the inheritance laws and a need to marry for any sort of security. But alongside this, to understand the particular challenges for women in science was so interesting. I absolutely love this period of history, where so much was possible (for men) and I respect authors who try to explore the role of women in the many breakthroughs and inventions. I intrigued by Mary’s attempt to repeat her infamous uncle’s work, and the author’s imagination and creativity. I definitely recommend the book - which is an excellent first novel.

Frankenstein is a bold and general idea made - for want of a better word - flesh. Like his monster-mate Dracula, the idea behind Frankenstein's creation (man making life with all the ethical issues that this creates) is strong but generic, the specifics of Mary Shelley's gothic treatment of it is specific and hangs over the creation. Both in its original novel and as it has been warped by more lurid adaptations. McGill is chasing that gothic specificity here with a feminist twist, her lead is Frankenstein's niece, who slowly gets drawn into repeating certain experiments whilst railing against the Victorian scientific establishment. As it moves from London to the Highlands of Scotland it embraces that Gothic, whilst never having its protagonist as a victim.

None of this is particularly hidden, and its roots and homage McGill is very upfront about. Its almost like a headcanon fanfic has gone wild and taken on a life of its own, very apt for a take on this creature - and she says as much in her afterword which makes the length (if interesting) first act of the book about paleontology pay off. The thing McGill captures, beyond the gothic, is both the excitement and savage competition of being on the cutting edge of science. As a woman our lead doesn't even have a voice, and when she can speak through her husband he is not as bright and himself tied into patriarchal rules and bonds. The inspiration for the book is the Crystal Palace dinosaurs after all - that wonderful monument to the most important parts of science - being a bit wrong. But imagine being right but not having a voice?

This is all rollicking good fun, and whilst it is dripping with pastiche, homage and genre tropes, it is giddy enough about its excellent central mash-up that the fact the character journey is really well done comes as a bit of a bonus. And whilst she doesn't quite to get play with the more gnarly ethical problems Shelley flirts with, her lead is much more dynamic and her creature are real humdinger until you hit a hinted at final gag that wraps it up in a very satisfying way. Unless that is just my headcanon - maybe I'll write a book.

When I first heard about Our Hideous Progeny, the premise instantly appealed to me. The primary element that drew me to the book was the exploration of science and women in science, which ended up being one my favourite parts of the book. However, we are introduced to other women in science during this time and I would have enjoyed further development on them to add more to this discourse. There were many intriguing themes explored that I also enjoyed and worked together to make for a stimulating read, such as ambition, various types of love, complex relationships, grief, knowledge, morality and ethics.

Although I enjoyed this book, for the length, the pacing did skew slow (even though I understand why this was done, but it didn’t quite work for me). I also struggled to engage with Mary; despite feeling for her, I constantly wanted to gain more intimate knowledge about her to connect with her. I was also expecting more interaction between the ‘creature’ and Mary, and in this respect, the payoff didn’t quite meet my expectation.

Overall, this was a compelling story and I look forward to the author’s next novel. Because of a few similarities, Our Hideous Progeny might also appeal to fans of The Essex Serpent.

May 16, 2023
Our Hideous Progeny tells the tale of a woman who is, quite frankly, trapped in a society that thinks she is "less than" simply due to the fact that she was born a woman. Worth less than a man, less intelligent than a man, less worthy of scientific acclaim than a man. Less monstrous than a man. Less angry than a man. None of these things are true and she disproves them one by one.

While the story takes some time getting into the whole "Frankenstein" aspect of the book, that time is well spent setting the stage for the fascinating tale to follow. We see how, despite being the mind more or less behind her husband Henry's scientific discoveries, Mary is only ever credited with "And many thanks to M Sutherland for the illustrations." We see how the people who should be her scientific peers look down on her for her gender. We also slowly learn of Mary's discovery of her great uncle, Victor Frankenstein, the Creature he created, and the story of that creation left behind in letters.

Mary's journey to creating her own Creature is fascinating and deeply frustrating, both for Mary herself and for the reader. Over and over she runs into the hurdle of needing a man for something, usually simply due to the fact that women are not allowed in many of the circles she needs to be in to continue her work. Due to the society she lives in, this is not simply a hurdle she can overcome, she must work with Henry and the loathsome Mr. Clarke to bring her discovery to life.

I thought the story was very well written and engaging as well as surprisingly touching at points, especially for a story with as much gore as this one has. Mary's relationship with Maisie is sweet and very natural feeling and her moments of introspection over the loss of her child a year prior are deeply touching. C.E. McGill uses very poignant and eloquent language in a way that feels smooth and nicely poetic to describe a rather gruesome thing: the creation of a Creature, stitched together from the sum of the parts of others.

Our Hideous Progeny is definitely worth a read if you like gothic horror about angry women fighting for their place in society and finding love and solace in an unexpected place. 4.5/5 Stars

This story started off slow and meandering in an atmospheric fashion. I felt for Mary being a woman in the times of women being nobodies out in the real world.
As Mary started working with her uncle's notes, the story ramped up and was very gripping.

This was a slow burner of a read for me! It took a while to get into the flow of things, but the gothic vibes were strong from the start!

And once I learned about the characters the more I seemed to connect with the story. The female characters are at the heart of this story, the male characters will drive you insane!, and that's where I found the strength, along with the links to Frankenstein and watching how women had to push to get themselves noticed or taken seriously at the time.

Mary Frankenstein is the great niece of Victor, who has been missing for a number of years, and she's married to Henry who shares her love of science, and keeps his love of gambling secret from her! They struggle to find a way through in the scientific world until they discover old papers from her great uncle and it unlocks a new avenue for them to experiment with.

It was fascinating to see the moral struggle she had at times, along with just wanting recognition for her work and looking back into her past we see how she struggled with rejection and how she tried to overcome it. I would have loved to read more about the creature and her work on this project as the story seemed to spend more time looking back rather than centred around this groundbreaking path they set out on.

But the struggles she faced as a woman, both personally and professionally were brilliantly explored and a real insight to her as a female of the time and really kept the story bubbling along.

This book surpassed all my expectations and was a fantastic read. Mary Frankenstein was an absolutely epic character who I was cheering for the whole time. Set between 1853 and 1856 it recounts the story of Mary who after discovering her great-uncles' history, sets out to dazzle the scientific community. But on this journey, Mary will meet misogyny and disapproval. And she'll also fall in love and learn life lessons about what really matters. Suspend disbelief as you delve into Mary's world, it's a fantastic one.

An absolutely fabulous feminist spin-off of Frankenstein. I love how well the author portrays the awful awful ways women were treated in the 1850s, especially women who pursue ambition and intellect.

The story respects the history of the Victorian era but holds up well for the modern era. I wouldn't always read this genre or type of story but it was absolutely fabulous. I would reccomend to anyone even those who aren't sure if they'd enjoy it.