The Workshop of Filthy Creation

Richard Gadz’s The Workshop of Filthy Creation is a Gothic horror story that gives a new twist to Mary Shelley's famous novel Frankenstein. Its backstory reimagines an alternative life story of Victor Frankenstein, the scientist who created a tall, large and hideous creature, which many had dubbed The Monster.

Maverick scientist Wilhelm von Frakken is mad that someone has stolen his prized possession and would kill to get it back. That someone is British Museum’s biologist Professor George Hobson, whom Frakken has earlier kidnapped and brought to his large mansion in Hanover, Germany, to help with his experiments on artificial human life. Frakken introduced Hobson to Maria, an artificial being that he has created. After a heated argument that caused a fire in the mansion, Hobson escapes with Maria and both arrive home in London in the autumn of 1879. Frakken is presumed dead.

Hobson soon discovers that Maria is no ordinary young woman. Though hideous in looks, she’s tall and slender, unusually strong and agile, highly intelligent, and embodied with regenerating flesh. He is very keen to share his incredible find with his close friends in London. This includes Jabez Pell, a factory owner and businessman.

But unknown to Hobson, Pell is linked to the Promethean Society, an underground scientific organisation set up in the early 1800s. Its aim is to prolong human life by whatever scientific means possible. Pell immediately recognises the huge commercial potential that Maria's regenerative abilities can offer to his struggling business and to the Prometheans.

Frakken unexpectedly shows up at Pell’s factory. He compels Pell to reveal the whereabouts of Hobson and Maria. They, together with two members of the Promethean Society, then hatches a daring plan to kidnap Maria from Hobson’s home. But the attempt goes horribly awry, leaving Hobson dead and Maria on the run.

Maria finds herself being the subject of news headlines. Reviled as a monster, she’s being hunted down, not only by the police but by the Prometheans and her creator Frakken, who needs her flesh to heal his damaged body. She decides that instead of being hunted, she must become the hunter...

I don’t normally read horror novels (I used to in my teens) but I have to admit that I was greatly intrigued by the Frankenstein trope that this book uses. So I decided that I must read it. I wasn’t disappointed. Truth be told, I really did enjoy the read!

The Workshop of Filthy Creation cleverly weaves the history of medical science with fantastical speculations of artificial human life in the heart of Victorian London. The result is a disturbing, grotesque tale that will surely assault one’s sense of human dignity, decency and moral rightness.

The first few chapters may seem like a plod for some. That's because, I think, the author took great pains to set the stage for the tense, nail-biting drama that follows, leading to a deadly face-off between the hunter and the hunted.

For readers who need a good dose of the macabre and gore to finish off the day, let Wilhelm von Frakken tantalise you with his most vile scientific prowess and experiments. You won’t be disappointed.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC e-copy. My review is given voluntarily.

If you like the story of Frankenstein or that of the Promotheus then this Frankenstein-inspired tale should tick the boxes for you. Maria, created by Von Frakken (the real life Frankenstein family according to the book), escapes her creator and is hunted down by all sorts of people interested in her for various reasons. Set 60 odd years later, the book has evolved the creation experiments so that Von Frakken can actually grow flesh rather than bring the dead to life. This, to some extent, seems more feasible and it is a nice touch along with several issues that Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" deals with - who is the Creator? Creator vs God and more. It doesn't go into the issues as much but it is a nice nod towards the "original".

I did enjoy this book - immensely. You will too if you like the macabre, the weird and wonderful, with umpteen twists and turns and where it all...

No, no clues, you really are going to have to read this book for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Excellent. Rather disturbing in the themes it tackles, but also an absolutely gripping and compelling read. I’m sure this one will be big.

My thanks to Deixis Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Workshop of Filthy Creation’ by Richard Gadz in exchange for an honest review.

In the autumn of 1879 biologist Professor George Hobson arrives in London with Maria, outwardly a young woman but in actuality an intelligent, artificially-created being. He gathers together a number of friends and reveals that he had liberated her from a research programme undertaken by a dynasty of unethical scientists, the von Frakkens—all now dead.

Yet Maria is still in danger when the Promethean Society, an underground scientific organisation with an aim to conquer death, learns of her existence.

This ‘Frankenstein’-inspired gothic thriller is written very much in the tradition of the Victorian penny dreadful. So there was plenty of action, visceral horror, melodrama and the like. Richard Gadz also explored themes linked to scientific and medical ethics as well as social issues such as class prejudice in which certain people were considered disposable.

Overall, I found it an interesting and entertaining gothic horror novel with plenty of chills as well as expanding on the themes of ‘Frankenstein’.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Holy Hell where do I start with this book – a retelling of Frankenstein in such a way that Frankenstein was not a work of fiction but in fact a manual compiled by a scientist that has been taken and hidden by those in authority – but what if someone finds the manual, takes it and creates an artificial life.
I loved everything about this book, it was well written, had a good pace and good flow with well-developed characters – especially the female monster. It is a delicious examination od Victorian society, class and those with privilege and I really enjoyed the way that the tension between rich and poor was subtly woven throughout the text.
The main thing that I really enjoyed is that the lessons that were there to be learnt from Frankenstein are in this story also to be learnt from- showing that in terms of humanity we have learnt nothing since the original was written and we still have a long way to go.