What happens when Man plays God? Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a dark parable of science misused was an immediate success on its publication in 1818. Determined to prove he can create life out of nothing, Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but arrogant scientist, builds a human out of dead flesh. Horrified by his own creation, he abandons the creature--with deadly consequences. Alone, unloved, and hideous to behold, Frankenstein's monster seeks vengeance on his creator, unleashing a cycle of destruction that ultimately consumes them both. In 1831, Mary Shelley succumbed to conservative pressure and toned down the more radical elements of the work. This edition features the novel in its original, unexpurgated form.