Review: Unique
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 18, 2013
Bekka Black’s iMonsters series is something truly in a class all its own. Clever and innovative both in style and formatting, Black’s reimagining gothic horror classics in a wonderfully creative and imaginative way, seamlessly incorporating her own interesting twists and adaptations for a modern YA audience.  In this particular instance? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.  Drawing on the original epistolary format of Shelley’s novel, Black updates it by telling her story through emails, texts, chats and browser windows; combining both the verbal and the visual to create a unique storytelling experience.  Though it isn’t a particularly long retelling, and though the style is perhaps a bit spare due to the economy of words modern communication tends to engender, the depth of story, detail, character building and atmosphere Black conveys in iFrankenstein impressed me.Black’s version of the gothic tragedy features Victor Frankenstein as a modern high school student; a computer genius competing for a much-coveted scholarship.  To win the competition, he must create a chatbot that converses as a human would; an AI interface that can “think” on its own.  Despite the deadline fast approaching, Victor unfortunately finds himself on (an inconveniently timed) “vacation” with his best friend Elizabeth and their parents.  Victor becomes distracted, distanced from his family and friends; obsessed with creating his “Virtual Victor,” oblivious to Elizabeth’s interest (and distress), oblivious his friend Henry’s struggles, finding insignificance in all of the unique opportunities that surround him.  Victor is blind to anything but his own success — never thinking of the ramifications of his work, never questioning what might happen if his creation does exactly what it was intended to do.  Or what might happen if it decides to become more.Overall.  Highlighting themes of friendship, obsession, hubris — as well as functioning as a modern cautionary tale about the internet, privacy, and lack thereof — Bekka Black’s iFrankenstein is a wonderfully innovative and visually captivating reimagining of Shelley’s gothic classic.