Since its first publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's seminal novel has spawned countless print, stage, and film adaptations, but none have matched the power and philosophical resonance of the original. Composed as part of a challenge with Byron and Shelley to create the most terrifying ghost story, Frankenstein tells the chilling tale of a being created by a brilliant young scientist and the catastrophic consequences that follow. Considered by many to be the first science fiction novel, the tragic story of Victor Frankenstein and the tortured creation he rejects is a classic fable about the pursuit of knowledge, the nature of beauty, and the monstrosity inherent in man.