"Monster," A Book Review, by Mark Schurr

“Monster,” (a novel of Frankenstein) which spawned into the public in August is an excellent, fast and gripping read. 

Dark sorcery, evil witch craft, sadism and satanic worship combat the pure at heart in Dave Zeltserman’s latest horror novel. 

Award winning novelist Zeltserman currently writes crime and horror books and his latest creation, “Monster,” is a compelling read which sensationally seizes the senses.

Zeltserman transforms Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” into an intriguing journey into the minds of the wicked and good living in the 1800s. 

The maliciously smart character Victor Frankenstein thrives on the torture and death of the innocent. Frankenstein robs Friedrich Hoffmann of everything dear to him; his job as a chemist and the love of his life, Johanna Klemmen. Klemmen and Hoffmann become the victims of Frankenstein’s sadistic experiments. 

From the very first words of chapter one "Monster" engulfs the readers’ attention and hurls the imagination into curiosity, the depths of despair and an insatiable thirst for vengeance.

 The intelligent and once handsome Hoffmann is bludgeoned to death by many of the villagers because he is thought to have brutally murdered his fiancée Klemmen. All that is left of Hoffmann is his brain dwelling in a very large and hideously looking monster via the evil prowess of Frankenstein. Zeltserman eloquently describes Hoffmann's emotional pain in the words of the character himself; I’m just a wretched abomination brought forth into the world by a wicked sorcerer.  

The monster (Hoffmann) has an initial goal of simply tearing Frankenstein about limb by limb. Frankenstein’s wit and the powers of black magic tweak the monsters plans immensely. 

The monster soon escapes from Frankenstein's macomb mansion and anxiously plots how to achieve vengeance for himself and his lost lover. His pursuit of revenge becomes a quest to save the lives of adults and children. 

Frankenstein and his equally damnable friend Marquis are in the pursuit of young women and children to plot their deaths in the most merciless ways imaginable. The monster is the only one who can save the lives of dozens of innocents who are meant to die in a sadistic play in Frankenstein’s evil amphitheater.

The monster in Zeltserman’s story has an IQ to combat Frankenstein’s, but because of the times he is living in and his grotesque appearance, he is thought be a direct spawn of Satan by too many people.     

“Monster” is extremely hard to put down once the reading has commenced. At a mere 222 pages it’s a perfect afternoon or night time read.  

 Despite the pernicious imagination of Zeltserman, he effectively manages to write about extremely horrible events with only one mildly profane word in the entire book. 

Since reading “Monster,” I am very eager to read more of Zeltserman’s works. 

The book would have received a five star rating, but the vampires, although briefly in the story simply did not fit into this tale of fiction.

If you enjoy getting livid at iniquitous characters and rooting for salubrious ones “Monster” should be high on the list as a must read.