Hideous Progeny

Mary Shelley and Her Monster

It never had life . . . but now it must die . . .

As a girl of 18, Mary Shelley’s imagination birthed the nameless monster that would make her name famous. But since that night of apocalyptic storms at the Villa Diodati and the dark nativity of her hideous progeny, Mary’s life has been a tedious narrative of grief and loss: a dead husband, a dead sister and three dead children. Now in middle age, Mary suffers headaches from the brain tumour that will soon end her life. Seeking relief from her monster’s malign curse, Mary travels from London to the Somerset estate of Andrew Crosse, the gentleman scientist who inspired her Dr. Frankenstein. Mary has come in search of an electrical cure, hoping that the same dread engine that raised her monster can now lay that ghost to rest.

Praise

“Vaughn Entwistle takes a delicious dive into Shelley’s tragic life with his novel, cradling it in his own tale of creation and destruction, steeped in hallucination. He writes à la Shelley, but with a light touch which lets Hideous Progeny careen along with manic energy as Mary’s past reverberates into the present, and forward into the unknown. Dopple- (and triple) gängers, heady draughts of forbidden science and passion, murder, afterlife and rebirth—Vaughn Entwistle delivers them all in Hideous Progeny; a great read for a dark and stormy night.”
—Historical Novel Society

“Vaughn Entwistle’s Hideous Progeny: Mary Shelley and Her Monster is a fascinatingly dark, deep and unsettling book for those who enjoy horror stories and want to read something different with substance. It’s excellent gothic fiction with elements of psychological horror and captivating weirdness.

I’m deeply impressed by Vaughn Entwistle’s writing skills. He seems to be capable of writing almost anything, because his writing effortlessly glides from fantasy fiction to atmospheric gothic fiction. I greatly admire his ability to write about famous historical persons in an entertaining and engaging way, because he does it with ease and creates fiction that pulls the reader into the story.

If you love dark and engagingly written stories, you should not hesitate to take a look at Vaughn Entwistle’s Hideous Progeny: Mary Shelley and Her Monster, because it’s a highly entertaining and pleasantly unsettling book. This book is sure to please you with its dark and atmospheric story.

Highly recommended!”
—Seregil of Rhiminee