A towering masterpiece of gothic fiction, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus birthed the horror and science-fiction genres and spawned countless cultural offspring. Amid the pervasive images of Boris Karloff's flat-headed, bolt-necked monster, it's easy to forget how radical, insightful--and, yes, terrifying--the book is on its own terms.

The would-be Prometheus of the book's title is the brilliant Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, whose studies in natural philosophy and chemistry (fields much brooded over in Shelley's day) lead him to become obsessed with building a being out of dead body parts and bringing it to life. But when he is miraculously successful, Victor is horrified at his creation, and the monster escapes into the night. Given life and enough reason to deduce his own terrible loneliness, Frankenstein's creation turns to violence and, soon enough, vengeance upon his creator.

Frankenstein is the second book in the Restless Classics series: interactive encounters with great books and inspired teachers. Find out more at www.restlessbooks.com/classics.