Dean Koontz’s retelling of Frankenstein has so far turned out to be a pretty fun trilogy. It is set in pre-Katrina New Orleans. The story assumes that Dr. Frankenstein was actually a real scientist and has mastered a way of cloning his own body while preserving his brain. Now he’s 200+ years old and absolutely insane, though his scientific breakthroughs are ingenious. He’s living in the Crescent City and creating an army of monsters that look just like everyone else. Part of his plan involves building clone people and then killing off the original person and putting the replicant in their place. It’s a very creepy vision that makes for some interesting reading.

Book Two: City of Night picks up right after the first book, Prodigal Son left off. If you were to read these two novels back to back, the transition would be seamless. In the first book, the original Frankenstein monster was living in a Tibetan monastery when he receives word that the mad doctor was up to no good in New Orleans. He then visits the city and enlists the help of some local police to help uncover the diabolical plots of Dr. Frankenstein. The first novel ended with a little troll-like creature bursting out of the chest of a monster, Alien style, and escaping into the sewers.

I expected City of Night to be all about the troll creature, but it wasn’t. In fact, the little creature only turned up again in the last few pages, so I’m guessing the third book, due this summer, will finally explain him. I’m also wondering if Koontz will work Hurricane Katrina into the storyline. It wouldn’t surprise me if the monsters all went crazy and secretly destroyed part of the levee system that flooded the city. It might be considered offensive if Koontz used that as a plot device, but it would be interesting since Dr. Frankenstein’s ultimate goal is world domination by destroying the human race and replacing it with his creations.

Kevin J. Anderson, a science fiction author most notable for his Star Wars novels co-wrote the first Frankenstein book with Koontz. It was much more action-packed and twisted. For this novel, Koontz has Ed Gorman as his co-author. Gorman’s previous work has mostly been in murder mysteries and some westerns. I think this changed the way the story reads. City of Night has very little action and serves more as a transitional piece between the first and third books of this trilogy. As a standalone novel, you might not get much out of it, but why would you read this without reading the first one?

This novel is brilliant in that it not only utilizes the landscape and culture of the city of New Orleans, but it also delves more into the thought processes of the characters. It brings us into the demented minds of Frankenstein’s creations and how their robot-like programming is conflicting with their own subhuman nature. I can see how free will is starting to overtake anything Dr. Frankenstein may have tried to put into them with his Matrix-like downloading mechanisms, and I sense a revolt is coming soon. Even the doctor’s own wife, herself being cloned several different times, is starting to find ways around her husband’s strict rulings. He’s got a very bad God complex and I think his subjects are about to start their own religion.

I really enjoyed reading this book and the direction it is taking the story. I think it is actually better than the first one. This novel is a pretty quick read and leaves you wanting more, which is a good thing. I’ll definitely be reading the as yet untitled third novel this summer.

See also:
Frankenstein Book One: Prodigal Son - http://www.epinions.com/content_216969612932


Recommended: Yes