Frankenstein

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, was published in 1818 when Mary Shelley was just nineteen years old. It is widely regarded as the first true science fiction novel. Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist obsessed with the secret of life, creates a living creature from dead tissue — and immediately rejects it. The creature, abandoned and alone, becomes the most articulate and tragic villain in English literature, seeking understanding before he seeks revenge. Shelley's novel raises profound questions about scientific responsibility, the ethics of creation, and what it means to be human. The framing device — told as letters within a story within a story — gives each narrator a distinct voice and perspective.

Written during a famously stormy summer in Geneva alongside Lord Byron and John Polidori, Frankenstein was conceived as a ghost story competition and became something far greater. It is public domain and free to stream here with no account, no subscription, and no adverts, forever.