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Quick answer: If you loved Frankenstein, try Dracula, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Invisible Man and The Phantom of the Opera. Each one explores monsters, science gone wrong or the question of what makes us human.
Mary Shelley's 1818 novel tells of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who builds a living creature and then abandons it, with terrible consequences for both of them. It is part gothic horror, part early science fiction and part tragedy about loneliness and responsibility. These books share those ideas, from Victorian classics to modern retellings and novels about artificial life.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Genre | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dracula | Bram Stoker | Gothic horror | readers who want another classic monster |
| Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde | Robert Louis Stevenson | Gothic novella | readers who like science and duality |
| The Island of Doctor Moreau | H. G. Wells | Science fiction | readers interested in science gone wrong |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Gothic fiction | readers who like a moral fable |
| The Invisible Man | H. G. Wells | Science fiction | readers who want a fast classic |
| The Phantom of the Opera | Gaston Leroux | Gothic romance | readers drawn to a tragic outsider |
| Carmilla | Sheridan Le Fanu | Gothic novella | readers who want early vampire fiction |
| Poor Things | Alasdair Gray | Literary fiction | readers who want a modern twist on Frankenstein |
| Frankissstein | Jeanette Winterson | Literary fiction | readers who like dual timelines |
| This Dark Endeavor | Kenneth Oppel | YA gothic | teen readers |
| The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter | Theodora Goss | Historical fantasy | readers who like literary mash-ups |
| Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro | Literary fiction | readers interested in created life |
| Klara and the Sun | Kazuo Ishiguro | Literary science fiction | readers who want a gentler story about AI |
| Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Philip K. Dick | Science fiction | readers interested in artificial humans |
| Mexican Gothic | Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Gothic horror | readers who love a creepy house |
1. Dracula by Bram Stoker
Told through letters and diaries, Stoker's novel follows a group of friends who fight the ancient Count Dracula as he moves from Transylvania to England.
Best for: readers who want another classic monster.
2. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
A respected doctor creates a potion that releases his darker self. Short, eerie and full of questions about human nature.
Best for: readers who like science and duality.
3. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells
A shipwrecked man lands on an island where a scientist turns animals into human-like creatures. A chilling look at the limits of experimentation.
Best for: readers interested in science gone wrong.
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
A beautiful young man stays young while his portrait shows the damage of his sins. Witty, dark and haunting.
Best for: readers who like a moral fable.
5. The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
A scientist makes himself invisible and slowly loses his mind and his humanity. A brisk, suspenseful read.
Best for: readers who want a fast classic.
6. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
A masked genius haunts the Paris Opera and obsesses over a young singer. Like Frankenstein's creature, he is both feared and pitiable.
Best for: readers drawn to a tragic outsider.
7. Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
A lonely young woman befriends a mysterious guest who may be a vampire. Published before Dracula and full of atmosphere.
Best for: readers who want early vampire fiction.
8. Poor Things by Alasdair Gray
A Victorian doctor brings a drowned woman back to life with an infant's brain, and she sets out to experience the world on her own terms. Inventive and funny.
Best for: readers who want a modern twist on Frankenstein.
9. Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson
Mary Shelley's summer of 1816 is paired with a modern story about artificial intelligence and transhumanism. Playful and thought-provoking.
Best for: readers who like dual timelines.
10. This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
A prequel imagining a teenage Victor Frankenstein who searches for the elixir of life to save his twin brother. Fast-paced and atmospheric.
Best for: teen readers.
11. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss
The daughters of famous fictional scientists, including Jekyll and Moreau, team up to solve a mystery in Victorian London.
Best for: readers who like literary mash-ups.
12. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kathy remembers her childhood at an English boarding school and slowly reveals the purpose the students were made for. Quietly devastating.
Best for: readers interested in created life.
13. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara, an artificial friend, observes the family she serves and tries to understand love. Tender and thought-provoking.
Best for: readers who want a gentler story about AI.
14. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
A bounty hunter tracks escaped androids and begins to doubt the difference between humans and machines. The basis of Blade Runner.
Best for: readers interested in artificial humans.
15. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A young socialite visits a decaying mansion in 1950s Mexico and discovers a family's horrifying secrets about science and power.
Best for: readers who love a creepy house.
How to Choose
If you want classic Victorian horror, start with Dracula, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde or The Island of Doctor Moreau. For modern takes on Shelley's ideas, try Poor Things, Frankissstein and The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter. If the creature's loneliness moved you, Never Let Me Go and Klara and the Sun explore the same question of what we owe to the beings we create. Teens can start with This Dark Endeavor.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Frankenstein horror or science fiction?
Both. It is a gothic horror novel and is often called the first science fiction novel.
Who is the real monster in Frankenstein?
Readers still debate it. Many argue that Victor, who abandons his creation, is the true monster.
Is Frankenstein hard to read?
The language is old-fashioned, but the novel is fairly short. An annotated edition or an audiobook helps.