Long and Short Reviews

Confessions of the Creature by Gary Inbinder
Drollerie Press, Illuminated Press
Historical, Paranormal
Full Length, Sensual
Review by Camellia

Frankenstein’s creature is determined to gain revenge against Frankenstein for condemning him to a lonely, fearful life. His revengeful pursuit of Frankenstein, and Frankenstein’s death, leave the creature stranded far from civilization, both physically and spiritually.

Now that his driving force is gone, he must learn to live. A chance meeting with a remarkable Russian granny who sees through his hideous exterior to his badly damaged spirit gives him the opportunity to overcome what he is, and perhaps become who he was meant to be.

In this novel, Gary Inbinder uses historical detail carefully and accurately to examine what it means to be human. Viktor is unusual for any time, not just because of the means of his birth, but because he doesn't have the assurance that he is a man because he is a man. His journey leaves him as confused as we all are, at times, about what it means to be who we are, but we, the reader, are able to see that he is, indeed, human in all the ways that matter--and truly a product of his times, as much as any man he meets.

♥ ♥ ♥

This novel is full of well-written, graphic description that will linger with this reader for a long time. Gary Inbinder grabs the attention of the reader immediately with a horrifying event set in an icebound ship in the Arctic. From this point on there is an undercurrent of danger, mystery, and paranormal that pulls the reader along. From the icy Artic to the sunny, lush Tuscany region of Italy with a multitude of places in between, Inbinder gives rich descriptions that touch the reader’s senses. The reader feels as if she is right there with the Creature from the fetid alleys of overcrowded cities of the early nineteenth century cities of Europe to the opulent mansions of Tsarist Russian.

As the beleaguered Creature struggles for self-actualization, he endures the vilest and the most sublime of happenings. His time with Agrafina gives the reader hope for what had seemed a hopeless situation for the Creature.

Later, in his human state he suffers degradation at the hands of aristocracy but makes his way to become one of this elite group. In so doing, he becomes a part of battlefield scenes that are terrifying and spellbinding. The cruelty is unimaginable and Inbinder sets the reader down right in the middle of it with his clear, gripping description.

Through all the politics, wars, and inhumane events, a love abides that helps keep the story in balance with a steadfastness that astounds.

The setting for the novel is an extremely troubled time in history and brings the era to life as it weaves philosophy, religion, literature, history, science, military strategy, politic, and human subterfuge into a first person account of The Creature who struggles to keep the demon inside under control as he protects all that he loves regardless of personal misery.

While CONFESSIONS OF THE CREATURE is different from what I usually read, I found it a compelling, thought-provoking novel with an undercurrent that made me always a little anxious about what will happen next to the characters.