As excitement builds for Guillermo del Toro‘s stylish Frankenstein movie, Penguin Books would like you to remember where the story began. Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, a pioneering work of sci-fi, is getting a special tie-in release with Jacob Elordi‘s hulking, weirdly glamorous monster gracing the cover.
Frankenstein has, of course, been adapted many times over the years, with Boris Karloff’s Universal Pictures run as the monster providing the most indelible visual. Frankenstein’s monster (or “Frankenstein” if you don’t mind the inaccuracy) has long since become an established part of the creature pantheon, adorning Halloween decorations and popping up at Universal’s theme parks.
A tie-in edition pairing an old book with a new adaptation—which is not a new idea by any means; other recent examples have seen Wicked and The Long Walk get shiny new covers inspired by their respective movies—might make novel fans cringe, but it makes sense. And if Elordi’s (heavily made-up) face gets a casual consumer to read a literary classic, isn’t that the best outcome possible?
It also comes with an introduction by del Toro, offering further incentive.
Here’s the full cover, which reproduces the film’s new poster revealed earlier today.
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, starring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, and Mia Goth, hits theaters for a limited release October 17; it arrives on Netflix November 7.
The tie-in edition of the book releases October 28; you can pre-order here. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was first published January 1, 1818.
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