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In der Presse stand, ich sei 'ne Qual und ein Skandal und nicht normal
Being a little more than halfway through the book, I think it is now safe to state that the technical term for Elizabeth Hand's Pandora's Bride (2007) is crackfic.
It is quite wonderful.
"Dr. Pretorius said that someday a woman will write of the New Eve. So I will be the New Pandora. I will not be any man's bride or any man's toy. Whatever strengths I possess, whatever I have hidden inside me, whatever I unleash upon men, I will do so knowingly . . . Pandora. I am Pandora."
The first chapter presents us with a more or less straightforward revision of the final moments of James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein (1935 and one of my favorite films), in which it is revealed that far from perishing neatly—"We belong dead!"—the Bride instead rescued Dr. Pretorius from the collapsing laboratory, leaving Frankenstein's nameless creation to perish in the flames alone. Far more than a monster's mindless mate, she has the wit and will to be her own Prometheus, stealing fire from the men who would be gods, renaming herself against the myth. The style is not quite a pastiche of Shelley, but it's close enough for government work: antique, but sly. And then we hit the second chapter.
"Yes, times are very difficult for the working people . . . And the government is precarious and corrupt. I wonder where it will all lead."
"Straight to Hell . . . Or to Berlin. Same difference."
Cue the Kurt Weill, as we are plunged into a freewheeling mashup of the Weimar Republic and its cinematic mythologies, in which it only makes sense that Dr. Pretorius' assistant should be the somnambulist Cesare, or that Professor Unrat should have taught not only the ambitious Henry Frankenstein but the even madder Rotwang, while an automaton dances at the Mondkellar and a mysterious murderer roams the streets, whistling Grieg. Did I mention the English lovers, Christopher and Wystan? Or the showgirl Lulu? Oh, and the carnivorous horse, which is damned if I know where (since it's too early for Girl Genius) that came from—it's an Expressionist's grab bag, all magnificently over the top enough to gladden the fey and fabulous heart of Ernest Thesiger.
"I think I am too . . . specialized . . . for your friends."
"You'd be surprised."
In short, this is exactly the kind of book I want to be reading after failing to fend off a Richter 9 headache: it is better than drugs. Now I really have no excuse not to have a Bride of Frankenstein icon.
It is quite wonderful.
"Dr. Pretorius said that someday a woman will write of the New Eve. So I will be the New Pandora. I will not be any man's bride or any man's toy. Whatever strengths I possess, whatever I have hidden inside me, whatever I unleash upon men, I will do so knowingly . . . Pandora. I am Pandora."
The first chapter presents us with a more or less straightforward revision of the final moments of James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein (1935 and one of my favorite films), in which it is revealed that far from perishing neatly—"We belong dead!"—the Bride instead rescued Dr. Pretorius from the collapsing laboratory, leaving Frankenstein's nameless creation to perish in the flames alone. Far more than a monster's mindless mate, she has the wit and will to be her own Prometheus, stealing fire from the men who would be gods, renaming herself against the myth. The style is not quite a pastiche of Shelley, but it's close enough for government work: antique, but sly. And then we hit the second chapter.
"Yes, times are very difficult for the working people . . . And the government is precarious and corrupt. I wonder where it will all lead."
"Straight to Hell . . . Or to Berlin. Same difference."
Cue the Kurt Weill, as we are plunged into a freewheeling mashup of the Weimar Republic and its cinematic mythologies, in which it only makes sense that Dr. Pretorius' assistant should be the somnambulist Cesare, or that Professor Unrat should have taught not only the ambitious Henry Frankenstein but the even madder Rotwang, while an automaton dances at the Mondkellar and a mysterious murderer roams the streets, whistling Grieg. Did I mention the English lovers, Christopher and Wystan? Or the showgirl Lulu? Oh, and the carnivorous horse, which is damned if I know where (since it's too early for Girl Genius) that came from—it's an Expressionist's grab bag, all magnificently over the top enough to gladden the fey and fabulous heart of Ernest Thesiger.
"I think I am too . . . specialized . . . for your friends."
"You'd be surprised."
In short, this is exactly the kind of book I want to be reading after failing to fend off a Richter 9 headache: it is better than drugs. Now I really have no excuse not to have a Bride of Frankenstein icon.
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Thanks for the review. The book has been added to my "must buy" list.
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Indeed.
The book has been added to my "must buy" list.
You're welcome. Enjoy!
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Several, in fact!
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Enjoy!
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Okay, this I GOTTA see.
I also need a mad scientist. It's time to drag Arktigh Khelsea out of Juvenalia and make him do his wickedness again.
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And those are just the crossovers I could find / felt comfortable mentioning in this post!
I also need a mad scientist. It's time to drag Arktigh Khelsea out of Juvenalia and make him do his wickedness again.
My evil plan is in motion . . .
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Thanks for the recommendation!
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Yes; its formal title is The Bride of Frankenstein: Pandora's Bride, which made it difficult to track down in bookstores. I should probably have mentioned that.
Good luck finding a copy!
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Oh, and the carnivorous horse, which is damned if I know where (since it's too early for Girl Genius) that came from
Wasn't there a fellow in Greek mythology who'd trained his horses to eat human flesh? Diomedes, maybe?
Horses can be convinced to take small amounts of dried fish--used to supplement grain at one time, in parts of the Arabian Peninsula--or flesh. I knew one pony as a child who supposedly ate hotdogs and hamburgers.
And of course the rumour went round that Annie* ate little kids on toast. They were perfectly safe, of course, as long as she hadn't any toast. ;-)
*The last horse I had. She didn't mind being fussed with, and had a coat of sufficient thickness to sustain infinite amounts of brushing, so I used to let them use her to teach children in the summer programme at our barn how to groom.
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Diomedes of Thace; I considered him. But to my knowledge, he didn't appear in any Weimar-era films.
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Of course you would have done. Don't know what I was thinking, there.
But to my knowledge, he didn't appear in any Weimar-era films.
Ah. Well, he should have done, I'm sure. ;-)
Carnivorous Equids
I've been meaning to go and read all of that, ever since I finally got broadband at home. Keep not remembering to.
Did you ever read Ronan the Barbarian? That had a carnivorous (sometimes man-eating) donkey named Puss, because the hero's sidekick named it and he'd always wanted to have a kitten, but never been allowed one.
There was also a very strange anime-ish retelling of the story of Alexander the Great--called Reign, I think--wherein Bucephalus appeared to be a cyborg and apparently sometimes ate people. That was the only episode of it that I watched, even though the Pythagorean ninjas* were sort of amusing.
*they made mudra-type gestures like anime ninjas and threw geometric figures composed (presumably) of destructive spiritual energy, and told Alexander that he had to be killed because his numbers were unharmonious
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Briefly. It gives its name to the chapter "Monster Horse Beastie."
they made mudra-type gestures like anime ninjas and threw geometric figures composed (presumably) of destructive spiritual energy, and told Alexander that he had to be killed because his numbers were unharmonious
That's fantastic.
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Interesting. I definitely love the chapter title.
That's fantastic.
It was, in an odd sort of way. The character design bothered me, or else I might've become a fan of the show.
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Welcome. I approve of your icon.
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Btw, have you read Scar Night? Because your description of the Bride reminds me quite a bit of the angel Carnival.
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I have never even heard of Scar Night. Speak to me of it.
Your icon is a slice of fried gold.
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I loved this book.
Glad you like the icon, too!
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Enjoy! It should contain enough mad science for you . . .
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It came out last year; it seems to have been completely under the radar. Nonethless, I'm quite happy I was able to track it down.