Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Every literary enthusiast knows Mary Shelley as the author of the gothic fiction classic “Frankenstein,” and how she started writing the story when she was 18 years old as part of a writing contest between her, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron’s physician, John Polidori. The same contest also led to the creation of Polidori’s horror short story “The Vampyr,” which is now considered one of the foundational works in the popular vampire genre.

The graphic novel “Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream” by Alessandro Di Virgilio, Manuela Santoni, and Giulia Gabrielli is an attempt to explore the author’s life and her brief marriage to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, which ended due to his tragic early death at sea. Unfortunately, for those who already know a little about Mary’s life, the book has very little to offer in terms of content. Ironically, Mary’s Wikipedia page contains a lot more details than this novel that spans about 135 pages. Therefore, the focus obviously becomes the artwork, since it’s a graphic novel.

Also Read: ‘Carmilla: The First Vampire’ – Graphic Novel Review

Illustrated mostly in black and white, the artwork is stark in style, with strokes made to resemble a hurried sketchbook style that lends a raw effect to the panels and also creates a dark gothic ambiance due to the two-toned color scheme. This ambiance is sometimes disturbed by small amounts of red, drawn to resemble thorns or blood splatters.

Mary comes off as a naive young woman swept up in a whirlwind romance by the romantic and frivolous poet Percy, which was quite true to her circumstances; she was only 16 when she eloped with Percy. Just as the reader begins to get acquainted with the author, “Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream” comes to an abrupt end. The creators only chart her life until the conception of her most famous work, “Frankenstein,” a culmination of her own turbulent life, fears, and mental monsters. Despite some beautifully drawn illustrations, you are left with a sense of disappointment by the end.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

This graphic novel is worth exploring if you have the “Kindle Unlimited” subscription.

Read Next: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Review

Also Read: The Madman’s Library – Book Review (audio version below)