Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus

A ship captain exploring the Arctic rescues a half-dead scientist chasing something across the ice, and hears his confession. Victor Frankenstein, a student drunk on ambition, discovered how to animate lifeless matter, assembled a creature, and then fled in horror from what he had made. Abandoned and unnamed, the creature educates itself, watches humanity from the shadows, and finally comes looking for its maker with a demand.

Mary Shelley began the novel at eighteen, on a dare to write a ghost story, and produced something much stranger than the monster movies suggest. It's a nested tale about ambition and loneliness and who answers for what gets made, and the most eloquent voice in it belongs to the creature itself. The way it's built out of letters and confessions makes it a natural for audio.

At roughly 74,800 words, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus runs about 8½ hours at 1x narration speed. That figure is an estimate based on a typical narration pace. The exact length depends on the voice and the playback speed you choose.

Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus is in the public domain, so the complete text is free on Project Gutenberg and LoudReader has the entire Project Gutenberg catalog built in. To listen:

1. Download LoudReader for Mac or iPhone (free, no account).
2. Search for “Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus” in the built-in catalog and add it to your library.
3. Press play. A natural offline voice reads the book while each word highlights on screen, and your place is saved between sessions.

LoudReader reads with natural offline voices, so the whole book works on a plane or underground. It is fully on-device and private, your library never leaves your device. Listening is unlimited on the free tier.