SOURCE: Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son (2005) by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson

DESCRIPTION: "'...He had the arteries and veins to serve a double pump...Skull bone's as dense as armor. I burnt out two electric trepanning saws trying to cut through it...He had a pair of livers, too...and a twelve ounce spleen. The average spleen is seven ounces...he looked normal on the outside. Maybe not a male model, but not the Elephant Man, either..." (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson)

NOTES: The New Race are Victor (Frankenstein) Helios's bio-engineered creations. They are grown in a vat in only weeks, then educated with direct-to-brain recordings. These creatures are human-looking on the outside (some beautiful, some homely) but have enhanced organs such as two hearts. Because of this superior physique they can move faster than humans, shut off pain signals to the brain, survive massive injuries, and heal in days. The new Race is devoid of emotion, existing only to serve Frankenstein. They are sterile, breeding only through their master's science. Frankenstein has created about two thousand of these beings and placed them through government, police and military as well as clergy. The idea is when Helios is ready these insiders will take over all institutions and exterminate the human race. The New Race is structured along the lines of Huxley's Brave New World. There are Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Epsilon ranks. The Alphas include individuals like Erika Four, Helios's wife. The Epsilon members will be mindless drudges who do all the physical work. Frankenstein's experiments with the New Race continues. He explores improves using psychic powers as well as autism as a way of controlling the Epsilons. The New Race is not genetically perfect for the police infiltrator Harker develops an offspring inside of him, spawning a New Race abomination.

HISTORY: Koontz has turned an idea from the original novel on its head. In Shelley's book, Frankenstein is supposed to make a bride for the monster but can't do it because he knows it will allow the monster race to grow. The monster kills his wife Elizabeth because he does not fulfill his promise. Koontz flips this around so it is Frankenstein who wants the race of monsters, not Adam. Koontz has fun with names in this book using Jonathan Harker (from Dracula) as well as Dwight Frye (the actor who played Fritz, the film version's Igor character.) A tip of the hat to fans but I found it annoying.