This novel is recognized as the first work of science fiction. The main character in the story is a young scientist named Frankenstein. In an obsessive project to create life, he frequents mortuaries, tombs, and slaughterhouses. From the parts of various corpses, he pieces together an eight-foot-tall monster and brings it to life. But, when the monster is animated, Frankenstein is frightened by its hideous face, and he flees. An ominous day of fear and trepidation is quickly followed by a series of appalling events. The reek of death hangs on every page of the book.