Our Hideous Progeny: A thrilling Gothic Adventure

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What a book this is. It's grand; it's sumptuous. It's horror and mystery, a literary thriller. Impeccably researched and elegantly written. I LOVED IT! One of my two fav. books so far this year... The author of Our Hideous Progeny, C.E. McGill, is only 23 years old. To be a published author at such a young age is quite an accomplishment. But even more impressive is that they have written a debut that is far better than many seasoned writers’ second, third, or fourth novels.

Absolutely fantastic news today: my debut novel, the Frankenstein-inspired paleontological gothic OUR HIDEOUS PROGENY, has been acquired by Kirsty Dunseath at Doubleday! Read the full press release here! The only thing that Mary knows about her great uncle, Victor Frankenstein, is that he went missing in mysterious circumstances in the Arctic, other than that she knows nothing - well not yet anyway! Through Mary’s fight for acclaim and acceptance in the scientific world, McGill does an excellent job of showing the trials of women in the 19th century, particularly for women as intelligent and outspoken as Mary. The men sure do try to keep her down. The novel's central character, Mary, is an aspiring scientist in the 1850s, a time of scientific breakthroughs, including the beginnings of the science of paleontology. She attends meetings of the Royal Society, but the male members (and only men can be members) treat her as an anomaly, an amusement, and an aggravation. To modify a line from Samuel Johnson, they find her scientific aspirations like a dog's walking on its hind legs: they are surprised to see Mary attempting it at all, and are incapable of seeing that she actually does it quite well.

I suppose that is why it often makes me sad to read about history, or even natural history, as you do; I cannot help but think of everyone whose tale cannot fit in one book, those poor creatures who remain lost or forgotten. Do you think that one day, some Mary of the future will sketch our bones and wonder what we might have been in life?” So. This is supposed to be a queer feminist retelling of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". We follow Victor Frankenstein's great-niece, Mary, in 1853 London. Mary and her husband are struggling financially and professionally. But Mary believes that she has found something about her great-uncle's disappearance that can help them change the world of science. Compelling andutterly absorbing, Our Hideous Progeny is an artfully crafted debut that echoes the dark essence of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein while maintaining a fascinating originality all of its own" — Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora I love this type of story, where a woman is battling against society’s norms & expectations of her. Mary is a fierce character. I love the contrast between Henry & herself, with Mary clearly being the stronger in the partnership. Henry typically allows himself to be steered by wealth & notoriety, whereas Mary keeps them grounded by her sense of what is right. There are villains in this story, but no heroes; heroines instead take their place, in the form of Mary, and her poorly, gentle sister-in-law Maisie. This book takes a look at the society and politics of the time; of the disparities between class, gender and race, and refuses to make apologies for the way things once were; instead giving us characters who question and rebel at the time, though who understand the limits of such action.

Our Hideous Progeny follows Mary; a young woman with many surnames. Firstly Brown, secondly Sutherland, and thirdly (and most importantly), Frankenstein. The niece of Victor Frankenstein, she happens across a bundle of letters and notes left amongst the belongings of her late father; letters that speak of what happened to Victor, and what miraculously terrifying thing he was able to do, so many years before. A fantastic read: I felt everything about Mary, her simmering anger and her intellectual delight, so very clearly." - Freya MarskeOur Hideous Progeny has so much going on that it's hard to know where to start a review. We follow Mary, an aspiring palaeontologist living in London in 1853. She's quietly bisexual, married to a geologist she isn't quite sure she loves or respects any more, mourning a stillborn daughter, processing the effects of a traumatic childhood, looking for a way to make her mark on the world. Although the story seemed to drag a little at times, it was nevertheless beautifully written, and was a great homage to Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ with a wonderfully gothic feel to it, and an engaging atmospheric storyline. Recommended. Our Hideous Progeny is a masterpiece of literary writing. The style makes me want to compare CE McGill to Charlotte Bronte - the words just flow so easily as if CE McGill could write a story in their sleep. I’m going to need every to drop what they’re doing and add this to their TBR right now. This was absolutely everything I was hoping for and more.