The Quest of Frank Schildiner

Jean-Claude Carriere is best remembered as the acclaimed screenwriter of Hotel Paradiso (1966), Belle de Jour (1967), The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (1972), The Return Of Martin Guerre (1982), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). Less well known is the fact that he also authored (under the house name of Benoit Becker) six very bloody sequels to Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) in 1957 and 1958 for a French horror-specialty imprint. Carriere’s  books chronicle the exploits of Gouroull, as he christened the Monster, as he moves across Europe from 1875 to 1939.

Gouroull is portrayed very much in the mold of Mary Shelley’s literary original. He is a terrifying amoral creation possessed of superhuman strength and cunning. Truly the only one of his kind, he is a creation who has outlived his creator and knows not love or restraint. Gouroull is the ultimate sociopath. This Frankenstein monster is quite foreign to our pop cultural mindset. Gouroull uses his razor sharp teeth to slash his victims’ throats. He does not breathe. His skin is naturally flame-resistant. Ichor runs in his veins in place of blood. He is a monster like no other.

A decade after Carriere, Donald F. Glut authored his own series of six literary sequels to Mary Shelley’s original. His portrayal of the legendary Monster was somewhat similar, but Glut chose to set his books in the present day. These titles are being reprinted by Pulp 2.0 Press in two trade paperback omnibus editions as The New Adventures of Frankenstein. Sadly, there are no English language editions of the French Frankenstein series at present. However, Black Coat Press recently published The Quest of Frankenstein, a new exploit of Gouroull, the first in 58 years and the first ever in English. Author Frank Schildiner made the book his personal quest not only to bring Carriere’s unique iteration of the monster back to life, but to place him squarely in the midst of the genre that helped shape Schildiner from childhood to pulp writer over the past five decades.

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