Mary Shelley was a pioneering British Gothic novelist who authored the science-fiction classic Frankenstein. Her writing explored the boundaries between science, morality, and human ambition.
If you enjoy reading books by Mary Shelley then you might also like the following authors:
If you enjoy Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, you might also be interested in Bram Stoker, whose classic tale Dracula explores similar themes of horror, human ambition, and consequences that spin out of control.
Stoker’s story follows Jonathan Harker, a young man sent to Transylvania to assist Count Dracula with a property purchase in England.
Soon, the polite and mysterious Count reveals darker sides, leading Jonathan and his friends into a disturbing struggle against evil forces and ancient powers.
Both Shelley and Stoker highlight the dangers of unchecked ambition and society’s hidden fears, especially through their vivid portrayals of sympathy, tragedy, and suspense.
Bram Stoker’s atmospheric storytelling and complex characters offer fascinating parallels to Shelley’s style, creating thought-provoking and unsettling narratives.
If you enjoy Mary Shelley’s gothic style filled with psychological intensity and mystery, you might also appreciate Ann Radcliffe. Radcliffe is best known for her atmospheric novels, where eerie settings and dark secrets create suspense and tension.
Her classic novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho, follows a young woman named Emily St. Aubert. After facing tragic circumstances, Emily is taken under the care of her distant aunt and must live at the shadowy castle of Udolpho.
There, she encounters strange events, hidden pasts, and mysterious figures, all while navigating threats and trying to protect herself from unknown dangers.
Radcliffe’s writing blends subtle terror with romantic sensibility, making her stories captivating enough to linger in your mind.
Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish author known for his vivid storytelling and fascinating plots that explore human nature and adventure.
If you enjoy Mary Shelley’s exploration of science, ambition, and morality in Frankenstein, you might find Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde equally intriguing.
This short novel follows the respected scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll, who creates a potion that splits his personality into two separate identities—the upright Jekyll and the sinister Mr. Hyde.
Stevenson’s work questions the duality of human nature and the perils of unchecked ambition, themes also explored deeply in Shelley’s famous novel. It’s a quick, engaging read filled with suspense, mystery, and powerful moral questions about good and evil.
Edgar Allan Poe is a master of gothic storytelling known for dark, eerie atmospheres and chilling tales of suspense. If you enjoy Mary Shelley’s blend of horror and thought-provoking themes, Poe’s work may interest you.
His collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque offers unsettling stories of obsession, madness and mystery. One unforgettable story is The Fall of the House of Usher, which explores the decay of an ancient family estate and its inhabitants haunted by their own past.
Poe’s knack for psychological depth and chilling imagery make his stories truly memorable and absorbing.
Nathaniel Hawthorne is an author worth exploring if you enjoy Mary Shelley’s atmosphere of unsettling morality and Gothic style. In his classic novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne examines guilt, shame, and redemption in a strict Puritan community.
Hester Prynne, the novel’s central character, is forced to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest to publicly mark her sin. As she struggles with judgment, isolation, and hidden secrets, readers experience a fascinating psychological journey.
Hawthorne’s storytelling skillfully portrays human emotions, moral ambiguity, and societal pressure, themes familiar to readers who appreciate Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Readers who enjoy Mary Shelley’s combination of dark atmosphere, passionate characters, and intense emotions may find Emily Brontë equally appealing. Emily Brontë, one of the celebrated Brontë sisters, wrote the classic novel Wuthering Heights.
This powerful story revolves around the tormented love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. The setting, a windswept moorland in Yorkshire, creates an eerie and haunting backdrop. Both lovers struggle against social expectations and their own destructive impulses.
Heathcliff’s obsession and revenge shape every character’s fate, making this book unforgettable. Like Shelley’s Frankenstein, Brontë's novel explores human nature, tragedy, and a forceful connection that defies reason.
If you enjoy Mary Shelley’s blend of deep emotion, gothic atmosphere, and complex themes, Charlotte Brontë might capture your attention too.
Her famous novel, Jane Eyre, follows the life of a resilient young woman who becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, a mysterious estate belonging to the brooding and secretive Mr. Rochester. Jane struggles to balance feelings of love and personal independence.
Charlotte Brontë weaves together themes of social class, forbidden romance, and moral courage with elements of suspense and the supernatural. Her vivid, emotional writing creates a memorable story filled with engaging characters and unexpected revelations.
Readers who enjoy Mary Shelley’s blend of horror and gothic romance might appreciate the works of Horace Walpole. His novel, The Castle of Otranto, is seen as one of the earliest Gothic novels.
The story revolves around Manfred, lord of Otranto, whose frantic pursuit of power and legacy leads him into eerie situations filled with supernatural occurrences.
With secret passageways, ominous prophecies, and doomed romance, the book creates an atmosphere of dread and suspense.
If Shelley’s dark, atmospheric storytelling captures your imagination, Walpole’s vivid Gothic setting and emotionally intense narrative will likely resonate as well.
Victor Hugo is a French author famous for combining gothic drama, deep psychological insight, and vibrant portrayals of human struggles.
If you love Mary Shelley’s exploration of humanity and morality in Frankenstein, Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is an excellent place to start.
Set in 15th-century Paris, this rich and melancholic story follows Quasimodo, a gentle, misunderstood outcast, and Esmeralda, a vibrant and beautiful dancer. Both are trapped between society’s cruelty and their own desires.
Hugo paints a vivid picture of medieval Paris and creates intriguing, complex characters, pulling readers through powerful themes of passion, prejudice, and redemption.
Wilkie Collins was an English novelist from the Victorian era known for mystery and suspense stories with touches of gothic atmosphere. If you’re fascinated by Mary Shelley’s exploration of human ambitions and dark secrets, you’ll find Collins engaging as well.
His famous novel, The Woman in White, tells the mysterious story of Walter Hartright, a young drawing tutor who encounters a strange woman dressed entirely in white.
Hartright unravels the tale of crimes, secrets, and hidden identities surrounding this mysterious woman, involving family treachery and unjust confinement.
The novel offers a great blend of suspense, memorable characters, and Victorian anxieties about identity, sanity, and social justice.
Oscar Wilde is an author that readers who appreciate Mary Shelley’s combination of dark themes and insightful exploration of human nature will likely enjoy.
Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray captures the reader with a fascinating twist on gothic storytelling and morality. The book follows Dorian Gray, a young man who trades his conscience for eternal youth and beauty.
As he lives a life of indulgence and excess, his portrait mysteriously ages and reveals the disturbing truth behind his outward charm. Wilde weaves elements of horror and elegance into a story full of mystery, sharp wit, and haunting lessons about vanity and corruption.
M. R. James is a master of classic ghost stories, perfectly suited for readers who enjoy Mary Shelley’s blend of supernatural mystery and Gothic atmosphere.
His collection Ghost Stories of an Antiquary offers an engaging set of eerie, atmospheric tales rooted firmly in old-world scholarship and settings.
One particularly memorable story, Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad, follows Professor Parkins, whose skeptical exploration of a seaside ruin awakens something unexpectedly sinister.
James creates unsettling stories through subtle suspense, ancient artifacts, and scholarly protagonists who confront eerie events beyond their understanding.
If you’re fascinated by tales that mix Gothic suspense with historical depth, M. R. James provides a satisfying step beyond Frankenstein.
Readers who enjoy Mary Shelley’s blend of psychological depth and subtle suspense may find Henry James equally appealing. Henry James was an American-born writer known for exploring human consciousness, moral ambiguity, and the tension beneath refined settings.
In his novel The Turn of the Screw, James tells the story of a young governess hired to care for two orphaned children at an isolated estate. Soon she encounters ghostly figures whose reality and intentions are disturbingly unclear.
With skillful ambiguity, James keeps the reader uncertain about the real nature of these apparitions—are they ghosts, or manifestations of the governess’s troubled mind?
The story captures the anxiety and doubt that Shelley fans appreciate, creating unease through suggestion, unreliable perceptions, and eerie atmospheres.
H. G. Wells explores themes similar to Mary Shelley’s fascination with humanity and science, making his novels a great fit for Shelley fans. In his book The Island of Doctor Moreau, Wells tells the unsettling tale of Edward Prendick, a man shipwrecked on a mysterious island.
He soon discovers the strange Doctor Moreau and his bizarre experiments merging animals with human traits. The frightening consequences of scientific ambition gone awry are central to the story, reminding readers of Shelley’s Frankenstein.
If you enjoy stories that question morality, science, and what it means to be human, this classic novel by H. G. Wells is worth your time.
Readers who admire Mary Shelley’s thoughtful exploration of society and humanity might enjoy Elizabeth Gaskell, a nineteenth-century author known for her social insight and compelling characterization.
In her novel North and South, Gaskell portrays Margaret Hale, a spirited young woman forced by circumstance to move from her peaceful, rural hometown to the industrial city of Milton.
The contrast between Margaret’s upbringing and Milton’s harsh realities sparks dynamic interactions with mill owner John Thornton.
Through Margaret’s journey, readers witness the clash between traditional values and industrial progress, captured poignantly in characters whose lives and beliefs transform as they face hardship, humility, and love.