‘Frankenstein’ Reborn: Profile, inkle, Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson launch new app

02 December 2011

In April 2012 Profile Books, inkle, and best-selling authors Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson launch a new literary app: Frankenstein.

Designed specifically for iPad and iPhone, the app brings a classic novel to a new audience. As a work of interactive literature, Frankenstein will be the first in a new generation of e-books. Two contemporary writers galvanise Mary Shelley’s classic with unusual graphics and a beautiful and revolutionary interface from software studio inkle. Frankenstein is a literary app, creating a new interactive reading experience based on the original text, uncovering new depths to one of the world’s most powerful classic stories. The app will be launched globally in April 2012, price £2.99.

Profile’s digital publishing director Michael Bhaskar says: ‘Over the centuries Frankenstein has inspired films, plays and dozens of imaginative ventures – from graphic novels to musicals. How appropriate that it should inspire this new artform – a digital literary experience. Dave and Jamie set the bar when it comes to interactive storytelling and inkle are setting the technology agenda. This is the start of a whole new way of telling classic stories.’

inkle’s Joseph Humfrey and Jon Ingold say: ‘The video game industry is used to pulling together so many creative elements: the technology, the visual design, the story, and an indefinable sense of what makes an interactive work enjoyable. Profile Books completely understand the complexities of this process, so it’s fantastic working with them to bring the project to life. The result is the first in a new generation of e-books that take full advantage of the co-creative potential of digital fiction. I genuinely believe
people will look back at Frankenstein and say, that’s the moment when everything changed.’

Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson say: ‘Maybe you remember gamebooks or choose-your-own novels? If so, put those right out of your mind. Frankenstein is way more than that. It’s an art installation made up of story fragments, where the reader can explore the text, creating a unique and personal experience of this rightly world-famous work and developing a direct
relationship with the main characters. That’s why we’re describing it as interactive literature – it’s a truly new kind of novel for the digital age.’

Read more about why inkle decided to work with Profile Books here

Press contact Ruth Killick 0207 841 6307 / 07880703741

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