Destroyer is a brutal and poetic story about the perceived innovations of science and the nature of grief. Based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor LaValle updates the story for a futuristic 21st Century. The story centers on Dr. Baker, a black descendant of the Frankenstein family who has lost her teenage son after an encounter with the police, her Frankenstein cyborg son, and two scientists who attempt to protect her. But can they survive her pain and wrath? At the same time, the original monster has survived in Antarctica and is haunting down the remaining Frankensteins.

I found Destroyer to be topical and smartly written (this is a wonderful homage to Frankenstein and a wonderful continuation to the story) but it also felt a bit rushed. Nevertheless, if done right, I think this could make a fascinating sci-fi horror film. ( )

Hmmm...

While I enjoyed this one...especially the art...I will say I believe LaValle may have bitten off more than he'd realized with all the things going on in this story. There's racial tension. There's 3-D printing of living beings. There's nanobots. There's secret gov't agents. Oh, and there's Frankenstein's monster, who's suddenly a couple of hundred years old and superpowered as the Hulk.

I honestly believe LaValle could have left Mary Shelley's most famous creation right out of the mix and made it more about the NanoBoy and had a cleaner story.

I enjoy LaValle's writing, and I enjoy seeing things we see everyday...such as casual racism...dealt with in a strong way.

But overall, as a Frankenstein's monster story? No, I believe it was an abject failure. When you've got a piecemeal human—made solely from human parts—doing Hulk-style jumps and ripping apart huge metal robots with his bare hands? Nope. You've kinda left Mary Shelley's true creation on the cutting room floor. ( )

A powerful modern twist on Frankenstein. I really liked the artwork—especially the depictions of the monster and Akai.
Akai was innocent and sweet, quite the opposite of the old monster and an interesting contrast to his mother. It was surprising that their attitudes after what happened to him were so different, even though they’d only had each other through the years.
In his comments at the end of the book, the author wrote, “As I write this, I wonder what seems more fantastical: that a woman could bring her dead son back to life, or that our country might ever hold itself accountable for the injustices it has perpetrated.” ( )

The social commentary aspects were very well done, especially against the backdrop of the Frankenstein themes. At times it seemed a little rushed and to gloss over things--I expected more nuance for the original monster, but that never materialized. I loved Josephine and her brilliance. ( )

That was fantaaaaastic. ( )