You have just received “The Shelley Volumes,” a collection of hollowed-out books left by Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) to her son, Florence. In the first volume, you find a message from Mary:
“Contained within these volumes is a secret many great men have devoted their entire lives to unearthing, and always in vain. It is a secret I would have taken with me to the grave, except that it is, in more ways than one, our family’s legacy, and thus rightfully belongs with you…”
Beneath Mary’s letter you’ll discover a treasure trove of gorgeous hand-written documents, 2D and 3D jigsaw puzzles, mysterious objects and artifacts, and devious challenges. Prove your worth by studying the documents, constructing the jigsaws, and solving the puzzles… and you’ll be treated to a heartbreaking story that culminates in a shocking reimagining of the truth behind Mary Shelley’s famous novel.
Each volume should take 3-5 hours to complete. Volume 1 concerns Mary’s teenage years. We learn about her education by her iconoclastic father and complete three assignments on the subjects she most loved as a student—poetry, music, and astronomy—each of which is presented in the form of a puzzle. Simultaneously, Mary embarks on a love affair with the dashing (but married) poet Percy Shelley. The course of their courtship is laid out over 15 love letters—complete with original poetry, gorgeous drawings, and some heavy flirting—but be warned, in Mother of Frankenstein, there are always secrets hidden in the spaces between the words, for those who know how to look…
In Volume 2, the venue changes to a certain famous castle in Germany. You’ll begin by constructing a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle that will serve as a sort of key to the mysteries that follow. One puzzle involves a ball thrown on a balmy summer night in 1814, for which you’ll have to chart the events of the evening by way of gossip rags, billiard hall schedules, and original drawings by comic book artist Liana Kangas. Afterwards you’ll descend into the bowels of the castle with alchemist Conrad Dippel, and discover what Mary learned under his tutelage.
Finally, in Volume 3, you’ll construct an epic 3D puzzle of the same castle and use it to…well, we aren’t ready to give away all of our plans just yet!
