Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus, a novel known worldwide as Frankenstein, is a pioneering work, considered the initiator of science fiction. Published in 1818 and set in the tradition of the Gothic novel, it explores such topical themes as the morality of science, eternal life and man's relationship with God. Frankenstein is written in epistolary form, which achieves great verisimilitude and closeness to the reader. The story is set in 18th century Europe at the height of the scientific effervescence. The captain of a whaling ship writes to his sister Margaret about his vicissitudes and his encounter with the tenebrous scientist Victor Frankenstein, who, in search of the secret of life and without measuring the consequences that this will bring him, creates a new being with parts of other dead human beings.