Ben+Franklinstein+Lives

Benjamin Franklin didn’t die, he’s just been in a state of suspended-animation, waiting for the Modern Order of Prometheus to wake him when America faces its next crisis. //Benjamin Franklinstein// //Lives// by Matthew McElligott and Larry Taxbury intertwines history and science to create a very light-hearted tale about Benjamin Franklin reappearing in the 21st century and his subsequent friendship with his neighbor, Victor Godwin. Lightning strikes Victor’s apartment building reanimating Benjamin Franklin after nearly 250 years of slumber. Ben believes his Custodian has woken him to do the work of the Modern Order of the Prometheus, but there is no Custodian in sight, only Victor, a young scientist in the making. After a bit of scientific trial and error, Ben and Victor determine the right amount of electricity necessary to keep Ben running fully charged and they set out on the path to find the Order and determine Ben’s and possibly civilization’s fate. Explosions, experiments, and destruction follow Ben and Victor’s moves as they navigate their quest. A recipe for Promethean All-Natural Extra Tart Lemonade, a diagram of Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, lock casing patent figure, a map of downtown Philadelphia, and chemical makeup diagrams of “harmonic fluid” are just a few of the illustrations that add a fun educational component to the story. Lively dialogue, humorous situations, and fantastic illustrations create an entertaining read in //Benjamin Franklinstein Lives.// //Benjamin Franklinstein Lives// isn’t so much a horror story as it is a tale about a new friendship and the wonder of science; it just happens to have monster as a main character who operates quite a bit like Frankenstein’s monster.