Elizabeth, an unclaimed orphan child, saves the life of an enigmatic young man named Falkner. Falkner takes responsibility for the young girl and does his best to perform the role of a caring and conscientious parent. All the while, he is oppressed by guilt and haunted by the unspeakable secrets of his past which threaten to overtake and destroy him. Elizabeth finds herself navigating a story filled with mystery, romance and chilling suspense.

Falkner was Mary Shelley's last completed novel. The gothic tones and philosophical themes will be familiar to the reader of Shelley’s other works. What is perhaps notably different in the style of Falkner is Shelley's more optimistic arrangement of wholesome elements and characters that bring charm to the otherwise dark story.

This edition of Falkner by Mary Shelley includes:

• Annotations

• A forward by the editor

• A brief biography of the author

The body of this edition's text has not been abridged and is true to the form it took in 1837. All contributions by the editor are intended to make the book more accessible to the modern reader without resorting to alteration.