The birth of 'Frankenstein' (1818) occurred during the 'Year Without a Summer' (1816), when a volcanic eruption in Indonesia caused global climate anomalies. Trapped indoors at Lake Geneva by constant rain, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron held a competition to see who could write the best ghost story. 18-year-old Mary had a 'waking dream' about a pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. This vision became the first true science fiction novel, exploring the ethical boundaries of technology and the definition of humanity. Unlike the movie versions, Shelley's creature is highly intelligent and articulate, learning language by reading Milton’s 'Paradise Lost.' The book was published anonymously, and many readers initially assumed it was written by her husband, Percy.