If you loved
Unwieldy Creatures
Addie Tsai · Book · 2022
You loved Unwieldy Creatures for how it centers marginalized voices within the transformative, often destructive, reach of scientific ambition.
Films on the same thread
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro · Film · 2025
Shares a thread with Unwieldy Creatures: Science vs. Nature.
Like Unwieldy Creatures, this film examines the catastrophic fallout of playing God, focusing on the deep alienation experienced by those created outside the traditional boundaries of society.
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos · Film · 2023
Explores: Feminist Awakening, Artificial Intelligence Ethics, Societal Critique.
If the feminist awakening and existential inquiries of Unwieldy Creatures resonated with you, this story of a woman navigating a world that refuses to define her is essential viewing.
Bride of Frankenstein
James Whale · Film · 1935
Explores: Creation, Isolation, Playing God.
This classic shares the core preoccupation with the ethics of creation found in Unwieldy Creatures, highlighting the tragic isolation that inevitably follows the pursuit of forbidden scientific knowledge.
Mary Shelley
Film · 2017
Explores: Creativity, Intellectual rebellion, Tragic romance.
Just as Unwieldy Creatures reimagines the origins of a literary icon, this biographical drama explores the intellectual rebellion and creative fire that birthed the original Frankenstein narrative.
Series on the same thread
Wednesday
Miles Millar · Series · 2022
Explores: Outsider Perspective, Coming-of-Age, Murder Investigation.
Fans of the outsider perspective in Unwieldy Creatures will appreciate this dark, sarcastic look at a young woman finding her footing among those who consider her a monster.
Alchemy of Souls
Hong Jeong-eun · Series · 2022
Explores: Destiny vs. Free Will, Master-Disciple Relationship, Forbidden Love.
The body-swapping and forbidden romance in this series echo the identity-shifting themes of Unwieldy Creatures, grounding its high-stakes fantasy in the personal struggle to define one's own destiny.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Moon Ji-won · Series · 2022
Explores: Autism representation, Acceptance, Overcoming prejudice.
Much like the characters in Unwieldy Creatures who fight for their place in the world, this series centers on a brilliant individual navigating prejudice to form a meaningful community.
Penny Dreadful
John Logan · Series · 2014
Shares a thread with Unwieldy Creatures: Identity.
This series weaves together the same gothic threads of moral ambiguity and monstrous identity that define Unwieldy Creatures, placing iconic literary figures into a dark, psychologically complex landscape.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Realignment
The Realignment · Podcast · 2026
Explores: institutional change, populism, technological disruption.
If you were drawn to the critique of scientific and institutional power in Unwieldy Creatures, this analysis of modern technological disruption offers a real-world look at those same themes.
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
The emotional depth of the A.I.s in this audio drama mirrors the exploration of non-traditional existence found in Unwieldy Creatures, focusing on the survival of those on the margins.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Unwieldy Creatures a retelling of a classic novel?
Yes, Unwieldy Creatures is a biracial, queer, and gender-swapped retelling of Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein. It reimagines the original narrative by focusing on three beings who navigate life from the margins, including a queer biracial Chinese intern and a queer biracial Indonesian scientist.
What is the background of the main character in Unwieldy Creatures?
The main character, Plum, is a queer biracial Chinese intern working at a top embryology lab in Unwieldy Creatures. She decides to run away from home to be with her girlfriend, but she eventually finds herself left on her own while navigating her identity and professional life.
Does Unwieldy Creatures feature a scientist character?
Yes, Unwieldy Creatures features Dr. Frank, a queer biracial Indonesian scientist. Along with the intern Plum, Dr. Frank is one of the three central beings whose story is explored as they navigate life from the margins within the context of the book's embryology lab setting.
Who wrote Unwieldy Creatures?
Unwieldy Creatures was written by Addie Tsai and published in 2022. The novel centers on the experiences of three individuals, including Plum and Dr. Frank, as they grapple with their identities and the consequences of their actions in a narrative inspired by the story of Frankenstein.