<DIV>This apocalyptic tale by the author of <I>Frankenstein</I> envisions a future world devastated by plague. Misunderstood by contemporary readers, Mary Shelley's 1826 precursor to the science fiction novel has reemerged to critical acclaim. Its quasibiographical portraits of the author's Romantic-era cohorts, including Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, are of particular interest.</div>