Dean Koontz Frankenstein series

While certainly not rock'n'roll in any sense (one of the characters listens to Billy Joel, fer chrissakes) Koontz's Frankenstein series is certainly based on pop culture. I have always appreciated those who gave a new twist to cherished old horror tales (I don't remember the title, but really enjoyed a book that told Bram Stoker's Dracula from Vlad's point of view) and this was recommended to me. While his output is prodigious, I have not read all that many of his titles, but his reputation proceeded him and I was intrigued.

This series brings the Frankenstein fable into the modern age with some plausibility (although also some absurdity and pure fantasy) but it also reads basically like an old-school comic book, complete with a mad scientist (the original Dr. Frankenstein, of course) who wants to take over the world, only to be frustrated by two plucky cops who accidentally discover his plot and are, of course, attracted to each other but hiding it so they don't effect their partnership. Don't get me wrong, I like comic books, but this is fairly one dimensional - very much good versus evil with no real middle ground, unlike modern comics - and simplistic enough that I have read someone's review conjecturing that this was an early work that has been rediscovered to profit off of Koontz's fame.

But, it's not all bad, there are some unexpected twists, the story moves pretty quickly, and it has some goofy charm to it. If you find the series cheap and you like this sort of thing, it could be worth your while.