SFF

The Monstrous

by Ellen Datlow
Tachyon. Nov. 2015. 384p. ed. by . ISBN 9781616962067. pap. $16.95; ebk. ISBN 9781616962074. HORROR
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The only direction editor Datlow gave her contributors when compiling this collection was that she didn't want any human monsters. While some of the 20 stories here skirt that rule, there are a nice variety of inhuman beasties as well. A moody Japanese tale from Jeffrey Ford, "A Natural History of Autumn," opens the collection, followed by Peter Straub's school-set riff on Cinderella, "Ashputtle." Other standouts include Adam-Troy Castro's "The Totals," which gives us a competitive monster office and "Down Among the Dead Men" from Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois about a vampire imprisoned in a World War II concentration camp. The anthology also finishes strong with Josh Langen’s Scottish-set "Corpsemouth," the single story original to this collection.
VERDICT The list of contributors, including Gemma Files, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Adam L.G. Nevill, and Kim Newman, will be enough to get horror fans excited. The assortment of styles means that there is a monster here for everyone's taste.
Reviewed by Megan M. McArdle , Oct 15, 2015
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