THE MONSTROUS will chill and darken your day in a terrifyingly sweet way
With a month to go before superstar editor Ellen Datlow’s forthcoming anthology THE MONSTROUS rises from the depths, the positive press keeps rolling in.
Ellen Datlow with one of her favorite monsters
For RISINGSHADOW, Seregil of Rhiminee lauds the book and includes individual reviews of each story.
I’m glad I had an opportunity to read and review THE MONSTROUS, because it’s an excellent horror anthology. It will be of interest to readers who enjoy reading dark fantasy and horror stories. The stories range fascinatingly from dark fantasy flavoured horror fiction to explicit horror fiction, and from psychologically challenging horror fiction to disquieting and deeply disturbing horror fiction.
One of the best things about THE MONSTROUS is that it contains versatile stories. It gives a good overview of what contemporary horror fiction has to offer for readers, because it has something for everybody. No matter what your taste in horror fiction is, you’ll find much to enjoy in this anthology. (In my opinion, Ellen Datlow has done her best to select interesting and as versatile stories about monsters as possible to this anthology. It was fascinating to read about the different kind of monsters.)
By the way, if you’re wondering whether THE MONSTROUS is worth reading or not, I can say that it’s definitely worth reading. If you’re fascinated by monsters, this anthology is essential reading material for you, because you’ll have an opportunity to read about many different kind of monsters, some of which are the kind of beings that you’d never want to meet in real life.
The cover image, “Her Will (The Other Side)”, by Reiko Murakami looks beautifully unsettling. It’s a perfect cover image to this anthology.
THE MONSTROUS will chill and darken your day in a terrifyingly sweet way. When you begin to read it, you’ll most likely have problems putting it down, because all of the stories are intriguing and they may cause a few moments of unease and distress to readers.
Highly recommended!
Read the rest of Seregil of Rhiminee’s review at RISINGSHADOW.
TELEREAD praises the anthology and the editor.
In these dog-days of generic Lovecraftian smorgasbords, a collection entitled The Monstrous could easily evoke jaded expectations of yet more creaking tentacles and stale Yog-Sothothery. Even a name like Ellen Datlow, doyenne of horror/weird anthologists, might not conjure up greater hopes, though she did already cover this base with her LOVECRAFT’S MONSTERS . So I’m happy to be able to report that this anthology manages to cast its net far wider than the waters off R’lyeh or Innsmouth, and snare a far more diverse catch of monstrosities, many from no particular mythos at all – or from very private and very unsettling personal mythologies.
Datlow has more backed-up expertise and accumulated assets than almost any other horror/dark/weird editor in the business. It certainly shows in this collection. It’s one of the most monstrous compilations around, and you may find yourself dreaming of its various manifestations for weeks or months afterwards (just not tentacled ones).
Read the rest of the review at TELEREAD.
Kristin Centorcelli at MY BOOKISH WAYS included THE MONSTROUS in her October 2015 Must Reads in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
While not directly related to THE MONSTROUS, Ellen Datlow is interviewed at SPOOKY BLOGGERY.
For more information on LOVECRAFT’S MONSTERS, Tachyon visit the site .
Cover by John Coulthart
For more on THE MONSTROUS, visit the Tachyon page.
Illustrations by John Coulthart
Cover by Reiko Murakami
Cover design by Elizabeth Story
