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The Monster's Corner: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes
In most stories we get the perspective of the hero, the ordinary, the everyman, but we are all the hero of our own tale, and so it must be true for legions of monsters, from Lucifer to Mordred, from child-thieving fairies to Frankenstein's monster and the Wicked Witch of the West. From our point of view, they may very well be horrible, terrifying monstrosities, but of course they won't see themselves in the same light, and their point of view is what concerns us in these tales. Demons and goblins, dark gods and aliens, creatures of myth and legend, lurkers in darkness and beasts in human clothing . . . these are the subjects of THE MONSTER'S CORNER.
400 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
35 people are currently reading
1754 people want to read
About the author
Kelley Armstrong
293 books33.6k followersKelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
October 29, 2014
"You are no longer part of the human world. You are a Damaged One. No curse, no bite, no full moon is needed to steal away your humanity. You are a monster, as are we all." *
They've been vilified forever in fairy tales, folk tales and popular fiction. It's about time we get to hear the monster's side of the story.
This is a decent collection of tales, all told by some of the more dodgy members of society.
Some highlights:
-- A rather disturbing story about a younggirl ghoul who seduces her playmate's father in David Liss's THE AWKWARD AGE.
-- The heartbreaking TORN STITCHES, SHATTERED GLASS by Kevin J. Anderson, in which Frankenstein's creation is ostracized once again.
--In RUE by Lauren Groff, an old witch tricks a young woman into surrogate motherhood.
-- A lonely gorgon finds that her suitor's cries of anguish are music to her ears in THE SCREAMING ROOM by Sarah Pinborough.
-- And in Jeff Strand's SPECIMEN 313, giant carnivorous plants suffer surprisingly human emotions. Maybe you ARE what you eat?
There were also strong entries by Jonathan Maberry, Sharyn McCrumb and Tom Piccirilli.
The best stories in the book leave you wondering just WHO really is the monster here?
* From AND STILL YOU WONDER WHY OUR FIRST IMPULSE IS TO KILL YOU by Gary A. Braunbeck. Thisstory manifesto not only has one of the BEST titles ever, but also discloses that monsters have a deep unshakable fear of Ken dolls.
Can't say I blame them...
They've been vilified forever in fairy tales, folk tales and popular fiction. It's about time we get to hear the monster's side of the story.
This is a decent collection of tales, all told by some of the more dodgy members of society.
Some highlights:
-- A rather disturbing story about a young
-- The heartbreaking TORN STITCHES, SHATTERED GLASS by Kevin J. Anderson, in which Frankenstein's creation is ostracized once again.
--In RUE by Lauren Groff, an old witch tricks a young woman into surrogate motherhood.
-- A lonely gorgon finds that her suitor's cries of anguish are music to her ears in THE SCREAMING ROOM by Sarah Pinborough.
-- And in Jeff Strand's SPECIMEN 313, giant carnivorous plants suffer surprisingly human emotions. Maybe you ARE what you eat?
There were also strong entries by Jonathan Maberry, Sharyn McCrumb and Tom Piccirilli.
The best stories in the book leave you wondering just WHO really is the monster here?
* From AND STILL YOU WONDER WHY OUR FIRST IMPULSE IS TO KILL YOU by Gary A. Braunbeck. This
Can't say I blame them...
September 10, 2020
I wrote a nice, long review to go with this book and it went away. The internet computer monster must have stolen it and probably ate it for lunch, as ICM's sometimes do. It's a shame, you would have liked it. Reader's who enjoy monstrous short fiction will find enjoyable fare in the book, too, in these stories told from the alternate point of view. I especially liked the stories by Tom Piccirilli, Heather Graham, Jonathan Maberry, Sharyn McCrumb, and Simon R. Green. My favorite was the one by Gary A. Braunbeck.
October 16, 2015
This turned out to be such a huge disappointment! This was one book that I judged based on the cover. The monsters look gory right? Well the stories within the pages are not! Some of the stories were like-able such as: The Awkward Age (whose title fit perfectly!), Rue, Specimen 313, & Torn Stitches Shattered Glass. 4 out of 19 stories is not impressive. The introduction was great and made me have even higher hopes but I was deceived. I think I am done reading anthologies for the rest of the season. I'm hanging up my broom on this one!
August 13, 2012
The theme of this anthology is, in my mind, utterly brilliant: stories told through the POV of the monster or villain. You’ve now secured my undivided attention! I’m a huge fan of anti-heroes and stories with villains who — if the tables were turned—are as justified in their actions as the protagonist. Those are the best “villains” to me; human ones who grapple with their decisions. And this collection delivers, even if our monsters aren’t, well, human. Best story, you ask? Definitely Chelsea Cain’s “Less of a Girl” for creeping the daylights out of me (I don’t like reading about things under my bed or that move about when I’m sleeping…) and grossing me the feck out while doing so. Why are stories about children always so much scarier?!? lol. This terrifically horrific collection gets a 4/5.
August 17, 2022
This was a great collection of stories that showed me the work of many new authors I’m excited to look into now. Too many to list that I liked, but i could not recommend more for monster lovers near & far.
June 14, 2015
Originally posted on Book Chick City.
How interesting does this anthology sound!? I loved the idea of reading from the view point of the monster. I'm also getting more and more into reading short stories. They really are great for when you're short on time, or going through a rough reading slump. And that's exactly what was happening to me when "The Monster's Corner" dropped through my letter box.
I decided I would read four of the stories in "The Monster's Corner" and write mini reviews of each. I thought this would be enough to give you an idea of the different styles you would find from the many different authors who contributed to this anthology and hope they will give a little taster if you will of what is on offer from this awesome looking book - the cover is fab don't you think? So here are my four choices from this bumper selection of supernatural shorties.
Succumb by John Mcllveen
This was a very visual, slightly dark but also tongue-in-cheek story with a huge amount of sexuality. The story is literally about a sexual act that has you guessing who, or what, is the entity doing the act. It's very difficult to explain without giving anything away, but let's just say I changed my mind about three times before the story ended. I liked the authors writing style a lot and even though this was a very short story there was a lot of information about the two characters involved. It had my complete undivided attention while reading.
Rakshasi by Kelley Armstrong
This is an excellent story. I really enjoyed it and I was disappointed when it ended. It's from the view point of a Rakshasi demon, who are cursed to walk the earth as a monster but are offered a way to repent and redeem their sins by a member of an isha family. If they accept, the member of the isha family becomes their master. When the Rakshasi has repaid their debt they will be set free. However, this hasn't happened for this particular demon who calls herself Amrita. Her 'family' have kept her for two hundred years as her job, with her master's help, is to seek out evil and eliminate it. When this is done the isha family can keep the wealth of their victim and because of this Amrita has become too valuable to set free, and she is not happy about it...
The ending is satisfying, although I must admit I was expecting something a little more dramatic, but over all this story is fab. I think Ms Armstrong should write a full length novel with Amrita as the heroine - I think this would make a very original type of urban fantasy.
Less of a Girl by Chelsea Cain
Sophie is in her bedroom with the bloody, dead body of, what I assume is her friend, Charlotte, on the floor. The narrator watches as Sophie scoops out an eyeball and offers it to her to eat, which she does and then continues to eat until there is no more trace of Charlotte, except for a blood stain on the carpet.
I do have my own thoughts as to who or what the narrater is, the clue for me is in the ending when the narrater slips under Sophie's bed, but I won't say any more as I don't want to influence you if you choose to read this anthology. However, it was a little too ambiguous for my taste and felt as though the author was relying on the reader to make their own assumptions as to who the narrater was. I'm not a huge fan of this style, but this story still had me instantly engrossed and is a great piece of descriptive writing.
Jesus and Satan Go Jogging in the Desert by Simon R. Green
This was my favourite story out of the four I selected to review. It is just so clever and funny, I loved it. It's exactly as the title suggests. Satan comes up from Hell to talk to Jesus who has been walking through the desert for forty days and forty nights. He's there to tempt Jesus, to test him at the instruction of their Father, God. It's quite poignant in places, and so funny in others. This story definitely makes me want to pick up a novel by this author.
VERDICT:
Last year I read and reviewed a selection of stories from "Zombie: An Anthology of the Undead" (also edited by Christopher Golden), and thought it was excellent. From what I have read so far of "The Monster's Corner," it looks as though this is another fantastic collection of short stories from a great list of authors. I will definitely read more from this anthology, so look out for the review!
How interesting does this anthology sound!? I loved the idea of reading from the view point of the monster. I'm also getting more and more into reading short stories. They really are great for when you're short on time, or going through a rough reading slump. And that's exactly what was happening to me when "The Monster's Corner" dropped through my letter box.
I decided I would read four of the stories in "The Monster's Corner" and write mini reviews of each. I thought this would be enough to give you an idea of the different styles you would find from the many different authors who contributed to this anthology and hope they will give a little taster if you will of what is on offer from this awesome looking book - the cover is fab don't you think? So here are my four choices from this bumper selection of supernatural shorties.
Succumb by John Mcllveen
This was a very visual, slightly dark but also tongue-in-cheek story with a huge amount of sexuality. The story is literally about a sexual act that has you guessing who, or what, is the entity doing the act. It's very difficult to explain without giving anything away, but let's just say I changed my mind about three times before the story ended. I liked the authors writing style a lot and even though this was a very short story there was a lot of information about the two characters involved. It had my complete undivided attention while reading.
Rakshasi by Kelley Armstrong
This is an excellent story. I really enjoyed it and I was disappointed when it ended. It's from the view point of a Rakshasi demon, who are cursed to walk the earth as a monster but are offered a way to repent and redeem their sins by a member of an isha family. If they accept, the member of the isha family becomes their master. When the Rakshasi has repaid their debt they will be set free. However, this hasn't happened for this particular demon who calls herself Amrita. Her 'family' have kept her for two hundred years as her job, with her master's help, is to seek out evil and eliminate it. When this is done the isha family can keep the wealth of their victim and because of this Amrita has become too valuable to set free, and she is not happy about it...
The ending is satisfying, although I must admit I was expecting something a little more dramatic, but over all this story is fab. I think Ms Armstrong should write a full length novel with Amrita as the heroine - I think this would make a very original type of urban fantasy.
Less of a Girl by Chelsea Cain
Sophie is in her bedroom with the bloody, dead body of, what I assume is her friend, Charlotte, on the floor. The narrator watches as Sophie scoops out an eyeball and offers it to her to eat, which she does and then continues to eat until there is no more trace of Charlotte, except for a blood stain on the carpet.
I do have my own thoughts as to who or what the narrater is, the clue for me is in the ending when the narrater slips under Sophie's bed, but I won't say any more as I don't want to influence you if you choose to read this anthology. However, it was a little too ambiguous for my taste and felt as though the author was relying on the reader to make their own assumptions as to who the narrater was. I'm not a huge fan of this style, but this story still had me instantly engrossed and is a great piece of descriptive writing.
Jesus and Satan Go Jogging in the Desert by Simon R. Green
This was my favourite story out of the four I selected to review. It is just so clever and funny, I loved it. It's exactly as the title suggests. Satan comes up from Hell to talk to Jesus who has been walking through the desert for forty days and forty nights. He's there to tempt Jesus, to test him at the instruction of their Father, God. It's quite poignant in places, and so funny in others. This story definitely makes me want to pick up a novel by this author.
VERDICT:
Last year I read and reviewed a selection of stories from "Zombie: An Anthology of the Undead" (also edited by Christopher Golden), and thought it was excellent. From what I have read so far of "The Monster's Corner," it looks as though this is another fantastic collection of short stories from a great list of authors. I will definitely read more from this anthology, so look out for the review!
August 16, 2011
I received an ARC of this book from the goodreads first reads program.
I was very excited to receive this book. I have been reading more short story collections this past year and I like the variety that they provide. This was probably my favorite collection I have read lately. All of the stories were good, some were great. Even the stories I didn't like as much were still interesting.
My favorite stories in the book were The Awkward Age, Big Man, Siren Song, Specimen 313 and Wicked Be.
The Awkward Age, the first story in the book, was amazing. I wanted the story to keep on going, so I could here more of Mason's story. I loved Mason's voice in the story.
Big Man was another great story. I liked the way it kept switching points of view, from Glen to the rest of the world. Glen's story was very sad.
Siren Song I liked the 3 sisters in the story. I also liked the Alaskan setting, although that didn't really figure in the story. Pauline was a strong woman, doing what she needed to do to survive.
Specimen 313 sentient plants, What an awesome idea for the story. The description of how they felt when they were uprooted, everything about the story made me want to be nicer to plants.
Wicked Be Melissa and Caleb's love story was so bittersweet.
What all of my favorite stories had in common was a strong point of view that made me really feel for the "monster." I felt I really understood the monster's point of view, and cared about them.
My least favorite stories in the book were Succumb, Rattler and the Mothman, And Still You Wonder Why Our First Impulse Is To Kill You and Jesus and Satan Go Jogging in the Desert. On the whole, these stories seemed the least successful at representing the monster's point of view. I did not care for, or feel any sympathy for the monsters. The stories were also the least interesting to me.
Overall, I loved this book. I enjoyed reading it. As a whole, the collection is great. Even my least favorite stories were pretty good.
I was very excited to receive this book. I have been reading more short story collections this past year and I like the variety that they provide. This was probably my favorite collection I have read lately. All of the stories were good, some were great. Even the stories I didn't like as much were still interesting.
My favorite stories in the book were The Awkward Age, Big Man, Siren Song, Specimen 313 and Wicked Be.
The Awkward Age, the first story in the book, was amazing. I wanted the story to keep on going, so I could here more of Mason's story. I loved Mason's voice in the story.
Big Man was another great story. I liked the way it kept switching points of view, from Glen to the rest of the world. Glen's story was very sad.
Siren Song I liked the 3 sisters in the story. I also liked the Alaskan setting, although that didn't really figure in the story. Pauline was a strong woman, doing what she needed to do to survive.
Specimen 313 sentient plants, What an awesome idea for the story. The description of how they felt when they were uprooted, everything about the story made me want to be nicer to plants.
Wicked Be Melissa and Caleb's love story was so bittersweet.
What all of my favorite stories had in common was a strong point of view that made me really feel for the "monster." I felt I really understood the monster's point of view, and cared about them.
My least favorite stories in the book were Succumb, Rattler and the Mothman, And Still You Wonder Why Our First Impulse Is To Kill You and Jesus and Satan Go Jogging in the Desert. On the whole, these stories seemed the least successful at representing the monster's point of view. I did not care for, or feel any sympathy for the monsters. The stories were also the least interesting to me.
Overall, I loved this book. I enjoyed reading it. As a whole, the collection is great. Even my least favorite stories were pretty good.
May 14, 2015
most of the stories were boring. I really only liked the first the awkward age and torn stitched, shattered glass.
I wasnt expecting what I read and not in a good way the stories were short but very dull for the most part. some of these absolutely nothing interesting happened. I skim read the last few because either the writing style (dull) or the story (duller) were just blah. so ya.
I wasnt expecting what I read and not in a good way the stories were short but very dull for the most part. some of these absolutely nothing interesting happened. I skim read the last few because either the writing style (dull) or the story (duller) were just blah. so ya.
May 9, 2012
This anthology was not what I expected. Even though Golden tells us in the forward that he broke his own initial rule about "human monsters," I suppose I was still biased based on the cover art. Or, ya know, the title itself. While there were a number of beasties and creatures, a large amount of these tales centered on more humanoid-like entities and their very human-like behaviors.
Regardless, I didn't find any tales in this anthology that I didn't like. Some were obviously better than others, but even the weakest of the bunch could have been shining gems in a lesser collection. Seemed to be a lot of sex, too, which for some unexplainable reason, I found weird from Golden.
As themed anthologies go, I've seen stronger, but as simply a collection of horror stories it was excellent. I recommend it sheerly to read some amazing work from a good handful of the hardest working (and criminally under-appreciated) writers in the genre today. I feel few fans of modern horror will be disappointed.
Regardless, I didn't find any tales in this anthology that I didn't like. Some were obviously better than others, but even the weakest of the bunch could have been shining gems in a lesser collection. Seemed to be a lot of sex, too, which for some unexplainable reason, I found weird from Golden.
As themed anthologies go, I've seen stronger, but as simply a collection of horror stories it was excellent. I recommend it sheerly to read some amazing work from a good handful of the hardest working (and criminally under-appreciated) writers in the genre today. I feel few fans of modern horror will be disappointed.
May 1, 2013
I guess the best thing I can say about this book is that if you do pick it up and read it you'll probably find at least one story to enjoy. I found four.
They are, in order: The Cruel Thief of Rosy Infants by Tom Picirilli. This touching story made me feel for all the characters involved, including Livia, the real 'monster' of the piece.
Big Man by David Moody. A story that shows just how deeply we misunderstand the monstrous and how really, all they want is to be with those they love.
Rakshasi by Kelley Armstrong. A story where motive for evil makes sense.
Siren Song by Dana Stabenow. As above. I love stories where the bad guys win when they deserve to.
The rest of the stories (15 of them) left me feeling either unmoved towards the situation and/or characters or feeling antagonistic towards the writing.
As anthologies go, not a stand out for me.
They are, in order: The Cruel Thief of Rosy Infants by Tom Picirilli. This touching story made me feel for all the characters involved, including Livia, the real 'monster' of the piece.
Big Man by David Moody. A story that shows just how deeply we misunderstand the monstrous and how really, all they want is to be with those they love.
Rakshasi by Kelley Armstrong. A story where motive for evil makes sense.
Siren Song by Dana Stabenow. As above. I love stories where the bad guys win when they deserve to.
The rest of the stories (15 of them) left me feeling either unmoved towards the situation and/or characters or feeling antagonistic towards the writing.
As anthologies go, not a stand out for me.
January 24, 2012
I believe Christopher Golden used the term “sympathy for the devil” in the introduction to The Monster’s Corner to describe the theme -to be honest I may have skimmed over that intro to get to the stories. I know that should have prompted me for what was to come, but “The Awkward Age” by David Liss was what set my expectations. In retrospect it doomed the rest of the tales within. Liss was brilliant; he gave me the distinct taste of that point of no return, the feeling you get at the top of a roller coaster, or as your lean in for that first kiss, or maybe it was more like watching someone throw the first punch in a fight... Read the rest of my review
August 24, 2012
This is a pretty solid anthology. I'll point out a few of my favorites:
Gary Braunbeck's "And still you wonder why our first impulse is to kill you: An alphabetized faux-manifesto transcribed, edited, and annotated (under duress and protest)"
Jeff Strand's "Specimen 313"
Jonathan Maberry's "Saint John"
Kevin J Anderson's "Torn Stitches, Shattering Glass"
Chelsea Cain's thrillers have been on my to read list for years, reading her short story "Less of A Girl" will bump it up on my list.
I hoped for more monsters that weren't humanoid, something reminiscent of the Outsider in Dean Koontz's Watchers, or a glimpse at what a creature like the Alien thinks. Regardless, it was a fun read, easy to devour in bite-sized nibbles.
Gary Braunbeck's "And still you wonder why our first impulse is to kill you: An alphabetized faux-manifesto transcribed, edited, and annotated (under duress and protest)"
Jeff Strand's "Specimen 313"
Jonathan Maberry's "Saint John"
Kevin J Anderson's "Torn Stitches, Shattering Glass"
Chelsea Cain's thrillers have been on my to read list for years, reading her short story "Less of A Girl" will bump it up on my list.
I hoped for more monsters that weren't humanoid, something reminiscent of the Outsider in Dean Koontz's Watchers, or a glimpse at what a creature like the Alien thinks. Regardless, it was a fun read, easy to devour in bite-sized nibbles.
August 25, 2013
I can say that the stories are well written. I was told in another review without reading the introduction you really aren't prepared for what comes next. I read the introduction and I still wasn't prepared for the vulgarity that followed. As I said well written, and if your into this kind of thing ( more like real world monsters, with a little made up thrown in) then this would be the perfect book for you. Personally myself I felt like I wasted my money on it and needed a shower afterwards to remove the down right dirty feeling the book gave me.
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2017
Very uneven book. Few gems..many clunkers. Golden writes at the beginning that the book is about sympathetic monsters like the Frankenstein monster. 100 pages later you get an actual monster story. Too many stories of people doing monsterous things
November 22, 2025
Maybe it's my fault for expecting to much out of these self-published horror books, but i keep falling for the positive reviews overhyping poorly written time-wasters again and again.
I love monsters and stories about monsters. This anthology consists of stories told from the point-of-view of monsters, and it can't even be consistent with that. I'll be real with you, I didn't finish it; but I'll give you my thoughts on the parts I read:
1. "The Awkward Age": in this story, a 40-something year old man becomes infatuated with his son's best friend, a 14 year old ghoul girl, who talks and acts like Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way. That's not an exaggeration. The story is poorly written, randomly switching between first-person and second-person like the writer forgot which perspective they're using. It's very obvious that there was no editor involved. It also has no real conclusion. I think the entire plot of "dating a teenage girl" was really off-putting in the first place, but I just did NOT enjoy reading this one.
2. "Saint John": I liked this one better, but it also suffers from having no conclusion or point. We see what can be described as an "insane homeless man" in the apocalypse, who is actually a saint as far as we can tell. The plot's not bad, and it's nice to see the villians get what they have coming to them. The problem is, this story doesn't fit the premise of the anthology. "Saint John" isn't a monster, and doesn't do anything that would make a reader believe he is. That, and the story just randomly ends, with no real point made.
3. "Rue": This one is essentially Rapunzel in a futuristic, high-tech, repressive theocracy. Unfortunately, they do nothing with the setting. It may as well take place in any time period. It's told from the perspective of "The witch", who actually feels like a very well rounded, lived-in character; She has somewhat of a backstory, motivations, and personality. This one has the same problem as the others, it abruptly ends with no conclusion.
4."Succumb": It's about a succubus succ'ing a child-molester priest. That's it. The writing just comes off as smutty.
5. "Torn Stitches and Shattered Glass": It's Frankenstein's monster in Nazi Europe, He's been lying low in a small Jewish village. I guess this one draws parallels between pogroms and the "angry mob monster hunts" from old movies; but doesn't do much beyond that. It ends in a very Frankenstein-esque way, with the createure running off into the wild, alone. Not sure how I feel about this one.
6. "Rattler and the Mothman": I don't know who Rattler is. I don't know if he's a pre-established character we're supposed to already be familiar with, or what. He's a reclusive hillbilly, I guess, and then he hangs out with Mothman and chats. I don't remember how it ends, but it wasn't very eventful. I wasn't crazy about the backstory they gave mothman; but the main issue with this one is that once again, it's not told from the perspective of a monster.
7."Big Man": Giant monster rampage story. It weirded me out a bit when. It was like "When people watch monster movies, they NEVER think about all the structural damage and all the people getting crushed..." What??? That's like...the only thing I think about in giant-monster-movies. Odd thing to say. Anyways, this one didn't scratch the kaiju itch.
8. "Rakshasi": This one's about a creature from Hindu mythology, which would be interesting if the author didn't make it so boring. The story feels like a re-hash of the other stories with all the repetitive torture. This is where I gave up and stopped reading, realizing this book wasn't going to get good.
I could just cut my review here and leave it without a conclusion (like too many of the stories in this anthology), but I'll just say that I won't reccomend an anthology that can't even stick to its own rules or premise.
I love monsters and stories about monsters. This anthology consists of stories told from the point-of-view of monsters, and it can't even be consistent with that. I'll be real with you, I didn't finish it; but I'll give you my thoughts on the parts I read:
1. "The Awkward Age": in this story, a 40-something year old man becomes infatuated with his son's best friend, a 14 year old ghoul girl, who talks and acts like Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way. That's not an exaggeration. The story is poorly written, randomly switching between first-person and second-person like the writer forgot which perspective they're using. It's very obvious that there was no editor involved. It also has no real conclusion. I think the entire plot of "dating a teenage girl" was really off-putting in the first place, but I just did NOT enjoy reading this one.
2. "Saint John": I liked this one better, but it also suffers from having no conclusion or point. We see what can be described as an "insane homeless man" in the apocalypse, who is actually a saint as far as we can tell. The plot's not bad, and it's nice to see the villians get what they have coming to them. The problem is, this story doesn't fit the premise of the anthology. "Saint John" isn't a monster, and doesn't do anything that would make a reader believe he is. That, and the story just randomly ends, with no real point made.
3. "Rue": This one is essentially Rapunzel in a futuristic, high-tech, repressive theocracy. Unfortunately, they do nothing with the setting. It may as well take place in any time period. It's told from the perspective of "The witch", who actually feels like a very well rounded, lived-in character; She has somewhat of a backstory, motivations, and personality. This one has the same problem as the others, it abruptly ends with no conclusion.
4."Succumb": It's about a succubus succ'ing a child-molester priest. That's it. The writing just comes off as smutty.
5. "Torn Stitches and Shattered Glass": It's Frankenstein's monster in Nazi Europe, He's been lying low in a small Jewish village. I guess this one draws parallels between pogroms and the "angry mob monster hunts" from old movies; but doesn't do much beyond that. It ends in a very Frankenstein-esque way, with the createure running off into the wild, alone. Not sure how I feel about this one.
6. "Rattler and the Mothman": I don't know who Rattler is. I don't know if he's a pre-established character we're supposed to already be familiar with, or what. He's a reclusive hillbilly, I guess, and then he hangs out with Mothman and chats. I don't remember how it ends, but it wasn't very eventful. I wasn't crazy about the backstory they gave mothman; but the main issue with this one is that once again, it's not told from the perspective of a monster.
7."Big Man": Giant monster rampage story. It weirded me out a bit when. It was like "When people watch monster movies, they NEVER think about all the structural damage and all the people getting crushed..." What??? That's like...the only thing I think about in giant-monster-movies. Odd thing to say. Anyways, this one didn't scratch the kaiju itch.
8. "Rakshasi": This one's about a creature from Hindu mythology, which would be interesting if the author didn't make it so boring. The story feels like a re-hash of the other stories with all the repetitive torture. This is where I gave up and stopped reading, realizing this book wasn't going to get good.
I could just cut my review here and leave it without a conclusion (like too many of the stories in this anthology), but I'll just say that I won't reccomend an anthology that can't even stick to its own rules or premise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2024
Monsters' Corner: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes presents a compelling concept: an anthology of short stories that focus on the perspective of monsters. As a reader excited about diving into the minds of truly inhuman characters, I had high hopes for a unique and imaginative exploration of monster psychology and experiences.
However, the execution fell short of this promise. While the book aims to spotlight monsters, many of the characters are disappointingly human-like, grappling with human problems in a familiar human world. Even the stories featuring non-humanoid creatures lack the creativity and depth needed to distinguish them from their human counterparts. The potential for a truly monstrous narrative is often overshadowed by conventional storytelling that doesn't fully embrace the 'inhuman' aspect.
Additionally, the collection feels more like a series of Halloween stories, heavily featuring gore and pulpy horror tropes rather than a serious investigation into monster psychology and physiology. This reliance on conventional horror elements detracts from the uniqueness of the monsters, making them seem more like set dressing in familiar horror scenarios than genuine beings with their own distinct perspectives and experiences.
It's a shame, as the premise had great promise.
However, the execution fell short of this promise. While the book aims to spotlight monsters, many of the characters are disappointingly human-like, grappling with human problems in a familiar human world. Even the stories featuring non-humanoid creatures lack the creativity and depth needed to distinguish them from their human counterparts. The potential for a truly monstrous narrative is often overshadowed by conventional storytelling that doesn't fully embrace the 'inhuman' aspect.
Additionally, the collection feels more like a series of Halloween stories, heavily featuring gore and pulpy horror tropes rather than a serious investigation into monster psychology and physiology. This reliance on conventional horror elements detracts from the uniqueness of the monsters, making them seem more like set dressing in familiar horror scenarios than genuine beings with their own distinct perspectives and experiences.
It's a shame, as the premise had great promise.
October 8, 2017
This is a book that is dipping between 3 and 3,5. The stories I did enjoy I really enjoyed, but the stories I didnt care about was rather dull.
Now let me start off with that Horror/monster stories isn't something I usually read. I am known scaredy cat, always staying away from horror movies and similarities.
However, i cant stay I found these stories especially scary. Some was scary in the "too close to reality" type of way, but not in the "boo" way I wanted for this read.
Having said that there was a few stories that I absolutely loved
Torn Stitches, Shattered Glass by Kevin J Anderson, a beautiful piece set in WWII times.
The Screaming Room by Sarah Pinborough, I love how Sarah Pinborough writes so it didn't surprise me that this story managed to seduce me and make me feel "icked out" she has a way with words that I really enjoy.
Specimen 313 by Jeff Strand, a funny and slightly silly take on a beloved myth.
There was of course others that I enjoyed, but those three were my favourites of the 19 stories in the book. I'm not saying the others are bad some far from it but I do admit there is a few that even though I just read them did not stay with me at all.
Now let me start off with that Horror/monster stories isn't something I usually read. I am known scaredy cat, always staying away from horror movies and similarities.
However, i cant stay I found these stories especially scary. Some was scary in the "too close to reality" type of way, but not in the "boo" way I wanted for this read.
Having said that there was a few stories that I absolutely loved
Torn Stitches, Shattered Glass by Kevin J Anderson, a beautiful piece set in WWII times.
The Screaming Room by Sarah Pinborough, I love how Sarah Pinborough writes so it didn't surprise me that this story managed to seduce me and make me feel "icked out" she has a way with words that I really enjoy.
Specimen 313 by Jeff Strand, a funny and slightly silly take on a beloved myth.
There was of course others that I enjoyed, but those three were my favourites of the 19 stories in the book. I'm not saying the others are bad some far from it but I do admit there is a few that even though I just read them did not stay with me at all.
June 27, 2017
Overall, I thought I didn't like this collection very much. But when I went through the stories one by one, I did end up liking more of them than I thought. I think it's because I didn't like the first one and that biased my memory.
Saint John by Jonathan Maberry was nice.
I also liked Torn Stitches, Shattered Glass by Kevin J. Anderson.
Rattler and the Mothman by Sharyn McCrumb was a lot of fun.
Rakshashi by Kelley Armstrong was nice, I liked it.
Siren Song by Dana Stabenow was nice.
The Screaming Room by Sarah Pinborough was good, I liked it.
Specimen 313 by Jeff Strand was also good.
Saint John by Jonathan Maberry was nice.
I also liked Torn Stitches, Shattered Glass by Kevin J. Anderson.
Rattler and the Mothman by Sharyn McCrumb was a lot of fun.
Rakshashi by Kelley Armstrong was nice, I liked it.
Siren Song by Dana Stabenow was nice.
The Screaming Room by Sarah Pinborough was good, I liked it.
Specimen 313 by Jeff Strand was also good.
December 15, 2021
I realize this selection has a lot of positive reviews but honestly, most of the stories were so unpleasant (in a bad way, not a fun way) for me, that I almost didn't make it through this book. Even ones by some of my favorite authors fell flat for me, and a lot of them were just poorly plotted and written with the edgy enthusiasm of a technically skilled but idealogically questionable adolescent. I love a good monster perspective story, both sympathetic and not, and was super hopeful from the amazing introduction, but overall this book just...didn't have a single real hit for me. Disappointed.
July 17, 2018
I didn't care for most of the stories in this collection, although I did enjoy "And Still You Wonder Why Our First Impulse Is To Kill You:An Alphabetized Manifesto transcribed,edited,and annotated (under duress and protest)" by Gary A. Braunbeck. Most of the others, I skimmed or skipped entirely. The only reason The Monster's Corner gets two stars is because I did enjoy Braubeck's story and would like to check out more of his work.
May 5, 2023
the average was actually 4/5, but from 19 stories no less than 8 were 5/5 for me (the Maberry, McIlven, J. Anderson, McCrumb, Kenyon, Strand, Green and Due - the Due even better than 5/5), just 2 were 2/5 (Moody and Cain) and one 1/5 (Braunbeck, wtf was that?!), the rest 3s and 4s.
So, according to my taste, an excellent, captivating, very diverse selection with a large variety of monsters in quite different meanings of the word. Really enjoyed it, so the overall rating as a whole is 5/5.
So, according to my taste, an excellent, captivating, very diverse selection with a large variety of monsters in quite different meanings of the word. Really enjoyed it, so the overall rating as a whole is 5/5.
April 14, 2019
A mediocre collection of stories with, like all anthologies, a few gems. I won't go into details--all in all, this isn't worth reading, with the exception of the following:
Rattler and the Mothman
Rakashi
The Screaming Room (coolest story in the book)
and the last story, Jesus and Satan Go in the Desert (which was actually really cool)
Rattler and the Mothman
Rakashi
The Screaming Room (coolest story in the book)
and the last story, Jesus and Satan Go in the Desert (which was actually really cool)
September 17, 2019
Probably more of a three and a half star rating. Really enjoyed the new spin put on several familiar monsters, including a new take on the Medusa story in “The Screaming Room.” The story “Jesus and Satan Go Jogging in the Desert was also a favorite with the idea that the two were buddies—if only Satan could just apologize.
September 21, 2021
The more I think on this collection the more my irritation grows. The cover seems to promise some truly chilling monsters but of the 19 stories only 4 felt worth my time while I ended up skipping another 6. I think had the marketing been clearer on the contents I might have enjoyed it more or at the very least not gone in with such different expectations.
December 8, 2017
A collection of ill written short stories that don’t live up to the great potential they had...
May 21, 2018
I found this to be a very good book
September 14, 2018
I just read the one short story related to the Kate Shugak storyline. Not really interested in the rest.
May 2, 2019
Not too shabby. 😊 Several of the short stories were entertaining and I now have a list of (new to me) authors to explore. Some stories were compelling. And a few were lukewarm.
July 9, 2020
Definitely a different perspective. Very good read.
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