Where Monsters Hide: Tales of the Uncanny

by Moorhead Friends Writing Group, Scott Dyston (editor), Chris Stenson

Since childhood, we have told ourselves the bumps in the night are nothing more than a branch on the window, or the weary bones of an old home, however, not all those creeks and shudders are born of innocence. Sometimes, there is a tenable reason for fear. In the case of This Book 19 reasons.

Caged here behind lines of ink, you'll discover a horde of unique monsters wrested from their dens for the first time. Some will escape and slink back to the shadows. A few will drag a victim along. But the worst will be those who gain a taste of our world. Our homes. Our thoughts. So be wary of movement in a dark stairwell. That wasn't the family cat. Don't be lulled by the sound of your partner's soft breathing. They stopped drawing breath some minutes ago. And for heaven's sake, never betray the one thing that's kept you alive all these years, because your fear isn't lying to you. The monsters aren’t coming, they are already here!

* Ronald McGillvray * Matthew R. Clark * Al Bayne * David J. Rank * Dan McKay * James Miles * Chris Stenson * Alana Wells * Daniel Haynes * Scott Dyson * T.J. Fier * Alexander Vayle * Michael Pickell * Neal Romriel * Trevor Whittemore * Tristan Belmont * Sarah Nour * Barbara Bustamante * BT Noonan *




Waiting....

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2025

Reviews

[Marc Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monsters! I love monsters. I’ve written a book about a monster – the Kludde. Very scary. This compilation features short horrors with all kinds of monsters – some satisfyingly frightening, some not so much. One issue I have with short stories is that they often feel unfinished, which is intentional. The focus is on characters and a specific incident, with the best stories focusing on the monsters.

There are 19 stories by 19 authors, making it difficult to rate the whole compilation. Here’s my take:
• Some stories are silly
• Others are serious
• A few are frightening
• Some are gross
• And a couple are just meh
Like a box of chocolates – what I like may not be what you like, and what we both don’t like, someone else will love.

One of the things I liked in this book is the introduction by Paulette Kennedy. I appreciated her take on horror (having grown up in the 80s, I can relate). Additionally, the illustrations by Will Jacques add an extra artistic visual for the reader, providing a glimpse into the story being told through words.

The monsters featured in this compilation include:
• Strange crabs (very amusing)
• A demon dog
• A strange feathered giant spider
• An enormous caterpillar (very gross)
• A hellion
• A siren
• Vampires
• Skinwalkers
• A storm demon
• A blanket (loved this one)
• A monstrous transformation
• A giant wolf (reminded me of the Kludde)
• A griffin
• A mutated bear
• Pixies
• Trees with eyes
• Talking flowers (or was the wife’s mental illness the real monster?)
• Ghosts?
• And flies?

What is nice is that all stories are very original. The writing varies; some are good, while some are meh. Some longer stories seemed to meander a bit too much, while some of the shorter stories were perfect. Overall, it’s a well-worth read for anyone looking for original monsters doing what monsters do – which is often not so nice things to people.

[Maryanne Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished Where Monsters Hide: Tales of the Uncanny, a collection of shorts, and loved it. The stories were a fun read, but the best one was by Ronald McGillvray, Crab Heads. That was the first story and I could see it as a novella. You won't be disappointed with this fun bag of monster stories!