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Monster Bones
Since time immemorial, humans have feared monsters. Whether they be real or imagined, stories of their existence have been told and retold, becoming either legend or urban myth.
Within the pages of Monster Bones are to be found the horrors that haunt the evil spirit, the revenant, the occult—creatures of different cultures who know no borders—as well as the monster made within ourselves. The rusalka who lurks in the water, the ghûl lurking in the graveyard, the cannibal skeleton, the geung-si, the anchimayen... the human. These are
the monsters who seek to feed on us, suck the marrow from light and life.
But you can arm yourself against them, read their stories and learn from those who have gone before. You never know, it might save you one day. So, crack the spine, turn the page and dig in to Monster Bones...
Including stories and poems by Gwendolyn Kiste, David Wellington, Ben Monroe, Lisa Morton, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Maxwell I. Gold, Theresa Matsuura, Cindy O’Quinn, F. Paul Wilson, Stephanie Ellis, Joe R Lansdale, Kasey Jo Lansdale and Keith Lansdale, Eugen Bacon, Linda D. Addison, Lucy Taylor and Ai Jiang.
Within the pages of Monster Bones are to be found the horrors that haunt the evil spirit, the revenant, the occult—creatures of different cultures who know no borders—as well as the monster made within ourselves. The rusalka who lurks in the water, the ghûl lurking in the graveyard, the cannibal skeleton, the geung-si, the anchimayen... the human. These are
the monsters who seek to feed on us, suck the marrow from light and life.
But you can arm yourself against them, read their stories and learn from those who have gone before. You never know, it might save you one day. So, crack the spine, turn the page and dig in to Monster Bones...
Including stories and poems by Gwendolyn Kiste, David Wellington, Ben Monroe, Lisa Morton, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Maxwell I. Gold, Theresa Matsuura, Cindy O’Quinn, F. Paul Wilson, Stephanie Ellis, Joe R Lansdale, Kasey Jo Lansdale and Keith Lansdale, Eugen Bacon, Linda D. Addison, Lucy Taylor and Ai Jiang.
226 pages, Paperback
First published March 26, 2025
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About the author
Stephanie Ellis
173 books117 followersStephanie Ellis writes dark speculative prose and poetry and has been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies. Her longer work includes the novels, The Five Turns of the Wheel, Reborn and The Woodcutter, and the novellas, Paused and Bottled. Her new post-apocalytpic/sci-fi/horror novel, The Barricade is due out this year!
She is a Rhysling and Elgin nominated poet, co-authoring the poetry collection, Foundlings, with Cindy O'Quinn, Lilith Rising with Shane Douglas Keene and solo work Metallurgy.
She can be found at https://stephanieellis.org
She is a Rhysling and Elgin nominated poet, co-authoring the poetry collection, Foundlings, with Cindy O'Quinn, Lilith Rising with Shane Douglas Keene and solo work Metallurgy.
She can be found at https://stephanieellis.org
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 27, 2025
“Monster Bones,” an anthology about a variety of monsters, contains ten stories (among which one flash fiction and one novella), and five poems (among which Stephanie Ellis’ wonderful “Night Hunger” and Ai Jiang’s “Gold is god,” the latter reading like the lyrics of a horror musical).
The novella, F. Paul Wilson’s “Midnight Mass,” first published in 1990 and often reprinted since, is one of the two reprints in the anthology, along with “The Companion” by Joe R Lansdale, Kasey Jo Lansdale and Keith Lansdale, first published in 1995. Both pieces have withstood the test of time: Wilson’s horrifying take on vampires, the excellent characterization, and the darkly comedic religious vibes have lost none of their glamour, whereas the Lansdales story about a kid stumbling upon a scarecrow while exploring a mysteriously abandoned farm still gives me the creeps.
Equally memorable was the opening story, “Rusalka” by Gwendolyn Kiste, a tale that messes both with Slavic folklore and the reader’s mind, combining family troubles with supernatural terror and culminating in a rather malicious ending; David Wellington’s “You’re Back” packs a punch, especially if you like zombies; but “Charnel Moon” by Ben Monroe was my absolute favorite, a suspenseful story about ghouls and the disposal of human corpses.
Lisa Morton’s “Mr. Hop in WongTown” and Maxwell I. Gold’s “The Corpse Eater” find inspiration in Asian-oriented themes, with some very disturbing monsters, especially the latter. Maxwell I. Gold also has the volume’s flash fiction, “Planeta Mumia,” covering mummies. I really liked his writing in this very short, almost snapshot-like, tale.
Eugen Bacon’s “The Guest” also shines with terrific writing, and a rather horrific ending: the tale takes place on the Tanzanian island of Pemba, and focuses on protective charms against the local evil spirit of “Popo Bawa,” the legendary shapeshifting bat-like shadow. (Spoiler alert: the charms don’t work.) Finally, Lucy Taylor’s “Milk, Honey, and Blood,” my second favorite, finds a pair of siblings traveling in Patagonia, and encountering the anchimayen, a mythical creature in Mapuche lore. This creature takes the form of small children, and the one in the story appears as a little (dead) girl, hunting the pair – need I say more? OK, here it is: there’s a creepy twist in the end, not to mention the singularly effective imagery.
No review would be complete without mentioning Spooner’s fabulous artwork introducing each story, portraying the monster appearing in it: it’s gorgeous, and I’d love to gave it hanging on my wall. It also fully conveys the anthology’s slam-bang aesthetic mix of all kinds of myth and dark fantasy legends, based off the lore of indigenous people and their beliefs.
As with all Cemetery Dance anthologies, “Monster Bones” too is so good it can easily survive multiple readings. Highly recommended!
The novella, F. Paul Wilson’s “Midnight Mass,” first published in 1990 and often reprinted since, is one of the two reprints in the anthology, along with “The Companion” by Joe R Lansdale, Kasey Jo Lansdale and Keith Lansdale, first published in 1995. Both pieces have withstood the test of time: Wilson’s horrifying take on vampires, the excellent characterization, and the darkly comedic religious vibes have lost none of their glamour, whereas the Lansdales story about a kid stumbling upon a scarecrow while exploring a mysteriously abandoned farm still gives me the creeps.
Equally memorable was the opening story, “Rusalka” by Gwendolyn Kiste, a tale that messes both with Slavic folklore and the reader’s mind, combining family troubles with supernatural terror and culminating in a rather malicious ending; David Wellington’s “You’re Back” packs a punch, especially if you like zombies; but “Charnel Moon” by Ben Monroe was my absolute favorite, a suspenseful story about ghouls and the disposal of human corpses.
Lisa Morton’s “Mr. Hop in WongTown” and Maxwell I. Gold’s “The Corpse Eater” find inspiration in Asian-oriented themes, with some very disturbing monsters, especially the latter. Maxwell I. Gold also has the volume’s flash fiction, “Planeta Mumia,” covering mummies. I really liked his writing in this very short, almost snapshot-like, tale.
Eugen Bacon’s “The Guest” also shines with terrific writing, and a rather horrific ending: the tale takes place on the Tanzanian island of Pemba, and focuses on protective charms against the local evil spirit of “Popo Bawa,” the legendary shapeshifting bat-like shadow. (Spoiler alert: the charms don’t work.) Finally, Lucy Taylor’s “Milk, Honey, and Blood,” my second favorite, finds a pair of siblings traveling in Patagonia, and encountering the anchimayen, a mythical creature in Mapuche lore. This creature takes the form of small children, and the one in the story appears as a little (dead) girl, hunting the pair – need I say more? OK, here it is: there’s a creepy twist in the end, not to mention the singularly effective imagery.
No review would be complete without mentioning Spooner’s fabulous artwork introducing each story, portraying the monster appearing in it: it’s gorgeous, and I’d love to gave it hanging on my wall. It also fully conveys the anthology’s slam-bang aesthetic mix of all kinds of myth and dark fantasy legends, based off the lore of indigenous people and their beliefs.
As with all Cemetery Dance anthologies, “Monster Bones” too is so good it can easily survive multiple readings. Highly recommended!
April 8, 2025
Monster Bones contains a smorgasbord of stories, poems, and artwork that serve up a satisfying meal for any horror lover's appetite. Some have been previously published, but all were new to me. I did wonder why “The Companion” seemed so familiar to me even though I am positive I never read it before. Then I realized it had been turned into one of my favorite episodes of Creepshow a few years back. It was a treat to read it here.
There are familiar monsters including vampires and ghouls, and more unusual but no less deadly beings that I had never heard of such as the rusalka, a terrifying creature of Slavic folklore.
Gorgeous artwork and a slew of monsters from around the globe make this a fun and freaky read.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the e-ARC
There are familiar monsters including vampires and ghouls, and more unusual but no less deadly beings that I had never heard of such as the rusalka, a terrifying creature of Slavic folklore.
Gorgeous artwork and a slew of monsters from around the globe make this a fun and freaky read.
My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the e-ARC
June 24, 2025
This book has a mix of it all short stories and poems based on all different type of monster from the ones inside us to corpse eaters, from evil spirits and cannibal skeletons to the occult. There is sure to be something you’ll enjoy
Love the art work before each story
I really enjoys Charnel moon byBen Monroe
It was a twisted little tale of a killer get just what he deserves when he decided to spent the night at a out of the way Motel.
The horseman rides by Stephanie M Wgtovich
Was a beautiful written poem I had to read it twice it was just so good. A bit haunting it spoke to me
Night hunter by Stephanie Ellis
Another poem I really enjoyed
Love the art work before each story
I really enjoys Charnel moon byBen Monroe
It was a twisted little tale of a killer get just what he deserves when he decided to spent the night at a out of the way Motel.
The horseman rides by Stephanie M Wgtovich
Was a beautiful written poem I had to read it twice it was just so good. A bit haunting it spoke to me
Night hunter by Stephanie Ellis
Another poem I really enjoyed
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June 9, 2025Lovely bones
review at MonsterBookClub
review at MonsterBookClub
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews