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Monsters: Unsettling Short Stories
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26A bold, unsettling, and sinister collection of stories that ask what monster means.
What is a monster? The word encompasses the grotesque, the immoral, or the merely wondrous. Mythical creatures, corrupt executives and mean exes are all monsters. Monsters live among us. Sometimes the monster is us.
What do monsters mean to writers? Here is a literary fourteen writers from diverse genres — literary, mystery, horror, the experimental — interpret monsters either literal or metaphorical. The result is a snapshot of the state of contemporary underground fiction.
Stories Sifton Tracy Anipare, Steve Burrows, Brenda Chapman, Chinenye Emezie, Barbara Fradkin, Zsuzsi Gartner, Liz Harmer, Babak Lakghomi, Pasha Malla, Andrew Pyper, Naben Ruthnum, Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson, Andrew Sullivan, and Emily Weedon.
What is a monster? The word encompasses the grotesque, the immoral, or the merely wondrous. Mythical creatures, corrupt executives and mean exes are all monsters. Monsters live among us. Sometimes the monster is us.
What do monsters mean to writers? Here is a literary fourteen writers from diverse genres — literary, mystery, horror, the experimental — interpret monsters either literal or metaphorical. The result is a snapshot of the state of contemporary underground fiction.
Stories Sifton Tracy Anipare, Steve Burrows, Brenda Chapman, Chinenye Emezie, Barbara Fradkin, Zsuzsi Gartner, Liz Harmer, Babak Lakghomi, Pasha Malla, Andrew Pyper, Naben Ruthnum, Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson, Andrew Sullivan, and Emily Weedon.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
201 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 6, 2026
About the author
Russell Smith
152 books28 followersRussell Claude Smith is a Canadian writer and newspaper columnist. Smith's novels and short stories are mostly set in Toronto, where he lives.
Smith grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He attended the Halifax Grammar School and Queen Elizabeth High School, and studied French literature at Queen's University, the University of Poitiers, and the University of Paris III. He has an MA in French from Queen's.
Russell Smith is one of Canada’s funniest and nastiest writers. His previous novels, including How Insensitive and Girl Crazy, are records of urban frenzy and exciting underworlds. He writes a provocative weekly column on the arts in the national Globe and Mail, and teaches in the MFA program at the University of Guelph. He hates folk music.
Smith grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He attended the Halifax Grammar School and Queen Elizabeth High School, and studied French literature at Queen's University, the University of Poitiers, and the University of Paris III. He has an MA in French from Queen's.
Russell Smith is one of Canada’s funniest and nastiest writers. His previous novels, including How Insensitive and Girl Crazy, are records of urban frenzy and exciting underworlds. He writes a provocative weekly column on the arts in the national Globe and Mail, and teaches in the MFA program at the University of Guelph. He hates folk music.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 13, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, the editor & contributors for allowing me an eARC to read! Here’s my honest review:
This was a great little anthology of stories, some more horror leaning than others but all with a creative interpretation of ‘Monsters’ and being monstrous!
I particularly enjoyed the last handful of stories and felt the anthology got stronger and stronger as I read on. (My personal favourite was The Golem Suit!)
There’s some real talent and a variety of styles within the selection and they all worked well alongside one another, so kudos to the editor.
Would recommend if you like creepy, scary and weird stories that leave you thinking about them long after you’ve stopped reading!
This was a great little anthology of stories, some more horror leaning than others but all with a creative interpretation of ‘Monsters’ and being monstrous!
I particularly enjoyed the last handful of stories and felt the anthology got stronger and stronger as I read on. (My personal favourite was The Golem Suit!)
There’s some real talent and a variety of styles within the selection and they all worked well alongside one another, so kudos to the editor.
Would recommend if you like creepy, scary and weird stories that leave you thinking about them long after you’ve stopped reading!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
*Huge thanks to Rare Machines/Dundurn Press & Edelweiss for the digital ARC of this one!*
I think it’s safe to say that most people will know my interest in this anthology was purely based on the fact that this contains a new, previously unpublished Andrew Pyper story, ‘The Sanctuary.’ Prior to this release, the last time Andrew had a story in an anthology was way back in a 2012 Canadian Christmas anthology titled ‘Best Canadian Christmas Stories.’ I once asked Andrew about the lack of short story appearances over the last decade plus, and his reply was along the lines of he wasn’t overly interested in devoting time to short stories. Fair game.
When I saw the other contributors that Russell Smith wrangled up for this anthology, I knew this anthology was going to be a home run. And, after reading Russell’s introduction, the excitement ramped up even more.
I do want to note how engaging that introduction is. I often bypass mentioning forewords or introductions to books, simply because they’re all usually the same, but Russell took an education direction with this one, detailing the origins of the term ‘monster,’ the different ways it shows up and is used in literature and the various regional connotations of the word. He also did a splendid job of briefly sharing what to expect with each of the stories within while not falling into spoiler or platitude territory, which was nice.
What I liked: The anthology runs the gamut of what each writer themselves understood what a ‘monster’ is. We get some very straightforward entries, as well as some that defiantly fall into the speculative world. A number of the stories really stood out for me.
First up was Naben Ruthnum’s ‘The Lair.’ The story follows Mark, who fell in love with action figures and video games as a young kid. That love becomes his life and, after finding no direction and having no desire to achieve anything, his family holds an intervention. Instead of making progressive choices, Mark leaves, and moves into his grandparents place. There, he has a shed, which he transforms into his video game and online lair. Not long after, his grandma passes away and it’s from there that he discovers his grandpa’s newfound online habits. Naben does a wonderful job of making Mark both a character you want to sympathize with, while also making him one of the skeeziest characters you’ll come across. This one walks the line of ‘is he or isn’t he’ a monster so very well.
Next, was ‘Throne’ by Andrew F. Sullivan. A biting commentary on the ultra-rich’s quest for acceptance and finding one’s ‘tribe,’ the story follows 20something Murphy. She’s bounced from job to job, and after being let go of her most recent position, doesn’t know what comes next. Then her former coworker, Carrie, invites her to check out a hip new place called Yggdrasil, where a brother and sister having found a group of people willing to change their lives if they follow the groups instructions to prune and regrow. Murphy takes to it and soon becomes a class leader, holding sway over those who attend the classes and are willing to go the extra step for her. The socioeconomical examination within this one is fantastic, if not a little frustrating over its accuracy, and the subtle changes Murphy goes through really highlighted what a small dose of power can do to an individual. This was a cult story told with only the implications of it being so.
Pasha Malla’s ‘The Undreamed’ was perhaps the most speculative story of the anthology, which set it nicely aside from all the others. The only way I can really do any justice to this story without being a spoiler is this – Things appear in the bedroom. Sometimes they are only on the periphery of vision. Sometimes they seem to be tangible. But they infiltrate the lives of those within the story and good Lord is this one unsettling. Not to take away from the title of the story, but this was an excellent fever dream experienced through prose.
Next up, I loved Emily Weedon’s ‘The Golem Suit.’ And while the title does suggest what is going to happen in here, the delivery mechanism and story vehicle reinvents what I expected to read. Following Felix, a man with a predatory mindset, he becomes a working crew member in the film industry which gives him access to women who sometimes believe if they scratch his back, he’ll scratch theirs allowing for career advancement. But it’s in these moments of vulnerability where Felix’s darkest predatory mechanisms come to the surface and he does what he will, rougher and more violent with each passing year. That is, until he meets a traumatized woman who seems to be his match. Weedon masterfully makes you despise Felix while also forcing you to stay for the ride and see how it ends. Unflinchingly impactful.
The last story that stood out for me was Andrew Pyper’s ‘The Sanctuary.’ Truth be told, I read this one first, then went back and reread all the stories, finishing with this one a second time. The story takes places in a remote wooded ‘campground,’ which continues Andrew’s examinations of such locations. In fact, Andrew first based a story in a summer camp back in 1994’s ‘Camp Sacred Heart,’ which was republished in his 1996 collection, ‘Kiss Me.’ His 1999 novel ‘Lost Girls’ mentions a summer camp, and we see a revisit to an area very similar to ‘Camp Sacred Heart’ in his 2019 novel ‘The Homecoming.’ And, an unpublished novel of Andrew’s also focuses on a similar style location. Throughout his literary career, remote wooded locations were settings Andrew utilized time and time again, and with ‘The Sanctuary’ he bolstered the oddness of where it takes place by having it occur in a sort of Canadian version of Bohemian Grove. If you’re unfamiliar with Bohemian Grove, it is a private campground in California where the elite of the elite congregate and take place in discussions and debauchery. The story follows a young man, who gets a summer job with his friend Ty, while at University. Once there, they learn their roles, and our main character is ‘befriended’ by The Secretary, a mysterious older man who seems to know everyone and everything that’s going on. Andrew warns us to not walk down the paths surrounding the campground at night, yet our character still does so, and it’s here where the monstrous revelation arrives. This one has all the classic hallmarks of a Pyper story, and told with the prose that only Andrew was capable of.
What I didn’t like: As always in an anthology some stories just didn’t connect with me. While I enjoyed every story, some were a bit on the nose and didn’t feel as impactful as they could’ve been. But as always, those might be the stories that you enjoy the most!
Why you should buy this: Filled to the brim with phenomenal stories, this anthology curated by Russell Smith will undoubtably have something for every reader. Taking the simply idea of ‘what is a monster,’ the authors of each story really out did themselves with the variety of subject matter we get. Fans of each of these writers will snag this to experience what they created, and will most likely find another new-to-them writer to check out more of their work.
This is a fantastic anthology collecting some of the most exciting Canadian writers creating dark fiction today, and throughout the stories tackle some very bleak subject matter really well. I for one am glad I read this, and as a Pyper super fan, this anthology will always hold a special place for giving me one more piece of his fiction to read and to cherish.
I think it’s safe to say that most people will know my interest in this anthology was purely based on the fact that this contains a new, previously unpublished Andrew Pyper story, ‘The Sanctuary.’ Prior to this release, the last time Andrew had a story in an anthology was way back in a 2012 Canadian Christmas anthology titled ‘Best Canadian Christmas Stories.’ I once asked Andrew about the lack of short story appearances over the last decade plus, and his reply was along the lines of he wasn’t overly interested in devoting time to short stories. Fair game.
When I saw the other contributors that Russell Smith wrangled up for this anthology, I knew this anthology was going to be a home run. And, after reading Russell’s introduction, the excitement ramped up even more.
I do want to note how engaging that introduction is. I often bypass mentioning forewords or introductions to books, simply because they’re all usually the same, but Russell took an education direction with this one, detailing the origins of the term ‘monster,’ the different ways it shows up and is used in literature and the various regional connotations of the word. He also did a splendid job of briefly sharing what to expect with each of the stories within while not falling into spoiler or platitude territory, which was nice.
What I liked: The anthology runs the gamut of what each writer themselves understood what a ‘monster’ is. We get some very straightforward entries, as well as some that defiantly fall into the speculative world. A number of the stories really stood out for me.
First up was Naben Ruthnum’s ‘The Lair.’ The story follows Mark, who fell in love with action figures and video games as a young kid. That love becomes his life and, after finding no direction and having no desire to achieve anything, his family holds an intervention. Instead of making progressive choices, Mark leaves, and moves into his grandparents place. There, he has a shed, which he transforms into his video game and online lair. Not long after, his grandma passes away and it’s from there that he discovers his grandpa’s newfound online habits. Naben does a wonderful job of making Mark both a character you want to sympathize with, while also making him one of the skeeziest characters you’ll come across. This one walks the line of ‘is he or isn’t he’ a monster so very well.
Next, was ‘Throne’ by Andrew F. Sullivan. A biting commentary on the ultra-rich’s quest for acceptance and finding one’s ‘tribe,’ the story follows 20something Murphy. She’s bounced from job to job, and after being let go of her most recent position, doesn’t know what comes next. Then her former coworker, Carrie, invites her to check out a hip new place called Yggdrasil, where a brother and sister having found a group of people willing to change their lives if they follow the groups instructions to prune and regrow. Murphy takes to it and soon becomes a class leader, holding sway over those who attend the classes and are willing to go the extra step for her. The socioeconomical examination within this one is fantastic, if not a little frustrating over its accuracy, and the subtle changes Murphy goes through really highlighted what a small dose of power can do to an individual. This was a cult story told with only the implications of it being so.
Pasha Malla’s ‘The Undreamed’ was perhaps the most speculative story of the anthology, which set it nicely aside from all the others. The only way I can really do any justice to this story without being a spoiler is this – Things appear in the bedroom. Sometimes they are only on the periphery of vision. Sometimes they seem to be tangible. But they infiltrate the lives of those within the story and good Lord is this one unsettling. Not to take away from the title of the story, but this was an excellent fever dream experienced through prose.
Next up, I loved Emily Weedon’s ‘The Golem Suit.’ And while the title does suggest what is going to happen in here, the delivery mechanism and story vehicle reinvents what I expected to read. Following Felix, a man with a predatory mindset, he becomes a working crew member in the film industry which gives him access to women who sometimes believe if they scratch his back, he’ll scratch theirs allowing for career advancement. But it’s in these moments of vulnerability where Felix’s darkest predatory mechanisms come to the surface and he does what he will, rougher and more violent with each passing year. That is, until he meets a traumatized woman who seems to be his match. Weedon masterfully makes you despise Felix while also forcing you to stay for the ride and see how it ends. Unflinchingly impactful.
The last story that stood out for me was Andrew Pyper’s ‘The Sanctuary.’ Truth be told, I read this one first, then went back and reread all the stories, finishing with this one a second time. The story takes places in a remote wooded ‘campground,’ which continues Andrew’s examinations of such locations. In fact, Andrew first based a story in a summer camp back in 1994’s ‘Camp Sacred Heart,’ which was republished in his 1996 collection, ‘Kiss Me.’ His 1999 novel ‘Lost Girls’ mentions a summer camp, and we see a revisit to an area very similar to ‘Camp Sacred Heart’ in his 2019 novel ‘The Homecoming.’ And, an unpublished novel of Andrew’s also focuses on a similar style location. Throughout his literary career, remote wooded locations were settings Andrew utilized time and time again, and with ‘The Sanctuary’ he bolstered the oddness of where it takes place by having it occur in a sort of Canadian version of Bohemian Grove. If you’re unfamiliar with Bohemian Grove, it is a private campground in California where the elite of the elite congregate and take place in discussions and debauchery. The story follows a young man, who gets a summer job with his friend Ty, while at University. Once there, they learn their roles, and our main character is ‘befriended’ by The Secretary, a mysterious older man who seems to know everyone and everything that’s going on. Andrew warns us to not walk down the paths surrounding the campground at night, yet our character still does so, and it’s here where the monstrous revelation arrives. This one has all the classic hallmarks of a Pyper story, and told with the prose that only Andrew was capable of.
What I didn’t like: As always in an anthology some stories just didn’t connect with me. While I enjoyed every story, some were a bit on the nose and didn’t feel as impactful as they could’ve been. But as always, those might be the stories that you enjoy the most!
Why you should buy this: Filled to the brim with phenomenal stories, this anthology curated by Russell Smith will undoubtably have something for every reader. Taking the simply idea of ‘what is a monster,’ the authors of each story really out did themselves with the variety of subject matter we get. Fans of each of these writers will snag this to experience what they created, and will most likely find another new-to-them writer to check out more of their work.
This is a fantastic anthology collecting some of the most exciting Canadian writers creating dark fiction today, and throughout the stories tackle some very bleak subject matter really well. I for one am glad I read this, and as a Pyper super fan, this anthology will always hold a special place for giving me one more piece of his fiction to read and to cherish.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Monsters: Unsettling Short Stories by Russell Smith
Short-story collections are usually a mixed bag for me. Some stories land, others fall flat, and rating the whole book as an average often feels unfair to the ones that actually stick with you. Monsters: Unsettling Short Stories by Russell Smith managed to avoid that problem. I came away genuinely impressed.
I normally skim introductions, but “On Monsters” pulled me in right away. It was thoughtful, a little unsettling in its own right, and set the tone for what followed without over-explaining everything.
The stories themselves improve as you go. The early ones are fine, but the later ones hit harder. “Miss Hino,” “The Golem Suit,” and “The Sanctuary” were my favorites—each one left a distinct impression and stayed with me after I finished. Even if those three don’t end up being your personal picks, there’s a good chance you’ll find at least one story here that connects.
I’d recommend Monsters. Solid four stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Rare Machines/Dundurn Press for the honor to read and review this digital Advanced Reader's Copy.
Short-story collections are usually a mixed bag for me. Some stories land, others fall flat, and rating the whole book as an average often feels unfair to the ones that actually stick with you. Monsters: Unsettling Short Stories by Russell Smith managed to avoid that problem. I came away genuinely impressed.
I normally skim introductions, but “On Monsters” pulled me in right away. It was thoughtful, a little unsettling in its own right, and set the tone for what followed without over-explaining everything.
The stories themselves improve as you go. The early ones are fine, but the later ones hit harder. “Miss Hino,” “The Golem Suit,” and “The Sanctuary” were my favorites—each one left a distinct impression and stayed with me after I finished. Even if those three don’t end up being your personal picks, there’s a good chance you’ll find at least one story here that connects.
I’d recommend Monsters. Solid four stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Rare Machines/Dundurn Press for the honor to read and review this digital Advanced Reader's Copy.
May 19, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Please note this is a 3.5 star book.
Anthologies are so incredibly difficult to edit and balance, so I applaud the editor in putting together a comprehensive batch of stories. It can be especially hard when balancing a nebulous overall theme like ‘monsters’, especially when it’s not constructed in the normal way.
‘Monsters’ was a very well put together series of short stories. As is always the way, I was particularly fond of some stories more than others- there are a few particularly notable ones, without spoiling too much- keep your eyes out for a golem in particular.
Horror is always strongest when it provides social commentary, and this book managed to put together some very compelling commentaries even in a few short pages for some of the stories.
This would be a particularly excellent anthology for cosying up on a windy autumn day and letting the atmosphere carry you away.
Please note this is a 3.5 star book.
Anthologies are so incredibly difficult to edit and balance, so I applaud the editor in putting together a comprehensive batch of stories. It can be especially hard when balancing a nebulous overall theme like ‘monsters’, especially when it’s not constructed in the normal way.
‘Monsters’ was a very well put together series of short stories. As is always the way, I was particularly fond of some stories more than others- there are a few particularly notable ones, without spoiling too much- keep your eyes out for a golem in particular.
Horror is always strongest when it provides social commentary, and this book managed to put together some very compelling commentaries even in a few short pages for some of the stories.
This would be a particularly excellent anthology for cosying up on a windy autumn day and letting the atmosphere carry you away.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own. This was a pretty strong collection of short stories, some stronger than others and some I honestly wasn’t entirely sure what was going on sometimes. The overall idea of monsters was a great tie-in for all of the stories as there are many interpretations of what that means, and the authors really came through on that. There’s creepy to true horror in here and something that could appeal to many readers. I can’t say I loved it as short story collections are a tough sell for me when I’m not loving them all from the very start, and this collection almost turned me off at the beginning. It did get better as it went along, and the stories are all pretty short. If you really love the creepy and stories that have you thinking and are intrigued by the idea of what a monster is, this would be for you. FYI disturbing themes, violence, talk of sensitive subjects, profanity
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!
I was drawn to this book firstly by the unusual cover and the genre. I have read a few short story books and a few of them seem to have the same thing in common, there are always some really strong ones and then a few that just dont fit in with the rest for multiple reasons.
Some of my favourite stories in this book were as follows:
-the meek
-throne
-the golem suit
-waking the monster
-sanctuary
Some of the other stories were good too, but some lacked the full bodiedness of the ones listed above, and just left me either confused or wanting more out of them.
Overall this was a good read, was tempted to DNF it a quarter of the way through but as others have noted it seems the stories are better the more you read the book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I was drawn to this book firstly by the unusual cover and the genre. I have read a few short story books and a few of them seem to have the same thing in common, there are always some really strong ones and then a few that just dont fit in with the rest for multiple reasons.
Some of my favourite stories in this book were as follows:
-the meek
-throne
-the golem suit
-waking the monster
-sanctuary
Some of the other stories were good too, but some lacked the full bodiedness of the ones listed above, and just left me either confused or wanting more out of them.
Overall this was a good read, was tempted to DNF it a quarter of the way through but as others have noted it seems the stories are better the more you read the book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5
Monsters is an anthology of short stories edited by Russell Smith, where the contributors were tasked with the question: What is a monster?
Such a subjective question, and as one would expect, the submissions in this anthology are wildly varied as a result, with some authors embracing horror archetypes more readily than others.
Short story anthologies are always tricky to review because not every entry will be a hit, but despite that, I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed by any of them.
Personally, I found the quieter, more subtle stories to be the most impactful. The crowning jewel of this collection was The Lair, which made me feel so uncomfortable that I had to put my Kindle down for the remainder of the evening.
Overall, this was an interesting idea for an anthology, and one that mostly delivered.
Worth a look.
With thanks to Dundurn Press for the ARC
Monsters is an anthology of short stories edited by Russell Smith, where the contributors were tasked with the question: What is a monster?
Such a subjective question, and as one would expect, the submissions in this anthology are wildly varied as a result, with some authors embracing horror archetypes more readily than others.
Short story anthologies are always tricky to review because not every entry will be a hit, but despite that, I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed by any of them.
Personally, I found the quieter, more subtle stories to be the most impactful. The crowning jewel of this collection was The Lair, which made me feel so uncomfortable that I had to put my Kindle down for the remainder of the evening.
Overall, this was an interesting idea for an anthology, and one that mostly delivered.
Worth a look.
With thanks to Dundurn Press for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and RareMachines for this e-ARC.
As with any short story anthology, some hit their mark for different readers more than others. This was no different. Some felt like puffs of air while others collided with me like a penny from a train track--mostly stories in the collection's back half. "Lady Hino" by Sifton Tracey Anipare, "Throne" by Andrew F. Sullivan, "The Golem Suit" by Emily A. Weedon, "Judgment Call" by Barbara Fradkin, and the late Andrew Pyper's "Sanctuary" unsettled me quite successfully. Though nothing made me squirm quite as much as Naben Ruthnum's "The Lair." Just an all-timer for stories that are both heartbreaking and make me want to be away from them as soon as possible. Being a horror-boy at heart, however, I have to say that Anipare's "Lady Hino" might stick with me the most after completing this batch of stories.
As with any short story anthology, some hit their mark for different readers more than others. This was no different. Some felt like puffs of air while others collided with me like a penny from a train track--mostly stories in the collection's back half. "Lady Hino" by Sifton Tracey Anipare, "Throne" by Andrew F. Sullivan, "The Golem Suit" by Emily A. Weedon, "Judgment Call" by Barbara Fradkin, and the late Andrew Pyper's "Sanctuary" unsettled me quite successfully. Though nothing made me squirm quite as much as Naben Ruthnum's "The Lair." Just an all-timer for stories that are both heartbreaking and make me want to be away from them as soon as possible. Being a horror-boy at heart, however, I have to say that Anipare's "Lady Hino" might stick with me the most after completing this batch of stories.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Dark psychological horror. Speculative horror. Literary horror. Every author in this interesting and unnerving anthology yields the proverbial pen with true craft. This ‘flavor’ satisfied me in a way I hadn’t realized I was longing for in my horror reads lately. True to my European roots, I enjoy soaking in a multi-course meal over a leisurely span of time, savoring the elevated experience and engaging company. Same goes for books and this one satisfied that craving. Most of these stories left me deeply uneasy and pondering: what makes a monster? A few chilled me. I love thought-provoking horror combined with honed prose so Monsters as a whole was a win for me. 5/5
August 17, 2026
This anthology was actually a really cool concept. 14 writers asked to create a short story about monsters; only nothing specific was given, just monsters. The start of the book was really cool, deep diving into the definition and origin of the word. Then the stories began. Some were not my cup of tea but others had me. As a whole it was crazy to see all the different ways someone could interpret what a monster is. I’m only giving 4 stars because a few of the stories were just too short and did not make any sense but otherwise it truly threw me through a loop!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
*thank you netgalley for the ARC so i can read and give a honest review*
2.5 stars
1st i like to say any anthology is hard to review so take that into consideration. Golem suit was my top story i enjoyed about 6 of the stories but a few were really bad. I was close to DNF'in it but i would have missed a few stories i enjoyed. Always enjoy readin short stories found alot of authors this way but some make you scratch your head. Overall i gave it a middle average score.
2.5 stars
1st i like to say any anthology is hard to review so take that into consideration. Golem suit was my top story i enjoyed about 6 of the stories but a few were really bad. I was close to DNF'in it but i would have missed a few stories i enjoyed. Always enjoy readin short stories found alot of authors this way but some make you scratch your head. Overall i gave it a middle average score.
June 23, 2026
3.5 stars
A good collection of short stories, some stronger than others. I really enjoyed the opening story and Murphy’s story, they were the most entertaining to read. Some were a little underwhelming, but overall I thought this was a solid collection of horror, featuring real monsters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Monsters #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
A good collection of short stories, some stronger than others. I really enjoyed the opening story and Murphy’s story, they were the most entertaining to read. Some were a little underwhelming, but overall I thought this was a solid collection of horror, featuring real monsters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Monsters #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Monsters by Russell Smith is an interesting collection of short stories. Smith has a sharp eye for the strange, flawed, and sometimes unsettling aspects of everyday life, and several of the stories are memorable for their dark humor and unusual characters. At the same time, not every story landed for me. The collection has plenty of clever ideas and strong moments. Overall, Monsters is worth a look if you enjoy quirky, offbeat fiction, though it didn’t completely win me over.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars, rounded up. As almost everyone else has said, the first few stories aren’t that good but the book improves as it goes along. The cool cover art caught my attention and made me request this ARC. Several authors offer up their take on their version of a monster. As with almost all anthologies, some stories will be enjoyed more than others. Overall a decent read.
3.5 stars, rounded up. As almost everyone else has said, the first few stories aren’t that good but the book improves as it goes along. The cool cover art caught my attention and made me request this ARC. Several authors offer up their take on their version of a monster. As with almost all anthologies, some stories will be enjoyed more than others. Overall a decent read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This collections was full of the type of stories that leave you feeling uneasy and you can not seem it place your finger on the reason why. Each story was different and unique in its own way and they were able to work together in this collection. If you are looking for that quiet horror, that will haunt you and make you feel uneasy, this is the collection for that.
June 13, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for review. This book was interesting however I think I was looking for "horror" and this didn't hit that mark for me. I enjoyed The Sanctuary and the story with the goats..the rest of the stories were a miss for me. If you're a lover of Gothic folklore this may be the one for you.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thankyou for allowing me to read this early for an honest review. I really enjoyed reading these short stories of what a monster is. Some way more than others and really leaves you thinking about it well your trying to read the next. NO SPOILERS HERE.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
E-arc provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review
This collection is both fascinating and disturbing in the way it exposes the psychological nature of human beings. The stories are of moderate length, making them perfect for reading one at a time without interruption.
This collection is both fascinating and disturbing in the way it exposes the psychological nature of human beings. The stories are of moderate length, making them perfect for reading one at a time without interruption.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Not bad. Quirky interesting little stories. Wasn’t as horror as I’d expected still intrigued a wee bit.
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