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Monstrous
A gripping, dark suspense story from the excellent Bryan Smith.
Accompanied by an unsuspecting target, an aspiring serial killer journeys to a remote mountainous location at the same time as a woman looking to bury evidence of a heinous crime walks the same trail. A sudden unnatural storm transports them to a mist-shrouded field that rolls on for countless miles in all directions. A towering skyscraper stands at the centre that they both must enter – a plaque on the door reads simply, MONSTROUS, a hint of the surreal cosmic horrors lurking inside.
Have they been delivered to this strange place for a chance at redemption, or for some ultimate form of punishment not available to earthly forces? Will they ever know the truth?
FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to excellent original writing in horror, science fiction and fantasy. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress. Awarded independent publisher of 2024 by the British Fantasy Society.
Accompanied by an unsuspecting target, an aspiring serial killer journeys to a remote mountainous location at the same time as a woman looking to bury evidence of a heinous crime walks the same trail. A sudden unnatural storm transports them to a mist-shrouded field that rolls on for countless miles in all directions. A towering skyscraper stands at the centre that they both must enter – a plaque on the door reads simply, MONSTROUS, a hint of the surreal cosmic horrors lurking inside.
Have they been delivered to this strange place for a chance at redemption, or for some ultimate form of punishment not available to earthly forces? Will they ever know the truth?
FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to excellent original writing in horror, science fiction and fantasy. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress. Awarded independent publisher of 2024 by the British Fantasy Society.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 22, 2026
About the author
Bryan Smith
126 books804 followersBryan Smith is the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of more than forty horror and crime books, including 68 Kill, the cult classic Depraved and its sequels, as well as The Killing Kind, Slowly We Rot, The Freakshow, and many more. Bestselling horror author Brian Keene called Slowly We Rot, "The best zombie novel I've ever read."
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Biting my fists, reading through half-closed eyes, and screaming 'WTF?!'
If you are looking for a book that grabs you by the collar from page one and absolutely refuses to let go, this is it. I'm still processing what I just read, but I’ll do my best to put my thoughts into words!
Down the Rabbit Hole... Fast
Right from the cover and premise, I knew I had to read this book. And let me tell you, it does not waste any time. There’s no slow buildup or unnecessary padding; the story dives straight into the mystery and thrill within the first few chapters.
By chapter 8, I was completely intrigued, and by chapter 13, I was practically losing my mind alongside the characters. You feel just as trapped, confused, and desperate for answers as the people inside the book. It’s a totally different kind of horror. It plays tricks on your mind, which, in my opinion, is so much more brutal and terrifying than just standard physical gore.
I actually had to keep notes while reading just to monitor what was happening because it is so mind-bending. Honestly, my face by the end of the book was the exact human equivalent of that classic math lady meme you know the one, where she’s staring blankly into space while complex geometry formulas float all around her head,yeah! that one.
To the author, Bryan Smith: I seriously want to see an EEG of your brain while you were writing this story! Every single detail had my brow furrowed in the best way possible. I kept wondering what would happen to the characters next, but I also kept wondering, how on earth did you come up with this? Hands down, thank you for sharing that gift of writing with your readers.
Just a quick note on the ARC Layout.
Since this was an uncorrected copy, I did have one minor critique regarding the formatting. The story switches points of view, and I think it would be incredibly helpful if the character's name (whether it's David, Calista, or Gina) was explicitly printed at the top of the page whenever the POV changes.While it's usually not too hard to figure out who is speaking after a few paragraphs, there were moments where a clear label would have smoothed out the reading experience. For instance, a certain chapter involving a surreal, terrifying cinema auditorium experience had me scratching my head a bit. I had to reread it a couple of times to guess whose perspective we were following. However, looking back, that disorientation honestly added to the overall mystery and mind-blowing thrill of the scene!
By the final chapters, I was wincing and biting my fist in suspense, as if I were watching a high-stakes horror movie play out right in front of me. The final twists and character revelations left me completely floored, absolute "WTF" moments that I did not see coming.
Monstrous is an incredible ride. When this book officially drops, I am 100% buying a physical copy because I already want to reread it. Mark my words, this book is going to be the talk of the town in the horror and thriller community. Highly recommended!
If you are looking for a book that grabs you by the collar from page one and absolutely refuses to let go, this is it. I'm still processing what I just read, but I’ll do my best to put my thoughts into words!
Down the Rabbit Hole... Fast
Right from the cover and premise, I knew I had to read this book. And let me tell you, it does not waste any time. There’s no slow buildup or unnecessary padding; the story dives straight into the mystery and thrill within the first few chapters.
By chapter 8, I was completely intrigued, and by chapter 13, I was practically losing my mind alongside the characters. You feel just as trapped, confused, and desperate for answers as the people inside the book. It’s a totally different kind of horror. It plays tricks on your mind, which, in my opinion, is so much more brutal and terrifying than just standard physical gore.
I actually had to keep notes while reading just to monitor what was happening because it is so mind-bending. Honestly, my face by the end of the book was the exact human equivalent of that classic math lady meme you know the one, where she’s staring blankly into space while complex geometry formulas float all around her head,yeah! that one.
To the author, Bryan Smith: I seriously want to see an EEG of your brain while you were writing this story! Every single detail had my brow furrowed in the best way possible. I kept wondering what would happen to the characters next, but I also kept wondering, how on earth did you come up with this? Hands down, thank you for sharing that gift of writing with your readers.
Just a quick note on the ARC Layout.
Since this was an uncorrected copy, I did have one minor critique regarding the formatting. The story switches points of view, and I think it would be incredibly helpful if the character's name (whether it's David, Calista, or Gina) was explicitly printed at the top of the page whenever the POV changes.While it's usually not too hard to figure out who is speaking after a few paragraphs, there were moments where a clear label would have smoothed out the reading experience. For instance, a certain chapter involving a surreal, terrifying cinema auditorium experience had me scratching my head a bit. I had to reread it a couple of times to guess whose perspective we were following. However, looking back, that disorientation honestly added to the overall mystery and mind-blowing thrill of the scene!
By the final chapters, I was wincing and biting my fist in suspense, as if I were watching a high-stakes horror movie play out right in front of me. The final twists and character revelations left me completely floored, absolute "WTF" moments that I did not see coming.
Monstrous is an incredible ride. When this book officially drops, I am 100% buying a physical copy because I already want to reread it. Mark my words, this book is going to be the talk of the town in the horror and thriller community. Highly recommended!
October 5, 2026
Monstrous by Brian Smith, the book starts with a want to be serial killer stabbing his first victim Calista in the back and his mind everything is going as planned until he hear’s two people talking on the trail. It doesn’t help when Calista starts making loud moaning sounds trying to get their attention. This is when we learn Gina and her boyfriend Finn are on the trail trying to carry out devious deeds of their own. They’re burying evidence of a murder committed by Gina sister when they hear Callistus moans. This is when hurricane strength winds whip up when everything settles back down David and Gina are both led separately to a building and the only emblem they see says monstrous. This is the beginning of a nightmare that as a reader I thought was very well done. all you know is these characters are having separate experiences and are in a building in the middle of a giant field in the woods and as the story builds momentum it is a crazy tail with a strange but very good ending. I can honestly say this is one of the strangest books I’ve ever read and it was truly perfection. Each additional character just added more greatness to the narrative and I couldn’t put the book down I’m being so serious I’m not just saying that that is the god honest truth. I absolutely recommend this book to those who like original concepts with great storytelling. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,
September 25, 2026
✨ARC Review✨
Dark. Chilling. Suspenseful. Mysterious.
This book will leave you thinking 'what the hell just happened?!'
A mysterious and weird horror that is full of mind bending realities that will have you anxious to see how it all plays out.
Dark. Chilling. Suspenseful. Mysterious.
This book will leave you thinking 'what the hell just happened?!'
A mysterious and weird horror that is full of mind bending realities that will have you anxious to see how it all plays out.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews