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Real Monsters
'From the scorched desert to the marital bedroom, Real Monsters is a memorable and moving portrait of the futility of 21st century conflict.' --Benjamin Myers, author of Pig Iron and Beastings We are surrounded by monsters. The lines are now so blurred, no one knows who the real enemy is anymore. Reeling from the terrorist attack that killed her father, Lorna lurches through an inebriated adolescence until she finds redemption in a young soldier called Danny. However, her dream of a stable life is shattered when Danny is called to serve in war overseas. Danny is lost in the desert. Most of his unit is dead – victims, it would seem, of a brutal ambush. With their equipment destroyed and food running out, the small band of men stumble through the sand and shadows, desperate to find salvation. As their hope fades, they begin to turn on each other, until finally it becomes clear that only the truly monstrous will survive. Brown creates a compelling and gripping experience alternating between the soldier and home narrative. Cleverly employing letters and unique voices we are drawn completely into the raw desert while being left with a thought-provoking and graphic view of modern warfare. What Reviewers and Readers ' Beautifully written, smart and punchy '. Sam Mills, author of The Quiddity of Will Self 'A memorable and moving portrait of the futility of 21st century conflict'. Benjamin Myers, author of Pig Iron and Beastings
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2015
5 people are currently reading
510 people want to read
About the author
Liam Brown
33 books65 followersBrown’s debut novel, Real Monsters, was published in 2015 by Legend Press. Wild Life, which the Guardian called "a compelling, chilling investigation into the dark instincts of masculinity", followed in 2016, while his third novel, Broadcast, was published internationally in 2017. Described by the Daily Mail as "a short, sharp and shocking update of the Faustus myth", the book was also optioned by a major Hollywood Studio.
His new novel Skin, about a viral pandemic that puts the world into lockdown, was released in 2019.
His new novel Skin, about a viral pandemic that puts the world into lockdown, was released in 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 13, 2015
I was attracted to both the cover and description of this book quite a few months ago, so I was over the moon when the publisher offered to send me a paperback copy to review. Firstly, I’d like to apologise to the author and publisher for taking so long to review this book. I allowed my husband to help me tidy the house one day, resulting in the book going missing. I feared he had put it out with the recycling, but as if by magic it reappeared a few weeks ago. I’m so pleased it did, as this is a great book I’m so pleased not to have missed out on.
On the face of it, Real Monsters is a book about war and terrorism. However, once you get into the story, it is clear that this isn’t just about the goodies fighting the baddies, it takes you beyond the physical acts of violence, covering the physical and emotional impact war has on soldiers, and what it is like for family left at home while their loved ones are fighting in another country. It makes you question, what are we fighting for? Who are the real monsters in all of this? Does war create more monsters rather than rid the world of them?
Real Monsters is very emotive and thought provoking. Having given my heart and soul to this book, I was a bit of a wreck by the end, having the urge to cry hysterical tears. I managed to hold them back, but it wasn’t easy. I’m not even sure exactly why it left me feeling so emotional, be it my own personal involvement with the military or my frustration at the world, but it did, and in my eyes, that’s the sign of a well written novel.
I loved the format of this book, the way the story is told in the form of letters, alternating between a man and a woman writing to their son. I think this was very cleverly done, and covered two very different angles of the same situation.
The sections written by the soldier, were graphic and brutal, and some of the language, although most of which I can confirm is very much authentic, some readers may find offensive. I did question one particular word with my husband, which he says he’s not personally heard being used during his time in the military, but with the exception of that one word, all other, shall we say, nicknames were familiar to my husband and myself, making the soldier’s experiences feel even more real. These sections moved slower than those from Lorna’s viewpoint, but that made sense, after all, how fast does time pass when you’re on a military mission in the desert.
As both a female and someone who is married to a man who has been in the Royal Navy for 15 years, I found it really easy to relate to Lorna. After many years, having a husband going away for long period of time does get easier. I remember the days when he was away for two weeks feeling like forever, but nowadays a fortnight goes by in a flash. One thing that never gets easier are the goodbyes though, especially when he’s going away for a few months. Those goodbyes are heart-breaking and I can feel my heart racing just thinking about it. I did have a giggle at Lorna going to the Military Spouses Meet-up club, as I was a member of the Navy Wives Club many years ago, and the wives there were also at least 2, more like 3 decades older than me.
Although, Lorna’s story was the one I connected with the most, the soldier’s letters are a constant reminder that this is going on somewhere, right now. Turning a blind eye to it because you either don’t approve of war or just don’t wish to think about it, doesn’t make it any less real for those involved. People are dying every day because we as humans haven’t yet grasped how to get on with each other.
You can choose to stick your head in the sand, or you can read books like this that make you think about a very real situation that is going on now. Then you could pass the book onto someone else, and have a conversation about it, and perhaps one day when enough of us talk about this kind of thing, we might come up with a solution to rid our world of hatred and violence without the use of further hatred and violence. What a wonderful world that would be.
On the face of it, Real Monsters is a book about war and terrorism. However, once you get into the story, it is clear that this isn’t just about the goodies fighting the baddies, it takes you beyond the physical acts of violence, covering the physical and emotional impact war has on soldiers, and what it is like for family left at home while their loved ones are fighting in another country. It makes you question, what are we fighting for? Who are the real monsters in all of this? Does war create more monsters rather than rid the world of them?
Real Monsters is very emotive and thought provoking. Having given my heart and soul to this book, I was a bit of a wreck by the end, having the urge to cry hysterical tears. I managed to hold them back, but it wasn’t easy. I’m not even sure exactly why it left me feeling so emotional, be it my own personal involvement with the military or my frustration at the world, but it did, and in my eyes, that’s the sign of a well written novel.
I loved the format of this book, the way the story is told in the form of letters, alternating between a man and a woman writing to their son. I think this was very cleverly done, and covered two very different angles of the same situation.
The sections written by the soldier, were graphic and brutal, and some of the language, although most of which I can confirm is very much authentic, some readers may find offensive. I did question one particular word with my husband, which he says he’s not personally heard being used during his time in the military, but with the exception of that one word, all other, shall we say, nicknames were familiar to my husband and myself, making the soldier’s experiences feel even more real. These sections moved slower than those from Lorna’s viewpoint, but that made sense, after all, how fast does time pass when you’re on a military mission in the desert.
As both a female and someone who is married to a man who has been in the Royal Navy for 15 years, I found it really easy to relate to Lorna. After many years, having a husband going away for long period of time does get easier. I remember the days when he was away for two weeks feeling like forever, but nowadays a fortnight goes by in a flash. One thing that never gets easier are the goodbyes though, especially when he’s going away for a few months. Those goodbyes are heart-breaking and I can feel my heart racing just thinking about it. I did have a giggle at Lorna going to the Military Spouses Meet-up club, as I was a member of the Navy Wives Club many years ago, and the wives there were also at least 2, more like 3 decades older than me.
Although, Lorna’s story was the one I connected with the most, the soldier’s letters are a constant reminder that this is going on somewhere, right now. Turning a blind eye to it because you either don’t approve of war or just don’t wish to think about it, doesn’t make it any less real for those involved. People are dying every day because we as humans haven’t yet grasped how to get on with each other.
You can choose to stick your head in the sand, or you can read books like this that make you think about a very real situation that is going on now. Then you could pass the book onto someone else, and have a conversation about it, and perhaps one day when enough of us talk about this kind of thing, we might come up with a solution to rid our world of hatred and violence without the use of further hatred and violence. What a wonderful world that would be.
March 18, 2018
The title is from a Nietzsche quote and accordingly the soul of this novel very much has to do with who the real monsters are. Nominally, in the story, they are the unnamed foes responsible for a deadly terrorist act which resulted in a nearly 14 year war. Brown leaves it cleverly anonymous and all of the locations are unspecified, mainly a generic Western city and a generic desert setting. Kind of a genius way to write a commentary of the continuing West/East geopolitical conflict without having to entangle the plot in all the specifics. This way is seems easier to concentrate on what’s really at stake, which is an ugly demoralizing deleterious effect of war on a person. The story is told through dual alternating narratives addressed to a child by both of his parents, a father fighting overseas and a mother left alone to reevaluate her views about the war. The former plot line becomes increasingly terrifying as the latter turns soberingly tragic. This is by no means an easy read, but then again with this subject matter it shouldn’t be, in fact how discomforting it is testifies to how effective it is, just as how compelling it is despite all that testifies to Brown’s talent as an author. This was his debut too, very awesome. I’ve now read all three of his books to date, in reversed chronological order and they were all very different and all very good. Brown has certainly matured as a writer in some respects, but this one makes it obvious that he was good straight out of the gate. Enjoyable isn’t quite the right word to describe this reading experience in particular, because it seems to imply certain lightness, so maybe gratifying is more appropriate. Or maybe just something like I’m glad this book exists and I’m glad to have read it. Thanks Netgalley.
March 1, 2015
With brutal truths and raw emotion, Real Monsters confronts the fallout of conflict on real people and the legacy this leaves behind.
The book is entirely narrated by Danny and Lorna via their letters, who alternately tell their sides of the conflict since the ‘monsters’ first attacked. Each of them set out to write their individual experiences to their son, right until the end of this compelling read.
Danny is a solider. He enlisted in the army to fight the monsters everyone has heard of. His new wife, Lorna, is left behind to carry on a life, which seems destined to be without him.
The two journals are quite different. Danny’s is an edgy monologue, a unique voice filled with expletives. It is an outpour of the harsh reality of the environment he’s engulfed by and the deteriorating mental state of a small band of soldiers reaching breaking point.
Lorna fills the background about life on home territory. Her journal records the life changing event at the age of twelve when her father had died in a terrorist attack. She tells of her troubled teenage years, until Danny rescued her. She relays her feelings from when Danny enlisted and her subsequent involvement in the protests against the war.
Although you can draw your own conclusions, at no time does the writer give an indication as to the location of Danny and Lorna. This story is portrayed in such a way that it could be set in any time zone, in any place, involving anyone.
It’s the emotion of the storyline that’s important, rather than a factual overload. To give you some idea of how the writer achieved this, he introduces the two narrators, but doesn’t reveal their names until later in story. Although they remained anonymous until then, this only succeeded in my wanting to read further to discover their identity.
Some scenes are fairly harrowing and did make me shudder, plus the style of the narration does take a little getting used to, so it might not be a book for everyone. But I quickly became engrossed, right up to the final and tragic words that Danny and Lorna share.
Many thanks to the publisher, Legend Press via Netgalley, for the advanced copy.
The book is entirely narrated by Danny and Lorna via their letters, who alternately tell their sides of the conflict since the ‘monsters’ first attacked. Each of them set out to write their individual experiences to their son, right until the end of this compelling read.
Danny is a solider. He enlisted in the army to fight the monsters everyone has heard of. His new wife, Lorna, is left behind to carry on a life, which seems destined to be without him.
The two journals are quite different. Danny’s is an edgy monologue, a unique voice filled with expletives. It is an outpour of the harsh reality of the environment he’s engulfed by and the deteriorating mental state of a small band of soldiers reaching breaking point.
Lorna fills the background about life on home territory. Her journal records the life changing event at the age of twelve when her father had died in a terrorist attack. She tells of her troubled teenage years, until Danny rescued her. She relays her feelings from when Danny enlisted and her subsequent involvement in the protests against the war.
Although you can draw your own conclusions, at no time does the writer give an indication as to the location of Danny and Lorna. This story is portrayed in such a way that it could be set in any time zone, in any place, involving anyone.
It’s the emotion of the storyline that’s important, rather than a factual overload. To give you some idea of how the writer achieved this, he introduces the two narrators, but doesn’t reveal their names until later in story. Although they remained anonymous until then, this only succeeded in my wanting to read further to discover their identity.
Some scenes are fairly harrowing and did make me shudder, plus the style of the narration does take a little getting used to, so it might not be a book for everyone. But I quickly became engrossed, right up to the final and tragic words that Danny and Lorna share.
Many thanks to the publisher, Legend Press via Netgalley, for the advanced copy.
March 1, 2015
Shockingly graphic portrayal of the gruelling horrors of war from both the side of the wife at home and the soldier away on duty. Made even more poignant by being written in the form of letters to their child. Made even more vivid and real by the use of non-PC vocabulary which will shock and offend many, but is required to bring this story even more to life.
It starts unfolding from the very beginning giving you tit-bits of mystery and hints of what is to come. The central part of the story reveals the way the mind is bent and warped by events and experiences and political machinations The ending is even more twisted and bitter than I could have anticipated. Excellent style of alternating his/her letters and I wanted to keep jumping to the next follow on letter. It was very difficult not to do this.
The additional final seven pages are an author question and answer session and are very interesting and make the story detail, layout and structure understandable from the authors point of view. A very challenging book to choose to write and he must be congratulated for making a great success of it.
The cover design is very clever, but in an inverse way. You have to judge the cover by the book. I'll say no more.
It starts unfolding from the very beginning giving you tit-bits of mystery and hints of what is to come. The central part of the story reveals the way the mind is bent and warped by events and experiences and political machinations The ending is even more twisted and bitter than I could have anticipated. Excellent style of alternating his/her letters and I wanted to keep jumping to the next follow on letter. It was very difficult not to do this.
The additional final seven pages are an author question and answer session and are very interesting and make the story detail, layout and structure understandable from the authors point of view. A very challenging book to choose to write and he must be congratulated for making a great success of it.
The cover design is very clever, but in an inverse way. You have to judge the cover by the book. I'll say no more.
February 28, 2015
Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.
The copy of Real Monsters that I received was an uncorrected proof, but it was already of a higher standard than most manuscripts, and whilst I did pick up on a couple of typos here and there, they didn’t detract from the story.
Loosely speaking, Real Monsters is a sort of political allegory which takes a look at our modern wars with extremists and reflects it, as if you’re looking at it through one of those weird mirrors that you get at carnivals. It’s also a love story, presented in the format of two first-person narratives, one of which comes in the form of a letter from a soldier to his loved one back home.
Eventually, the two worlds collide, with serious consequences – Brown is making a statement on war here, but I’m not sure what it actually is. The beauty is that it forces you to decide for yourself.
The copy of Real Monsters that I received was an uncorrected proof, but it was already of a higher standard than most manuscripts, and whilst I did pick up on a couple of typos here and there, they didn’t detract from the story.
Loosely speaking, Real Monsters is a sort of political allegory which takes a look at our modern wars with extremists and reflects it, as if you’re looking at it through one of those weird mirrors that you get at carnivals. It’s also a love story, presented in the format of two first-person narratives, one of which comes in the form of a letter from a soldier to his loved one back home.
Eventually, the two worlds collide, with serious consequences – Brown is making a statement on war here, but I’m not sure what it actually is. The beauty is that it forces you to decide for yourself.
March 1, 2015
Lorna is on a downward spiral after the death of her father in the terrorist attack of 9/11 when she meets trainee soldier Danny, and they start a relationship. Not long after their marriage, Danny is sent to fight the terrorists(monsters)and pregnant Lorna is left alone at home to cope.
Written as a series of letters Danny and Lorna write to their son, the story started well for me but lost it's way in parts and my interest started to wane. There is no doubt the horrors of war are well described, but while Lorna's character developed and I began to feel sympathy for her, I never fully understood Danny's character and this is maybe one of the main reasons the book didn't hit the mark for me.
*Thank you to the publishers for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
Written as a series of letters Danny and Lorna write to their son, the story started well for me but lost it's way in parts and my interest started to wane. There is no doubt the horrors of war are well described, but while Lorna's character developed and I began to feel sympathy for her, I never fully understood Danny's character and this is maybe one of the main reasons the book didn't hit the mark for me.
*Thank you to the publishers for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
October 2, 2022
Wasnt a great read ,on to the next book.
February 13, 2018
Having read and enjoyed Wild Life I was keen to read Liam Brown’s previous book. I enjoyed this less however, it is quite different, and though a bold and timely piece of writing, not my sort of thing.
Real Monsters is about the impact of war on not only soldiers but also their families back a home. The location of the war Danny is fighting in is not stated, we know only that it is a desert. Brown says that his idea was that his protagonist could be a knight hunting dragons or an American GI fighting the Taliban.
It is told with two alternating narrators, Danny at war, and his wife Lorna at home (her location is noticeably left out also). Despite reading the author’s notes in the appendix and understanding the reason why he uses the violence and language that he does, I felt that the novel was unnecessarily glamourised. It lacks subtlety and is difficult to empathise with either Danny or Lorna, though I appreciate this is most likely deliberate.
Real Monsters is about the impact of war on not only soldiers but also their families back a home. The location of the war Danny is fighting in is not stated, we know only that it is a desert. Brown says that his idea was that his protagonist could be a knight hunting dragons or an American GI fighting the Taliban.
It is told with two alternating narrators, Danny at war, and his wife Lorna at home (her location is noticeably left out also). Despite reading the author’s notes in the appendix and understanding the reason why he uses the violence and language that he does, I felt that the novel was unnecessarily glamourised. It lacks subtlety and is difficult to empathise with either Danny or Lorna, though I appreciate this is most likely deliberate.
March 3, 2015
I've found myself thinking about this book many times after finishing the final page. It is both darkly humorous and harrowing in its account of soldiers at war. I'll try and stay away from plot specifics so as not to ruin it for anyone!
Needless to say 'Real Monsters' is a great debut effort and one of the most engaging stories I've read in a while. If you're looking for something written in a unique style (think Chuck Palaniuk meets Brett Easton Ellis... but with a little something extra) or a story that simply refuses to let go until the bitter end- read this book!
Needless to say 'Real Monsters' is a great debut effort and one of the most engaging stories I've read in a while. If you're looking for something written in a unique style (think Chuck Palaniuk meets Brett Easton Ellis... but with a little something extra) or a story that simply refuses to let go until the bitter end- read this book!
August 8, 2018
I sometimes choose books to read for silly reasons. Liam Brown's Real Monsters was chosen for a mixture of silly and normal reasons - that it is short; that it has a blurb from Benjamin Myers, who has written two of my favourite books that I have read this year (not of 2018 - both published before now); that it was published by Legend Press, the publishing house whose anthology 10 Journeys contains my short story 'Angel Wings'; Brown's latest offing 'Wild Life' is meant to be excellent yet I couldn't find it so settled for this; that it has a lovely, tactile cover.
As for the book itself? Decent. Dual narrative, that of husband and wife Danny and Lorna, a very young couple who marry up then Danny joins the army. Both are posed as letters for their son, telling two sides of the same story - from a soldier and an "army widow" perspective. Suffice to say that it is daring, galling, confronting, and with a growing sense of alarm, madness and ambiguity.
It targets the war on terror, the Western response to insurgencies and global threats both real and imagined (it is implied that what they are looking for and fighting aren't so much terrorists but real, bona fide monsters with green skin and eight arms - which of course we (the reader and the wider world within the narrative) never see). It also looks at the psychological makeup of those who enter the armed forces and the impact on them when facing wartime atrocities. Finally it looks at the impact on those who stay at home, those who rally and protest, and those who lash out at "the system". All of them are given human virtues, vices and flaws, and are presented as varying shades of grey throughout.
Funnily enough I found Lorna's narrative far more engaging, even if the outcome of Danny's travails in the desert got more extreme and desperate. In the end it was a bit of a Palahniuk outro in my opinion - twisted, nihilistic, not much to barrack for - but I didn't get the same sense of black-tar comedy and entertainment from Brown's novel as I do from (most of) CP's work. Still a bristling opening salvo, so I have high hopes that his follow up Wild Life (championed as being like an Adult Lord of the Flies, inhabited by the homeless) takes the good bits here and ups the ante.
As for the book itself? Decent. Dual narrative, that of husband and wife Danny and Lorna, a very young couple who marry up then Danny joins the army. Both are posed as letters for their son, telling two sides of the same story - from a soldier and an "army widow" perspective. Suffice to say that it is daring, galling, confronting, and with a growing sense of alarm, madness and ambiguity.
It targets the war on terror, the Western response to insurgencies and global threats both real and imagined (it is implied that what they are looking for and fighting aren't so much terrorists but real, bona fide monsters with green skin and eight arms - which of course we (the reader and the wider world within the narrative) never see). It also looks at the psychological makeup of those who enter the armed forces and the impact on them when facing wartime atrocities. Finally it looks at the impact on those who stay at home, those who rally and protest, and those who lash out at "the system". All of them are given human virtues, vices and flaws, and are presented as varying shades of grey throughout.
Funnily enough I found Lorna's narrative far more engaging, even if the outcome of Danny's travails in the desert got more extreme and desperate. In the end it was a bit of a Palahniuk outro in my opinion - twisted, nihilistic, not much to barrack for - but I didn't get the same sense of black-tar comedy and entertainment from Brown's novel as I do from (most of) CP's work. Still a bristling opening salvo, so I have high hopes that his follow up Wild Life (championed as being like an Adult Lord of the Flies, inhabited by the homeless) takes the good bits here and ups the ante.
March 15, 2018
Real monsters is a really interesting look at the hero worship and fetishization that has become of military service since 9/11. The book starts out with what seems to be descriptions of actual monsters but what ends up being clever parallels to what the government turned the "other" into to justify an apparently never ending war. I almost gave up on this book about 15% in because the male protagonist, Danny, was just so vile, and the language he used seemed gratuitous just for the sake of it but I'm glad I didn't. I don't know if this was intentional on the author's part, but while Danny didn't get any less vile the majority of the rough racist edges seemed to smooth off and quit detracting from the plot. Lorna, Danny's wife, was the real treasure of this book. She has no idea what she's in for as a soldiers wife and between her and Danny's letters to their child that comprise this story, we watch her grow into an independent strong and vital presence. The ending chapter is a short, sharp ride and really the only perfect way to end this story. Very well done and a great read.
July 15, 2015
This review originally appeared on Pop Verse.
The premise of Liam Brown’s debut novel Real Monsters is intriguing, tapping into a general worldwide malaise when it comes to misplaced anger, pointless war, and a widespread fear of this ungraspable ‘terrorism’. A tale in two halves, a soldier on the front lines and his wife back home, the novel explores the nature of war. It is an ambitious first novel, trying to cram in a lot of philosophy and explorative opinions in a very short – 180 pages – space. Unfortunately, the novel doesn’t live up to it’s strong premise, struggling to find a unique perspective on the subject matter.
Plot
Lorna has witnessed her fair share of tragedy in her short life. Her father was killed in the September 11 attacks. In the aftermath, Lorna’s mother completely withdrew from her daughter while Lorna’s sister left the family as soon as she could. Lorna was alone – apart from her vodka bottle.
On the cusp of facing life in the real world, outside the cushy comforts of educational institutions, Lorna meets Danny. A recently enlisted soldier, Danny is soon shipped off to fight the Monsters responsible for the attacks that took Lorna’s father. At first Lorna finds comfort in the war and finding justice for the pain and suffering caused, she soon starts to question who the Monsters really are.
Meanwhile, Danny’s outfit are stranded in the desert after a vicious attack, only a handful of them left. On their way back to civilization they find that it’s not the mysterious external threat they’ve been warned about that are the ones they should be afraid of. Sometimes the Monsters are within.
Narrative voice
New writers are often told of the importance of finding their own voice. Make it sound original! Distinctive! Unique! Well, there’s something to be said of a natural voice as well. With all the agents and publishers so enamored with ‘unique’, I find that a lot of substance gets lost in the attempt to be stylish.
With Real Monsters, Brown employs two distinct narrative voices, breaking the book into sections from Danny and Lorna’s points of view. Danny’s voice serves as the hook, but from the outset I found it infuriating. His character is not well educated and often uses poor spelling and grammar mixed with slang. While this can work for a limited amount of character dialogue, it started to wear very thin with the entire piece being written in this style.
In addition, the voice was not always consistent. At times Danny appeared very base with a small vocabulary, and at other times he was positively poetic. Of course, this is a first novel so I can’t expect everything to be perfect – but to make such a bold choice for the voice I would have expected Brown to have nailed it. It does not compare to heavily stylized voices in novels like Flowers for Algernon, The Sounds and the Fury, or Catcher in the Rye.
Meanwhile, Lorna’s voice is almost personality-less. She is given very little agency. A hook introduced early on (that she knows people have followed her and are there for her, she only has a short time) is never mentioned again until the very end. It is established when Lorna’s passage begins that she is writing down her story as quickly as she can before ‘they’ take her away – but that is the one and only time we get a sense of urgency in the telling of her tale.
Tackling the big issues
Taking on big issues that are in the forefront of people’s minds is great for marketing and finding an audience to your novel, but not so good if you have nothing new to say about it. I really wanted to find something in Real Monsters that explored the issues in a new way. Unfortunately, the ideas presented were all ones I’ve heard before and seen done better. We get it, the government lied to us and war isn’t the answer. Yes, there is easily a monster within many of us. Ok, got it. That’s what the novel should have opened with and then gone beyond. There just wasn’t enough meat to get my teeth into.
It’s true that the twist ending was something I didn’t actually see coming. But it comes so abruptly and tied in a neat little bow so quickly that the reader barely gets enough time to register what’s happened and there’s certainly no hint at what this actually means for the character. While Lorna manages to grow at least a little over the course of the novel (though I’m sorry, she’s still ludicrously naïve and aggravatingly passive), Danny doesn’t show growth at all.
I wanted to like this novel. A tough-talking modern look at ‘war is hell’, but it just didn’t do it for me. Maybe next time Brown will devote more time to creating characters with a bit more depth instead of hanging their personalities on their stylized voice.
Verdict: Not the strongest debut to come out of Legend Press in recent years. Hopefully Brown will work on these flaws and deliver a better sophomore effort, as the writing talent is there.
The premise of Liam Brown’s debut novel Real Monsters is intriguing, tapping into a general worldwide malaise when it comes to misplaced anger, pointless war, and a widespread fear of this ungraspable ‘terrorism’. A tale in two halves, a soldier on the front lines and his wife back home, the novel explores the nature of war. It is an ambitious first novel, trying to cram in a lot of philosophy and explorative opinions in a very short – 180 pages – space. Unfortunately, the novel doesn’t live up to it’s strong premise, struggling to find a unique perspective on the subject matter.
Plot
Lorna has witnessed her fair share of tragedy in her short life. Her father was killed in the September 11 attacks. In the aftermath, Lorna’s mother completely withdrew from her daughter while Lorna’s sister left the family as soon as she could. Lorna was alone – apart from her vodka bottle.
On the cusp of facing life in the real world, outside the cushy comforts of educational institutions, Lorna meets Danny. A recently enlisted soldier, Danny is soon shipped off to fight the Monsters responsible for the attacks that took Lorna’s father. At first Lorna finds comfort in the war and finding justice for the pain and suffering caused, she soon starts to question who the Monsters really are.
Meanwhile, Danny’s outfit are stranded in the desert after a vicious attack, only a handful of them left. On their way back to civilization they find that it’s not the mysterious external threat they’ve been warned about that are the ones they should be afraid of. Sometimes the Monsters are within.
Narrative voice
New writers are often told of the importance of finding their own voice. Make it sound original! Distinctive! Unique! Well, there’s something to be said of a natural voice as well. With all the agents and publishers so enamored with ‘unique’, I find that a lot of substance gets lost in the attempt to be stylish.
With Real Monsters, Brown employs two distinct narrative voices, breaking the book into sections from Danny and Lorna’s points of view. Danny’s voice serves as the hook, but from the outset I found it infuriating. His character is not well educated and often uses poor spelling and grammar mixed with slang. While this can work for a limited amount of character dialogue, it started to wear very thin with the entire piece being written in this style.
In addition, the voice was not always consistent. At times Danny appeared very base with a small vocabulary, and at other times he was positively poetic. Of course, this is a first novel so I can’t expect everything to be perfect – but to make such a bold choice for the voice I would have expected Brown to have nailed it. It does not compare to heavily stylized voices in novels like Flowers for Algernon, The Sounds and the Fury, or Catcher in the Rye.
Meanwhile, Lorna’s voice is almost personality-less. She is given very little agency. A hook introduced early on (that she knows people have followed her and are there for her, she only has a short time) is never mentioned again until the very end. It is established when Lorna’s passage begins that she is writing down her story as quickly as she can before ‘they’ take her away – but that is the one and only time we get a sense of urgency in the telling of her tale.
Tackling the big issues
Taking on big issues that are in the forefront of people’s minds is great for marketing and finding an audience to your novel, but not so good if you have nothing new to say about it. I really wanted to find something in Real Monsters that explored the issues in a new way. Unfortunately, the ideas presented were all ones I’ve heard before and seen done better. We get it, the government lied to us and war isn’t the answer. Yes, there is easily a monster within many of us. Ok, got it. That’s what the novel should have opened with and then gone beyond. There just wasn’t enough meat to get my teeth into.
It’s true that the twist ending was something I didn’t actually see coming. But it comes so abruptly and tied in a neat little bow so quickly that the reader barely gets enough time to register what’s happened and there’s certainly no hint at what this actually means for the character. While Lorna manages to grow at least a little over the course of the novel (though I’m sorry, she’s still ludicrously naïve and aggravatingly passive), Danny doesn’t show growth at all.
I wanted to like this novel. A tough-talking modern look at ‘war is hell’, but it just didn’t do it for me. Maybe next time Brown will devote more time to creating characters with a bit more depth instead of hanging their personalities on their stylized voice.
Verdict: Not the strongest debut to come out of Legend Press in recent years. Hopefully Brown will work on these flaws and deliver a better sophomore effort, as the writing talent is there.
December 17, 2015
In his author questionnaire at the end of the book, Liam Brown tells us that ‘Danny’s head was a pretty horrendous place to spend any amount of time.’ I can understand that. From the first few lines of the novel we are confronted by an aggressive, opinionated, macho young man who would be quite happy to go off to war with the intention of killing those of a different creed or colour in the name of defending the western world. This Danny would attempt, while at the same time treating his wife like scum.
To avoid too many spoilers, I think it’s safe to say that the letter he is writing to his son is inspired. Throughout the novel, Liam manages to keep the narrative going, with Danny keeping the dialogue with his yet to be born child. The regular change of voice between Danny and Lorna is clever, keeping the story going between ‘home’ and the desert.
At first I found the writing style rather rough, but quickly realised it had to be. This was Danny talking (interspersed with Lorna’s innermost thoughts) and Liam let the character run to carry out despicable deeds. A difficult book to write (I would not be capable of writing such a book) and not easy for some people to read. However, Liam deserves enormous credit for his achievement. He had a story to tell, and he told it. Amazing effort for a debut novel.
To avoid too many spoilers, I think it’s safe to say that the letter he is writing to his son is inspired. Throughout the novel, Liam manages to keep the narrative going, with Danny keeping the dialogue with his yet to be born child. The regular change of voice between Danny and Lorna is clever, keeping the story going between ‘home’ and the desert.
At first I found the writing style rather rough, but quickly realised it had to be. This was Danny talking (interspersed with Lorna’s innermost thoughts) and Liam let the character run to carry out despicable deeds. A difficult book to write (I would not be capable of writing such a book) and not easy for some people to read. However, Liam deserves enormous credit for his achievement. He had a story to tell, and he told it. Amazing effort for a debut novel.
February 27, 2015
Two separate narratives, or extended letters, to the same son: a soldier more acquainted with the varying types of sand than the enemy; a mother spied upon when she ventures outside the home, or else she’s suffering from an extreme case of paranoia. Since the terrorist attack that killed her father when she was twelve, Lorna’s life has become bleaker, alcohol her only retreat until she meets Danny. At the time, Danny is about to complete the last of his assessments for joining the army; they barely have time to get to know each other before she’s losing him to a world of machismo overseas. Yet now, with most of his unit murdered in an ambush at the dead of night, Danny is lost in the desert. Although the landscapes are vastly different, there are echoes of Cormac James’ The Surfacing in their predicament with the readers’ hope that, against all odds, they will survive.
Full review http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
Full review http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
March 25, 2016
Really good
Very original and thought provoking. A real page turner which, whilst taking you through a tense, fast paced story also provides an insight into the world we live in today. I'll be reading more from this author.
Very original and thought provoking. A real page turner which, whilst taking you through a tense, fast paced story also provides an insight into the world we live in today. I'll be reading more from this author.
August 25, 2021
This was a gripping and thought-provoking novel. I was especially impressed by the way it was structured. The contrasting narratives and viewpoints of the two main characters were cleverly entwined.
There were a couple of things that bothered me about the book though. One was that the character of Danny wasn’t very convincing and I couldn’t relate to or understand quite who he was. At times it was like a caricature.
Another thing that was distracting was that all the way through I was unsure where it was meant to be set. The story starts with 9/11 which firmly places it in New York and yet the characters don’t sound American and subsequent references to ‘pubs’ and a seaside town with arcades and a charity shop seem to place the action in Britain. I read the interview with the author in the back of the book and he says he deliberately chose to make things ambiguous but for me it was jarring and stopped the book from being fully immersive.
There were a couple of things that bothered me about the book though. One was that the character of Danny wasn’t very convincing and I couldn’t relate to or understand quite who he was. At times it was like a caricature.
Another thing that was distracting was that all the way through I was unsure where it was meant to be set. The story starts with 9/11 which firmly places it in New York and yet the characters don’t sound American and subsequent references to ‘pubs’ and a seaside town with arcades and a charity shop seem to place the action in Britain. I read the interview with the author in the back of the book and he says he deliberately chose to make things ambiguous but for me it was jarring and stopped the book from being fully immersive.
July 13, 2020
I really didn’t want to read this, not my thing at all. Violence, attitude- no reason fir it. Good for a book group read, I think, but definitely not fir me, despite the good plot.
February 10, 2016
Real Monsters by Liam Brown I received a free kindle copy of Real Monsters by Liam Brown, published by Legend Press from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
I gave this book about the atrocities of war five stars, even though I found it deeply disturbing at many levels. It's written from the dual viewpoints of Danny, the soldier husband & Lorna, the stay at home wife. There were many convoluted strands woven throughout the story. The end was completely unexpected.
Here are three quotes I found significant. "'He ain't gonna last long in the field--he's got the sense of an f....n cockroach!' Schwartz winked at me. 'Which coincidentally is the only thing that will survive a nuclear holocaust...'"
"...this was a world where an unpaid credit card bill could follow you over continents & decades, where every square centimeter of the Earth had been mapped by satellites & drones. How could anyone, or anything stay hidden for so long?"
"I found myself struck by the idea that I was unraveling--as if a little piece of me had become snagged somewhere, at the oasis or back at the camp, or even further away maybe, an invisible thread stretchin out over the ocean, all the way back to you. Either way, I couldn't escape the feelin I was slowly being pulled apart, that with each step forward there was somehow a little less of me left to go on, that sooner or later I would simply disappear."
The nebulous location of this war & the 'any man' voice of the characters is very well done. I highly recommend this book if you are up to reading about the horrors of war & its effects on men & women.
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Real-Monsters-L...
I gave this book about the atrocities of war five stars, even though I found it deeply disturbing at many levels. It's written from the dual viewpoints of Danny, the soldier husband & Lorna, the stay at home wife. There were many convoluted strands woven throughout the story. The end was completely unexpected.
Here are three quotes I found significant. "'He ain't gonna last long in the field--he's got the sense of an f....n cockroach!' Schwartz winked at me. 'Which coincidentally is the only thing that will survive a nuclear holocaust...'"
"...this was a world where an unpaid credit card bill could follow you over continents & decades, where every square centimeter of the Earth had been mapped by satellites & drones. How could anyone, or anything stay hidden for so long?"
"I found myself struck by the idea that I was unraveling--as if a little piece of me had become snagged somewhere, at the oasis or back at the camp, or even further away maybe, an invisible thread stretchin out over the ocean, all the way back to you. Either way, I couldn't escape the feelin I was slowly being pulled apart, that with each step forward there was somehow a little less of me left to go on, that sooner or later I would simply disappear."
The nebulous location of this war & the 'any man' voice of the characters is very well done. I highly recommend this book if you are up to reading about the horrors of war & its effects on men & women.
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Real-Monsters-L...
May 24, 2015
Convincing and unbending, Liam Brown’s debut novel, Real Monsters, delivers a cutting-edge story which depicts with raw emotion the vicious truths about conflict. Without mincing words, Brown tackles the impact of conflict on people directly confronted with it, as well as its lingering influence. While conflict is considered mainly a masculine pursuit, the role of women and its impact on them tended to be side-lined but with Real Monsters, the first-time author made a conscious decision to reflect the broad brushstrokes and highlights its unavoidability and how it often shapes the lives of people, both male and female.
Stripping the narrative right down to its base elements, Liam Brown’s portrayal of the hunt for the faceless enemy focused on individuals in an attempt to give equal weightage to both the female and male narrators. Real Monsters laid bare the emotion and deepest feelings of the two main protagonists, Danny and Lorna, as the story is written in the form of a series of letters to their son.
Real Monsters follows the story of Lorna whose life has been irreversibly changed post-9/11. But a chance meeting with a trainee soldier Danny brought about a semblance of normalcy, and after a whirlwind courtship get married. Lorna’s new-found happiness is short-lived when Danny is sent to fight terrorists and Lorna is left to fend for herself, and the child she is carrying. The story has a lot of promises. Author Liam Brown has painted stark images of the horrors of war. But the verdict may well differ as some may find little depth in the story while too much emphasis has been made about the horrors of war.
Many thanks to the publisher, Legend Press, for providing me with an uncorrected advanced reading copy of the book.
Stripping the narrative right down to its base elements, Liam Brown’s portrayal of the hunt for the faceless enemy focused on individuals in an attempt to give equal weightage to both the female and male narrators. Real Monsters laid bare the emotion and deepest feelings of the two main protagonists, Danny and Lorna, as the story is written in the form of a series of letters to their son.
Real Monsters follows the story of Lorna whose life has been irreversibly changed post-9/11. But a chance meeting with a trainee soldier Danny brought about a semblance of normalcy, and after a whirlwind courtship get married. Lorna’s new-found happiness is short-lived when Danny is sent to fight terrorists and Lorna is left to fend for herself, and the child she is carrying. The story has a lot of promises. Author Liam Brown has painted stark images of the horrors of war. But the verdict may well differ as some may find little depth in the story while too much emphasis has been made about the horrors of war.
Many thanks to the publisher, Legend Press, for providing me with an uncorrected advanced reading copy of the book.
March 4, 2015
Lorna’s life has been miserable at best after her father died in a terrorist attack, but when she meets Danny she beliefs everything might turn out ok. Danny is a soldier, and not long after their marriage he leaves to serve overseas. They barely had time to get to know each other. This is the story of how they spend their time apart in a world ruled by war.
Danny and Lorna narrate the story via letters they write to their child. Danny depicts his life as a soldier at war, while Lorna tells her side of the story at home. So this is a book about war, with the main focus not on warfare but more on the people and their emotions while dealing with that war.
I wanted to like this story, but somehow it just wasn’t really for me. I enjoyed Lorna’s part of the story, but I didn’t really like her. She was to naïve and passive for my liking. And Danny, oh boy. From the beginning he just felt off for some reason. I had a hard time getting into his story and found myself never really believing much of what he had to say. I also enjoyed that the twist at the ending shows that no one can be trusted, and anyone can be the monster you should be afraid of. But overall I had trouble getting into it, and the story just didn’t really pull me in as much as I had hoped.
I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Danny and Lorna narrate the story via letters they write to their child. Danny depicts his life as a soldier at war, while Lorna tells her side of the story at home. So this is a book about war, with the main focus not on warfare but more on the people and their emotions while dealing with that war.
I wanted to like this story, but somehow it just wasn’t really for me. I enjoyed Lorna’s part of the story, but I didn’t really like her. She was to naïve and passive for my liking. And Danny, oh boy. From the beginning he just felt off for some reason. I had a hard time getting into his story and found myself never really believing much of what he had to say. I also enjoyed that the twist at the ending shows that no one can be trusted, and anyone can be the monster you should be afraid of. But overall I had trouble getting into it, and the story just didn’t really pull me in as much as I had hoped.
I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
October 21, 2015
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Wow... the ending was something I was not expecting.... wow is all I can say. The whole book is written as letters to the son by both Lorna and Danny. It's amazing how the book went from loving letters to a son to sinister documentation to a miscarried child. The only reason I didn't love the book was because my brother did serve in the US army and was deployed in Iraq for a tour of duty. I just couldn't get past the unrealistic portrayal of events, I just cannot see someone being decorated as a hero that's a murderer in non-combat incidents. I give the author credit for writing a book that is so philosophical but unfortunately it was not the book for me.
Wow... the ending was something I was not expecting.... wow is all I can say. The whole book is written as letters to the son by both Lorna and Danny. It's amazing how the book went from loving letters to a son to sinister documentation to a miscarried child. The only reason I didn't love the book was because my brother did serve in the US army and was deployed in Iraq for a tour of duty. I just couldn't get past the unrealistic portrayal of events, I just cannot see someone being decorated as a hero that's a murderer in non-combat incidents. I give the author credit for writing a book that is so philosophical but unfortunately it was not the book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2015
This was a Goodreads win,
although I enjoyed this book, It also did not captivate me as well as it should of...
Brilliant read though in the end,
Glad I won!
although I enjoyed this book, It also did not captivate me as well as it should of...
Brilliant read though in the end,
Glad I won!
September 3, 2023
one of my fav books ever
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