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Monsters and Animals
MONSTERS – In one family’s home, there is a section of the basement locked-up. After their mother doesn’t come home and their drunk dad refuses to contact the authorities, the kids take it upon themselves to uncover their family’s secrets. What they find is more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.
ANIMALS – In New York City, there is an underground S&M scene where any decadent and depraved pleasure can be had for a price. When a young man gets caught up in the scene and disappears, his friends go in search. But their path will lead them to the darkest pits of human desire.
MONSTERS AND ANIMALS contains two novella prequels to the cult favorite hardcore horror masterpiece SURVIVOR. This edition also includes two more bonus stories, “Shooting Schedule” and “Mabel’s Recipies,” that further explore the world of SURVIVOR.
ANIMALS – In New York City, there is an underground S&M scene where any decadent and depraved pleasure can be had for a price. When a young man gets caught up in the scene and disappears, his friends go in search. But their path will lead them to the darkest pits of human desire.
MONSTERS AND ANIMALS contains two novella prequels to the cult favorite hardcore horror masterpiece SURVIVOR. This edition also includes two more bonus stories, “Shooting Schedule” and “Mabel’s Recipies,” that further explore the world of SURVIVOR.
- GenresHorrorSplatterpunk
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2018
23 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
J.F. Gonzalez
80 books365 followersJesus F. Gonzalez was an American author, primarily of horror fiction (writing under the pseudonym J. F. Gonzalez). He has written many notable novels and has done collaborations with Bram Stoker Award winners Mike Oliveri and Brian Keene. His novel Survivor has been optioned for film.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 25, 2021
These two short stories are the prequels to Survivor. Sadly J.F. Gonzalez passed before finishing his part. Thankfully Brian Keene stepped up to finish it. He did Gonzalez right with keeping true to the original story. There are also bonus shorts included.
Want to read
June 1, 2018This special hardcover edition is lettered L of 22 copies produced and is part of the JFG Dark Worlds Series. The book is cased in silver (metal like covers) and is signed by Brian Keen and Wrath James White.
Contents:
009 - Introduction by Brian Keene
015 - "Monsters" by J. F. Gonzalez
109 - "Animals" by J. F. Gonzalez and Wraith James White
249 - "Outline For Mabel II' by J. F Gonzalez
251 - "Shooting Schedule" by J. F. Gonzalez
255 - "Mabel's Recipes" by J. F. Gonzalez
Contents:
009 - Introduction by Brian Keene
015 - "Monsters" by J. F. Gonzalez
109 - "Animals" by J. F. Gonzalez and Wraith James White
249 - "Outline For Mabel II' by J. F Gonzalez
251 - "Shooting Schedule" by J. F. Gonzalez
255 - "Mabel's Recipes" by J. F. Gonzalez
May 1, 2023
I think there's a small error, In survivor Animal explain how he became who he is now and the story is not the same in this book. But maybe he was lying?! Well that book was awesome anyway. I wanted to know more about Mabel and im pretty happy to have read this. R.I.P J.F Gonzalez
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2018
MONSTERS
SLIGHTLY SPOILERY CONTENT AHEAD!
There is something seriously wrong at the Schneider family home.
Mom and Dad are behaving strangely. Older sister flew the coop as soon as she could and brother is all whacked out on them thar drugs.
Poor Miriam. She’s stuck at home with the familypsychos secrets.
A fairly entertaining and mildly gruesome tale, but it gave away too much too soon and ended up being very predictable.
3.5 Stars rounded down to 3 because there was a strange editing error where a name was changed for a few pages and it really threw me out of the story. Weird. Somebody needs to fix that.
ANIMALS
SLIGHTLY SPOILERY CONTENT AHEAD!
Now this one has some meat to it. Vicious and runny scrapple with flesh-colored lumps and sawed-off bone floating in it. Delicious.
Poor Mike. He’s about to get all 8MM’d. Unless his friends can come to the rescue. Of course, they are going to have to avoid getting 8MM’d too.
Yummy meat pudding, fun at the club, water sports, riding the starfish train, splorsh, splorsh, splorsh, intestinal intercourse, twig and berry snack time fun and Nicks getting all kinds of wood.
Much more extreme than “Monsters” and despite some pretty big leaps of faith that you need to take here and there it is a very entertaining and gruesome tale that fits very well with the “Survivor” story. 3.5 Stars.
SLIGHTLY SPOILERY CONTENT AHEAD!
There is something seriously wrong at the Schneider family home.
Mom and Dad are behaving strangely. Older sister flew the coop as soon as she could and brother is all whacked out on them thar drugs.
Poor Miriam. She’s stuck at home with the family
A fairly entertaining and mildly gruesome tale, but it gave away too much too soon and ended up being very predictable.
3.5 Stars rounded down to 3 because there was a strange editing error where a name was changed for a few pages and it really threw me out of the story. Weird. Somebody needs to fix that.
ANIMALS
SLIGHTLY SPOILERY CONTENT AHEAD!
Now this one has some meat to it. Vicious and runny scrapple with flesh-colored lumps and sawed-off bone floating in it. Delicious.
Poor Mike. He’s about to get all 8MM’d. Unless his friends can come to the rescue. Of course, they are going to have to avoid getting 8MM’d too.
Yummy meat pudding, fun at the club, water sports, riding the starfish train, splorsh, splorsh, splorsh, intestinal intercourse, twig and berry snack time fun and Nicks getting all kinds of wood.
Much more extreme than “Monsters” and despite some pretty big leaps of faith that you need to take here and there it is a very entertaining and gruesome tale that fits very well with the “Survivor” story. 3.5 Stars.
August 11, 2022
Bloody hell! 😂 Animals was definitely the goriest of the two stories but both were great reads. Mabel is a very intriguing character. Excellent prequel to Survivor. Was left wanting more though.
April 19, 2022
Bloody
This was a brutal bloody read. Storyline was great and the characters were too. I loved all the twists and how things went from one extreme to the next. Loved how most of the characters were best friends and showed a strong bond. As the book progresses you understand each friend a little more and their secrets. A great read, definitely recommend
This was a brutal bloody read. Storyline was great and the characters were too. I loved all the twists and how things went from one extreme to the next. Loved how most of the characters were best friends and showed a strong bond. As the book progresses you understand each friend a little more and their secrets. A great read, definitely recommend
July 17, 2019
I thought Monsters was decent. It was slow burn horror with a good ending. Animals was my favorite of the two Novellas. Good prequel to Survivor. Wrath James White did an excellent job finishing this book.
May 1, 2019
5 STARS for "MONSTERS"
3 STARS for "ANIMALS"
The first novella, "Monsters", written entirely by JF Gonzalez is one of the best pieces of fiction he has ever written. The atmosphere of slow building tension was superb and had me at the edge of my seat, my mind spinning as to where the mother was and what was she hiding in the basement. The pacing, dialogue, and delivery in Monsters was thoroughly entertaining and just what I was hoping for.
The second novella, "Animals", was largely written by Wrath James White, and although I enjoy his writing, some of the details about New York City and the lack of people around major transportation terminals, even at one o'clock in the morning, did not ring true. The rapid shift in one character in particular seemed rather ridiculous, especially considering his friendship to the others. There was no foreshadowing or any character traits that there was anything wrong with him. I think this second novella would have worked better as a novel to allow the author to better set up the path that the protagonist/antagonist decided to take. Still, it was a fun and extremely gory read.
The extras at the end were a lot of fun to read and I was very happy that Brian Keene and Deadite Press included them in this publication. Monsters, once again, shows how skilled a writer JF Gonzalez was and I hope more people seek him out. This set of novellas and Survivor should be required reading for serious, adult horror fans.
3 STARS for "ANIMALS"
The first novella, "Monsters", written entirely by JF Gonzalez is one of the best pieces of fiction he has ever written. The atmosphere of slow building tension was superb and had me at the edge of my seat, my mind spinning as to where the mother was and what was she hiding in the basement. The pacing, dialogue, and delivery in Monsters was thoroughly entertaining and just what I was hoping for.
The second novella, "Animals", was largely written by Wrath James White, and although I enjoy his writing, some of the details about New York City and the lack of people around major transportation terminals, even at one o'clock in the morning, did not ring true. The rapid shift in one character in particular seemed rather ridiculous, especially considering his friendship to the others. There was no foreshadowing or any character traits that there was anything wrong with him. I think this second novella would have worked better as a novel to allow the author to better set up the path that the protagonist/antagonist decided to take. Still, it was a fun and extremely gory read.
The extras at the end were a lot of fun to read and I was very happy that Brian Keene and Deadite Press included them in this publication. Monsters, once again, shows how skilled a writer JF Gonzalez was and I hope more people seek him out. This set of novellas and Survivor should be required reading for serious, adult horror fans.
June 5, 2022
Must read prequel for ‘Survivor’ fans
I preferred the ‘Monsters’ story to the ‘Animals’ story, although both were extremely readable. I think Wrath James White asserted himself and his style in ‘Animals’. The part about the hippie teenagers was excellent, but I just felt that Mabel’s character did not match Mabel from ‘Survivor’. It seems to be more a question of style between Gonzalez and White. All in all, a great read for anyone who loved the iconic characters from ‘Survivor’.
One part that threw me for a loop was editing (site should have been sight), but most notable, Marlon Brando from ‘Rebel Without a Cause?’ Um… I know that Brando did a screen test for the Rebel script, but it was the iconic James Dean who starred in the movie. How was that missed? This was also a great metaphor for the relationship between Nick and Mike, as James Dean was the rebel (without a cause) and Sal Mineo was the first openly gay teenager in Hollywood.
I preferred the ‘Monsters’ story to the ‘Animals’ story, although both were extremely readable. I think Wrath James White asserted himself and his style in ‘Animals’. The part about the hippie teenagers was excellent, but I just felt that Mabel’s character did not match Mabel from ‘Survivor’. It seems to be more a question of style between Gonzalez and White. All in all, a great read for anyone who loved the iconic characters from ‘Survivor’.
One part that threw me for a loop was editing (site should have been sight), but most notable, Marlon Brando from ‘Rebel Without a Cause?’ Um… I know that Brando did a screen test for the Rebel script, but it was the iconic James Dean who starred in the movie. How was that missed? This was also a great metaphor for the relationship between Nick and Mike, as James Dean was the rebel (without a cause) and Sal Mineo was the first openly gay teenager in Hollywood.
June 16, 2021
I really liked this book. The main reason was because of how it tied in with Survivor.
If you've read Survivor, then you're most likely familiar with the character; Mabel Schnider. I found Mabel Schnider to be a very fascinating character. I was curious to how she could be so old and innocent-looking yet be so horrific and do unspeakable things.
Both of the books are extremely interesting and entertaining, but I'd say Animals is my favourite out of the two.
Overall, it's a must read if you "enjoyed" Survivor.
If you've read Survivor, then you're most likely familiar with the character; Mabel Schnider. I found Mabel Schnider to be a very fascinating character. I was curious to how she could be so old and innocent-looking yet be so horrific and do unspeakable things.
Both of the books are extremely interesting and entertaining, but I'd say Animals is my favourite out of the two.
Overall, it's a must read if you "enjoyed" Survivor.
March 12, 2018
A great follow-up to Survivor. HIGHLY recommended!!!
April 6, 2018
Excellent
What a scary world we live in. Like a merry go round ending to survivor, that fills in all the blanks. Loved it! I will never eat pork again..
What a scary world we live in. Like a merry go round ending to survivor, that fills in all the blanks. Loved it! I will never eat pork again..
January 9, 2022
Published by Deadite Press (cult horror fiction publishing and fan-site) in 2018, “Monsters and Animals” contains two novellas that act as a prequel to J.F. Gonzalez’s novel, “Survivor”. The book also contains two bonus features at the end, which Deadite Press and Brian Keene threw in…. Both, very interesting. Should you be into cannibalism, “Mabel’s Recipes” will give you some nice dishes to cook for your next dinner guest – assuming they are not on the menu.
Both of the novellas in this book are somewhat different but also tie-into each other, as well as “Survivor”…. Although you can read both of these novellas as stand-alone stories, it will add to your enjoyment if you have read “Survivor” first. It will also provide some background of a main character in the novel (a younger and hotter, Mabel).
The first novella, titled “Monsters”, was written entirely by J.F. Gonzalez and is a story about a family with an extremely dark and disturbed mother who takes little “business trips” every couple of months and comes home days later with goodies for the family. Her husband copes with her absence by self-healing with the use of alcohol while the youngest daughter and only son ponder over the reasons, doubts, and fears for her routine trips. Their suspicions stem from never being allowed to go near the section of the basement of the home that has a locked room with a freezer inside and the connection between that room, their mothers business trips, and what she brings back from each of them. Once the youngest daughter discovers what is behind that locked door, her life is forever changed.
I really enjoyed this story and would rate it 3.5 stars out of 5. It was more suspense driven than action and the way it was written makes it a real page turner. You can easily plow through this in a single reading session. Enjoy!
The second novella, titled “Animals”, was written by J.F. Gonzalez and Wrath James White…. Unfortunately, J.F. Gonzalez passed away while writing this novella so half of this story (I think I read somewhere it was actually more than half) was finished by Wrath. This story is about what can happen if you have a disturbed friend whose into the underground S&M scene who will to do just about anything to raise enough money to get out of the town they despise. In this particular case, it’s a gay teenager named Mike….
Mike is being paid five-thousand dollars to let some very bad people do very bad things to him and when he suddenly disappears, his friends fear the worst and go searching for him. What they find goes way behind their imagination and, like “Monsters”, their lives are forever changed.
I really enjoyed this story, as well, and would rate it 4 stars out of 5 because it was more connected to “Survivor”, which I loved. The reoccurrence of Mabel was exactly what this story needed. This is another one that you can easily finish in a single reading session and had a combination of suspense and action that is not for the fainthearted.
I would say my only complaint about “Animals” was the sudden personality change in one of the main characters. My guess is Wrath wanted to really shock the reader and changed course from what Gonzalez had in mind. It would have been interesting to see how Gonzalez would have ended it but I was not pleased with the character transition.
Overall, great combination of novellas that compliment “Survivor” well. Horror fans were robbed the day J.F. Gonzalez’s life was ended. He had so much more to offer.
FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. “Monsters and Animals” will be loved by fans of twisted horror. Both stories were very well written and had great endings. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is into the dark side of pornography and true horror lovers. You leather, whips and gag weirdos are going to have a ball with this one….
Both of the novellas in this book are somewhat different but also tie-into each other, as well as “Survivor”…. Although you can read both of these novellas as stand-alone stories, it will add to your enjoyment if you have read “Survivor” first. It will also provide some background of a main character in the novel (a younger and hotter, Mabel).
The first novella, titled “Monsters”, was written entirely by J.F. Gonzalez and is a story about a family with an extremely dark and disturbed mother who takes little “business trips” every couple of months and comes home days later with goodies for the family. Her husband copes with her absence by self-healing with the use of alcohol while the youngest daughter and only son ponder over the reasons, doubts, and fears for her routine trips. Their suspicions stem from never being allowed to go near the section of the basement of the home that has a locked room with a freezer inside and the connection between that room, their mothers business trips, and what she brings back from each of them. Once the youngest daughter discovers what is behind that locked door, her life is forever changed.
I really enjoyed this story and would rate it 3.5 stars out of 5. It was more suspense driven than action and the way it was written makes it a real page turner. You can easily plow through this in a single reading session. Enjoy!
The second novella, titled “Animals”, was written by J.F. Gonzalez and Wrath James White…. Unfortunately, J.F. Gonzalez passed away while writing this novella so half of this story (I think I read somewhere it was actually more than half) was finished by Wrath. This story is about what can happen if you have a disturbed friend whose into the underground S&M scene who will to do just about anything to raise enough money to get out of the town they despise. In this particular case, it’s a gay teenager named Mike….
Mike is being paid five-thousand dollars to let some very bad people do very bad things to him and when he suddenly disappears, his friends fear the worst and go searching for him. What they find goes way behind their imagination and, like “Monsters”, their lives are forever changed.
I really enjoyed this story, as well, and would rate it 4 stars out of 5 because it was more connected to “Survivor”, which I loved. The reoccurrence of Mabel was exactly what this story needed. This is another one that you can easily finish in a single reading session and had a combination of suspense and action that is not for the fainthearted.
I would say my only complaint about “Animals” was the sudden personality change in one of the main characters. My guess is Wrath wanted to really shock the reader and changed course from what Gonzalez had in mind. It would have been interesting to see how Gonzalez would have ended it but I was not pleased with the character transition.
Overall, great combination of novellas that compliment “Survivor” well. Horror fans were robbed the day J.F. Gonzalez’s life was ended. He had so much more to offer.
FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. “Monsters and Animals” will be loved by fans of twisted horror. Both stories were very well written and had great endings. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is into the dark side of pornography and true horror lovers. You leather, whips and gag weirdos are going to have a ball with this one….
August 11, 2024
Ungeheuer enthält zwei Kurzgeschichten, die als Vorgeschichte zu J.F. Gonzalez' Roman Snuff Killers dienen. Außerdem erfährt man so einiges über die Hintergründe einer der Hauptfiguren des Romans.
Das Buch enthält außerdem zwei Bonus-Features am Ende des ersten Teils: Wenn Ihr auf Kannibalismus steht, könnt Ihr mit Mabels Rezepten ein paar nette Gerichte für Eure nächsten Gäste kochen - vorausgesetzt, sie stehen nicht auf der Speisekarte.
Diese beiden Kurzgeschichten sind miteinander verbunden, ebenso wie Snuff Killers, und obwohl man diesen Band auch eigenständig lesen kann, steigert es das Lesevergnügen ungemein, wenn man zuerst Snuff Killers gelesen hat.
Nur zur Info: Ich habe die deutsche Ausgabe aus dem Festa-Verlag unter dem Titel „Ungeheuer“ gelesen.
Das Buch enthält außerdem zwei Bonus-Features am Ende des ersten Teils: Wenn Ihr auf Kannibalismus steht, könnt Ihr mit Mabels Rezepten ein paar nette Gerichte für Eure nächsten Gäste kochen - vorausgesetzt, sie stehen nicht auf der Speisekarte.
Diese beiden Kurzgeschichten sind miteinander verbunden, ebenso wie Snuff Killers, und obwohl man diesen Band auch eigenständig lesen kann, steigert es das Lesevergnügen ungemein, wenn man zuerst Snuff Killers gelesen hat.
Nur zur Info: Ich habe die deutsche Ausgabe aus dem Festa-Verlag unter dem Titel „Ungeheuer“ gelesen.
April 24, 2018
Fantastic follow up.
Not for the squeamish. Great follow up to survivor. If you like your horror with extreme S&M, and cannibalism then it’s for you. Sad that Mr Gonzales passed on before he could finish, But Mr White did a hell of job completing the story. Awesome book. Rest easy JFG your work is in good hands.
Not for the squeamish. Great follow up to survivor. If you like your horror with extreme S&M, and cannibalism then it’s for you. Sad that Mr Gonzales passed on before he could finish, But Mr White did a hell of job completing the story. Awesome book. Rest easy JFG your work is in good hands.
April 5, 2020
Disgusting great book
This book made me cringe just as much as Survivor did. This book has similar layout to the movie hostel, but a lot sicker and a lot more detail. Kept my attention (even though some scenes I wish it didn’t) throughout the whole book.
This book made me cringe just as much as Survivor did. This book has similar layout to the movie hostel, but a lot sicker and a lot more detail. Kept my attention (even though some scenes I wish it didn’t) throughout the whole book.
May 15, 2020
Deutscher Version "Ungeheuer" aus der Feste-Extreme Reihe.
Kurzgeschichten aus dem "Snuff Killer" Universum.
Warnung!!!
Extreme-Horror. Bitte nur Kenner oder schmerz- und ekelfreie Leser.
Nette Ergänzung. Mehr ist es aber nicht! Nur eine Ergänzung.
Kurzgeschichten aus dem "Snuff Killer" Universum.
Warnung!!!
Extreme-Horror. Bitte nur Kenner oder schmerz- und ekelfreie Leser.
Nette Ergänzung. Mehr ist es aber nicht! Nur eine Ergänzung.
March 11, 2019
A very fitting companion to Survivor.
May 21, 2019
Enjoyed
I need to run to eagle after lunch with you next week after I get sitter schedule Sunday morning Brooke thank
I need to run to eagle after lunch with you next week after I get sitter schedule Sunday morning Brooke thank
February 17, 2020
Left open mouthed at just how Animals finished! You want shock well that's the novella for you!!
June 30, 2021
A perfect way to keep JF Gonzalez's legacy alive. Simply magnificent.
June 18, 2022
Cannibalism and torture porn, what’s not to love? Even though Melanie’s name changed to Amy for four pages this was a decent story. I didn’t put everything together until Mabel said her family was going to be worried. And Mabel’s recipes…that was a nice touch.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews