Humans Are The Problem: A Monster's Anthology

by Michael Cluff (Editor), Willow Becker (Editor), Sarah Read

You are not alone.

Written by the scariest minds in horror today, these 22 brand-new tales show how monsters are taking back their power in a world that desperately needs an inhuman intervention.

From violent tooth fairies and Twitter-addicted trolls to vengeful vampires and bittersweet Eldritch family holidays, these stories of real-life monsters—both familiar and never-before-seen—will soothe the monstrous soul of every reader.
Because part of you knows that humans are the problem... and monsters are the solution you've been looking for.

Humans Are The A Monster's Anthology is the premiere short-story anthology from Weird Little Worlds Press and made possible by the generous support from the horror community and Kickstarter backers.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies

250 pages, Paperback

Published September 28, 2021

Reviews

[David Swisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This anthology has a great premise in that the stories are flipping the script on monster horror and across these short tales, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and stranger creatures reveal that the real menace might just be us humans.

There is a lot of imagination and varying themes explored, but most of the stories just didn't resonate with me. There are 22 stories here and maybe 4-5 I thought were worth reading.

Still, could be a solid pick for anyone who likes their horror with a sharp dose of irony and a reminder that humans can be the scariest monsters of all (which let's face it we should already know)

[Toi Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't done the math, but I think a 4 is a good rating for this fun anthology I discovered on Kickstarter. I really like the cover art and sticker it came with. Plus, it features a story from one of my favorite authors. This collection didn't "wow" me the way I'd hoped, but I really enjoyed it. Here's my breakdown.

Rot Rot - Tooth fairy retelling. 4

Taffy sweet - What lurks under a bridge. 4

The Dawn Woman - Ancestry.com meets The Ring, but with YouTube instead of VHS. 4

Who We Are - When monsters escape the lab. 4

Aquarium diver - Cool sequel to the Blob. 5

Nothing personal - Not the kind of love triangle you're thinking. 5

Woof - Werewolf puppy, sad. 4

If wishes were - Burial story, kind of magical. 3

On This Side of the Veil - A medium who doesn’t waste her time. 5

Epic troll - Troll under the bridge retelling. 5

Man of Seaweed and Reeds - Kind of like Swampthing. 4

The Sound - Something happens in the woods. 2

Poor Butcher-Bird - Payback from a vampire. 4

Crack of the bat - Zombies and racism. 4

A clean kill - Father and daughter face-off with tiny evil creatures. 4

The Fingernail Man - When the boogeyman isn’t the worst monster. 5

Mea tulpa- Dolpergangers are the worst. 4

In the house of elementals- A psychic and a benevolent spirit team-up. 4

Passed on - Vampire contemplates creating another. 3

The Blanch - Messed up explanation for SIDS. 4

My Friend Nessie - Loch Ness Monster protects her friend. 5

Laurel's First Chase - Mom and daughter, will they won’t they hunt? 3

Recommended to adult fans of monsters, creatures, and satirical dark fiction.

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up after spotting it on Kickstarter. We backed it because who doesn't love reading stories about monsters. Overall, the theme was definitely "there's a monster in this story," and frequently the monsters were somewhat sympathetic but not always. Here's how I'd rank the stories from best to worst:

The Fingernail Man - A little boy summons the boogeyman that took his mother away. 5/5
A clean kill - Father/daughter hunting trip becomes Wrong Turn with little creatures. 4.5/5
Aquarium diver - Sequel to the Blob, feels like a good X-Files episode. 4.5/5
Crack of the bat - 90 years after race based killing, zombie ball player returns. 4.5/5
The Dawn Woman - Very atmospheric story about young man learning about dead sister; crosses The Ring with YouTube unboxing vids. 4/5
Epic troll - A bullied boy meets a troll who eats bad people. 4/5
On This Side of the Veil - Ghosts problem? Call this lady who has unusual methods (maybe). 4/5
My Friend Nessie - Similar to Epic Troll, but it's the Loch Ness Monster. 4/5
Taffy sweet - Woman gets attacked under bridge, uneven tone but fun ending. 4/5
Nothing personal - brothers and a girlfriend go camping, one is a Banshee. 3.5/5
Man of Seaweed and Reeds - Tour guide takes people to see camouflaged reed man. 3.5/5
Poor Butcher-Bird - A cult has a reckoning from a vampire and her faithful servant. 3.5/5
Woof - Werewolf hunters catch a pup. 3/5
Rot Rot - Creepy tooth fairy. 3/5
Mea tulpa- A clone like astral being becomes corporeal and attached to host. 3/5
Who We Are - Very short story about lab monsters that occasionally escape. 2.5/5
Passed on - Vampire decides whether to pass on his curse to another. 2/5
In the house of elementals- A psychic meets with distraught elemental to save earth. 2/5
Laurel's First Chase - Monster mom and daughter possibly go hunting. 2/5
The Sound - Two types meet during a trip through the woods, very sparse story. 1.5/5
The Blanch - **spoiler alert/trigger warning**Killer bugs responsible for SIDS... not a fan of the idea or execution. 1.5/5
If wishes were - Very long story about burying a loved one. Not much monster here, payoff not great. 1/5

If my math's right, that's about a 3.2 average. Feels about right for this one. The top five felt like they could be the pitch for a good movie or tv episode, bit of a drop off after those.

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun collection, and the variety of theme and monster is fantastic. Many of the stories do strike something of the same tone, so I suspect wandering through this rather than binging through story after story might make it an even more enjoyable read, but I think my only real complaint may be that the very first story--"Root Rot" by Sarah Read--is simply so fantastic that it sets an awfully high bar, and while I enjoyed the stories that came immediately after it, none of them quite lived up to Read's story, and that slowed me down quite a bit as I got into the collection. But, all that said, I think the hallmark of a great anthology is twofold: 1) You don't feel like you're reading different variations on the same stories/themes/characters over and over again (which happens far too often), and 2) You find some fantastic favorites as you read, and though every story/poem can't be a favorite, even the ones you don't love feel worth reading, barring one or two at most. And by those standards, this was absolutely a great anthology well worth the time.

And along with the aforementioned "Root Rot", I definitely found some other favorites along the way--most notably "Woof" by Patrick Barb, "On This Side of the Veil" by Gabino Iglesias, "Epic Troll" by Auston Habershaw, "The Man of Seaweed and Reeds" by Corey Farrenkopf, "The Blanch" by Dominick Cancilla, and "My Friend Nessie" by J.H. Moncrieff.

Recommended for readers who love horror shorts.

[Tomasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up to those four stars, because some of the stories are below the printability threshold, IMO, but this collection offers plenty of quality chills nevertheless. As felt from the monsters' perspective, mostly, and quite efficiently, too. A good variety of authors helps (but the illustrations don't do the book any favors).

[Claire Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird little worlds always find the best authors for their anthologies. I fell behind on finishing this book but when I finally did I loved it. There wasn't a single story I didn't enjoy in this book.

[Alicia Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite stories: Sarah Read's "Root Rot," Philip Fracassi's "Aquarium Diver," and Christi Nogle's "Laurel's First Chase.”

[Brian Clopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. Some stories a little thin.

[Carolynne aka Saucy Chicken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of stories from some very talented writers!!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one earns a five. While not every story was a groundbreaking never forget one, not a weak story in here, not a one.

[J.W. Donley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun read, Humans are the Problem, contained stories from a few of my favorite authors currently writing in the horror genre, and a selection of tales written by new-to-me authors. I found the cover and design of the book fresh and original, and haven’t come across anything that looks similar within the genre.

My favorites were: ‘The Aquarium Diver’ by Phillip Fracassi, ‘If Wishes Were’ by John Langan, ‘The Fingernail Man’ by Jonathan Mast, ‘Mea Tulpa’ by Gordon Linzer, and ‘The Blanch’ by Dominick Cancilla.

Some stories were atmospheric and immersive (à la Langan), while others were short and punchy. Some were dark and violent, while others were whimsical and sweet. The common thread across the collection—Humans are the Problem.

Be sure to grab yourself a copy of this wonderful anthology today and take a walk in the shoes of monsters.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if I didn't like every single story in this anthology I still had fun reading them all. Some of the creatures in this collection are trolls, vampires, werewolves, a tooth fairy, a blob, the banshee, and the Loch Ness Monster. This is a good read for anyone who likes monsters. :)