Glorious Fiends

by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

When infamous hot mess vampire Roxanne resurrects her deceased best friends, she’s confronted by a dream-dwelling Guardian of the Underworld, who demands that she replace them in his afterlife with three equally nefarious creatures—or he’ll drag her there instead.

Reunited with Medusa and Mx. Hyde, Roxanne and her macabre girl gang must become monster hunters themselves and fight for the future of their friendship.

Gory, sexy, silly, touching—Glorious Fiends asks who the real monsters are, and if the bonds that we think are solely human are really ours alone. This Hammer-inspired odyssey is a nostalgic trip through ‘80s horror tropes—with modern sensibilities.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Audiobook, Supernatural, Fantasy, Adult

Paperback

First published September 13, 2022

About the author

Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam lives in Texas with her two literarily-named cats: Gimli and Don Quixote. Her fiction and poetry has appeared in magazines such as Clarkesworld , Strange Horizons , Goblin Fruit , and Daily Science Fiction .

She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast program and reviews short fiction at her blog, Short Story Review. You can visit her on Twitter @BonnieJoStuffle or through her website: www.bonniejostufflebeam.com.

Reviews

[Chris Panatier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an early ARC for this book and enjoyed it immensely. It's a quick, bloody monster adventure. Here's my blurb: Glorious Fiends is about accepting your friends for who they are, even if they be liars, murderers, and inconveniently horny. Meet the vampire, the mutant and the gorgon, the Monsters Three, who must stave off their own natures for as long as possible lest they fall victim to a powerful entity playing the fates. Stufflebeam engages us from the start with monsters at their gory best (or worst, depends), pairing unexpected humor with shocking imagery that will turn your giggle into a shriek.

[Sarah Cavar · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great start to Halloween month. This is a delightful, funny, heartwarming novella about three unapologetic monsters who kinda love killing. Seriously, I read this once and immediately read it another time over to catch the things I might have missed in my first pass, and each time, the characters, clever use of tropes, and wry humor got even more entertaining. Stufflebeam did a superb job encapsulating entire worlds in a slim 120-page book, and I’m already itching to read more.

[Kitty Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book and though I was pulled in fast it started losing my attention just as quick. The characters are phenomenal in their creation but the overall writing seemed a bit scattered. I found myself re-reading a lot because I'd get confused as to where the characters were at given times and if we were in their past or the present time.

There were elements of the book that were greatly thought put and some that seemed rushed.

I didn't finish the entire book, it just didn't hold my attention and I couldn't focus on the writing.

[David Agranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was a happy accident thanks to one of the authors who blurbed the book. Now Sam J. Miller who has made my best of the year list twice with Blackfish City and The Blade Between said "If Hellraiser and Netflix's Castlevania hooked up and had a trio of queer poly bad-ass lady babies." As great as that sounds it wasn't his blurb that sold me. After having interviewed Sam twice on two different podcasts I went to his signing at Mysterious Galaxy. As I waited to get in the long line to get my Blackfish city signed Sam said "You should talk to David he is vegan and local."

So before I knew Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam was an author, we talked about all the glorious vegan food we have in San Diego, and where I should go if I come to her town in Texas. I took far too long to read this and I don't know if she listened to me and ate at Veganic Thai, but finally, we are here. I am sorry this sat on the TBR as long as it did. I like reading books by cool people and the good news is it is super fun!

Glorious Fiends is a dark monster bizarro gothic gore-drenched novella. Stufflebeam challenged my notions about a story being cute and gross at the same time, turns out that yes it can.

The story of Roxanne a manic, intense vampire...well she is a lot. When the guardian of the underworld gives her a task, she resurrects her besties a couple of classic monsters. When your best friends are Medusa and Mx. Hyde hijinks will ensue. The good news it is all entertaining gory, hot, and in the end, it will touch even the coldest hearts.

If you are a super-serious SF or horror reader then this book might not work for you. On paper, this is not the type of book I pick off the shelf. I like reading out of my comfort zone and the book was filled with moments that gave me a reason to smile.

Starting with the setting of the Great Library of Evil, a place you know you would love to browse. I love when one of the monsters picks up a living history book that is not finished, the book fills up as events unfold. There is a funny conversation about how annoying newly minted monsters are with their grand ideas. Medusa brings the funny conversation to a halt by admitting all she has wanted to do is fall in love. Medusa in many ways more than Roxanne wears the heart of this book on her sleeves.

Consider Medusa's introduction... "Your hair is amazing," Roxanne said. She stepped around MX Hyde, toward Medusa, and reached out to pet a snake.

"I wouldn't-" Medusa began, but the snake struck the fatty round of Roanne's thumb before the words left her mouth.
Roxanne cackled "What a vicious garment."
"It's not a garment," Medusa said. Her voice was strange;strangled, not at all like it had been that night. "It's me."

If there is a mission statement, and anyone who reads my reviews knows I am always on the lookout for them it is right here. Glorious Fiends is a wonderful story of misfits who accept and love each other through all the weird and unfortunate violence that comes with being a monster. If there is a more important theme for young weirdos I am not sure what it is. I say weirdos with love in my heart by the way.

Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam wrote a book that is really my style but one I deeply respect. It is a short quick, fun read. At 130 pages it is not long but packs a ton of invention into the short page count and if you like funny weird monsters with a heart you can't go wrong. The book also won my heart a little bit when Stufflebeam used the notes of a theremin to describe the feeling of a scene. I laughed but the reason I liked it...I heard it in my head throughout the book that I sorta envisioned it in glorious black and white.

[Ashley Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read. It was a perfect blend of horror and humor. I think I read this because it sounded funny and I ended up loving all of the characters.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Laurie LeCompte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roxanne is a vampire who resurrects her fellow monster friends, Mx. Hyde and Medusa, and the Guardian of the Underworld is not too keen on having lost these recent additions to his domain. Roxanne strikes a deal with the Guardian that would allow her to keep her and her friends’ lives, and the story follows their dark and wild adventure. This queer vampire novella explores identity and what it means to be true to yourself while also maintaining important friendships. I loved how the author used horror tropes to present these queer characters, and how she called on some horror mythology to tell the characters’ coming-of-age stories. The story is dark, bloody and sometimes shocking, as well as absurd and humorous. It’s the perfect short read as we’re transitioning into spooky season. If you’re down for a unique, fun, and bloody monster romp, check this out!

Thank you to the author and LibraryThing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Destiny Chappel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roxanne decides to resurrect all of her dead best friends. It goes wrong, and roxanne ends up face-to=face with a demon spawn from the Underworld who demands that she replaces them in his afterlife with three entities or he’ll drag her down to hell . It''s a blast from the past type of horror novel that is funny , sexy, and a quick read .

[╟ ♫ Tima ♪ ╣ ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was immediately pulled to this book because of its fantastic cover. It's vibrant, it's unique, it's enticing, and beckons you to open it to fall into this novella.

Once in, you will find yourself dropped into the center of a story that continuously feels like you're missing pieces of context. I kept almost finding myself enveloped in the story only to be pulled back out by having to go back and check if I missed a turn somewhere. It is on the cusp of deliciously fun but left me wanting in a put-off sort of way instead of a "gimme more!" way. That being said, should a full-length novel come out with Roxanne and The Librarian as the main characters, I will be first in line to gobble it up.

I know many will adore the very tropey Mx Hyde character that was written to be literally half-masc, half-femme (no, I mean, LITERALLY) in the most on-the-nose non-binary stereotype I've ever seen. I, a genderqueer person, rolled my eyes so hard into my head I was sure I was going to choke on them. HOWEVER, I am sure I am in the minority here, as I can see many will probably enjoy the fresh take on Jekyll & Hyde.

3.75/5

They are barely even friends, it's not really clear why they even run in the same circles and the story ends with them parting ways. This is a rare book where I found that the marketing team and the advanced praise did a disservice to the story, because it far out-hyped its content. There is no "queer poly trio" - they are friends, at best. The description painted a picture of much campier, funny, modern story. I would say this didn't really encompass that vibe beyond being told it should.

Thank you to NetGalley and Underworld publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

[sinag · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book confuses me because I love the concept and what this book is generally about, but I find the execution not satisfying for my taste. I enjoy the humor and the friendship dynamics between Roxanne, Mx. Hyde, and Medusa a lot. But, I just can't ignore the fact that the writing style bothered me all throughout the entire reading experience because it has a different flair than what I usually read. It's not too flowery, but it's also not direct to the point. I don't know what word best describes the writing in this book, but it is definitely confusing to me. Sometimes I get what the characters are saying; sometimes, I'm just confused.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world is full of monsters, but of those remembered best, it seems the boys have been having all the fun. The Monsters Three in Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam's Glorious Fiends intend to bring some gender equity to those numbers. Beginning just after a terrible battle in the Library of Evil with the tireless monster hunter Professor Abraham Lee Vansing, Roxanne the vampire must use an ancient ritual to revive her two slain immortal companions, Mx. Hyde (Doctor when they're in the mood) and Medusa (yeah, THAT Medusa). The fact that she has had to lower her standards and feed upon men hasn't made anything any easier. And of course, the underworld doesn't give anything up easily.

So yes, hopefully that synopsis puts clear that Stufflebeam's tongue is very firmly in cheek through this rip-roaring novella. From the beginning it felt very much in the mode of Christopher Moore's funny fantasies, with all the saucy queer sexuality and unadulterated gore of your Clive Barker. Our three femme monsters are unapologetically murderous (but hey, a girl's gotta eat/extract the pheromones that maintain their transformation) and unabashedly sapphic, though maybe aren't all quite ready to admit how much they love each other yet. At times I struggled to figure out exactly what the tone was supposed to be, between horror, humor, and heart. but when I realized she was making very obvious and specific movie references, I felt comfortable with the book to an homage to horror film with a pinch of farce. Stufflebeam's humor comes more from character and situation than jokes, and perhaps with the overt nature of the references some more jokes would have helped set the tone. But I really was rooting for Roxanne, Mx. Hyde, and dear sweet Medusa, and hope they have a chance for more adventures in the future.

I was provided a copy of this book to review through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

[D]

Where did I stop? 36% in

Why? For as much personality as the blurb has, there is none in the writing. To the point where I struggled to pay attention as I was reading it. The writing is robotic. She did this. They did that. He cried. That kind of thing. There’s also no depth of character. I didn’t really know what the characters were feeling, Roxanne especially, since most of what I read was in her head. They just all came off rather blank. I knew the barest bones of their movements, which is what took up most of the writing, but nothing else. A lot of cigarette lighting, for those familiar with the terminology. I got all the minutiae of where the characters were on the chessboard, but none of how they were feeling, how the plot was impacting them, or what kind of characters they were in general. Getting a third of the way through the book, I’d expect to have more of that. As it stands, the book couldn’t hold my attention, and I wasn’t connecting with the characters in any meaningful way. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess]

Gave up near the halfway point. The concept was great and there were occasional scenes that were almost great, but the pacing is all off in a way that makes the storytelling feel very paint by numbers, which isn't helped by having so many of the characters being... let's call them homages to great monsters of yore. Also I agree with the other GQ reviewer who found the character design of Mx Hyde kind of troubling.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glorious Fiends was SO MUCH fun to write, and even though they're messy and evil, I hope you enjoy spending time with these characters! I'm here to answer any questions you may have about the book

One thing I will say is TW: this thing is horror, with sex, gore, and as much irreverence as I could squeeze in--so the pathway is rugged! Watch your step

[Crescent Fox Tales · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because of a friendship between Medusa a Notorious Vampire and Mx Jakyl. Thought to myself " what could go wrong?"
Well absolutely everything..
This book fell short of a dumpster fire. The only redeemable trait was that it was a very short read

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful LGBTQ+ horror! It reminds me of Cassandra Khaw’s ‘The Salt Grows Heavy,’ because—as gruesome and horrible as the main character’s are—they end up being pretty lovable monsters. Entertaining from start to finish!

[Sam Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reasons to read:
-badass vampire protagonist
-monster mayhem
-explores friendship, lust, love, and depravity

[Revy · Rating 2 out of 5]

i ended up pretty much skimming through the second half: the idea is fun, the characters of the main three are really fun.. but unfortunately the execution didn't flow for me.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

feels like someone telling me the plot of a paranormal/supernatural tv episode that they themselves only really remember the broad strokes to (pun intended)

[Venneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid first novella! Does a little bit more telling than showing but again, for a first novella, it's a fun spooky themed girls night out.

[Brittanni · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF