Status Updates From Les Monstres

Short story #5 - CONCEALMENT, whilst not a ‘monster’ themed short, CONCEALMENT is high on enjoyment and is centred around a lone character suspended in space who tries to end his life when descendents from Earth discover his star/solar storm watching station in deep space. I liked this one.

Short story #4 – ENCHANTED VILLAGE, a sole survivor story on a long desolate planet (Mars) in which the single character evolves into one of the ‘monsters’ who’d previously inhabited a 'living' town. A clever and atmospheric story which would be great in longer forms of fiction too. A real highlight of the collection.

Short story #2 – FINAL COMMAND, comprises near exclusively of a dull conversation between leaders of both robot and human factions in a distant future as the two trade verbal blows in a bid to avoid war. Had some trickery but was mostly forgettable.

Short story #1 - NOT ONLY DEAD MEN, is not very good. Lacked atmosphere and the writing style made it difficult to discern perspective. A mash-up of alien surprise and waterfront horror which missed the mark on both fronts.