O Monstrous World!

by Josh Woods

Winner of the 2019 International Book Awards for Short Story
"An engrossing, fanciful collection of stories, written with insight, wisdom, and humor,  O Monstrous World!  is full of cinematic plot twists and literary miracles. These are stories about lawmakers, karate teachers, antique dealers, monster hunters, and even professors told with authority and humor. Josh Woods skillfully melds fantasy with reality, putting his characters to the test, determined to find their moral compass. In the end, he finds their hearts. There are monsters among us, but, more often, there are unlikely heroes. A joy to read from start to finish." --Margaret McMullan

172 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2019

About the author

Josh Woods is an author, editor, professor, and podcaster. He loves monsters, myth, storytelling, comedy, combat, and crafts. His book of stories, O Monstrous World! (Press 53, 2019), won the International Book Awards for Fiction: Short Story. His novel The Black Palace (Amazon KDP, 2018), a gothic horror action-adventure, was awarded grant support by the Illinois Arts Council Agency. He has edited three anthologies of fiction, and he has published genre and literary short stories in numerous journals, magazines, and collections, in addition to having published essays of creative non-fiction, writing craft, and peer-reviewed scholarship. His podcast, The Monster Professor, explores the role of monsters in literature, myth, film, folklore, and pop-culture. His other awards include Outstanding Full-Time Faculty Member of the Year and the Press 53 Open Awards for Genre Fiction. He has received multiple Pushcart Prize nominations as well as nominations for The Best of the Net and the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection, among others. He is a Full Professor of English in Illinois and originally hails from Kentucky.

https://joshwoodsauthor.com/

Reviews

[Gregory Kassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is by far my favorite contemporary short story collection. I ended up buying two copies - one for me and another for my friend. Every story in this piece is absolutely fantastic but, if I had to choose, I would put The Alchemist’s Bench as my favorite of the lot.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of horror shorts sure to stick with you long after you finish. For me, The Lawgiver and Thor vs Jesus were the standout pieces, but I enjoyed them all.