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Classic Monsters Unleashed
Stories of famous monsters in a new horror anthology edited by James Aquilone and featuring Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, and many others.
Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Moreau, the Headless Horseman, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, the Wicked Witch of the West—they're all here, in this collection of horror short stories that reimagine, subvert, and pay homage to our favorite monsters and creatures.
Written by the biggest names in the genre—including Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Owl Goingback, Richard Christian Matheson, Seanan McGuire, Maurice Broaddus, Dacre Stoker, Linda D. Addison, Alessandro Manzetti, Tim Waggoner, John Palisano, Mercedes M. Yardley, Lucy A. Snyder, Gary A. Braunbeck, Rena Mason, and Monique Snyman.
And monstrously illustrated by Colton Worley and Mister Sam Shearon.
Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Moreau, the Headless Horseman, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, the Wicked Witch of the West—they're all here, in this collection of horror short stories that reimagine, subvert, and pay homage to our favorite monsters and creatures.
Written by the biggest names in the genre—including Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Owl Goingback, Richard Christian Matheson, Seanan McGuire, Maurice Broaddus, Dacre Stoker, Linda D. Addison, Alessandro Manzetti, Tim Waggoner, John Palisano, Mercedes M. Yardley, Lucy A. Snyder, Gary A. Braunbeck, Rena Mason, and Monique Snyman.
And monstrously illustrated by Colton Worley and Mister Sam Shearon.
443 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2022
272 people are currently reading
605 people want to read
About the author
James Aquilone
37 books117 followersJames Aquilone was raised on Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, sitcoms, and Cap'n Crunch. Amid the Cold War, he dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot but decided against the military life after realizing it would require him to wake up early. He had further illusions of being a stand-up comedian, until a traumatic experience on stage forced him to seek a college education. Brief stints as an alternative rock singer/guitarist and child model also proved unsuccessful. Today he battles a severe Tetris addiction while trying to write in the speculative fiction game. Demons, robots, dragons, superheroes...that sort of thing. His short fiction has been published in such places as Nature's Futures, The Best of Galaxy’s Edge 2013-2014, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, and Weird Tales Magazine. His first novel should be out soon. Suffice it to say, things are going much better than his modeling career.
He lives in Staten Island, New York, but don't hold that against him.
He lives in Staten Island, New York, but don't hold that against him.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
July 1, 2022
Ah. Monsters. I love all monsters. Classic ones, modern ones, pink ones. You name it, I love ‘em.
So this collection attracted my attention immediately. Not only does it unleash on its audience an absolutely awesome selection of original takes on classic monsters, but its contents page read like the who’s who of horror fiction. Ok, granted, there was a number of author’s who names I didn’t recognize, but a small number compared to the sum total.
And the stories were terrific, one after another. Only a few out of the well over 20 entries didn’t quite work for me and even those were still pretty good, just not as bombastic as their companions.
Selection wise…well as one might have expected Dracula took the cake. Of course. Vampires have got to be the least original and the most overdone monsters out there and yet…
Tragically, only one mummy story. What? Why?
Most of the spins on the classic themes were notably clever and fun. Sure, there were some predictable clichés done over and over again, like gender-swapping, but some of that was quite clever too. In fact, a couple of stories were particular stand-outs using the monster genre to address social evils, such as sexism and racism. Those might have gone preachy had they not been so well done.
Also, some art. Not one for each story, but still…added bonus.
Overall, a killer anthology, pun intended. Does the monsters justice. Very enjoyable, fun, and a must for monster fans. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
So this collection attracted my attention immediately. Not only does it unleash on its audience an absolutely awesome selection of original takes on classic monsters, but its contents page read like the who’s who of horror fiction. Ok, granted, there was a number of author’s who names I didn’t recognize, but a small number compared to the sum total.
And the stories were terrific, one after another. Only a few out of the well over 20 entries didn’t quite work for me and even those were still pretty good, just not as bombastic as their companions.
Selection wise…well as one might have expected Dracula took the cake. Of course. Vampires have got to be the least original and the most overdone monsters out there and yet…
Tragically, only one mummy story. What? Why?
Most of the spins on the classic themes were notably clever and fun. Sure, there were some predictable clichés done over and over again, like gender-swapping, but some of that was quite clever too. In fact, a couple of stories were particular stand-outs using the monster genre to address social evils, such as sexism and racism. Those might have gone preachy had they not been so well done.
Also, some art. Not one for each story, but still…added bonus.
Overall, a killer anthology, pun intended. Does the monsters justice. Very enjoyable, fun, and a must for monster fans. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
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January 4, 2023I've made my Kindle highlights public.
Classic Monsters Unleashed is an anthology with an impressive TOC. Talented authors come together to invite readers into stories inspired by our most beloved classic monsters. This was a no-brainer for me. I knew I would want to read this as soon as I saw an announcement on social media. Later, a buzz was generated when the artwork and contributing authors were shared.
Overall, I think this is a solid collection, a little bit of "something for everyone". As per usual, not every story was a hit for me, but the ones that did make an impression are worth the price of admission. I'll share with you the ones that stood out among the others for me.
Jonathan Maberry's spin on the Island of Dr. Moreau
They Call Me Mother by Geneve Flynn was creepy and I fell in love with Flynn's storytelling voice. New author to me.
Tim Waggoner, the classic 'hunter becomes the hunted' tale. Great new werewolf lore
The Viscount and the Phantom by Lucy A. Snyder should win a Stoker, that was incredible.
An amusing origin story from Kelsea Yu, A Tale of Wickedness. Loved it
The Picture of Doriana Gray by Mercedes M. Yardley was spot on.
"Can" Doesn't Mean "Should" by Seanan McGuire was loads of tongue-in-cheek wit and sarcasm.
And The God of the Razor by Joe R. Lansdale fits well in this anthology as a nod to Jack the Ripper.
Classic Monsters Unleashed is an anthology with an impressive TOC. Talented authors come together to invite readers into stories inspired by our most beloved classic monsters. This was a no-brainer for me. I knew I would want to read this as soon as I saw an announcement on social media. Later, a buzz was generated when the artwork and contributing authors were shared.
Overall, I think this is a solid collection, a little bit of "something for everyone". As per usual, not every story was a hit for me, but the ones that did make an impression are worth the price of admission. I'll share with you the ones that stood out among the others for me.
Jonathan Maberry's spin on the Island of Dr. Moreau
They Call Me Mother by Geneve Flynn was creepy and I fell in love with Flynn's storytelling voice. New author to me.
Tim Waggoner, the classic 'hunter becomes the hunted' tale. Great new werewolf lore
The Viscount and the Phantom by Lucy A. Snyder should win a Stoker, that was incredible.
An amusing origin story from Kelsea Yu, A Tale of Wickedness. Loved it
The Picture of Doriana Gray by Mercedes M. Yardley was spot on.
"Can" Doesn't Mean "Should" by Seanan McGuire was loads of tongue-in-cheek wit and sarcasm.
And The God of the Razor by Joe R. Lansdale fits well in this anthology as a nod to Jack the Ripper.
June 22, 2022
Wow this was a fantastic read that I would recommend that anyone that calls themselves a horror fan to get stuck into ASAP.
I find it perturbing that there are so many reimagined versions of the ‘classic’ horror figures from fiction, to the point where the genre is so diluted that nothing feels unique or intriguing anymore. I always get excited when I see the words ‘gothic horror’ on a novel and so often I’m left feeling uninspired and wanting more.
However, this was not the case with Monsters Unleashed, I found myself ravenously making my way through each story and thoroughly enjoying each and every one of them. They were all unique in their own way and merged the modern twist with the ‘classic qualities’ to make some beautiful and haunting hybrids.
There isn’t much I can say about this book other than it was fantastic and you should go read it - like NOW!
I find it perturbing that there are so many reimagined versions of the ‘classic’ horror figures from fiction, to the point where the genre is so diluted that nothing feels unique or intriguing anymore. I always get excited when I see the words ‘gothic horror’ on a novel and so often I’m left feeling uninspired and wanting more.
However, this was not the case with Monsters Unleashed, I found myself ravenously making my way through each story and thoroughly enjoying each and every one of them. They were all unique in their own way and merged the modern twist with the ‘classic qualities’ to make some beautiful and haunting hybrids.
There isn’t much I can say about this book other than it was fantastic and you should go read it - like NOW!
July 10, 2022
It’s a given that whenever Seanan McGuire contributes a story to an anthology I’ll be reading it but, in my experience, anthologies themselves can be a bit hit or miss. This anthology promises stories that “reanimate, reimagine, subvert, and pay homage” to monsters you already know and love.
Classic Monsters Unleashed includes twenty nine (!) stories and one poem, featuring Dracula, the Mummy, the Invisible Man and so many other favourites. Basically, it was destined to wind up on my TBR pile.
If I can say I liked half of the contributions in an anthology I usually call that a win. Having thoroughly enjoyed over three quarters of the monstrous fun on offer here, it’s safe to say this is one of my favourite anthologies to date.
I tried to come up with a list of my top five reads but am happy to report that I failed. So, the six I loved the most, listed in the order I read them because it sounds too much like hard work to rank them, are:
Höllenlegion by Jonathan Maberry
Unleashes Dr. Moreau
Unleashes a character inspired by the Wolfman
Unleashes Phantom of the Opera
Unleashes a character inspired by The Fly
Unleashes Headless Horseman
Unleashes Mad Scientist
My aimless wandering has resulted in me accidentally discovering there’s going to be another Unleashed anthology. There’s currently a Kickstarter for … wait for it … Shakespeare Unleashed! I definitely need this in my life.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Crystal Lake Publishing and Black Spot Books for the opportunity to read this anthology. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Classic Monsters Unleashed includes twenty nine (!) stories and one poem, featuring Dracula, the Mummy, the Invisible Man and so many other favourites. Basically, it was destined to wind up on my TBR pile.
If I can say I liked half of the contributions in an anthology I usually call that a win. Having thoroughly enjoyed over three quarters of the monstrous fun on offer here, it’s safe to say this is one of my favourite anthologies to date.
I tried to come up with a list of my top five reads but am happy to report that I failed. So, the six I loved the most, listed in the order I read them because it sounds too much like hard work to rank them, are:
Höllenlegion by Jonathan Maberry
Unleashes Dr. Moreau
“What you are planning is madness”Old Monsters Never Die by Tim Waggoner
Unleashes a character inspired by the Wolfman
“I’ve come to do something much worse.”The Viscount and the Phantom by Lucy A. Snyder
Unleashes Phantom of the Opera
“The Palais Garnier presents a unique opportunity for a young gentleman of your tastes.”Modern Monsters by Monique Snyman
Unleashes a character inspired by The Fly
“I hope you’re ready to see something spectacular”Hacking the Horseman’s Code by Lisa Morton
Unleashes Headless Horseman
What? It isn’t supposed to do that.“Can” Doesn’t Mean “Should” by Seanan McGuire
Unleashes Mad Scientist
We’re the children of the laughter and the lightning, and we exist in the pause between “can” and “should”.Because I read an advanced copy I haven’t seen all of the illustrations that will be included in the final version yet. What I have seen, though, are absolutely incredible! I want framed copies of all of them, but none more than Mister Sam Shearon’s Frankenstein’s Monster.
My aimless wandering has resulted in me accidentally discovering there’s going to be another Unleashed anthology. There’s currently a Kickstarter for … wait for it … Shakespeare Unleashed! I definitely need this in my life.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Crystal Lake Publishing and Black Spot Books for the opportunity to read this anthology. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
January 26, 2022
Got the Ebook on Netgalley and Im glad I did. It stories are eerily creepy and its a solid anthology where I enjoyed most of the stories rather than only some.
February 5, 2022
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
Classic Monsters Unleashed features one of the best ideas ever for an anthology: all stories based on or inspired by the classic movie monsters that helped shape horror as we know it today. I enjoyed the majority of the tales, with the few I didn't like as much mostly being relegated towards the end of the book. There is a variety of types of stories in the collection; while many are directly based on or sequels to the classic tales, there are several re-imagined versions as well as some loosely inspired by stories. While I do think too many authors took the easy way out basing their stories on Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolfman, there were a number of more adventurous takes on less popular/obvious fare like the Mummy, Jack the Ripper, the Phantom of the Opera and even the Wizard of Oz. My two favorites were among the more audacious of the group: Höllenlegion by Jonathan Maberry is a sequel to H. G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau, my favorite story by Wells, and this sequel was so excellent I would gladly have read a full novella of the story; and Hacking the Horseman's Code by Lisa Morton which brought the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, another classic favorite of mine, into the digital age in "Black Mirror" fashion. This anthology is a treasure for all true horror fans. 4.5/5*
Classic Monsters Unleashed features one of the best ideas ever for an anthology: all stories based on or inspired by the classic movie monsters that helped shape horror as we know it today. I enjoyed the majority of the tales, with the few I didn't like as much mostly being relegated towards the end of the book. There is a variety of types of stories in the collection; while many are directly based on or sequels to the classic tales, there are several re-imagined versions as well as some loosely inspired by stories. While I do think too many authors took the easy way out basing their stories on Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolfman, there were a number of more adventurous takes on less popular/obvious fare like the Mummy, Jack the Ripper, the Phantom of the Opera and even the Wizard of Oz. My two favorites were among the more audacious of the group: Höllenlegion by Jonathan Maberry is a sequel to H. G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau, my favorite story by Wells, and this sequel was so excellent I would gladly have read a full novella of the story; and Hacking the Horseman's Code by Lisa Morton which brought the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, another classic favorite of mine, into the digital age in "Black Mirror" fashion. This anthology is a treasure for all true horror fans. 4.5/5*
June 15, 2022
The most famous monsters of yesterday are given new life today by multiple award winning authors in this entertaining new anthology.
There were not a lot of scares, but there was a lot of fun, some social commentary and even the Invisible Man was an allegory of today's social climate.
Several stories pay homage to Mary Shelley with reimaginings of Frankenstein and his monster.
We learn how The Wicked Witch of the West made flying monkeys, dabble in the dangers of artificial intelligence with a headless horseman, and more in this huge volume of stories and illustrations.
Not every story was a huge hit with me but that is not unusual with such a massive selection. Much like a box of assorted chocolates you can take what you like and leave the rest.
A few of my favorites were They Call Me Mother by Geneve Flynn but I am not going to tell you the classic monster it was derived from because I didn't know myself until nearly halfway through so I'm not going to spoil it for you.
She Creature from the Golden Cove by John Palisano in which a boat trip turns dangerous when a family stops to help what they think is a woman in trouble.
Dreams by F. Paul Wilson is about a woman who dreams she is a monster
Beautiful Monster by JG Faherty - is another Frankenstein's monster story with a sad twist and a female lead.
Give Me Your Hand by David Surface is a different sort of werewolf tale.
A Tale of Wickedness by Kelsea Yu in which a very captive audience hears and experiences a witchy story.
Moonlight Serenade by Gaby Triana was another very original werewolf tale.
These for me were the 5 star stories, your favorites may differ from mine.
I received an advance copy under no obligation to write a review.
There were not a lot of scares, but there was a lot of fun, some social commentary and even the Invisible Man was an allegory of today's social climate.
Several stories pay homage to Mary Shelley with reimaginings of Frankenstein and his monster.
We learn how The Wicked Witch of the West made flying monkeys, dabble in the dangers of artificial intelligence with a headless horseman, and more in this huge volume of stories and illustrations.
Not every story was a huge hit with me but that is not unusual with such a massive selection. Much like a box of assorted chocolates you can take what you like and leave the rest.
A few of my favorites were They Call Me Mother by Geneve Flynn but I am not going to tell you the classic monster it was derived from because I didn't know myself until nearly halfway through so I'm not going to spoil it for you.
She Creature from the Golden Cove by John Palisano in which a boat trip turns dangerous when a family stops to help what they think is a woman in trouble.
Dreams by F. Paul Wilson is about a woman who dreams she is a monster
Beautiful Monster by JG Faherty - is another Frankenstein's monster story with a sad twist and a female lead.
Give Me Your Hand by David Surface is a different sort of werewolf tale.
A Tale of Wickedness by Kelsea Yu in which a very captive audience hears and experiences a witchy story.
Moonlight Serenade by Gaby Triana was another very original werewolf tale.
These for me were the 5 star stories, your favorites may differ from mine.
I received an advance copy under no obligation to write a review.
July 18, 2022
Classic monsters and Gothic figures from horror are reinterpreted, reimagined, and paid homage to in this collection of short stories. Such concepts have been done many times before, but we have many authors putting their own spin on them.
We open with a poem, and our first short story invokes the Island of Doctor Moreau. From the sharp, spare words, the expectations we have of the characters are inverted in a twist that had me grinning in delight. Each of the stories here carries that formula, changing what we think we know about them. Horror is about the unexpected, after all, and the slight details of wrongness suddenly made sense. We get the classic monsters of werewolves, vampires, chimeric constructs, sirens, and the like, but now they're transported. Dracula existed at the same time as cowboys, serial killers stalk opera houses, gods of horrible things lurk in dilapidated houses, and family trauma can be overwhelming.
Some of my favorites include Tim Waggoner's "Old Monsters Never Die," JG Faherty's "Beautiful Monster," and Seanan McGuire's "Can Doesn't Mean Should." The stories sucked me in, hinting at a larger picture that I could imagine. (And the mad scientist lecturing the "sane" scientist on proper safety protocol made me laugh.) A great collection overall of stories that are horrifying and chilling in different ways.
We open with a poem, and our first short story invokes the Island of Doctor Moreau. From the sharp, spare words, the expectations we have of the characters are inverted in a twist that had me grinning in delight. Each of the stories here carries that formula, changing what we think we know about them. Horror is about the unexpected, after all, and the slight details of wrongness suddenly made sense. We get the classic monsters of werewolves, vampires, chimeric constructs, sirens, and the like, but now they're transported. Dracula existed at the same time as cowboys, serial killers stalk opera houses, gods of horrible things lurk in dilapidated houses, and family trauma can be overwhelming.
Some of my favorites include Tim Waggoner's "Old Monsters Never Die," JG Faherty's "Beautiful Monster," and Seanan McGuire's "Can Doesn't Mean Should." The stories sucked me in, hinting at a larger picture that I could imagine. (And the mad scientist lecturing the "sane" scientist on proper safety protocol made me laugh.) A great collection overall of stories that are horrifying and chilling in different ways.
February 7, 2022
2.5/5
I'll have a more expansive review on my YouTube channel "Books of Blood" but for now I'll just say that I waited a long time to read this anthology and now that I have I can tell you that I am neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed by it.
I'll have a more expansive review on my YouTube channel "Books of Blood" but for now I'll just say that I waited a long time to read this anthology and now that I have I can tell you that I am neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed by it.
June 9, 2022
What a fun, creepy, weird read, right up my alley with some of the best horror writers of our time! Best anthology I've read in years!! And the artwork is stunning!
July 18, 2022
*Disclaimer: I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
These were mostly just ok reads for me. All were written well enough, but just didn't do it for me. Some were just confusing or I didn't care much for the writing style. Only a couple really grabbed my attention.
I would still recommend this book to others.
I think it will have good success. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
1. Inferno Alessandro Manzetti. 1⭐️ - I was at a total loss on this one. Very confused.
2. Höllenlegion Jonathan Maberry. 4⭐️
3. They Call Me Mother Geneve Flynn. 4⭐️
4. Old Monsters Never Die Tim Waggoner. 4⭐️
5. She-Creature From the Golden Cove John Palisano . 3⭐️
6. Dreams F. Paul Wilson . 4⭐️
7. Blood Hunt Owl Goingback 4⭐️
8. Mummy Calls Simon Bestwick 4⭐️
9. The Viscount and the Phantom Lucy A. Snyder. 3⭐️
10. Modern Monsters Monique Snyman. 3⭐️
11. Beautiful Monster JG Faherty . 4⭐️
12. The Nightbird Michael Knost. 3⭐️
13. Give Me Your Hand David Surface . 3⭐️
14. A Tale of Wickedness Kelsea Yu . 4⭐️
15. Something Borrowed Lindy Ryan . 3⭐️
16. Moonlight Serenade Gaby Triana . 3⭐️
17. Dead Lions Richard Christian Matheson . 3⭐️
18. Mai Doon Izahn Gary A. Braunbeck . 2⭐️
19. Hacking the Horseman’s Code Lisa Morton . 4.5⭐️
20. The Invisible Man:
The Fire This Time Maurice Broaddus . 1⭐️
21. Diminished Seventh Sean Eads and Joshua Viola. 3⭐️
22. You Can Have the Ground, My Love Carlie St. George . 3⭐️
23. The Picture of Doriana Gray Mercedes M. Yardley . 2⭐️
24. Make the Blood Go Where It Wants ALESSANDRO MANZETTI. 2⭐️
Da Noise, Da Funk, Da Blob BY LINDA D ADDISON. 2⭐️
26. Rapt Rena Mason . 3⭐️
27. “Can” Doesn’t Mean “Should” Seanan McGuire .
28. Enter, The Dragon Leverett Butts and Dacre Stoker . 2⭐️
29. Someone to Blame Ramsey Campbell . 2⭐️
30. God of the Razor Joe R. Lansdale. 3⭐️
These were mostly just ok reads for me. All were written well enough, but just didn't do it for me. Some were just confusing or I didn't care much for the writing style. Only a couple really grabbed my attention.
I would still recommend this book to others.
I think it will have good success. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
1. Inferno Alessandro Manzetti. 1⭐️ - I was at a total loss on this one. Very confused.
2. Höllenlegion Jonathan Maberry. 4⭐️
3. They Call Me Mother Geneve Flynn. 4⭐️
4. Old Monsters Never Die Tim Waggoner. 4⭐️
5. She-Creature From the Golden Cove John Palisano . 3⭐️
6. Dreams F. Paul Wilson . 4⭐️
7. Blood Hunt Owl Goingback 4⭐️
8. Mummy Calls Simon Bestwick 4⭐️
9. The Viscount and the Phantom Lucy A. Snyder. 3⭐️
10. Modern Monsters Monique Snyman. 3⭐️
11. Beautiful Monster JG Faherty . 4⭐️
12. The Nightbird Michael Knost. 3⭐️
13. Give Me Your Hand David Surface . 3⭐️
14. A Tale of Wickedness Kelsea Yu . 4⭐️
15. Something Borrowed Lindy Ryan . 3⭐️
16. Moonlight Serenade Gaby Triana . 3⭐️
17. Dead Lions Richard Christian Matheson . 3⭐️
18. Mai Doon Izahn Gary A. Braunbeck . 2⭐️
19. Hacking the Horseman’s Code Lisa Morton . 4.5⭐️
20. The Invisible Man:
The Fire This Time Maurice Broaddus . 1⭐️
21. Diminished Seventh Sean Eads and Joshua Viola. 3⭐️
22. You Can Have the Ground, My Love Carlie St. George . 3⭐️
23. The Picture of Doriana Gray Mercedes M. Yardley . 2⭐️
24. Make the Blood Go Where It Wants ALESSANDRO MANZETTI. 2⭐️
Da Noise, Da Funk, Da Blob BY LINDA D ADDISON. 2⭐️
26. Rapt Rena Mason . 3⭐️
27. “Can” Doesn’t Mean “Should” Seanan McGuire .
28. Enter, The Dragon Leverett Butts and Dacre Stoker . 2⭐️
29. Someone to Blame Ramsey Campbell . 2⭐️
30. God of the Razor Joe R. Lansdale. 3⭐️
February 18, 2022
This was a very solid collection of short stories, and most of these were novella size, so it was a nice change from a couple pages short stories.
I did enjoy more the ones that were about monsters that I knew beforehand, or better that had something to do with monsters that I did know, for instance, one of the stories were about a kind of Frankenstein monster, but the doctor name was Victoria, instead of victor haha ^__^ but anyway I really believe if you do like monsters, and if you can empathize with them you’ll enjoy this quite a lot, there’s also very cool looking art of some well know monsters, like I said, a bit for everyone.
What let me a bit down was the lack of introduction of each story, for the ones that I don’t know the original story.
I got a free copy of this ARC, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I did enjoy more the ones that were about monsters that I knew beforehand, or better that had something to do with monsters that I did know, for instance, one of the stories were about a kind of Frankenstein monster, but the doctor name was Victoria, instead of victor haha ^__^ but anyway I really believe if you do like monsters, and if you can empathize with them you’ll enjoy this quite a lot, there’s also very cool looking art of some well know monsters, like I said, a bit for everyone.
What let me a bit down was the lack of introduction of each story, for the ones that I don’t know the original story.
I got a free copy of this ARC, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 22, 2022
Classic Monsters Unleashed is a horror anthology informed by a sincere desire to entertain and it does not disappoint in that regard. Featuring reimaginings of various horror icons by top notch authors like Ramsey Campbell and Joe Lansdale CMU was a lot of fun to read. At the time I wrote this review this book was available on Kindle Unlimited for free; hopefully you can easily find a copy.
March 30, 2022
Review to come but it’s a definite and huge 5 stars from me!
September 12, 2022
Fantastic from start to finish.
March 6, 2022
As with all anthologies, this was a mixed bag. There were two stories I truly loved, several good ones, a couple of mid-level tales, some disappointments, and a couple I disliked so much I didn't even finish them -- I mean, there are THIRTY FRICKIN' STORIES in here (or rather, 29; more on that later), so my let's-skip-this threshold was pretty low. There were also a number of illustrations, but to be honest, I didn't really see the point in these; IMO they ranged from tacky to kitschy to not all that great, and I felt that the book could have done without them, but then I feel more or less this way about all illustration that's not done by Edward Gorey, so this might simply be a case of pearls before swine.
It's probably no surprise that with a themed anthology, some of the stories cover the same ground; nevertheless, I thought there was way too much Frankenstein going around (I counted five Frankies). Also lots and lots of Dracula (six), but I felt that the authors did a bit more with that old chestnut than they did with The Monster. Okay, we got a Girl Monster, or rather plenty of Girl Monsters, and there was quite a lot of Commentary with a capital C (although in all fairness, this was by no means limited to the big reanimated one; Maurice Broaddus's "The Invisible Man" was one of the stories I felt life was too short for, with all its heavy-handed earnestness), but to me the whole Frankenstein angle got very old very quickly. (Also, no-one thought of having Frankenstein and the Count meet? I'm sad.) Thankfully, most of the other authors were a bit more imaginative in their choices, so you're not completely stuck with the usual suspects.
I think I'll start with the good stuff; the one story I liked best was hands-down "Hacking the Horseman's Code", by Lisa Morton. This was well-written and highly original as well as genuinely spooky, although I thought the ending would have been better with I just thought the ending was a little mild.
I also loved Ramsey Campbell's "Someone to Blame" -- how could I not! Although of course strictly speaking we're not really in Classic Monster territory here, as (I think) that other count has not crossed into collective pop culture memory yet and doubtlessly never will. (As a huge James fan, I also felt quite clever when my early hunch panned out.)
Other high points to me were "Mummy Calls" by Simon Bestwick, because it was funny as well as nasty as hell, and Lucy Snyder's turn-it-on-its-head POTO reinterpretation "The Viscount and the Phantom". Here were two writers who obviously were having fun with their stories, and it shows.
"Rapt" by Rena Mason was a great story hindered by sub-par writing and structure; do we really need the same scene from two different angles? Right on top of one another? Time and time again? But the idea was very cool, scary and highly original. A bit of ruthless editing, and this would have really sung.
"Blood Hunt" by Owl Goingback was nice, but suffered from a pretty milquetoast ending; I felt that a lot more could have been done with this story. I mean we're already bringing vampires into the Wild West, so why not go all alternate history and really play with the facts? We have Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill mourning the loss of the old ways, feeling like relics from a time gone by, so why in the world
"God of the Razor" would have made my list as well, even though I'm not into the nasty kind of horror, but there were some lapses in logic (why would you check out a long abandoned building after dark when you're looking for antiques to salvage? I mean, you have the key, everything's above-board, so why not go there during the day when you can actually SEE something?) and I'm also not a huge fan of Lansdale's style of writing; stuff like the weirdly specific "It was as if someone with ice-cold water in their kidneys had taken a piss down the back of his coat collar" takes me right out of the story, because first I have to laugh at the over-the-top dumbness of the simile and then I have to work out why/how someone would have ice-cold fluids in their kidneys, and whether that was even technically possible or if that person would die on the spot, and how in the world that would even feel like -- would that pee still be icy, having passed through tubes and ducts down to the bladder and then, presumably, down THE BACK OF HIS COAT COLLAR (so not the shirt? So it would be, like, between the coat fabric and the shirt fabric? Why wouldn't it trickle down his neck instead, soaking his shirt or sweater rather than the coat worn over it? Wouldn't you need some fantastically good aim to hit that exact back-of-the-coat-collar spot?), or would said pee be lukewarm by then? Maybe even of body temperature? So yeah, that one was a tad distracting. And just when you get back on track story-wise, here it comes again, a couple of pages later: "Richards had that sensation like ice-cold piss down his collar again". So now my brain goes, Down his collar? So now that piss, having bypassed the kidneys altogether and staying gloriously cold, is actually soaking his back? So no kidneys, and no coat either?
I found this needlessly (and endlessly) distracting, and when it wasn't distracting, "God of the Razor" liked to play icky, but if Lansdale had played up the atmosphere while dialing down the ick, this would have been a fantastic story. Of course, then it wouldn't have been a Lansdale story anymore, but oh well.
A handful of stories lived in that no-man's-land of okayness; not bad by any means, but also not all that memorable. And then there were the ones that actively ticked me off.
First off, I would like to say that IMO it's not the very best idea to start off a horror anthology with a poem, especially if it's such a limp little "experimental"/"clever" thing like Alessandro Manzetti's "Inferno". Skim-read that one. Still pretty bad. ("A thousand thin devils belched from their black hole/like geysers of madness, screaming cold." Oh yeah?) I don't know what that was, some attempt at originality? A favor to the author? No idea.
Next off, we get some Dr. Moreau from Jonathan Maberry, who had to irk me with one of my pet peeves, Dumb Nazi German. I really don't get this; if you absolutely HAVE TO include non-English dialogue, would it be so hard to find a native speaker to look it over? Here, amongst lots of "oberleutnants" (which have to be capitalized) and Herr this and Baronin that, we get that deathless line "Gott in Himmel", which first of all is grammatically incorrect (it has to read "im"; dative, people, dative!), and 2. in all my years on this earthly plane, I've never heard this phrase uttered by anyone who did not live inside a histrionic WWII movie. The story itself is okay, but nothing to write home about, neither plot-wise nor stylistically.
A couple of stories on, I run into another pet peeve, the Badly Written Woman By Male Author; in this case it's F. Paul Wilson, who thankfully (and needlessly) lets us in on what he thinks being a lady with lady bits feels like: "Such a relief to be [...] back in my own body -- young, lithe, smaller, smoother, with slim legs, dainty fingers , and firm, compact breasts." Ah yes, always the breasts... it must be hard to imagine that owning a pair of those is no different to having a nose, or feet -- they're simply THERE, no need to reference them.
That whole story is quite breast-centric, actually, as another character is getting some other girl's bare boobies shoved at him for no particular reason. I'm inclined to think of Mr Wilson as a breast guy, which is, you know, totally fine and all, but if you're writing from a female perspective... well. Also, I don't know if this is Mr Wilson's attempt at wokeness or the actual way he sees men and women and that whole power imbalance business, but this is what he thinks women think of living in a men's world: "I never realized until this instant how fear has influenced my day-to-day dealings with men. [...] Somewhere in the depths of my mind [...] has been the realization that almost any man could physically overpower me at will. Although I never before recognized its existence, I see now how it has colored my waking life."
So is this Mr Wilson's view of women ("Hey little lady, I could overpower you at will if I felt like it, because I'm a Man")? Or does he seriously believe that women (all women) feel helpless all of the time (all the time) because walking amongst men (even the runty ones!) is like entering a circus ring of bored, underfed lions? I mean, I realize this is just a stupid little story, but the way this is phrased and the way it's inserted into this really quite underwhelming Woman's Revenge narrative gave me thought. I don't like the idea of the Helpless Little Every-Woman being dependant on the decency and mood of the Big Bad Male. I think it's sexist (for both sexes), and also it isn't true.
All that, combined with some seriously clunky prose fresh from You Too Can Write -- Teen Edition ("I'll just lie back and rest my eyes for a moment... Oh, no! The dream again!") made this one of my less loved entries.
Same goes for "Make the Blood Go Where it Wants", another offering by Mr. Manzetti (he of the Bad Poetry fame), which handles infatuation between two young women in a way that felt less than feminine, as when Mercy looks at the "shapely body" of the girl on the beach thinking, "I can't be Whitby's only lesbian, can I?"
The weird convoluted prose and the fact that this story felt absolutely interminable without being entertaining in the least or even just making a lot of sense (those ever-changig POVs!) meant that to me, this was one of the least impressive stories in this book. A chore, and one of my DNFs.
Maybe it's only fitting that the editor chose to follow this up with the most WTF?-ish tale of the bunch, Linda Addison's "Da Noise, Da Funk, Da Blob", whose title pretty much sums the whole thing up quite nicely in a WYSIWYG way. Another DNF.
Terrible, terrible writing made me skim through "Mai Doon Izahn" by Gary Braunbeck (really, how did this make the cut? I dare anyone to expose themselves to this prose and live); "The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time" by Maurice Broaddus (who gets the award for Most Pretentious Story Title) was too didactic for me; more awful prose from Michael Knost in "The Nightbird", another DNF; ditto interminable Found Document style epos "Enter, The Dragon" by Butts & Stoker.
All in all, though, this was a fun read. I would have liked a bit more range, maybe (less Frankenstein, less Dracula), and some of the stories could have done with a little tweaking. Then again, I'm sure there are plenty of readers out there who would appreciate multiple reinterpretations of their favorite monster(s) in the same volume, so this collection should definitely appeal to them.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Black Spot Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of "Classic Monsters Unleashed" in exchange for an unbiased review.
It's probably no surprise that with a themed anthology, some of the stories cover the same ground; nevertheless, I thought there was way too much Frankenstein going around (I counted five Frankies). Also lots and lots of Dracula (six), but I felt that the authors did a bit more with that old chestnut than they did with The Monster. Okay, we got a Girl Monster, or rather plenty of Girl Monsters, and there was quite a lot of Commentary with a capital C (although in all fairness, this was by no means limited to the big reanimated one; Maurice Broaddus's "The Invisible Man" was one of the stories I felt life was too short for, with all its heavy-handed earnestness), but to me the whole Frankenstein angle got very old very quickly. (Also, no-one thought of having Frankenstein and the Count meet? I'm sad.) Thankfully, most of the other authors were a bit more imaginative in their choices, so you're not completely stuck with the usual suspects.
I think I'll start with the good stuff; the one story I liked best was hands-down "Hacking the Horseman's Code", by Lisa Morton. This was well-written and highly original as well as genuinely spooky, although I thought the ending would have been better with I just thought the ending was a little mild.
I also loved Ramsey Campbell's "Someone to Blame" -- how could I not! Although of course strictly speaking we're not really in Classic Monster territory here, as (I think) that other count has not crossed into collective pop culture memory yet and doubtlessly never will. (As a huge James fan, I also felt quite clever when my early hunch panned out.)
Other high points to me were "Mummy Calls" by Simon Bestwick, because it was funny as well as nasty as hell, and Lucy Snyder's turn-it-on-its-head POTO reinterpretation "The Viscount and the Phantom". Here were two writers who obviously were having fun with their stories, and it shows.
"Rapt" by Rena Mason was a great story hindered by sub-par writing and structure; do we really need the same scene from two different angles? Right on top of one another? Time and time again? But the idea was very cool, scary and highly original. A bit of ruthless editing, and this would have really sung.
"Blood Hunt" by Owl Goingback was nice, but suffered from a pretty milquetoast ending; I felt that a lot more could have been done with this story. I mean we're already bringing vampires into the Wild West, so why not go all alternate history and really play with the facts? We have Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill mourning the loss of the old ways, feeling like relics from a time gone by, so why in the world
"God of the Razor" would have made my list as well, even though I'm not into the nasty kind of horror, but there were some lapses in logic (why would you check out a long abandoned building after dark when you're looking for antiques to salvage? I mean, you have the key, everything's above-board, so why not go there during the day when you can actually SEE something?) and I'm also not a huge fan of Lansdale's style of writing; stuff like the weirdly specific "It was as if someone with ice-cold water in their kidneys had taken a piss down the back of his coat collar" takes me right out of the story, because first I have to laugh at the over-the-top dumbness of the simile and then I have to work out why/how someone would have ice-cold fluids in their kidneys, and whether that was even technically possible or if that person would die on the spot, and how in the world that would even feel like -- would that pee still be icy, having passed through tubes and ducts down to the bladder and then, presumably, down THE BACK OF HIS COAT COLLAR (so not the shirt? So it would be, like, between the coat fabric and the shirt fabric? Why wouldn't it trickle down his neck instead, soaking his shirt or sweater rather than the coat worn over it? Wouldn't you need some fantastically good aim to hit that exact back-of-the-coat-collar spot?), or would said pee be lukewarm by then? Maybe even of body temperature? So yeah, that one was a tad distracting. And just when you get back on track story-wise, here it comes again, a couple of pages later: "Richards had that sensation like ice-cold piss down his collar again". So now my brain goes, Down his collar? So now that piss, having bypassed the kidneys altogether and staying gloriously cold, is actually soaking his back? So no kidneys, and no coat either?
I found this needlessly (and endlessly) distracting, and when it wasn't distracting, "God of the Razor" liked to play icky, but if Lansdale had played up the atmosphere while dialing down the ick, this would have been a fantastic story. Of course, then it wouldn't have been a Lansdale story anymore, but oh well.
A handful of stories lived in that no-man's-land of okayness; not bad by any means, but also not all that memorable. And then there were the ones that actively ticked me off.
First off, I would like to say that IMO it's not the very best idea to start off a horror anthology with a poem, especially if it's such a limp little "experimental"/"clever" thing like Alessandro Manzetti's "Inferno". Skim-read that one. Still pretty bad. ("A thousand thin devils belched from their black hole/like geysers of madness, screaming cold." Oh yeah?) I don't know what that was, some attempt at originality? A favor to the author? No idea.
Next off, we get some Dr. Moreau from Jonathan Maberry, who had to irk me with one of my pet peeves, Dumb Nazi German. I really don't get this; if you absolutely HAVE TO include non-English dialogue, would it be so hard to find a native speaker to look it over? Here, amongst lots of "oberleutnants" (which have to be capitalized) and Herr this and Baronin that, we get that deathless line "Gott in Himmel", which first of all is grammatically incorrect (it has to read "im"; dative, people, dative!), and 2. in all my years on this earthly plane, I've never heard this phrase uttered by anyone who did not live inside a histrionic WWII movie. The story itself is okay, but nothing to write home about, neither plot-wise nor stylistically.
A couple of stories on, I run into another pet peeve, the Badly Written Woman By Male Author; in this case it's F. Paul Wilson, who thankfully (and needlessly) lets us in on what he thinks being a lady with lady bits feels like: "Such a relief to be [...] back in my own body -- young, lithe, smaller, smoother, with slim legs, dainty fingers , and firm, compact breasts." Ah yes, always the breasts... it must be hard to imagine that owning a pair of those is no different to having a nose, or feet -- they're simply THERE, no need to reference them.
That whole story is quite breast-centric, actually, as another character is getting some other girl's bare boobies shoved at him for no particular reason. I'm inclined to think of Mr Wilson as a breast guy, which is, you know, totally fine and all, but if you're writing from a female perspective... well. Also, I don't know if this is Mr Wilson's attempt at wokeness or the actual way he sees men and women and that whole power imbalance business, but this is what he thinks women think of living in a men's world: "I never realized until this instant how fear has influenced my day-to-day dealings with men. [...] Somewhere in the depths of my mind [...] has been the realization that almost any man could physically overpower me at will. Although I never before recognized its existence, I see now how it has colored my waking life."
So is this Mr Wilson's view of women ("Hey little lady, I could overpower you at will if I felt like it, because I'm a Man")? Or does he seriously believe that women (all women) feel helpless all of the time (all the time) because walking amongst men (even the runty ones!) is like entering a circus ring of bored, underfed lions? I mean, I realize this is just a stupid little story, but the way this is phrased and the way it's inserted into this really quite underwhelming Woman's Revenge narrative gave me thought. I don't like the idea of the Helpless Little Every-Woman being dependant on the decency and mood of the Big Bad Male. I think it's sexist (for both sexes), and also it isn't true.
All that, combined with some seriously clunky prose fresh from You Too Can Write -- Teen Edition ("I'll just lie back and rest my eyes for a moment... Oh, no! The dream again!") made this one of my less loved entries.
Same goes for "Make the Blood Go Where it Wants", another offering by Mr. Manzetti (he of the Bad Poetry fame), which handles infatuation between two young women in a way that felt less than feminine, as when Mercy looks at the "shapely body" of the girl on the beach thinking, "I can't be Whitby's only lesbian, can I?"
The weird convoluted prose and the fact that this story felt absolutely interminable without being entertaining in the least or even just making a lot of sense (those ever-changig POVs!) meant that to me, this was one of the least impressive stories in this book. A chore, and one of my DNFs.
Maybe it's only fitting that the editor chose to follow this up with the most WTF?-ish tale of the bunch, Linda Addison's "Da Noise, Da Funk, Da Blob", whose title pretty much sums the whole thing up quite nicely in a WYSIWYG way. Another DNF.
Terrible, terrible writing made me skim through "Mai Doon Izahn" by Gary Braunbeck (really, how did this make the cut? I dare anyone to expose themselves to this prose and live); "The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time" by Maurice Broaddus (who gets the award for Most Pretentious Story Title) was too didactic for me; more awful prose from Michael Knost in "The Nightbird", another DNF; ditto interminable Found Document style epos "Enter, The Dragon" by Butts & Stoker.
All in all, though, this was a fun read. I would have liked a bit more range, maybe (less Frankenstein, less Dracula), and some of the stories could have done with a little tweaking. Then again, I'm sure there are plenty of readers out there who would appreciate multiple reinterpretations of their favorite monster(s) in the same volume, so this collection should definitely appeal to them.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Black Spot Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of "Classic Monsters Unleashed" in exchange for an unbiased review.
August 4, 2022
Took me a while to get to the end of this massive collection, but it was a solid anthology throughout! It hits all sorts of classic monsters from the golden age of cinema (or elsewhere). The most were Dracula, but Dr. Moreau, the Wolfman, and Frankenstein were all particularly well represented. Then there were some bits and bobs with characters like Jekyll and Hyde, The Creature from the Black Lagoon (I think?), and The Blob.
Overall most stories worked well for me. They "conversed" well with their source monster and brought something fresh at the same time. A nice variety of settings and time periods. Of this 30-story collection, there were only a handful that I either found confusing or so far removed from the classic monster I couldn't pin it down (I feel like there was at least 1 or 2 that weren't written for this anthology).
The one thing I wish was that each story had a little 1-2 sentence blurb at the end! Perhaps the author explaining what classic monster they chose, or even adding why they chose it.
My tops of the heap were:
Hacking the Horseman's Code by Lisa Morton - my top of this antho! An AI headless horseman story, set at a small town Halloween (makes sense, because I know the author's name for writing all the non-fic about Halloween!). Really lovely autumn vibes AND spook factor.
Blood Hunt by Owl Goingback - Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill tracking Count Dracula across the frontier. Lots of wonderful Western vibes, and nostalgic talk about the dying of the Wild West and being the "last of a dying breed".
Mummy Calls by Simon Bestwick - A Manchester mummy story, written as a letter to the editor, with the writer of the letter none other than... Simon Bestwick!? A quirky, little, super realistic-feeling story. So modern it even mentions COVID (and I didn't even mind - it added to the realism).
Diminished Seventh by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola - they already had my number when I realized it's post-WWI, but the music connection, the Vienna setting, and the wonderful gore totally sold me on this.
The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time by Maurice Broaddus - starts with a James Baldwin quote (and the title is a Baldwin riff) so I was pointed in the right direction of racism and civil rights - and this take on the invisible man (with a Black man in a board room) is indeed full of righteous fury. And it's a horror antho of course, so plenty of violence too!
Rapt by Rena Mason - an archaeological dig for a water-entombed Chinese mummy queen. Douchebag protag, but you can see where he might just get his comeuppance. Really fun mummy story.
I got a complimentary copy of this book, courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for an unbiased review.
Overall most stories worked well for me. They "conversed" well with their source monster and brought something fresh at the same time. A nice variety of settings and time periods. Of this 30-story collection, there were only a handful that I either found confusing or so far removed from the classic monster I couldn't pin it down (I feel like there was at least 1 or 2 that weren't written for this anthology).
The one thing I wish was that each story had a little 1-2 sentence blurb at the end! Perhaps the author explaining what classic monster they chose, or even adding why they chose it.
My tops of the heap were:
Hacking the Horseman's Code by Lisa Morton - my top of this antho! An AI headless horseman story, set at a small town Halloween (makes sense, because I know the author's name for writing all the non-fic about Halloween!). Really lovely autumn vibes AND spook factor.
Blood Hunt by Owl Goingback - Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill tracking Count Dracula across the frontier. Lots of wonderful Western vibes, and nostalgic talk about the dying of the Wild West and being the "last of a dying breed".
Mummy Calls by Simon Bestwick - A Manchester mummy story, written as a letter to the editor, with the writer of the letter none other than... Simon Bestwick!? A quirky, little, super realistic-feeling story. So modern it even mentions COVID (and I didn't even mind - it added to the realism).
Diminished Seventh by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola - they already had my number when I realized it's post-WWI, but the music connection, the Vienna setting, and the wonderful gore totally sold me on this.
The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time by Maurice Broaddus - starts with a James Baldwin quote (and the title is a Baldwin riff) so I was pointed in the right direction of racism and civil rights - and this take on the invisible man (with a Black man in a board room) is indeed full of righteous fury. And it's a horror antho of course, so plenty of violence too!
Rapt by Rena Mason - an archaeological dig for a water-entombed Chinese mummy queen. Douchebag protag, but you can see where he might just get his comeuppance. Really fun mummy story.
I got a complimentary copy of this book, courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for an unbiased review.
November 20, 2022
Mini blurb: From Dracula to The Wolfman, from The Mummy to Frankenstein's Monster and his Bride, from The Wicked Witch of the West to The Headless Horseman, a collection of stories about/inspired by seminal monsters/archetypes from books/movies, set in different centuries/decades.
***
Rated 2.5 really.
First off...DISCLAIMER: this title was up for grabs on NetGalley (in the Read Now section). Thanks to Black Spot Books for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.
When I saw Seanan McGuire's name in this anthology's line-up, and found out that the book was "Read Now" on NetGalley, I acted on impulse and downloaded it, no questions asked. I realised only later that 1) I don't have an extensive knowledge of "classic monsters" (besides the bones of their stories, that is, and that's not even true for all of them), and 2) these stories weren't all modernised versions of the old myths like I expected, which posed a problem, since I tend to get bored and impatient with narratives set in the long-gone past. So, I'll admit skimming/skipping a dozen of these stories (plus the introductory poem, because that's not the kind of poetry I like), and not being the right audience for this book like I thought I would. Add to it the ebb-and-flow of the writing's quality, and eh...on the whole, I wasn't impressed. But as I said, this was probably more a case of bad matching than anything, so I encourage you to read the other reviews if you think this can be your jam.
I have to point out, though, that I found the author roster a bit ill-assorted...you can't have women-empowering tales go hand in hand with Badly-Written-Woman-By-Male-Author examples ("Such a relief to be back to reality, back in my own body - young, lithe, smaller, smoother, with slim legs, dainty fingers, and firm, compact breasts". Seriously???).
Besides enjoying Seanan McGuire's story (a fresh reversal of the mad scientist trope - I wonder why she didn't use her Mira Grant alias for this one) and quite liking a few others, I LOVED LOVED LOVED Carlie St. George's feminist take on The Frankenstein's Monster's Bride. Both the content and the writing style are top-notch. She deserved better company IMO.
Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later, and of course I don't plan to reread this book; also, due to time commitments, I've decided not to write full-length reviews anymore for short stories, novellas and anthologies, except in special cases or unless they're part of a series).
***
Rated 2.5 really.
First off...DISCLAIMER: this title was up for grabs on NetGalley (in the Read Now section). Thanks to Black Spot Books for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.
When I saw Seanan McGuire's name in this anthology's line-up, and found out that the book was "Read Now" on NetGalley, I acted on impulse and downloaded it, no questions asked. I realised only later that 1) I don't have an extensive knowledge of "classic monsters" (besides the bones of their stories, that is, and that's not even true for all of them), and 2) these stories weren't all modernised versions of the old myths like I expected, which posed a problem, since I tend to get bored and impatient with narratives set in the long-gone past. So, I'll admit skimming/skipping a dozen of these stories (plus the introductory poem, because that's not the kind of poetry I like), and not being the right audience for this book like I thought I would. Add to it the ebb-and-flow of the writing's quality, and eh...on the whole, I wasn't impressed. But as I said, this was probably more a case of bad matching than anything, so I encourage you to read the other reviews if you think this can be your jam.
I have to point out, though, that I found the author roster a bit ill-assorted...you can't have women-empowering tales go hand in hand with Badly-Written-Woman-By-Male-Author examples ("Such a relief to be back to reality, back in my own body - young, lithe, smaller, smoother, with slim legs, dainty fingers, and firm, compact breasts". Seriously???).
Besides enjoying Seanan McGuire's story (a fresh reversal of the mad scientist trope - I wonder why she didn't use her Mira Grant alias for this one) and quite liking a few others, I LOVED LOVED LOVED Carlie St. George's feminist take on The Frankenstein's Monster's Bride. Both the content and the writing style are top-notch. She deserved better company IMO.
Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later, and of course I don't plan to reread this book; also, due to time commitments, I've decided not to write full-length reviews anymore for short stories, novellas and anthologies, except in special cases or unless they're part of a series).
September 25, 2022
Nostalgia (noun) - a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.
That is the overwhelming emotion I felt while reading this book. There's something amazingly comforting about revisiting old characters - Dracula, Frankenstein and his monster, The Wolf-Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and many more. It's like meeting an old friend on the street and stopping to chat for awhile and see what they've been up to since you last saw them.
These stories take the old classic characters and breathe new life into them in ways which are inventively new and clever while still showing the greatest respect for the original tales.
Most authors in this anthology will be familiar names to those who love horror, especially readers who have spent some time hanging around the indie scene. These are top-notch writers, and the stories, while depicting horrible things, are beautifully written with skill and finesse.
Normally with an anthology, I'd share three or four of my favorite stories, but with this one every story is so good that doing that doesn't seem fair. I will single one tale out, however: Kelsea Yu's "A Tale of Wickedness". If I had to pick a favorite, this would be it. It is a story both disturbing and heartbreaking, and I did not realize which monster it was based on until the very end. Prepare to have your childhood shocked into ruin with that story, folks.
This whole collection was a delight. If a horror book can make someone happy, this is the book to do it.
That is the overwhelming emotion I felt while reading this book. There's something amazingly comforting about revisiting old characters - Dracula, Frankenstein and his monster, The Wolf-Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and many more. It's like meeting an old friend on the street and stopping to chat for awhile and see what they've been up to since you last saw them.
These stories take the old classic characters and breathe new life into them in ways which are inventively new and clever while still showing the greatest respect for the original tales.
Most authors in this anthology will be familiar names to those who love horror, especially readers who have spent some time hanging around the indie scene. These are top-notch writers, and the stories, while depicting horrible things, are beautifully written with skill and finesse.
Normally with an anthology, I'd share three or four of my favorite stories, but with this one every story is so good that doing that doesn't seem fair. I will single one tale out, however: Kelsea Yu's "A Tale of Wickedness". If I had to pick a favorite, this would be it. It is a story both disturbing and heartbreaking, and I did not realize which monster it was based on until the very end. Prepare to have your childhood shocked into ruin with that story, folks.
This whole collection was a delight. If a horror book can make someone happy, this is the book to do it.
March 13, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for allowing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I've always loved horror stories and I already knew some of the authors, because I read some of their books for my MA Thesis about Dracula. I knew I liked their writing style. Despite this, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this. Anthologies and short story collections tend to leave me with mixed feelings; I will love one story and dislike the other.
This anthology was different. Each story really managed to pull me in and I had a great time reading this. It contains a good variation of stories. Some popular monsters feature more than once in the book, such as Frankenstein's Monster and (my personal favourite) Dracula, but there was still enough variation to keep things interesting. You can clearly see the authors know how to write a good story and I will need to read more by them in the future.
I don't want to spoil the stories for anyone, so I won't go into more detail, but I will say that I highly recommend this to anyone who likes horror stories. I think this would also make a nice present, not only because the stories are so good, but also because the book has some stunning illustrations.
When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I've always loved horror stories and I already knew some of the authors, because I read some of their books for my MA Thesis about Dracula. I knew I liked their writing style. Despite this, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this. Anthologies and short story collections tend to leave me with mixed feelings; I will love one story and dislike the other.
This anthology was different. Each story really managed to pull me in and I had a great time reading this. It contains a good variation of stories. Some popular monsters feature more than once in the book, such as Frankenstein's Monster and (my personal favourite) Dracula, but there was still enough variation to keep things interesting. You can clearly see the authors know how to write a good story and I will need to read more by them in the future.
I don't want to spoil the stories for anyone, so I won't go into more detail, but I will say that I highly recommend this to anyone who likes horror stories. I think this would also make a nice present, not only because the stories are so good, but also because the book has some stunning illustrations.
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April 14, 2024This is an anthology collection of 30 short stories tied together by classic monsters.
Pros:
•The few stories I liked were real gems. The ones that stuck out are "Mummy Calls," "The Picture of Doriana Gray," "Moonlight Serenade," and "Modern Monsters."
•If you love Dracula or Frankenstein, you're in for a treat (not a pro for me, but potential pros for others).
Cons:
•Thirty stories! That is simply too many. I enjoyed fewer than a third of them.
•I didn't feel like the stories tied together very well. Sure, they all had something to do with classic monsters, but the tone, time period, themes, writing style, vibes were all so incredibly different. This might have worked if they were presented in an order that embraced that diversity, but the order had no introduction and seemed to be without reason.
•By not including introductions to the monsters or dividing the collection into sections with an introduction, the audience has been narrowed down to only those very familiar with the intricacies of classic monster stories rather than horror fans as a whole. There were references I knew I wasn't getting even though I'm generally familiar with most of the classic monsters. This is targeted to that small niche of fans.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this one much.
Pros:
•The few stories I liked were real gems. The ones that stuck out are "Mummy Calls," "The Picture of Doriana Gray," "Moonlight Serenade," and "Modern Monsters."
•If you love Dracula or Frankenstein, you're in for a treat (not a pro for me, but potential pros for others).
Cons:
•Thirty stories! That is simply too many. I enjoyed fewer than a third of them.
•I didn't feel like the stories tied together very well. Sure, they all had something to do with classic monsters, but the tone, time period, themes, writing style, vibes were all so incredibly different. This might have worked if they were presented in an order that embraced that diversity, but the order had no introduction and seemed to be without reason.
•By not including introductions to the monsters or dividing the collection into sections with an introduction, the audience has been narrowed down to only those very familiar with the intricacies of classic monster stories rather than horror fans as a whole. There were references I knew I wasn't getting even though I'm generally familiar with most of the classic monsters. This is targeted to that small niche of fans.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this one much.
March 26, 2022
I love the old classic horror stories, Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Headless Horseman, the Invisible Man, I loved them all.
So this Anthology was an easy choice for me, but as with a lot of anthology's, this was a mixed bag, some of the stories I loved, like Höllenlegion by Jonathan Maberry – This story is a sequel to H. G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau, and
The Viscount and the Phantom by Lucy A. Snyder – A phantom of the Opera sequel.
While others like The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time by Maurice Broaddus, and The Picture of Doriana Gray by Mercedes M Yardley felt like they drifted too far from the feel of the original stories.
Overall, there is a lot to love about these stories, there are some sequel and spinoff stories, and some reimagined, with a variety of writing styles it means there is something for everyone.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves the classics or there modern counterparts.
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.*
So this Anthology was an easy choice for me, but as with a lot of anthology's, this was a mixed bag, some of the stories I loved, like Höllenlegion by Jonathan Maberry – This story is a sequel to H. G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau, and
The Viscount and the Phantom by Lucy A. Snyder – A phantom of the Opera sequel.
While others like The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time by Maurice Broaddus, and The Picture of Doriana Gray by Mercedes M Yardley felt like they drifted too far from the feel of the original stories.
Overall, there is a lot to love about these stories, there are some sequel and spinoff stories, and some reimagined, with a variety of writing styles it means there is something for everyone.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves the classics or there modern counterparts.
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.*
March 23, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a lot of fun! I'm a huge classic horror fan (Universal and Hammer) and I really enjoyed reading these reinterpretations of some fan favorite classic monsters. Each story is well paced and a good length, so you're always moving on to something new. I would love to see some of these fleshed out into full length novels or even series. The potential is definitely there.
I was surprised to see this was a kickstarted project and hadn't been picked up by a major publisher. Clearly the editor is very passionate about bringing these stories to the audience that helped make it a reality. It would be great to see this with an official endorsement from Universal and other studios who own these properties, just to reach a wider audience if nothing else.
If you are a fan of the classics, definitely check out this collection of reimaginings and mini "sequels".
This book is a lot of fun! I'm a huge classic horror fan (Universal and Hammer) and I really enjoyed reading these reinterpretations of some fan favorite classic monsters. Each story is well paced and a good length, so you're always moving on to something new. I would love to see some of these fleshed out into full length novels or even series. The potential is definitely there.
I was surprised to see this was a kickstarted project and hadn't been picked up by a major publisher. Clearly the editor is very passionate about bringing these stories to the audience that helped make it a reality. It would be great to see this with an official endorsement from Universal and other studios who own these properties, just to reach a wider audience if nothing else.
If you are a fan of the classics, definitely check out this collection of reimaginings and mini "sequels".
February 26, 2022
A wonderful first-time editorial effort by Aquilone. I was a backer for the Kickstarter behind this project and am damn glad I did it. So many excellent reads in this beast of an anthology. Rather than a lengthy review, I just want to mention a few of the stand-out stories, as far as my opinion might go.
Dreams, by F. Paul Wilson, The Viscount and the Phantom by Lucy A. Snyder and Joe R. Landsdale's God of the Razor are some defining moments in a collection that is filled cover-to- brilliantly drawn cover with truly excellent storytelling.
Between these terror tales are some delightfully dark pieces of art that help to set the tone for each short and the book overall.
Whether you're a fan of classic monsters or just a horror-hound, this collection will bring you many hours of joy (and fear).
Dreams, by F. Paul Wilson, The Viscount and the Phantom by Lucy A. Snyder and Joe R. Landsdale's God of the Razor are some defining moments in a collection that is filled cover-to- brilliantly drawn cover with truly excellent storytelling.
Between these terror tales are some delightfully dark pieces of art that help to set the tone for each short and the book overall.
Whether you're a fan of classic monsters or just a horror-hound, this collection will bring you many hours of joy (and fear).
March 15, 2022
Okay so as a lover of classic monster stories I jumped at the chance to read this and review it. There are some mega names attached to this anthology and while that makes it a great read, it was the little known authors that really stole the show for me. My only issue with this is that I didn’t always get sucked into some of the stories from the get go. With that said I do believe that this will be an enjoyable read for most lovers of the good old fashioned monsters we have grown to love and in some cases hate.
August 5, 2022
I received this book as an ARC, I’m glad I did or it may have been a while before I decided to pick this one up if at all. It’s a great collection of monster horror stories most of which I enjoyed. Has some great illustrations in also.
August 12, 2022
When I saw the title and cover I had to read this - I watched all of the black and white classics as a young boy. Although I was expecting more campiness, I still enjoyed this. I loved how the different authors took the classic characters and made them their own.
May 8, 2023
A collection of stories featuring the classic monsters from Universal. Most of them weren't very scary.
August 5, 2022
To unleash something is to set it free. It implies a force beyond our control, a power that cannot be undone. Unfortunately, this anthology of twenty-nine classic monster stories (and one poem) re-imagined does not live up to that implication. Despite more than half the stories taking place in the modern age, this anthology felt dated and mired in the past. Little of it was fresh and reading it often felt like slogging through homework.
That being said, there were several standout stories. In reading order they are as follows:
She-Creature From The Golden Cove by John Palisano:
This was one of the few stories that truly had me on the edge of my seat. It was able to call back to its roots while still feeling novel and it did so without relying on gore or tired tropes. The characters had depth and I quickly cared about what happened to them. It was a story that proved horror can happen even on the brightest of days when you feel safe and carefree.
Mummy Calls by Simon Bestwick:
This was a clever take on the Manchester Mummy written in part as a letter to the editor and signed by the author himself. It was creepy in a cabinet of curiosities sort of way, and showcased the darker side of family obligations and legacies.
A Tale Of Wickedness by Kelsea Yu:
This is a nasty little piece (in all the best ways) and it is one of the most unique visions in this anthology. I will never look at The Wizard of Oz the same again. This author took something comical and turned it into something terrifying while also putting heart and depth into it. She's one to watch, folks.
Hacking The Horseman's Code by Lisa Morton:
This was by far the best story in the bunch, and I dare say, this story alone might be worth buying the book. Morton's take on the Headless Horseman steps right out of the near future and hauntingly asks the question: Is there a ghost in the machine? Superbly crafted, well paced, and highly original. This story will sit with me for years to come.
Other notable entries include:
The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time by Maurice Broaddus
Da Noise, Da Funk, Da Blob by Linda D Addison
Rapt by Rena Mason
Someone To Blame by Ramsey Campbell
Fans of horror literature tend to have specific tastes. There are those that love old fashioned blood and guts, and those who love stories with more meat on their bones. I tend to be in the latter camp. I want morality and trauma and a mirror held up to the world. Classic Monsters Unleashed caters more to the former but there are still gems of the latter to be found. All in all an interesting foray into all things classic monster, and there's sure to be something to please even the finickiest of readers.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this anthology in exchange for my honest review.
That being said, there were several standout stories. In reading order they are as follows:
She-Creature From The Golden Cove by John Palisano:
This was one of the few stories that truly had me on the edge of my seat. It was able to call back to its roots while still feeling novel and it did so without relying on gore or tired tropes. The characters had depth and I quickly cared about what happened to them. It was a story that proved horror can happen even on the brightest of days when you feel safe and carefree.
Mummy Calls by Simon Bestwick:
This was a clever take on the Manchester Mummy written in part as a letter to the editor and signed by the author himself. It was creepy in a cabinet of curiosities sort of way, and showcased the darker side of family obligations and legacies.
A Tale Of Wickedness by Kelsea Yu:
This is a nasty little piece (in all the best ways) and it is one of the most unique visions in this anthology. I will never look at The Wizard of Oz the same again. This author took something comical and turned it into something terrifying while also putting heart and depth into it. She's one to watch, folks.
Hacking The Horseman's Code by Lisa Morton:
This was by far the best story in the bunch, and I dare say, this story alone might be worth buying the book. Morton's take on the Headless Horseman steps right out of the near future and hauntingly asks the question: Is there a ghost in the machine? Superbly crafted, well paced, and highly original. This story will sit with me for years to come.
Other notable entries include:
The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time by Maurice Broaddus
Da Noise, Da Funk, Da Blob by Linda D Addison
Rapt by Rena Mason
Someone To Blame by Ramsey Campbell
Fans of horror literature tend to have specific tastes. There are those that love old fashioned blood and guts, and those who love stories with more meat on their bones. I tend to be in the latter camp. I want morality and trauma and a mirror held up to the world. Classic Monsters Unleashed caters more to the former but there are still gems of the latter to be found. All in all an interesting foray into all things classic monster, and there's sure to be something to please even the finickiest of readers.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this anthology in exchange for my honest review.
April 27, 2022
This has been, hands-down my favorite read this Spring.
Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Moreau, the Headless Horseman, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, and even the Wicked Witch of the West are all here. Reimagined and in new tales that are so reminiscent of the old monster movies I use to watch as a kid.
Every weekend I would look forward to "Creature Double Feature" so I could watch a classic B-movie, usually the Wolfman or Dracula...I loved those movies so much and it seemed like the telling of monster stories had gone the way of the Dodo. Everyone wants psychos, sociopaths, and serial killers. There are no such things as monsters except those wearing the face of men.
But those of my generation knew that monsters were still out there, waiting to suck your blood, bite you and make you change at the full moon, or trapped in a museum, wrapped in centuries of old cloth waiting for the time you would awaken.
So many writers I already loved contributed to this book, such as Jonathan Maberry, F. Paul Wilson. Joe R. Lansdale, Ramsey Campell, and Richard Christian Matheson. These alone would have made this book worth every penny. But I also found authors I was not as familiar with and probably would never have read such as Dacre Stoker, Lisa Morton, Owl Goingback, Gary A. Braunbeck, and so many others.
The tales are not just rehashing old legends but each has its own little twist that makes ir fresh and new. For example:
They Call me Mother is what happens after Jonathan Harker leaves Mina after Dracula changed her
.
Hollenlegion by Jonathan Maberry takes us back to The Island of Doctor Moreau, where things did not end as we first thought.
Dreams by F.Paul Wilson gives a new look and understanding of Frankenstein's creature.
Can doesn't Mean Should by Seanan McGuire looks at mad scientists from the other side of the coin where their so-called madness could have been our savior.
I could go on and on, but you need to read these to really appreciate them. Each is a gem and I can't say thank you enough to each author who brought back memories of the monsters of my childhood.
Thanks to @netgalley , Black Spot Books, Kim Newman, and all the authors who contributed here for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Moreau, the Headless Horseman, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, and even the Wicked Witch of the West are all here. Reimagined and in new tales that are so reminiscent of the old monster movies I use to watch as a kid.
Every weekend I would look forward to "Creature Double Feature" so I could watch a classic B-movie, usually the Wolfman or Dracula...I loved those movies so much and it seemed like the telling of monster stories had gone the way of the Dodo. Everyone wants psychos, sociopaths, and serial killers. There are no such things as monsters except those wearing the face of men.
But those of my generation knew that monsters were still out there, waiting to suck your blood, bite you and make you change at the full moon, or trapped in a museum, wrapped in centuries of old cloth waiting for the time you would awaken.
So many writers I already loved contributed to this book, such as Jonathan Maberry, F. Paul Wilson. Joe R. Lansdale, Ramsey Campell, and Richard Christian Matheson. These alone would have made this book worth every penny. But I also found authors I was not as familiar with and probably would never have read such as Dacre Stoker, Lisa Morton, Owl Goingback, Gary A. Braunbeck, and so many others.
The tales are not just rehashing old legends but each has its own little twist that makes ir fresh and new. For example:
They Call me Mother is what happens after Jonathan Harker leaves Mina after Dracula changed her
.
Hollenlegion by Jonathan Maberry takes us back to The Island of Doctor Moreau, where things did not end as we first thought.
Dreams by F.Paul Wilson gives a new look and understanding of Frankenstein's creature.
Can doesn't Mean Should by Seanan McGuire looks at mad scientists from the other side of the coin where their so-called madness could have been our savior.
I could go on and on, but you need to read these to really appreciate them. Each is a gem and I can't say thank you enough to each author who brought back memories of the monsters of my childhood.
Thanks to @netgalley , Black Spot Books, Kim Newman, and all the authors who contributed here for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
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