BOOK REVIEW: CLASSIC MONSTERS UNLEASHED EDITED BY JAMES AQUILONE

14/6/2022

Classic Monsters Unleashed
James Aquilone (Editor)

Review by: Mark Walker

ISBN-10: 1645481212
ISBN-13: 978-1645481218
Available at Amazon from 12th July 2022

There is nothing too terrifying or too extreme here which feels fitting in many ways. Those classic films I was raised on, showing on BBC2 at 6pm in the UK when I was a kid, were never that scary. However, they were fun and still come with a reassuring element of nostalgia which is the same here. What we have is collection of stories that have the same source of influence but, with such a variety of writers, presents us with an eclectic mix of tributes to the Golden Age of Monsters

I’m beginning to think I’m developing a review fetish. In the months I have been writing reviews for Ginger Nuts, this will be my sixth review of an anthology. Perhaps I’m carving out my place as resident “collection connoisseur” for reasons that can only be found deep in the bowels of my subconscious. Whatever the reason, the same caveat applies here as for those other reviews; I am not going to review each story within Classic Monsters Unleashed. The quality of individual tales will be completely subjective; what works for me, may not for you, and vice-versa. I will be looking at the package as a whole and whether it is worth your time and money.

Fetish jokes aside, and ignoring whatever my subconscious might be trying to tell me, who wouldn’t be attracted to a collection that pays tribute to classic monsters such as vampires, wolfmen, witches, and Frankenstein’s monster? Throw in an introduction by the legendary Kim Newman and what else could you want?

Well, a physical copy for starters. One of the drawbacks of reviewing books before release is the occasional need to review a PDF ARC. Now, I am not knocking the opportunity to read books like this ahead of release, but the black and white PDF just didn’t do it justice; just how good does that cover look? There more illustrations scattered throughout so I am sure the physical edition of the book will be a delight to hold in your hand. It is due for release in July on Kindle, in hardback and in paperback and I am tempted to get myself a physical copy

Anyway, once I dealt with my mild jealousy over anyone with a physical copy, I delved inside to explore the dark minds of the collected writers…

I am, like many horror fans of a certain age, very familiar with the classic monsters popularised through the films of studios such as Universal and Hammer that have graced our screens for decades now. We all have a soft spot for them. Kim Newman lists a familiar selection of them in his introduction; Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Wolfman, The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jekyll and Hyde. They are all here; villains, beasts, and creatures we all know and love. It is a comfort to be reminded of so many old friends.

Many tales take direct inspiration from their source monster, such as You Can Have the Ground, My Love by Carlie St. George which follows the Bride of Frankenstein as she finds a place for herself in the world, or Höllenlegion by Jonathan Mayberry which plays out as a sequel to the Island of Dr Moreau.

Others are more “inspired by,” taking their lead form the originals, but coming up with a new slant, such as John Palisano’s She Creature from the Golden Cove or Modern Monsters from Monique Snyman which gives us a glimpse of what is likely to happen if you mix The Fly with a mad military scientist and reality TV.

A third group of stories take a completely new approach and are linked simply by a concept or a theme but are no less effective for it. In The Invisible Man: The Fire This Time, Maurice Broaddus takes the concept of the Invisible Man and uses it to effectively explore race and discrimination. In Tim Waggoner’s Old Monsters Never Die, the legendary Werewolf is presented as more than just a simple killing machine. Here, the werewolf has a higher purpose, and the story explores what happens when commitment to duty clashes with family and species bonds.

And that is just a selection. There are twenty-nine stories and one poem in this volume, and they all pay tribute to and/or develop the mythology and lore around our favourite Classic Monsters.

As I mentioned above, I won’t review each story individually. However, in the interest of transparency, I will admit there were one or two stories that just didn’t do it for me. Whether I just didn’t connect with them or didn’t ‘get’ them is immaterial because of our own subjectivity. I don’t see any reason to highlight these particular entries as they may well turn out to be YOUR favourites, and it’s important to remember that this is an anthology and, as such, the chances of you absolutely loving every single story are slim. It’s not quite perfect (for me) but there is a lot of good stuff here between the covers. After all, two or three misses out of thirty is a pretty good hit rate and should not put anyone off. Remember, those one or two stories aren’t ‘bad’ stories, they just weren’t for me.

There is nothing too terrifying or too extreme here which feels fitting in many ways. Those classic films I was raised on, showing on BBC2 at 6pm in the UK when I was a kid, were never that scary. However, they were fun and still come with a reassuring element of nostalgia which is the same here. What we have is collection of stories that have the same source of influence but, with such a variety of writers, presents us with an eclectic mix of tributes to the Golden Age of Monsters which is both new and familiar. While there are a couple that didn’t do much for me, the majority were good stories with a few great ones that had me shaking my head and lamenting, “why didn’t I think of that?”

If classic monsters are your thing, I think you will enjoy this volume which looks like it should be a fantastic physical copy when it is published.

Classic Monsters Unleashed (Unleashed Series): Volume 1 Hardcover – 12 July 2022

Stories of famous monsters in a new horror anthology 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.