African Monsters edited by Margret Helgadottir and Jo Thomas
Publisher - Fox Spirit Books
Published - Out Now
Price - £10 paperback
Here be Monsters! They lurk and crawl and fly in the shadows of our mind. We know them from ancient legends and tales whispered by the campfire. They hide under the dark bridge, in the deep woods or out on the great plains, in the drizzling rain forest or out on the foggy moor, beneath the surface, under your bed. They don’t sparkle or have any interest in us except to tear us apart. They are the monsters! Forgotten, unknown, misunderstood, overused, watered down. We adore them still. We want to give them a renaissance, to reestablish their dark reputation, to give them a comeback, let the world know of their real terror. “African Monsters is a fantastic anthology featuring many African writers at the forefront of the new wave of Speculative Fiction tapping directly into the deep and rich mythology of African cultures.” — Ivor W. Hartmann, editor for African Roar and AfroSF volume 1
On twitter I’ve had a small #MonsterWeek talking about one of my favourite anthology series the Monsters series from Fox Spirit Books that started with Jo Thomas and Margret Helgadottir beginning a collection of tales focused on continents and the monsters/folk tales of the area improtantly told by people who live who have close connections to that area. Typically I realise i read Volume 2 (which in a timey wimey fashion was my first volume) before I was reviewer so for saturday after a quick re-read here is a review! Pleased to say it held up as well as the rest of the collection
Among the stories I loved where
On the Road by Nnedi Okorafor - A policewoman from the US has returned to her native Nigeria and finds on her doorstep a dead child. This sets in motion in whirling tale of imagery, spirits, gods with a twist of body horror throw in and an ending that wraps up the story smartly. Hugely impressive start to the collection!
Severed by Jayne Bauling - young friends go to a lake with a dark reputation and one by one start to vanish. A brilliantly executed tale of tension and mounting horror
One Hundred and Twenty Days of Sunlight by Tade Thompson - A creature realises their grave is being disturbed and so this tale begins the origin story (and potential end) of a monster. A history lesson, a tale of love and loss made this one rather special.
The Death of One by Su Opperman - one of the graphic tales in the collection is a eerie strange but frenetic tale of man versus monster. Stunning imagery
Chikwambo by T L Huchu - a tale with a mystery twist. A monster seeks someone in a village and one man has to work it out. A tale with lost of tension and a sad sting in the tale.
The Woman by S Lotz - a policeman is called to investigate a suspicious death and finds revenge is ongoing. Monsters in these collections are often used as a form of punishment and this story asks the reader exactly who committed the crime.
Another successful varied collection. Many tales focused on monsters connected to the death of a child or the dangers of certain parts of the land abound which is always interesting to see what themes arise in each volume. Hugely recommended
