Eurasian Monsters edited by Margret Helgadottir
Happy Endings is where I finish series that I’ve loved and get a chance to talk not just about the last instalment but the wider series.
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.
Eurasian Monsters is the seventh and last volume in a coffee table book series from
Fox Spirit Books with dark fiction and art about monsters from around the world.
One of the best trends in our genre is the growing realisation that authors aren’t just from the US or the UK. Stories are truly universal to humanity although their shape and format may alter as will their themes. The history and geography of a location may shape our thoughts about the world and in particular our understanding of it. Folk stories of monsters change across the world and yet show us that human fears are everywhere but shaped across the world.
Over the last few years, I’ve been eagerly enjoying the Monsters series from Fox Sprit Books. This started with Jo Thomas and Margret Helgadottir A simple aim to look at tales of monsters around the globe but importantly stories told by those people from or with roots in those areas. Not appropriation but a chance for readers to explore tales they won’t see elsewhere. A series of anthologies that contains graphic novelettes, horror stories and sometimes quite hopeful ones.
The array of talent has been impressive and interestingly quite a few are now much more well known as the wider publishing world has caught up. In these seven volumes you’ll find tales from John Grimwood, James Bennet, Aliya Whiteley, Aliette de Bodard, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Nnedi Okorafor, Tade Thompson, T L Huchu, Sarah Lotz, Ken Liu, Usman T Malik, Eeleen Lee, Jeremy Szal, AJ Fitzwater, Fabio Fernandes, Cory Doctorow, Tobias S Buckell, Charles Payseur and Darcie Little Badger to name just a few. That’s the first six volumes and there are so many more gems to discover dear readers.
But all trips must end and in Eurasian Monsters the final volume is now released. This time tales from the Chinese Borders to Eastern Europe with a greater degree of translated works than previously.
Tales I enjoyed in this collection were
Morpheus by K A Teryna (translated by Alex Shvartman) – a tales of a man who can control his dreams to some extent but something wicked lies in waiting. I loved the sense of endless dreaming this creates plus for the reader a sense of growing horror at what our narrator is capable of. Chilling!
Daemons of Their Time by Marta Maddalena Lasik (translated by Piotr Swietlik – A tale in the far future where humans are nearly wiped out (replaced by AI consciousness) and yet older monsters still lurk. I loved how this story created very quickly its own future history of the world and yet at the same time retains a classic tale structure. Its disconcerting about loss – not just of life but our world.
Sleepless in Enerhodar by To Yevhen Lyr – Another tale connected to sleep and in lands with a lot of cold dark nights its interesting how sleep is felt to be scary. An academic exploring an old myth has discovered a secret that means they have now run many days without sleep. A bewitching tale of atmosphere and a slow tick tock towards a final encounter for our narrator. Loved this one.
Rapunzel by Vlad Arenev (Translated by Mike Olvson) – A story set in the time of Covid and set within a lockdown. This tale uses a Domovyk who is a family/house spirit that in some tales is good and others not. In this case we follow one tower block resident running low on food and their rations have not yet arrived. Its funny, uplifting and hopeful. My favourite in the collection – I needed this one.
Nine Tongues Tell Of by Haralambi Markov – Another favourite is this bittersweet tale of Damyana who finds a minster attacking a bad man at night. The monster and her begin to talk and this leads to a podcast. But underneath this is a tale of grief and not letting go. Packs an emotional punch.
A Thousand Cuts by Alex Shvartman – A warning that this tale deals with self-harm but I liked the power of a woman being haunted by both her past and a evil spirit called a Domovoi playing mind games.
Veruska and the Ludverc by Bogi Takacs – A more traditional style folk tale of a smart girl being tormented by an unusual creature named a Ludverc that can appear both cute and fearsome. It’s a tale of how you outwit a bully and should raise a smile or two!
The Housekeeper by Kat Hutchson – This is a chilling tale of a young child that every night finds themselves suddenly short of breath. Another tale of creatures in the night playing with humans and this one has a dark kicker lying in wait for the reader.
So is this a happy ending?
Oh goodness yes!! One of the annual treats for me and a hugely impressive piece of work for the editor and publisher. This is a collection of tales I urge all of you to start looking at – broaden your horizons and also start to look at the differences and similarities in these foundations of stories.
A triumphant ending!
If you’re looking for more I have reviewed other volumes here: -
African Monsters edited by Margret Helgadottir and Jo Thomas
Pacific Monsters edited by Margret Helgadottir
Asian Monsters - edited by Margret Helgadottir
American Monsters Part 1 edited by Margret Helgadottir
American Monsters Part 2 edited by Margret Helgadottir
American Monsters Part 2 edited by Margret Helgadottir
I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!
