Monsters aren’t just wurms, woodwoses, wolf-men and spider whores. Like everyone else, they can be brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, rappers and cowboys. According to More Than a Monster, a new anthology edited by Rachael Swanson, they can even be anti-Santa’s little helpers. 

It’s true, as Swanson writes in her brief introduction to this volume, that monsters occupy uncharted realms of the human experience, but they remain monsters nonetheless. Big or small, old or young, they all share the same history—at some point in their lives they’ve done monstrous shit. 

That’s what author Bert S.G. says in his nuanced story called “The Last Days of Monster Park.” Located somewhere in the radioactive hellscape of the Mojave Desert, Monster Park is a place where scary creatures and mutants are safely quarantined. Once captured by the authorities, they’re encouraged to work out their issues with therapy sessions, meditation, journaling and lots of weed. 

Unfortunately, it’s hard for such a disparate group of monsters to coexist. In Monster Park there are gill men, spider ladies, animated skeletons, werewolves, blobs and vampires mingling with each other. There’s always going to be some sort of conflict brewing—sometimes fatally. 

Monsters generally don’t get along with other monsters and they certainly don’t get along with their human neighbors either. Even shapeshifters have difficulty fitting in. That’s the case with stories by David Rider, Zachary Rosenberg and T.M. Morgan. Whether it’s a gang of preteen werewolves, a suburban jorögumo or a hungry monther, nobody can hide their monstrous nature forever. 

But who are we to judge? Larry Talbot didn’t ask to be bitten by a werewolf, King Kong didn’t want to leave Skull Island and the Bride of Frankenstein didn’t want to marry a monster. Like Howard the Duck, all monsters are trapped in world they didn’t make. 

For balance, the editor includes a couple of stories in her collection which feature monsters and humans finding common ground: “Take My Hand” by Christie Hansen and “Vesper’s Garden” by Ville Meriläinen. 

Hansen writes about an awkward meeting between a female troll and a distressed woman lost in the swamp. What follows is a series of misunderstandings (some comical and some not) between the two ladies. Everything works out for the best, thank goodness. The story’s charitable title turns out to be both figurative and literal. 

More profound is Meriläinen’s story about a tightly knit family of enchanted woodland creatures. The moondeer are generally shy, but when provoked they embrace a tribunal of ultra-violence. 

There is no wisdom in anger, however, and one fateful night teaches the moondeer to take responsibility in the face of unresponsive nature. By living harmoniously with their human neighbors, they learn that forgiveness is a gift they can give to themselves. 

[ More Than a Monster / Edited by Rachael Swanson / First Printing: September 2023 / ISBN: 9781960534057 ]