What could possibly captivate the mind more than monsters? As a kid, I eagerly consumed books from authors like R.L. Stine, Stephen King, and HP Lovecraft. I watched George Romero, Wes Craven, and John Carpenter, and played games like Dungeons and Dragons, Vampire: The Masquerade, andThe Call of Cthulhu.When I discovered monster studies in my PhD years—a way to read monsters as cultural productions that tell us something about the people that create them—I was hooked. Ever since, I get to continue reading my favorite books, watching my favorite movies, and playing my favorite games. It’s just that now someone’s paying me to do it.
Ok, you’ve read Cohen and Monsters and the Monstrous. This monster stuff is getting pretty good, and you might be able to feel around the edges a bit. How does it apply to contemporary America which “no longer believes in monsters?” This is where Poole’s book comes in. Poole walks through monstrosity in the US from Columbus’ first steps to just shy of 2020. All the juicy topics that Americans have used monsters for—sex, race, and politics—emerge in this monstrous tour de forceof US history. This is one of the first books I recommend to my students.
Monsters arrived in 2011aand now they are back. Not only do they continue to live in our midst, but, as historian Scott Poole shows, these monsters are an important part of our pastaa hideous obsession America cannot seem to escape. Poole's central argument in Monsters in America is that monster tales intertwine with America's troubled history of racism, politics, class struggle, and gender inequality. The second edition of Monsters leads readers deeper into America's tangled past to show how monsters continue to haunt contemporary American ideology. By adding new discussions of the American West, Poole focuses intently on the Native…
To any who would ask, I would describe this book as “a wonderful bit of fluff.”
Having recently started making my own espresso drinks, how could I resist a story of an orc named Viv trying to start a coffee shop? What sucked me into this book was the character interactions as unlikely characters try to start an unlikely business, where Viv’s biggest challenge is explaining to the people of the city what coffee is.
I’ve read a fair share of subverted troupes, and I find this novel is one of the better ones. I also tell people, “It’s a fun read.”
High fantasy, low stakes - with a double-shot of coffee.
After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream - for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can't go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune's shady underbelly could make it all…
I am a Christian and my writing is influenced by my belief in a loving God who is very aware and involved in our lives. I directly address these ideas in my novel, The King's Trial, which many readers compare to the writings of CS Lewis. Readers who rarely care for religious themes have commented that the balance is right and the novel can be read as straight fantasy. Some of my favorite books with journeys of faith portray religions very different from mine, a few of which I include in the novels recommended below.
If JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis were to write a fantasy together, I think it would be something like Moonscript. This story is deep with long-term pain, beautiful with patient love, and full of excitement and surprises. I appreciate it shows that healing takes time and that God’s grace comes, but not always when we want it.
"It is said that Darkness is empty and whatever vanishes into its depths is lost forever. I know this better than anyone. For I have suffered here in the shadows, and there are none who might find me.”
Seventy years. Seventy years the elven prince has been lost to the darkness, assumed dead by his people and endlessly broken for a book that connects to the hidden realm of his ancestors, a land untouched by evil.
And now a light in the shadows. A chance for freedom. But those willing to help him come from the unlikeliest of worlds.
I love a book where the good guys are pure-hearted and the bad guys are evil, but there's something so fascinating about a story where the lines of good and evil blur and bend. I firmly believe that everyone is the hero in their own story… and everyone is the villain in at least one other person’s story. My Tales of Thamorr duology features multiple heists and hijinks, and every member of our crew has plans to betray their fellows. My goal in writing stories where no one is the ‘good guy’ is to create a reading experience where you want to root for everyone and no one at the same time.
This Savage Song is a dark urban fantasy set in a world where violence creates monsters. Not human monsters (though there are plenty of those in the tale), but real, shadowy creatures that roam the cityscape in the wake of murders, assaults, and other dark deeds.
The story is told from dual points of view, with chapters from the viewpoint of a rebellious daughter of the city’s overlord and the point of view of one of the monsters living in the city. Schwab is best known for the Shades of Magic series, but I personally think This Savage Song and its sequel, Our Dark Duet are her best work.
Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city, a grisly metropolis where the violence has begun to create real and deadly monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the inhabitants pay for his protection. August just wants to be human, as good-hearted as his own father-but his curse is to be what the humans fear. The thin truce that keeps the Harker and Flynn families at peace is crumbling, and an assassination attempt forces Kate and August into a tenuous alliance. But how…
As a Gen X kid growing up in a very conservative place, I struggled with gender, not feeling like the girl I was supposed to be. I knew I wasn’t a boy, and that just led to uncertainty and perpetual emotional discomfort. When I first heard about the concept of nonbinary gender a few years ago, my mind was blown. I knew if I were young, I would have immediately come out as nonbinary. But as an older person, it felt weird and pointless. Writing and reading books about people struggling with gender gave me the courage to finally be true to myself, and acknowledge that I am agender.
Reading this graphic novel just feels good. It’s so positive and full of all kinds of sweet relationships—romantic, friends, and family.
It’s also a fantastic portrayal of numerous people with something that makes them different from most others, including wearing hearing aids, lesbian grandmas, large bodies, and last but not least, being nonbinary. None of these things is an issue in the book, and instead they’re presented as being as normal as breathing.
I just love the normalization of human differences. Add to that the fun urban fantasy elements of magic and werewolves, and it’s a perfect mix.
"Mooncakes is spellbinding. It had everything I love in a story-magic that felt inventive, characters that became my friends, and a romance that felt truly authentic. It was one of those books that I was sad to see end. Luckily, I can always reread." -Tillie Walden, creator of Spinning and On a Sunbeam
"Mooncakes transported me to a gorgeous magical realm that I never want to leave, and introduced me to lovable characters who stuck with me long after I finished reading. This graphic novel is the joyful fantasy romance we all need right now, and it might just restore…
I’m fascinated with monsters. Always have been. But in a weird way. I was never a scare seeker. I sought out the unique monsters, not the traditional werewolves and vampires. I related to the creatures who were more human than the humans. The ones that struggled to fit in, but if you took the time to get to know them, they were more interesting than anyone you had ever encountered before. And I think that’s a theme I use in my stories. Overcoming your fear of things that are strange or different can open wondrous new worlds.
Books teaching kids not to be afraid of the dark can be cliched and a bit preachy. I stay away from books that “talk” to kids. However, while this book does deal with fear and bravery, it does so in a subtle way and feels genuine. The lessons come from the characters and not the writer. This is a sweet story and you will find yourself rooting for Martina.
Two little girls―one human and the other a monster―are afraid to go to sleep for fear of what's living under their beds.
What if an entire world of MONSTERS lived underneath your floor? Martina is having trouble sleeping because she is afraid monsters might break through the floor and bring her into the monster world where she'll have to learn how to scare humans. Meanwhile, Anitram, a little girl monster, is also having trouble sleeping. There's a noisy little human jumping on the bed in the upside-down world under her floor! Martina and Anitram have more in common than they…
I am a full-time Children’s Fantasy author and illustrator; the result of having my imagination captivated by all the stories told before me. When delving into a story my desire is to have my imagination captured and swept up on a dizzyingly wonderful and fantastical ride. When reading, I just want a good, solid adventure. More importantly, I want to feel like I’m withthe characters (and that I actually want to be with them)—that I’m seeing the world unfold as they do. I love when my imagination is inspired, invigorated, startled, and surprised. If you’re like me, give the books on my list a go—your imaginations will (hopefully) be captured and swept up, too!
This wonderful (and danger-ridden) adventure starts by establishing a believable and endearing bond between siblings Ottilie and Gully—despite their grim life circumstances. The stakes are shot sky-high when Gully goes missing, and Ottilie risks life and limb to find him and get him back—only to discover a much more incredible (and terrifying) predicament that spans way beyond her small little (family-orientated) world. The mystery and tension driving Ottilie (and the story) are tight and addictive. And the world-building and dangers are delightful in the most imaginative (and scary) way. Secret organizations, dangerous hunts, blight-spreading monsters. And a scared but clever and determined girl who must disguise herself as a boy, to save the one she loves most. A well-worth read!
In the most thrilling fantasy of the year, a young girl must pretend to be a boy to rescue her brother from a secret order of monster hunters.
Ottilie Colter and her brother, Gully, have always fended for themselves. So when Gully goes missing one night, Ottilie sets out to find him - and soon makes a horrible discovery. Gully has been forcibly recruited by the Narroway Hunt, a secretive male-only organisation that hunts savage, blight-spreading monsters called 'dredretches'.
Disguising herself as a boy, Ottilie infiltrates the Hunt - but quickly realises that taking her brother home won't be easy.…
Blood and Steel might be a bit of a bit of a departure from Helen Scheuerer’s previous series’, but that just means we’ve got a whole new world to explore.
I’ve been a fan of hers for years, and love devouring her books, and Blood and Steel was no exception. It’s full of her usual humour, gasp-inducing moments, and heart-pounding action.
There are the usual tropes you’d expect from a fantasy author; found family, magic, forced proximity…. But with some extra spice included. Be warned, this is an adult romantic fantasy, and is full of blood, gore, and sex.
Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom, From Blood and Ash and The Witcher, BLOOD & STEEL is an epic romantic fantasy with enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn spice, found family, and a sprawling world of magic and monsters.
With her death foretold, Althea Zoltaire only has three years to become what she's always dreamed of being: a warrior legend.
Women are forbidden to wield blades, so she has trained in secret her entire life. Now racing against the clock, she fights to secure her place in the elite guild charged with the protection of the five kingdoms.
On my first read of this book, I raced through the matte black pages reading as fast as I could, both to discover the ending and to reassure myself that the characters I adored could survive. (Horror, as a genre, can be cruel to the flawed, nerdy, and eccentric sorts of characters that I tend to sympathize with.) So it was my second, more measured, pass through the fantastically dark graphic novel that allowed me to absorb far more of its world and reflect on my own as well. As much as this story is about demons, human sacrifices, and horrific entities summoned from hellish realms, it’s also very much about how we each navigate our humanity.
When Ipo, the matriarch of her family, broods on how much of her heritage and personal history to pass on to her children, her dilemma truly resonated with me. Her circumstances and identity…
The Night Eaters: She Eats the Nights is the first volume in a graphic novel horror trilogy from author Marjorie Liu and illustrator Sana Takeda—the creative team behind the New York Times bestselling series Monstress.
NAMED A BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST NAMED A BOOK WE LOVED BY NPR
Chinese American twins Milly and Billy are having a tough time. On top of the multiple failures in their personal and professional lives, they’re struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Luckily their parents, Ipo and Keon, are in town for their annual visit. Having immigrated from…
I have always enjoyed reading about strong women though when I was younger these books were harder to find. Far too often the woman needed to be ‘rescued’ by a man. I wanted tough women that could kick ass and were loved by the men in their lives because of it. I found that over and over again in the urban fantasy genre. The series listed here motivated me to write my own and continue to inspire my current work. I hope you enjoy them and maybe find some inspiration of your own.
In the Monster Haven series Zoey is a normal girl whose life changes overnight when she finds her childhood closet monster baking muffins in her kitchen. That should tell you everything you need to know about this series. While it does handle some heavier topics, there is a wonderful sense of humor that runs throughout. Truly enjoyable.
I stopped believing in monsters long ago. But I knew I wasn't imagining things when I found one in my kitchen baking muffins. I'd seen him before: lurking in my closet, scaring the crap out of my five-year-old self. Turns out that was a misunderstanding, and now Maurice needs a place to stay. How could I say no?
After all, I've always been a magnet for the emotionally needy, and not just in my work as a wedding planner. Being able to sense the feelings of others can be a major pain. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people…
