Some of the stories that used to really scare me as a kid always had something to do with creepy crawlies or some kind of monster, so the chance to read a new collection of monster stories was an exciting prospect. And I must say that Permuted Press’ new book Monstrous did not disappoint! Featuring 20 original short stories involving giant bugs, sea monsters, and even a 500ft tall man, these tales made me laugh, cringe and have to put the book down to make sure giant spiders weren’t trying to break into my apartment.

The writing style varies with each author and this in turn keeps the book refreshing and making you want to come back for more. The characters in most of the stories are well developed, and it does make you care to a degree about their welfare in the fight against the unknown, or in one case a crazy ex girlfriend. Some of the monsters we have seen before (like the giant bugs or a massive sea serpent) but each of the authors manages to work a new story around them that makes the monsters just as intimidating and scary.

These are graphic stories, and definitely not for the faint of heart. I admittedly had to stop midway through a couple of stories involving giant bugs since I really do not like bugs, and giant ones are even worse. And there was at least one story that had me laughing out loud, even though the implications of what was going on was pretty unsettling. All in all this is a great book for those who love the horror genre and want to take a break from vampires and zombies and sit back to read about some good monsters.

You can find Monstrous on Permuted Press’ bookstore here.