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octavia_cade's review
4.0
I've a story in this, and I've got a couple of mates with stories in here as well so I am Biased with a capital B. That being said, I've just finished reading this and I'm so happy I didn't just leave it looking pretty on my bookshelf, because so many of the stories in here are awesome. Each time I thought I'd found my favourite I kept reading, and found another one that I liked even more. The editor has done a fantastic job with her selections, and while I agree with her introductory regrets about the lack of Pacific Island authors, New Zealand in particular is very well represented here and I'm always up for that.
There are a lot of ocean stories here, as is to be expected. Nature and ecology also has a strong influence, and I particularly enjoy these things in my horror so this anthology is perfect for me. Highlights include the truly repulsive globster from A.C. Buchanan's "Into the Sickly Light" and Rue Karney's creepy, vicious creation "The Hand Monster". I think my favourite of the bunch, however, is Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada's "All My Relations", which has the most gloriously perfect ending I can imagine. Go read it, you won't be sorry.
There are a lot of ocean stories here, as is to be expected. Nature and ecology also has a strong influence, and I particularly enjoy these things in my horror so this anthology is perfect for me. Highlights include the truly repulsive globster from A.C. Buchanan's "Into the Sickly Light" and Rue Karney's creepy, vicious creation "The Hand Monster". I think my favourite of the bunch, however, is Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada's "All My Relations", which has the most gloriously perfect ending I can imagine. Go read it, you won't be sorry.
maree_k's review
5.0
Pacific Monsters is a fantastic collection of short stories from Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and more. It's great to read an anthology with diverse voices and stories from parts of the world that are often overlooked. But I do have a favourite in the collection: All My Relations by Brian Kamaoli Kuwada. It's not just the shape-shifting shark that I love (although that is something that has fascinated me for years) but the core relationship between the young diver and the shape-shifter, and how the writer raised the tension bit by bit until the story's climax.
Other favourites for me included The Weight of Silence by Jeremy Szal, set in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by spiders, and Mudgerwokee by Kirsty Olley where wishes, secrets and sacrifices combine in a subtly crafted tale.
Along with illustrations by various artists there are a couple of graphic stories included in the collection, and the beautiful cover by Daniele Serra makes this an object of beauty as well as an anthology you'll want to dip into again and again.
Other favourites for me included The Weight of Silence by Jeremy Szal, set in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by spiders, and Mudgerwokee by Kirsty Olley where wishes, secrets and sacrifices combine in a subtly crafted tale.
Along with illustrations by various artists there are a couple of graphic stories included in the collection, and the beautiful cover by Daniele Serra makes this an object of beauty as well as an anthology you'll want to dip into again and again.
silelda's review
5.0
This was a solid collection of thrilling stories of monsters that really do need to be more represented. Each story was engaging and very representative of the different ways you can tell a monster story.
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