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rebelqueen's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this collection of horror short stories. They feature multiple generations of a Native American family. And as always, humans, not monsters, are the true horrors of our society.
_janyne's review
5.0
now i’m not really a short stories collection girlie, but somehow i was enjoying and loving this one! so well written, plus all the stories were very intriguing. i wanted full length novels on majority of them.
kristi_starr35's review against another edition
5.0
A collection of stories, Man Made Monsters follows generations of Cherokee families from 1839-2039. There are vampires, werewolves, aliens, ghosts, and zombies. But there's also the Goat Man, the Deer Woman, a ghost cat, and a variety of other strange occurrences. Some stories are strange, some are somewhat comforting, others are terrifying. Throughout these stories comes the thread of horrors visited upon Native Americans; not all terrors are supernatural in nature.
Add the artwork by Cherokee artist Jeff Edwards, and you've got a can't miss volume.
Add the artwork by Cherokee artist Jeff Edwards, and you've got a can't miss volume.
ajeversole's review
5.0
What Native horror does best is amp up the fact that just existing in the U.S. can be a horror in itself. This collection of interconnected short stories does is drive that home. Yes, it uses some fantastical aspects, but at the end of the day it's cathartic to be able to read a story and suspend belief that these things happened in real life, without the fantastical element at all. Perhaps the echo of that thought is the most daunting of all. There is a reason horror comes so naturally to Native writers.
I love that it challenges typical story structure, that it paints a huge narrative, that it stands so sharply on its own legs and demands a certain amount of respect from the reader. It isn't joking.
I'm so proud of my fellow Cherokee citizen for sharing this project with the world. It deserves all the awards and attention it was given.
I love that it challenges typical story structure, that it paints a huge narrative, that it stands so sharply on its own legs and demands a certain amount of respect from the reader. It isn't joking.
I'm so proud of my fellow Cherokee citizen for sharing this project with the world. It deserves all the awards and attention it was given.
nicolep1109's review against another edition
3.0
I have to preface my review with I don’t think I appreciated the format of this book to enjoy it to its full potential.
The book is short stories but the stores travel through a family tree so there is *some* continuity. I found myself obsessively going back to the family tree, trying to find connections, and not letting each story be it’s own story.
However, a lot of the stories were really fantastic and exactly what I was looking for in “horror.” There were even some amazing messages and commentary about society.
So overall, it was a really great book, just maybe not for me?
The book is short stories but the stores travel through a family tree so there is *some* continuity. I found myself obsessively going back to the family tree, trying to find connections, and not letting each story be it’s own story.
However, a lot of the stories were really fantastic and exactly what I was looking for in “horror.” There were even some amazing messages and commentary about society.
So overall, it was a really great book, just maybe not for me?
jackelz's review against another edition
“I can see now how that might have been appealing, to be the prettiest, smartest anything without some kind of ethnic label. Like Jim Thorpe — he was a great athlete, but people always have to stick Indian in front of it, like an asterisk. Don’t even mention that he’s Sad and Fox Nation, just Indian, like we’re all alike.”
Man Made Monsters is a collection of horror short stories. They are organized chronologically from the 1830's to the future as they follow an extended Cherokee family through time. There are beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each story. Some stories include your typical horror tropes but often the true horrors are rooted in human violence, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and systemic oppression.
As it happens with all short story collections, there are some stories that stand out more than others. My favorite story was probably LENS. I loved it so much that I reread it in my physical copy, after finishing the book on audio. The MC is blind in one eye and undergoes an experimental surgery. I would love a full story about this and the evil she sees.
Rep: Indigenous author and characters, queer characters
bippity_bobbity_boo's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5 Stars
Audiobook from the Libary (they never miss lol)
This book tackles loss, of both family and culture, in a way I could not even imagine. The flipping of the ideas of monsters is something I could write a whole essay on. Is the monster the undead and non-human, or is it the people who have lost thier humanity? How do you define a monster? These stories are well crafted and the timeline is immaculate.
Loss of culture is something inherently unique about this book. I love how with each story we get to understand another aspect of loss that people have suffered through generations. It is also amazing that each character gains something within thier loss. It is not just the loss of culture that we experience it is also the loss of language. The way Andrea L. Rogers adds Cherokee words and dialogue in a story about reclaiming what was taken from Indigenous American people is so very intelligent. It adds another layer of teaching and learning that is explored throughout this book.
My Favorite Quotes & My Thoughts:
"Words Build Nations"
and that's when I knew this book was going to serve.
"I try not to think too hard about what I have had to do to survive. When Genocide is what you are up against you regret nothing"
And let's talk about it. This book presents perceived monsters and flips the script. Yes, she was the scariest here but then you recognize the trauma that made her? say it AGAIN, please.
"You don't get to sleepwalk through your life because you are in pain"
You tell your momma off. I was settled and ready for this and I am so proud of her!
"She forgot how to mourn. This isn't the way."
Crying, sobbing, throwing up. The way these stories tackle the loss of culture is amazing. I am gagged every time.
"Home. Home is where they love us, home is where they are always waiting. Home is what I lost when I lost my father. My mother and I have been homesick ever since."
I needed to take multiple breaths because be so for real. I need to digest this line in ways that I don't think are possible. The description of losing a parent sits so deep and it is felt with every word. Just let me take a setback.
"The rest of my life is on me."
We are just going to end the book with one of the best lines/dialogue ever? Okay.... Anyway, I will be thinking about this, about how she is alone but completely surrounded by her culture. Start a book being ripped away from your homeland, family, and culture, and then end it by returning. I love a full circle.
Audiobook from the Libary (they never miss lol)
This book tackles loss, of both family and culture, in a way I could not even imagine. The flipping of the ideas of monsters is something I could write a whole essay on. Is the monster the undead and non-human, or is it the people who have lost thier humanity? How do you define a monster? These stories are well crafted and the timeline is immaculate.
Loss of culture is something inherently unique about this book. I love how with each story we get to understand another aspect of loss that people have suffered through generations. It is also amazing that each character gains something within thier loss. It is not just the loss of culture that we experience it is also the loss of language. The way Andrea L. Rogers adds Cherokee words and dialogue in a story about reclaiming what was taken from Indigenous American people is so very intelligent. It adds another layer of teaching and learning that is explored throughout this book.
My Favorite Quotes & My Thoughts:
"Words Build Nations"
and that's when I knew this book was going to serve.
"I try not to think too hard about what I have had to do to survive. When Genocide is what you are up against you regret nothing"
And let's talk about it. This book presents perceived monsters and flips the script. Yes, she was the scariest here but then you recognize the trauma that made her? say it AGAIN, please.
"You don't get to sleepwalk through your life because you are in pain"
You tell your momma off. I was settled and ready for this and I am so proud of her!
"She forgot how to mourn. This isn't the way."
Crying, sobbing, throwing up. The way these stories tackle the loss of culture is amazing. I am gagged every time.
"Home. Home is where they love us, home is where they are always waiting. Home is what I lost when I lost my father. My mother and I have been homesick ever since."
I needed to take multiple breaths because be so for real. I need to digest this line in ways that I don't think are possible. The description of losing a parent sits so deep and it is felt with every word. Just let me take a setback.
"The rest of my life is on me."
We are just going to end the book with one of the best lines/dialogue ever? Okay.... Anyway, I will be thinking about this, about how she is alone but completely surrounded by her culture. Start a book being ripped away from your homeland, family, and culture, and then end it by returning. I love a full circle.
katrinky's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
3.5
too gruesome for me, and I didn't think the extensive family tree added much. there were several really beautiful (sakonige) and poignant (deer woman, Ama's appearance in the zombie story, the dad of the girl with the abusive ex, the cousin in the carbon monoxide story) moments, and the artwork is gorgeous. the vocabulary on the back was wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child death, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, Animal death, Grief, Violence, and Sexual violence
alexandrakrop's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 — really lovely stories, but the same tropes were reused a little too often