Take a photo of a barcode or cover
monitaroymohan 's review for:
No Gods, No Monsters
by Cadwell Turnbull
I got an ARC copy from Netgalley after reading about how this was one of the most anticipated books of 2021. I love the premise of this book-it essentially examines the age-old question of who is the real monster? And, what makes a monster? And all this is told through a contemporary lens with characters of many ethnicities, and across the gender and sexual spectrum.
The world is built over an anthology of interconnected stories. We find out how these stories interact with each other as more characters are included, and they're either related, work with, or are involved with the others.
I think horror fans will love this modern perspective on these monsters. But I felt that the book was overlong, and hence struggled to connect some of the characters and their backstories. Some stories are in there just because of an incident that is pertinent to the plot. They were thin on plot, character development, and even world-building. I wished those stories had been eschewed for the more compelling ones-characters like Laina and Rebecca had great voices and fleshed out characterizations. I wanted more of them and how they navigated this world, instead of Melku and Dragon.
I hate gore, so there were chunks of some stories that I skimmed. I don't think we needed those.
Honestly, given the climax of this story, we deserved a build-up that was more relevant, topical, and allegorical. The fanciful stuff just didn't interest me, because those stories felt like they were painting over a much more interesting facade.
For a new age and diverse look into a favorite genre, this book is a recommended read. But, keep in mind that not all the horror is to many readers' liking.
The world is built over an anthology of interconnected stories. We find out how these stories interact with each other as more characters are included, and they're either related, work with, or are involved with the others.
I think horror fans will love this modern perspective on these monsters. But I felt that the book was overlong, and hence struggled to connect some of the characters and their backstories. Some stories are in there just because of an incident that is pertinent to the plot. They were thin on plot, character development, and even world-building. I wished those stories had been eschewed for the more compelling ones-characters like Laina and Rebecca had great voices and fleshed out characterizations. I wanted more of them and how they navigated this world, instead of Melku and Dragon.
I hate gore, so there were chunks of some stories that I skimmed. I don't think we needed those.
Honestly, given the climax of this story, we deserved a build-up that was more relevant, topical, and allegorical. The fanciful stuff just didn't interest me, because those stories felt like they were painting over a much more interesting facade.
For a new age and diverse look into a favorite genre, this book is a recommended read. But, keep in mind that not all the horror is to many readers' liking.