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mimicry's review against another edition
3.0
My top 3 are the stories by Seanan McGuire, Carli St George, and Jonathan Maberry.
gentlemanjeff's review
3.0
This collection features some of the best modern horror authors trying their hands at classic literature and movie monster myths. Often the stories tackle political and social issues, with several authors doing variations on female empowerment. Multiple Dracula and Frankenstein entries are balanced with fun explorations of movie monsters not created by Universal Studios. The editor brings a sense of humor to the introduction and the collection itself that is reflected in some of the content, but there is very little consistency. A strong start gives way to a weak finish as this anthology is front-loaded with pleasant surprises from talented writers but then peters out with unremarkable contributions. Overall, Classic Monsters Unleashed is still a standout for horror anthologies and essential reading for fans of monster movies.
Thank you to Black Spot Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
Thank you to Black Spot Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
pbanditp's review
4.0
I love the classics so it was great getting the feel of the old stories through modern talent
vigneshs's review
4.0
This book is a new area for me. I never read any Horror books before. I rarely watch any Horror movie but still i wanted to read this book mainly because i am a Fantasy reader and i like classic fairytale like stories.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Since the stories inside this book are anthologies, of-course some stories were more enjoyable than others. The main reason could be i am a character based reader and Anthologies can't explore deep characters like a full novel does. I liked many illustrations throughout the book and they gave me an immersive reading feel. Of-course since its a horror book, i have to read it at night with all lights off.
In general, i really enjoyed this book and others can also enjoy this if they are not deeply analysing this book and if they are up for the ride rather than the philosophy and characters.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Since the stories inside this book are anthologies, of-course some stories were more enjoyable than others. The main reason could be i am a character based reader and Anthologies can't explore deep characters like a full novel does. I liked many illustrations throughout the book and they gave me an immersive reading feel. Of-course since its a horror book, i have to read it at night with all lights off.
In general, i really enjoyed this book and others can also enjoy this if they are not deeply analysing this book and if they are up for the ride rather than the philosophy and characters.
n0rmann's review
4.0
When I saw the title and cover I had to read this - I watched all of the black and white classics as a young boy. Although I was expecting more campiness, I still enjoyed this. I loved how the different authors took the classic characters and made them their own.
maddys_needful_reads's review
2.0
Review is for an ARC copy from NetGalley -- 2.5 stars, rounded down for Goodreads.
This is an anthology collection of 30 short stories tied together by classic monsters.
Pros:
•The few stories I liked were real gems. The ones that stuck out are "Mummy Calls," "The Picture of Doriana Gray," "Moonlight Serenade," and "Modern Monsters."
•If you love Dracula or Frankenstein, you're in for a treat (not a pro for me, but potential pros for others).
Cons:
•Thirty stories! That is simply too many. I enjoyed fewer than a third of them.
•I didn't feel like the stories tied together very well. Sure, they all had something to do with classic monsters, but the tone, time period, themes, writing style, vibes were all so incredibly different. This might have worked if they were presented in an order that embraced that diversity, but the order had no introduction and seemed to be without reason.
•By not including introductions to the monsters or dividing the collection into sections with an introduction, the audience has been narrowed down to only those very familiar with the intricacies of classic monster stories rather than horror fans as a whole. There were references I knew I wasn't getting even though I'm generally familiar with most of the classic monsters. This is targeted to that small niche of fans.
Overall, I would not recommend this to anyone that isn't a die hard classic monster fan.
This is an anthology collection of 30 short stories tied together by classic monsters.
Pros:
•The few stories I liked were real gems. The ones that stuck out are "Mummy Calls," "The Picture of Doriana Gray," "Moonlight Serenade," and "Modern Monsters."
•If you love Dracula or Frankenstein, you're in for a treat (not a pro for me, but potential pros for others).
Cons:
•Thirty stories! That is simply too many. I enjoyed fewer than a third of them.
•I didn't feel like the stories tied together very well. Sure, they all had something to do with classic monsters, but the tone, time period, themes, writing style, vibes were all so incredibly different. This might have worked if they were presented in an order that embraced that diversity, but the order had no introduction and seemed to be without reason.
•By not including introductions to the monsters or dividing the collection into sections with an introduction, the audience has been narrowed down to only those very familiar with the intricacies of classic monster stories rather than horror fans as a whole. There were references I knew I wasn't getting even though I'm generally familiar with most of the classic monsters. This is targeted to that small niche of fans.
Overall, I would not recommend this to anyone that isn't a die hard classic monster fan.
jeremyjfloyd's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
dryden's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0