3.0

There are hits and misses in this collection of woeful tales of sad and misunderstood monsters. The Joy of Unicorns had me snorting with laughter and I loved the human/zombie role reversal in Night of the Living. Other hits included the diary of a teenage banshee, a guide to looking after your gremlin (impossible) and a living dead will to cover all possibilities.

Some of the humour was a bit obvious and it’s best read in short doses. I do wonder if it is more American humour than British; Frank Lesser writes for The Colbert Report (which I have never seen). Although the crypto-racist Bigfoot could have been a Daily Mail columnist. The prose addresses the reader a lot too, which gets a bit tiresome after a while. Still, it’s a cute little stocking filler for anyone who ever feels a bit sorry for monsters.

Some of the illustrations are rather cute too (Willie Real is a Google Doodler) although I kind of wish they were in colour. I especially like the sad, haunted bath tub and Medusa’s hairdos. Not to forget the heartbreaking monster on the cover (he has a flower behind his back).

Review copy provided by publisher.