Monster Fiction

Working with kids is totally my jam, and I'm damn good at what I do. Just call me Maxy Frickin' Poppins! When a new job prospect comes my way, I'm intrigued. A chance to move to Mystic Hollow (aka Monsters Hollow) to be a well-paid manny for two adorable orclings? Talk about a dream position. Sold! But when I lock eyes with the seriously sexy orc who's their guardian—and my new de facto boss—for the first time, I'm a goner. Big, muscular, and green all over–he's giving me full-on Hulk meets stern professor vibes—and I like it.

The small town of Beacon Point has always been plagued by eerie local phenomena. It’s a town where disappearances are common, strange creatures have been sighted with unnerving frequency, and a ghastly secret lurks in the woods. The adults in town are oblivious to these strange occurrences. Others prefer not to talk or even think about them. But over the course of several terrifying nights, a group of kids will come face to face with the horrors hiding within their sleepy town.

After escaping a cult, killing a giant sandworm, and nabbing three gorgeous monster girls, you’re probably wondering what could be left for ol’ Jack Vale? Turns out a hell of a lot. There’s a curse to be broken, and this time, I’m bringing some familiar company along. With 18 wheels on the road and an infinite number of realms to explore, I’ll need every upgrade and ally my girls and I can find to fight an ancient evil, woo Amazonian giantesses, and conquer the multiverse. But hey, all in a day’s work for a trucker, right?

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Luca is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta, and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply held secret: They are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

Guilt will always call you back... Rhona is a faithful servant of the country Jémoon and a woman in love. Everything changes when her beloved sets the ravenous Vulture goddess loose upon the land. Forced to execute the woman she loves for committing treason, Rhona discovers a profound correlation between morality and truth. A connection that might save her people or annihilate them all. You are a lie.. Varésh Lúm-talé is many things, most of all a genocidal liar. A falsity searching for the Phoenix goddess whom he believes can help him rectify his atrocities.

I’m a Nightmare, a creature that feeds on fear, and I’m capable of boundless cruelty—which is why my services come at a steep price: the life of the person who hired me. As such, the only people who hire me on are those brought to me by fate, like Mina, a woman so desperate for revenge that she’s willing to spend her own life to get it. I don’t usually care why I’m hired. Human affairs don’t matter to me. Food is food, and a job is a job. Mina’s enemies will get what they deserve—and I’ll get what’s mine. Her beating heart.

I've made some pretty questionable choices in my life—dabbling in necromancy, double-crossing vampires—but summoning the dark goddess to save my sisters? That was just plain stupid. Now I’m in her debt, and goddesses don’t exactly do payment plans. She wants the blood of the dark fae warlord of Midnight, a realm of exiles where the sun never rises and torture is a competitive sport. It’s a death trap only three men have ever escaped—my newly appointed escorts.

After her terrifying experience at the hands of the Watchers, Mina has escaped to a cottage on the west coast of Ireland. She obsessively researches her former captors, desperate to find any way to prolong the safety of humankind. When Mina encounters a stranger near her home, she fears the worst – for she knows the figure is not what it seems. Soon, people she has encountered start to disappear.

"Perfect deadpan marks the opening of Ali Simpson’s The Monster'" writes Susan Merrell of The Southampton Review in her introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading.

Kennedy brings together some of horror’s best names with a brand new werewolf book. The tales are dark, the wolves are vicious. Werewolves are first and foremost, monsters, and in this audiobook, you will fear their fangs and cower from their claws. It’s time to grab your silver bullets, and get ready for some mayhem.

The house breathes. The house contains bodies and secrets. The house is visited by ghosts, by angels that line the roof like insects, and by saints that burn the bedsheets with their haloes. It was built by a smalltime hustler as a means of controlling his wife, and even after so many years, their daughter and her granddaughter can't leave. They may be witches or they may just be angry, but when the mysterious disappearance of a young boy draws unwanted attention, the two isolated women, already subj

At a comic convention, a boy picks up an issue showcasing an oozy villain named the Glob. But then the cover starts to swirl. Slime drips out. The Glob is free from the pages of the comic book, and it’s hungry! This looks like a job for the greatest hero of all . . . the Librarian!

On a field trip, two friends discover a hidden door that leads into an ancient library. Strange snarls echo in the maze of shelves. Just as the pair searches for the exit, they come face-to-face with the collection’s keeper, the Archivist! This rogue librarian gathers tales of the world’s oldest, most terrifying creatures. Now she’s releasing the legendary monsters to take care of the intruders.

Give your kids a fright! Haunted houses, prowling monsters, vengeful ghosts, and more are waiting for you. Inside you’ll find 35 original short scary stories for kids, including a room where everything is wrong and you can never leave, a forest guide who leads people on a walk they won’t forget, a monster dining in a graveyard, a ghost ship that hunts down treasure seekers, and a statue that comes to life—for a price. And many more! Just make sure you listen to these stories with the lights on.

Ever since returning from Vietnam, Darren has been haunted by the ghosts of his past. A chance encounter with a small-town sheriff lands him a handyman job at the local library, as well as hope that his wandering days may be over. Ana is the town librarian. She, too, is running from the past. Content to be left alone, she becomes alarmed when Darren sets off her urge to reproduce, a desire that always comes with fatal consequences.

As a hive mind parasite threatens the entire multiverse, Jack’s going to have to pull out all the stops in order to save the women he loves and the worlds he’s come to know. With old friends, new allies, and more explosive weapons by his side, he’ll figure out the best way to kill a queen.

As Kelvin, the battle junkie Summoner hailing from another world, continues his extraordinary exploits, Goddess Melfina finally returns to his side, finally having completed her artificial body. When she grants him her blessing, he gains the power to summon a Hero of his own . . . who wants to become his stepsister?! As Kelvin and his party grow stronger by the day, he receives a summons for his Rank S promotion exam. The contents of the exam involve saving an elven settlement from the threat of a terrible monster, but just how much is the militaristic nation of Trycen involved?

Ignazio Vitale is not a good man. I suspect it the first time I see him, sense the air of danger that surrounds him. He has a way of commanding attention, of taking control, of knowing what I'm thinking before I even do.

I've been living with the curse of that knowledge for years. Since the first half of that prophecy has already come true, I'm going to spend what's left of my life hunting down the vampire who killed my boyfriend. When she offers me a position at her side, she has no idea that I'm headed for an early grave, and I'm determined to bring her down with me. Just as soon as I can stop thinking about her and how much I'm tempted to actually stay and serve her.

Between the blood of gods and monsters, I am both killer and healer. The Darkhavens were once my obstacle. Now, they may be the only safe haven I have left. The Gods are lying to us all. They are not Gods at all, but creatures that came from another world to rule over ours.