Monster Fiction

Norton Juster - the acclaimed author of such children’s classics as The Phantom Toll Booth and The Hello, Goodbye Window - tells the story of a really rotten ogre. Huge and ugly, the angry ogre is always hungry - and utterly merciless. As he greedily gobbles up the people in his path, he seems unstoppable. And then one day, the ogre takes a wrong turn and encounters a kind and friendly young lady who does her best to help him.

Julien Doran arrived in sleepy Maudit Falls, North Carolina, with a heart full of hurt and a head full of questions. The key to his brother's mysterious last days might be found in this tiny town, and now Julien's amateur investigation is starting to unearth things the locals would rather keep buried. Perhaps most especially the strange, magnetic manager of a deserted retreat that's nearly as odd as its staff.

As a forensic psychiatrist at New York's leading institution of its kind, Dr. Lily Dominick has evaluated the mental states of some of the country's most dangerous psychotics. But the strangely compelling client she interviewed today - a man with no name, accused of the most twisted crime - struck her as somehow different from the others, despite the two impossible claims he made.

Do you know that the ancient Egyptians believed that people were made out of clay by their river god? For eons, the wisdom cultivated by the Egyptian people has been extolled time and time again. These timeless myths are fountains of insight and, many would argue, beacons of light that can shatter the darkness of ignorance. For those of you that are ready and willing to receive these ancient messages, your time has come. All you need to do is start listening. Then the wisdom of Thoth will begin to stir inside you.

Hannah never wanted to be a werewolf. After over thirty years as a human, she finds her new life on the other side of the species line too full of sudden changes. Especially when those changes risk her band's chance at a world tour. Desperate for a way to slake the cravings and soothe the restless anger that arrives every month like clockwork, Hannah takes the advice of a friend and books a night with the Monster Smash Agency.

When a strange woman shows up outside our camp in the Wastes with monsters chained up to her RV, it feels like I’m the only one who actually wants to help them. That big, grey-skinned monster with the cage on his head and the chain hanging from his back—something is telling me I need to help him. I need to free him. But I have absolutely no idea how I’m supposed to do that, especially when he can’t even talk to me to tell me how. Collector Mary is finally leaving our camp to head back to her monster menagerie, so I do the only thing I can think of to help him: I go with her.

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.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the book that changed the world. Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and a movie starring Elle Fanning as Mary Shelley, Monster is a brilliant fictionalized biography akin to The Other Boleyn Girl. Two centuries ago this year, the young woman who invented science fiction was only 20 when she wrote the book that became Frankenstein. Mary Shelley said, “People ask how I, then a young girl, could think of, and dilate upon, so hideous subject?”

Norse Mythology contains stories passed down from the ancient Norse religion, practiced by the Vikings and other northern people who live in modern-day Scandinavia, Iceland, and throughout the British Isles. In this book, you will also find many stories about the gods Thor and Loki and their exploits in the land of the giants. You will hear the story of the dwarf Andvari and his golden ring - the myth that is the basis for Robert Wagner’s famous opera The Ring of Nibelung as well as J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

“Our secrets are out, so why remain enemies? You always knew I was a pretty little monster. Why are you so shocked that I’m a villain?” Oh, how the tables have turned. With painful truths revealed, I, Alpha Malifer Nightshade, must now face the consequences of my deceit. I played a dangerous game, hoping no one would put the pieces together, but I failed to account for one strong opponent: my fated mate.

Welcome to the Isle of Mulch! This little island is home to a large number of horrible grown-ups. The school, the local park, the toy shop and even the island's ice-cream van, are all run by awful adults who like nothing more than making children miserable. And the island is owned by the most awful one of all: Aunt Greta Greed! Something needs to be done about them. But who could be brave enough? Meet Ned: an extraordinary boy with a special power. SLIMEPOWER!

There is something weird happening in Fever Swamp. Something really horrible. It started with the strange howling at night. Then there was the rabbit torn to shreds. Everyone thinks Grady's new dog is responsible. After all, he looks just like a wolf. And he seems a little on the wild side. But Grady knows his dog is just a regular old dog. And most dogs don't howl at the moon. Or disappear at midnight. Or change into terrifying creatures when the moon is full. Or do they?

I woke to the soothing sound of a peaceful serenade...except there’s nothing peaceful about being kidnapped after being sold to the Devils of Sin. This never should have happened, because I did everything right. I accepted the invitation, attended the masquerade in the depth of the forsaken forest, and danced with whomever requested. The longer one remains, the more debt is cleared from the family name, so I danced through the night. I survived to the final note—and let me emphasize the survive part—but I’m starting to realize where the real problem lies.

The Labyrinth behind him, Terry and company arrive on the Eastern Steppes in the midst of a carnival, and a fateful decision puts him under a dire curse. Stripped of his bond powers and exiled to the dreamlike Wildervast, he must find and free the ultimate witch, then kill an invincible man. Meanwhile, those left behind must face the machinations of the tauren herd leaders, whose law allows them to take a template for common use, and the remnants of Theseus' bonds in search of revenge.

Daniel is done dating bad boys—at least in real life. His only crush these days? The Shadow King: a devastatingly dangerous half-fae villain safely trapped in the pages of his favorite web novel. Until he isn't. The barrier between their world shatters, and when Caelen steps through, he tries to claim Daniel as his mate. His touch makes Daniel shiver, his kisses make him burn, and there's nothing safe about him anymore.

When Jerry follows the trail of his missing uncle, he discovers a mysterious monster-girl and an equally mysterious region called Delom where everything works like a video game. But there isn't time to gawk, because Jerry's inherited his uncle's farm, once the most famous animal breeder in Delom, and everything is falling apart. The animals are low level, there's not enough food to keep their health up, and a greedy developer wants to put Jerry and the farm out of business.

When Mike Radley's magical home grew another floor, he thought he knew what to expect. He didn't expect a kingdom of portal-chewing rats to be living between his walls. He really didn't expect to discover that the wardrobe down the hall was a prison world for a murderous kitsune. And he definitely didn't expect all of his enemies to converge on his house all at once, intent on his destruction. Welcome to Radley's Wardrobe. Expect the Unexpected.

If there's something wrong with your tentacle monster, who are you going to call? Dale Clearwater: Monster Whisperer. With her own ship and a menagerie of tentacle monsters, she travels from world to world, rehabilitating monsters and training the people who love them. From the amorphous, fluid Kritzoan to the stonelike Nalcheka, Dale embraces the monsters and records her encounters for a reality show that broadcasts to countless worlds.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city - a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent - but he's one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music.

When I—along with my best friend and his big purple monster boyfriend—come across a fortress-like raider camp while journeying across the monster-infested Wastes, we stop to deliver a message. Somehow, that simple pit stop turns into a seemingly impossible quest to get this camp's missing leader out of the prison where he's being held and forced to fight monsters and other humans. I know exactly where it is because I've been there. Problem is, I'm making this journey with the prickliest and most arrogant guy I've ever met, who seems to hate me on sight. Oh, and he's also half-monster.