Man Made Monsters

Walter Dean Myers Award Winner International Literacy Association Book Award Winner Whippoorwhill Award Winner Reading the West Book Awards Shortlist BEST OF THE YEAR Washington Post · Booklist Editors’ Choice · Publishers Weekly · Horn Book · New York Public Library Tsalagi should never have to live on human blood, but sometimes things just happen to sixteen-year-old girls. Making her YA debut, Cherokee writer Andrea L. Rogers takes her place as one of the most striking voices of the horror renaissance that has swept the last decade. Horror fans will get their thrills in this collection – from werewolves to vampires to zombies – all the time-worn horror baddies are there. But so are predators of a distinctly American variety – the horrors of empire, of intimate partner violence, of dispossession. And so too the monsters of Rogers’ imagination, that draw upon long-told Cherokee stories – of Deer Woman, fantastical sea creatures, and more. Following one extended Cherokee family across the centuries, from the tribe’s homelands in Georgia in the 1830s to World War I, the Vietnam War, our own present, and well into the future, each story delivers a slice of a particular time period that will leave readers longing for more. Alongside each story, Cherokee artist and language technologist Jeff Edwards delivers haunting illustrations that incorporate Cherokee syllabary. But don’t just take it from us – award-winning writer of The Only Good Indians and Mongrels Stephen Graham Jones says that "Andrea Rogers writes like the house is on fire and her words are the only thing that can put it out." Man-Made Monsters is a masterful, heartfelt, haunting collection ripe for crossover appeal – just don’t blame us if you start hearing things that go bump in the night. P R A I S E ★ “Many of these stories sound as if they were passed down as family histories. It may read like speculative fiction, but it feels like truth.” —Horn Book (starred) ★ “Stunning collection of short stories follows a Cherokee family through two centuries, beginning with something akin to a vampire attack and ending with zombies.” —BCCB (starred) ★ “Spine-tingling...A simultaneously frightening and enthralling read.” —Publishers Weekly (starred) ★ “Chilling… Exquisite… A creepy and artful exploration of a haunting heritage.” —Kirkus (starred) ★ “Startling…Will leave readers—adults as well as teens—unsettled, feeling like they have caught a glimpse into a larger world.” —Booklist (starred)

Life exists all around us, in forms that we can readily and easily identify. But what if there were, lurking in the shadows, other forms of life that are not so familiar, creatures created not by Nature, but by Man? We know their names—Frankenstein, the Golem, the homunculi of the ancient alchemists; they exist in our stories and myths. But just what are these mysterious creatures, and do they actually have some basis in reality? In his fascinating and wide-ranging new book, Dr. Bob Curran explores man-made monsters and the truth behind the myths. You’ll learn fascinating details about: The 19th century scientist who tried to bring the dead back to life—the model for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein The Man of Clay who lumbered through the streets of medieval Prague at the command of early rabbis Tales of robots that may have existed in the ancient world and threatened Greek and Roman warriors. Cloning and the artificial creation of life, and what strange and mysterious areas they may be heading into. Man-Made Monsters is essential reading for anyone who wants to explore artificial beings and peer into the dark recesses of the human mind...where they may indeed be hiding.

On the surface Man-Made Monsters by Mad Marv is a terrifying collection of short stories with a horror/conspiracy theme. It has all of the elements fans of the genre would expect: blood, guts, and utter mayhem. It?s funny at times and positively frightening at others. One thing that separates this book from the herd is the sense that the words on the page are real. The reader is given an exclusive view of sickening events that seem like they?ve really happened. As the stories unfold, the eerie feeling builds into full-blown fear.The title says it all. The five main stories have a common thread: Monsters are real and they are created by man?s hand. Science and technology running amok have negative consequences. In Mad Marv?s world, genetically engineered beasts stalk the city streets, remote-controlled zombie armies threaten to devour, and super-viral strains turn people into disfigured bloodsuckers. Men can be brought back from the grave and women can be programmed to kill. The unsettling part of all this is that Mad Marv?s world is ours, too.Contributing to what makes this book so devilishly fun are the chapters called Recipe for Disaster. These vignettes, sprinkled throughout the book, give recipes for monster making at home. For anyone who has ever wanted to create a golem or incubate a homunculus, the instructions are here. These recipes are detailed and backed by historic precedence, while offering contemporary cautionary tales. Alchemy gave birth to science. The magicians of the Renaissance are no different from the pharmaceutical companies of today.Mad Marv?s writing style is punchy and to the point. Like a knife in the back, he assaults the reader. He doesn?t bore you with lengthy descriptions of weather or setting, but he might make you puke with the details of brains splattering on a wall. While he?s not verbose, he does manage to weave intricate tales. His stories are full of plot twists and bone-jarring revelations. There is a decided anti-establishment tone to his writing. Throughout this book he challenges the scientific community and the military/industrial complex.Man-Made Monsters is everything horror fans could want. The stories are violently disturbing yet have a sarcastically amusing undertone?somewhat like watching clowns being decapitated. Most of all it?s a compelling series of stories that entertains throughout and gives the reader something to think about.

Mysterious creatures and man-made monsters are considered in this riveting and comprehensive narrative. The authoritative text begins with Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s man-made monster, who was actually nameless but became known as the figure of Frankenstein. Then, the Golem legend, the large clumsy figure formed of clay that moved through Jewish mythology at the bidding of the holy men who created it––a mindless, speechless figure that is under external control, is also investigated. The volume includes stories of the homunculus, the little human of alchemic tales, fables of robots that existed in ancient Greece and Rome, and strange tales of cloning and the artificial creation of life, among other man-made forms that lurk in the shadows. Black-and-white illustrations by Ian Daniels add to the sinister aura of the volume. The text is essential reading for fans of the paranormal and science fiction, or for those who are fascinated with peering into the dark recesses of the human psyche.

Sixteen-year-old Boy's never left home. When you're the son of Frankenstein's monster and the Bride, it's tough to go out in public, unless you want to draw the attention of a torch-wielding mob. And since Boy and his family live in a secret enclave of monsters hidden under Times Square, it's important they maintain a low profile. Boy's only interactions with the world are through the internet, where he's a hacker extraordinaire who can hide his hulking body and stitched-together face behind a layer of code. When conflict erupts at home, Boy runs away and embarks on a cross-country road trip with the granddaughters of Jekyll and Hyde, who introduce him to malls and diners, love and heartbreak. But no matter how far Boy runs, he can't escape his demons - both literal and figurative - until he faces his family once more. This hilarious, romantic, and wildly imaginative tale redefines what it means to be a monster - and a man.

In the Men Who Made the Monsters, Paul Jensen chronicles the careers of five men who made shamelessly scary, enjoyable, and sometimes classic films: James Whale (whose films include Frankenstein, 1931, and The Invisible Man, 1933), Willis O'Brien (King Kong, 1933; Mighty Joe Young, 1949), Ray Harryhausen (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 1958; Jason and the Argonauts, 1963), Terence Fisher (Dracula, 1958; Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, 1969), and Freddie Francis (The Skull, 1965; Tales That Witness Madness, 1973). Usually working within tight budgets and short production schedules, these three directors (Whale, Fisher, Francis) and two masters of special effects (O'Brien, Harryhausen) turned out films that proved them to be not only skillful craftsmen but artists. In the inhuman, the unearthly, the monstrous, they found and explored the depths of our most human fears and fascinations.

Set in Milwaukee during the “Dahmer summer” of 1991, A remarkable debut novel for fans of Mary Gaitskill and Gillian Flynn about two sisters—one who disappears, and one who is left to pick up the pieces in the aftermath. In the summer of 1991, a teenage girl named Dee McBride vanished in the city of Milwaukee. Nearly thirty years later, her sister, Peg, is still haunted by her sister's disappearance. Their mother, on her deathbed, is desperate to find out what happened to Dee so the family hires a psychic to help find Dee’s body and bring them some semblance of peace. The appearance of the psychic plunges Peg back to the past, to those final carefree months when she last saw Dee—the summer the Journal Sentinel called “the deadliest . . . in the history of Milwaukee.” Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s heinous crimes dominated the headlines and overwhelmed local law enforcement. The disappearance of one girl was easily overlooked. Peg’s hazy recollections are far from easy for her to interpret, assess, or even keep clear in her mind. And now digging deep into her memory raises doubts and difficult—even terrifying—questions. Was there anything Peg could have done to prevent Dee’s disappearance? Who was really to blame for the family's loss? How often are our memories altered by the very act of voicing them? And what does it mean to bear witness in a world where even our own stories are inherently suspect? A heartbreaking page-turner, Willa C. Richards’ debut novel is the story of a broken family looking for answers in the face of the unknown, and asks us to reconsider the power and truth of memory.

"Scapellato's blend of existential noir, absurdist humor, literary fiction, and surreal exploration of performance art merges into something special. . . . The Made-Up Man is a rare novel that is simultaneously smart and entertaining." —Gabino Iglesias, NPR Stanley had known it was a mistake to accept his uncle Lech’s offer to apartment-sit in Prague—he’d known it was one of Lech’s proposals, a thinly veiled setup for some invasive, potentially dangerous performance art project. But whatever Lech had planned for Stanley, it would get him to Prague and maybe offer a chance to make things right with T after his failed attempt to propose. Stanley can take it. He can ignore their hijinks, resist being drafted into their evolving, darkening script. As the operation unfolds it becomes clear there’s more to this performance than he expected; they know more about Stanley’s state of mind than he knows himself. He may be able to step over chalk outlines in the hallway, may be able to turn away from the women acting as his mother or the men performing as his father, but when a man made up to look like Stanley begins to play out his most devastating memory, he won’t be able to stand outside this imitation of his life any longer. Immediately and wholly immersive, Joseph Scapellato’s debut novel, The Made-Up Man, is a hilarious examination of art’s role in self-knowledge, a sinister send-up of self-deception, and a big-hearted investigation into the cast of characters necessary to help us finally meet ourselves.