Monster Fiction

Luna Thorn’s past is a mystery...even to herself. She arrived in Detroit amid a swirl of lights and magic. She had no memory of where she came from. No idea why she was there. Years later, she’s established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the Detroit magical scene. She ingratiated herself with the local reapers. She set up a community called the Cathedral to help those who had been displaced from their homes and families, declaring that nobody would fall through the cracks. Still, doubt remains.

An alien invasion comes to one man’s doorstep in the form of a story-creature, followed by death and rebirth in a transformed Earth, in this Tor.com Original science fiction tale from Jeff VanderMeer, the New York Times best-selling author of the Southern Reach trilogy.

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.

Step into a world of dark fantasy, where a dragon lays claim to a naive prince, an evil prince wrestles with his morality with the help of a phoenix, and a demon finds a pretty young thief to draw into his shadows.

Sure, Dracula can live forever, but he really just wants to hit the beach! To catch some waves, the blood-sucking bat will need a little help. That’s why he’s captured the brainy Buzz Beaker. Now, this wacky whiz kid must turn the Lord of the Vampires into the King of the Beach, or he could be the monster’s next meal.

Trevor thought nothing could be worse than spending the entire summer in school. Then his teachers turn into homework-crazed creatures! Now Trevor and his friend Filbert must find a way to stop the zombies. Or they'll be trapped inside the classroom of doom forever!

Henry is a little creeped out by his new apartment. For one thing, the previous tenants died a few weeks before he moved in. For another, there's a gas leak somewhere in the building and the smell is starting to seep into his clothes. Just when Henry thinks things couldn't get much worse, one of the former tenants pays him a midnight visit.

I'm in a predicament of historic proportions. I've learned I can't inherit my grandfather's highly profitable business unless I'm married? Yes, an entirely ridiculous rule. I live with a herd of rescue cats and nary a boyfriend in sight. I'm also considered plain, sharp-tongued and overweight. And I've never, once been interested in marriage. Hence my reason for applying for a mail-order husband. The next morning I scream with fright when I find a huge, satanic-looking alien lurking on my doorstep.

Lenny Primrose is a puppet; a temptress sent to make my life bloody miserable. Adored by the public and used for her father’s benefit. Every man wants her, and every woman wants to be her. She’s good for my reputation. That’s the only reason I agree to the little devil’s proposal. I’m game. Willing to play pretend to get what I want. Until what I want is her. Now, there are no rules. I’ll wage a war against the world just to keep her. Even the deadliest men have their vices, and she happens to be mine.

Here to curdle your blood, chill your bones, and maybe even warm your heart, are eight short, queer stories set in a world you may already have come to know...a world of LESSER KNOWN MONSTERS. The LESSER KNOWN MONSTERS series is a dark queer fantasy featuring diverse characters on a found family adventure. Perfect for fans of horror and paranormal romance who seek LGBTQ+ heroes.

This captivating audiobook will take you on a beautiful journey through the fascinating world of Greek mythology. From the beginning of the cosmos to the Odyssey, be ready to venture into an exciting world of love, loyalty, infidelity, vengeance, deception, and intrigue!

Dr. Warthrop is a scientist who tracks and studies real-life monsters. Assisted by his 12-year-old apprentice, Will Henry, Dr. Warthrop discovers a pod of Anthropophagi and launches a hunt to destroy the foul beasts.

Beauty is sailing the ocean when pirates attack and her dad is thrown overboard. Just as he sinks beneath the waves, something horrible rises - a kraken! Without hesitation, Beauty makes a deal to become the giant squid's prisoner if it rescues her dad. But as Beauty explores the island she's now marooned on, the girl discovers secret treasure that may hold the key to saving herself...and the sea beast.

Gabriel s'est perdu dans une pyramide. Sa cousine Sari, qui était dans la galerie devant lui, a mystérieusement disparu. Mais Gabriel a l'impression de ne pas être seul. Qui était là avec lui dans les ténèbres ? Peut-on troubler le repos millénaire de la prêtresse Khala sans courir de danger ?

Publié en langue française par Bayard Éditions.

Bucky Drake literally just got his managerial position at McDaniel’s, but he’s already been promoted to "Hero" whether or not he's interested in the job. Dragged against his will through a yawning purple vortex by a mouthy catgirl, he finds himself in another world full of vivid colors—and peerless beauties. Cowgirls, lamias, satyresses, unicorns, and even elves of all colors of the rainbow make his acquaintance early and often...and he handles them pretty darn well for a random fast food worker in over his head.

Noah Turner sees monsters. His father saw them - and built a shrine to them with The Wandering Dark, an immersive horror experience that the whole family operates. His practical mother has caught glimpses of terrors but refuses to believe - too focused on keeping the family from falling apart. And his eldest sister, the dramatic and vulnerable Sydney, won't admit to seeing anything but the beckoning glow of the spotlight...until it swallows her up. Noah Turner sees monsters. But, unlike his family, Noah chooses to let them in....

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.

After eight years on the stage with The Company of Fiends, the glow of the spotlight is starting to wear thin for Hazel Nix. The theater is perfect for a girl like her—one with a secret she keeps even from her more monstrous peers—but playing pretend is only exciting for so long. After so many lovers, on stage and otherwise, Hazel has yet to make a lasting connection with anyone and considers taking her last bow at the company.

Celestine is a land of beauty and horror where the heroic souls of men are tempted to fall from heights mere mortals were never meant to attain. Terrence Mack has managed to survive in this brutal world, gathering bonds of great power and ability, passing trials and tribulations that would crush lesser men. Yet his own unwillingness to let others share his burdens may be his undoing, and his greatest challenges are yet to come. To even reach his destiny, Terry must once again cross the Wildervast, a dream world where desires rule fate.

Tony Platz had the respect of his peers, a career on the fast track, and the body of an Olympian. There was only one problem: It was an open secret he carried a torch for his already-married partner. When a raid put her in the hospital and finally exposed her husband's ongoing infidelity, Tony got shipped out to Oolytau. Tayra Manes worked hard, graduated the academy, and became the first of her kind to join the Non-Human Investigative Corps. There was only one problem: She was a griffin, and not everyone approved of her being allowed to serve in the previously all-human NHIC.