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Man Made Monsters
Book Review
by Carlos R Savournin
The evil things that drink blood and feast on human flesh are not just the product of a dark imagination, they exist. They lurk among us. They prey on us. Monsters are a creation of man. As science tampers with DNA and introduces toxins into the system, the results are decidedly horrific.
That’s the tag to Man Made Monsters, a collection of five short stories written by Mad Marv for Crypto American Press’ first book release. And certainly, in the day and age when scientists are pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible, it’s easy to get sucked into the idea that “Frankensteins” might actually exist. What if someone could reanimate the dead? What if the monsters from campfire tales were real? It’s just not possible, right?
Mad Marv’s stories, ranging from zombie armies to cannibalism, are substandard in plot, but he increases interest by adding a few original key elements that set them apart from others. The first story, “Overtime”, is about John, a man who has been given the power to rise from the dead and solve his own murder. The zombies we are familiar with are not usually able to talk or make rational decisions, but John is different. Another story, “Sins of the Mother” follows a woman who is being stalked by a strange man – a man she knows is evil. But is it even a man to begin with? All of the stories follow a theme the book prides itself on –evil does exist in the world, and that evil isn’t necessarily the monster in our closet.
The best parts of the book aren’t even the stories, rather, the snippets between that Mad Marv cleverly called “Recipe for Disaster”. Four literal recipes walk us through the steps needed in order to make Golem Monsters, on how to become a real life Vampire, even a Lycanthrope (not to be confused with werewolves). Lying in bed reading the delicious recipes, I wondered if they would, in fact, work. I’m still wondering because I’m not trying it.
And therein lies the strength to Man Made Monsters. It’s a work of fiction, of that I’m certain. But every so often, a book or story reaches deeper than I thought it would. It seeps into the back of my brain only to rear its ugly face upon sleep. The stories are bold. The writing is bleak but strict. But in the end, Man Made Monsters sticks with you, and even if it’s just for a little bit, it did its job.
I, for one, look forward to Mad Marv’s next project.
With superior being a bright full moon, this book rates:
To purchase a copy of Man Made Monsters, visit Crypto-American Press at www.cryptoamerican.com.
© Savournin, 2006
