If you thought you had it bad… Here is the chupacabra writing to the newspapers for better press – notices that don't universally mention his goat-sucking habits before his chess-playing, dancing or debating record. Here is a banshee struggling with high school life, knowing the end of everyone that comes across her path. Here is King Kong, being defended in court by a lawyer with a revelation to the jury about his bipolarity and how wrong it was to get his hopes up with a Broadway show in a strange city. Did you honestly think Godzilla enjoyed the way his life ended up?
| Sad Monsters by Frank Lesser | |
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| Category: Humour | |
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Reviewer: John Lloyd
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| Summary: This is where to come for quirky little snapshots of life as lived with us humans by the likes of all the horror and genre film monsters you can think of. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 192 | Date: October 2013 |
| Publisher: Souvenir Press | |
| ISBN: 9780285642324 | |
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These short fictional essays – generally three or four pages – are great fun. They run the whole gamut of monsters and supernatural creations, but never outstay their welcome. Lesser is greater than expected at producing a brand new format for every one – transcripts, series of adverts, email communications, and always the problems of monsters trying to live life among the regular humans they would wish to emulate (or perhaps mate with) conveys something humorous.
There are flat-out great jokes (I certainly liked the one about the deaf-seeming genie) but even when there isn't rampant punchline abuse the book is amusing. The general feel of it all, with the vivacity in telling and the strong work that must have gone into defining every monster's problem, is very enjoyable. Only a couple of times does the concept fail the author – or at least fail to translate across the pond to English English. On the whole, however, it's a winner – the real meaning behind Hall and Oates songs, and a vampire running for the presidency with the promise to the electorate that he didn't impale are well worth your time.
I must thank the publisher for my review copy.
For a similarly jovial look at life where genre creations are rampant in everyday life, I recommend the very funny All my Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Sad Monsters by Frank Lesser at Amazon.com.
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