The monstrous, p.1
The Monstrous, page 1
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION | Ellen Datlow
A NATURAL HISTORY OF AUTUMN | Jeffrey Ford
ASHPUTTLE | Peter Straub
GIANTS IN THE EARTH | Dale Bailey
THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER | Caitlín R. Kiernan
A WISH FROM A BONE | Gemma Files
THE LAST, CLEAN, BRIGHT SUMMER | Livia Llewellyn
THE TOTALS | Adam-Troy Castro
THE CHILL CLUTCH OF THE UNSEEN | Kim Newman
DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN | Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois
CATCHING FLIES | Carole Johnstone
OUR TURN TOO WILL ONE DAY COME | Brian Hodge
GRINDSTONE | Stephen Graham Jones
DOLL HANDS | Adam L. G. Nevill
HOW I MET THE GHOUL | Sofia Samatar
JENNY COME TO PLAY | Terry Dowling
MISS ILL-KEPT RUNT | Glen Hirshberg
CHASING SUNSET | A. C. Wise
THE MONSTER MAKERS | Steve Rasnic Tem
PIANO MAN | Christopher Fowler
CORPSEMOUTH | John Langan
CONTRIBUTORS
EXTENDED COPYRIGHTS
— Praise for Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror —
“This diverse 25-story anthology is a superb sampling of some of the most significant short horror works published between 1985 and 2005. Editor extraordinaire Datlow (Poe) includes classic stories from horror icons Clive Barker, Peter Straub, and Stephen King as well as SF and fantasy luminaries Gene Wolfe, Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, and Lucius Shepard. The full diversity of horror is on display: George R. R. Martin’s ‘The Pear-Shaped Man’ about a creepy downstairs neighbor, and Straub’s ‘The Juniper Tree,’ which chronicles a drifter’s sexual molestation of a young boy, exemplify horror’s sublime psychological power, while Barker’s ‘Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament’ and Poppy Z. Brite’s ‘Calcutta, Lord of Nerves’ are audaciously gory masterworks. This is an anthology to be cherished and an invaluable reference for horror aficionados.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Make sure you are in a safe place before you open it up.”—New York Journal of Books
“Darkness promises to please both longtime fans and readers who have no clue what ‘splatterpunk’ was supposed to mean.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Eclectic…a complete overview of some of the best horror stories published in the lasttwenty years.”—SF Site
“I can’t recommend this book highly enough, and no, that’s not just the rabid fanboy inside me talking. This is my serious critic’s voice. I know it doesn’t translate well in the written word, but trust me. I give my highest recommendation for this book.”—Hellnotes
— Praise for Hauntings —
“This anthology of 24 previously published dark fantasy and horror stories, edited by the ever-adept Datlow (Blood and Other Cravings), explores a variety of situations in which people encounter literal or figurative specters from beyond…Solid entries by Neil Gaiman, Caitlín R. Kiernan, and Joyce Carol Oates capture the mood perfectly and will thrill fans of the eerie.”—Publishers Weekly
“Apt to entertain and disquiet the horror fans.”—SF Site, featured review
“Datlow once again proves herself as a master editor. Her mission to broaden readers’ concepts of what a haunting can be is nothing short of a success, and the twenty-four stories on display run the gamut from explicitly terrifying to eerily familiar. Readers who wish to be haunted themselves should not miss this one. Highly recommended.”—Arkham Digest
“Ms. Datlow has assembled a formidable community of eminent genre artists working at the very heights of their literary powers to create this outstanding dark fantasy anthology. This is the best of the best—don’t miss it!”—The Tomb of Dark Delights
“I have a short list of editors that I will buy an anthology of, regardless of whether or not I have even heard of the writers it contains, and Ellen Datlow is at the top of that list. She has this crazy knack of consistently putting together stellar anthologies and Hauntings is no different.”—Horror Talk
— Praise for Lovecraft’s Monsters —
“Ellen Datlow’s second editorial outing into the realm of Lovecraft proves even more fruitful than the first. Focusing on Lovecraftian monsters, Datlow offers readers sixteen stories and two poems of a variety that should please any fans of the genre.”—Arkham Digest
“[An] amazing and diverse treasure trove of stories. As an avid fan of Lovecraft’s monstrous creations, THIS is the anthology I’ve been waiting for.”—Shattered Ravings
“Editor Ellen Datlow has put together an anthology that will rock your liquid fantasies. Tachyon Publications has produced an excellent themed anthology. Lovecraft enthusiasts will plunge into the volume and be happily immersed in the content.”—Diabolique Magazine
“[A]n entirely enjoyable read…For Mythos devotees I would highly recommend picking it up.”— Seattle Geekly
“Lovecraft’s Monsters will appeal to fans of Lovecraft’s work, particularly his Mythos stories, and to readers of dark fiction everywhere.”—Lit Reactor
“Datlow brings together some of the top SF/F and horror writers working today and has them play in Lovecraft’s bizarre world. And that’s a delight.”—January Magazine
— Praise for The Cutting Room —
A Publishers Weekly Book of the Week “Superstar editor Datlow makes no missteps in this reprint collection of dark tales involving movies and moviemaking…[T]he entire volume is outstanding.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
A Kirkus Excellent Horror Read for October “What if, for example, the Wicked Witch of the West didn’t stay in Oz? What if James Dean got a second chance at life? These are just some of the weird-but-cool ideas explored in this tempting volume of stories from renowned editor Ellen Datlow.”—Kirkus
“This collection of 23 stories should appeal to fans of horror and SF primarily, though noir and hard-boiled-mystery readers should feel welcome too…Definitely worth checking out.”—Booklist
“Horror cinephiles and bibliophiles will have extra cause to rejoice this Halloween: The Cutting Room, a literary anthology, is an October treat.”—Diabolique
“When Datlow’s name is on the cover, however, you know the collection will contain the highest-quality writing and arranging…The Cutting Room is a major success.”—Ensuing Chapters
The Monstrous
Copyright © 2015 by Ellen Datlow
This is a collected work of fiction. All events portrayed in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form without the express permission of the publisher.
Introduction copyright © 2015 by Ellen Datlow.
Page 379 constitutes an extension of the copyright page.
Cover and design copyright © 2012 by Reiko Murakami.
Cover design by Elizabeth Story.
Interior art and design copyright © 2015 by John Coulthart.
Vignette illustrations from ‘De Monstris’ (1665) by Fortunio Liceti.
Capitals on contents page by Roman CieŚlewicz.
Tachyon PublicationS
1459 18th Street #139
San Francisco, CA 94107
www.tachyonpublications.com
tachyon@tachyonpublications.com
Series Editor: Jacob Weisman
Project Editor: Jill Roberts
ISBN 13: 978-1-61696-203-7
Digital ISBNS: 978-1-61696-207-4 | 978-1-61696-208-1 | 978-1-61696-209-8
Printed in the United States by Worzalla
First Edition: 2015
—— Also Edited by Ellen Datlow ——
A Whisper of Blood
A Wolf at the Door (with Terri Windling)
After (with Terri Windling)
Alien Sex
Black Heart, Ivory Bones (with Terri Windling)
Black Swan, White Raven (with Terri Windling)
Black Thorn, White Rose (with Terri Windling)
Blood and Other Cravings
Blood Is Not Enough: 17 Stories of Vampirism
Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror
Digital Domains: A Decade of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Fearful Symmetries
Haunted Legends (with Nick Mamatas)
Hauntings
Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural
Lethal Kisses
Little Deaths
Lovecraft Unbound
Lovecraft’s Monsters
Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy
Nightmare Carnival
Off Limits: Tales of Alien Sex
Omni Best Science Fiction: Volumes One through Three
Omni Books of Science Fiction: Volumes One through Seven
OmniVisions One and Two
Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe
Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (with Terri Windling)
Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears (with Terri Windling)
Salon Fantastique: Fifteen Original Tales of Fantasy (with Terri Windling)
Silver Birch, Blood Moon (with Terri Windling)
Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (with Terri Windling)
Snow White, Blood Red (with Terri Windling)
Supernatural Noir
Swan Sister (with Terri Windling)
Tails of Wonder and Imagination: Cat Stories
Teeth: Vampire Tales (with Terri Windling)
Telling Tales: The Clarion W est 30th Anniversary Anthology
The Beastly Bride: And Other Tales of the Animal People (with Terri Windling)
The Beastly Bride: Tales of the Animal People
The Best Horror of the Year: Volume One through Seven
The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales (with Terri Windling)
The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen
The Dark: New Ghost Stories
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction & Fantasy
The Doll Collection
The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm (with Terri Windling)
The Green Man: Tales of the Mythic Forest (with Terri Windling)
The Nebula Awards Showcase 2009
The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror (with Terri Windling, Gavin J. Grant, and Kelly Link)
Troll’s Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales (with Terri Windling)
Twists of the Tale
Vanishing Acts
INTRODUCTION | Ellen Datlow
A NATURAL HISTORY OF AUTUMN | Jeffrey Ford
ASHPUTTLE | Peter Straub
GIANTS IN THE EARTH | Dale Bailey
THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER | Caitlín R. Kiernan
A WISH FROM A BONE | Gemma Files
THE LAST, CLEAN, BRIGHT SUMMER | Livia Llewellyn
THE TOTALS | Adam-Troy Castro
THE CHILL CLUTCH OF THE UNSEEN | Kim Newman
DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN | Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois
CATCHING FLIES | Carole Johnstone
OUR TURN TOO WILL ONE DAY COME | Brian Hodge
GRINDSTONE | Stephen Graham Jones
DOLL HANDS | Adam L. G. Nevill
HOW I MET THE GHOUL | Sofia Samatar
JENNY COME TO PLAY | Terry Dowling
MISS ILL-KEPT RUNT | Glen Hirshberg
CHASING SUNSET | A. C. Wise
THE MONSTER MAKERS | Steve Rasnic Tem
PIANO MAN | Christopher Fowler
CORPSEMOUTH | John Langan
CONTRIBUTORS
EXTENDED COPYRIGHTS
WHAT'S THE FIRST thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “monster”? Giant, repulsive, lumbering nonhuman creatures intent on destruction? That’s what most of us think of first, and yes monsters can be that, but the word monster and its etymology is complicated.
Monēre is the root of monstrum and means to warn and instruct. This benign interpretation was proposed by Saint Augustine, who saw monsters not as inherently evil but as part of the natural design of the world, deliberately created by God for His own reasons: spreading “abroad a multitude of those marvels which are called monsters, portents, prodigies, phenomena.... They say that they are called monsters, because they demonstrate or signify something; portents because they portend something, and so forth…ought to demonstrate, portend, predict that God will bring to pass what He has foretold regarding the bodies of men, no difficulty preventing Him, no law of nature prescribing to Him His limit.”
A few centuries later, the Middle English word monstre, derived from Anglo-French and the Latin monstrum, came into use, referring to an aberrant occurrence, usually biological, that was taken as a sign that something was wrong within the natural order. So abnormal animals or humans were regarded as signs or omens of impending evil. It wasn’t until the 1550s that the definition included “a person of inhuman cruelty or wickedness.”
Over time, the usages of the concept became less subtle and more extreme, so that today most people consider a monster any creature— usually found in legends, horror fiction, or movies—that is often hideous-looking and/or produces fear or physical harm by its appearance and/or its actions. The word also usually connotes something wrong or evil; a monster is generally morally objectionable, in addition to being physically or psychologically hideous and/or a freak of nature. The word is also applied figuratively to a person with an overwhelming appetite (sexual in addition to culinary) or a person who does horrible things.
Since humans began telling stories, monsters have figured in them. There’s a rich tradition of monsters in literature ranging from the Greek snake-haired Medusa and the one-eyed Cyclops to the Arabian fire demons known as Afrits and Ghuls (which became Ghouls, when Westernized). There are also Japanese fox maidens; the Mesopotamian Ekimmu, said to suck life force, energy, or sometimes, misery; the Inkanyamba, a huge carnivorous eel-like animal in the legends of the Zulu and Xhosa people of South Africa; and huge ogres that are a staple in African folktales. Bad fairies, evil witches, crafty wolves, and nasty trolls that terrorize and/or eat humans in fairy and folktales from Europe fit in perfectly with this crowd of international monsters.
What I said when I solicited stories: I am looking for unusual monster stories. Not your usual monster kills/destroys everything. The end. I also said “no human monsters.” This I did because I wasn’t looking for a host of serial killer stories. Yes, there are human monsters represented within, in that many of the characters have done or do monstrous things, but I was looking for something more. Sometimes finding a creature monstrous requires a shift in perspective. Who is the worse monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein? The creature abandoned to his own devices by his creator or the prideful Victor Frankenstein? Who is worse? A creature that destroys without conscious thought or those who exploit it? What are the ethics of being a vampire in a concentration camp? If a child is murderous and isn’t aware of what she is doing, is she monstrous?
In addition to new monsters, you may find yourself encountering a Lovecraftian monster or two, at least one fairy tale villain, and, yes, even a serial killer. But what’s most interesting to me as a reader, and in the stories herein, is how the humans react to the monstrosities they encounter.
So take a peek inside, and after you read the stories, you judge what or who are the monsters.
Never forget that monstrosity is in the eye of the beholder.
ON A BLUE afternoon in autumn, Riku and Michi drove south from Numazu in his silver convertible along the coast of the Izu Peninsula. The temperature was mild for the end of October, and the air was clear, the sun glinting off Suruga Bay. She wore sunglasses and, to protect her hair, a yellow scarf with a design of orange butterflies. He wore driving gloves, a black dress shirt, a loosened white tie. The car, the open road, the rush of the wind made it impossible to converse, and so for miles she watched the bay to their right and he the rising slopes of maple and pine to their left. Just outside the town of Dogashima, a song came on the radio, “Just You, Just Me,” and they turned to look at each other. She waited for him to smile. He did. She smiled back, and then he headed inland to search for the hidden onsen, Inugami.
They’d met the previous night at The Limit, an upscale hostess bar. Riku’s employer had a tab there and he was free to use it when in Numazu. He’d been once before, drunk and spent time with a hostess. Her conversation had sounded rote, like a script; her flattery grotesquely opulent and therefore flat. The instant he saw Michi, though, in her short black dress with a look of uncertainty in her eyes, he knew it would be a different experience. He ordered a bottle of Nikka Yoichi and two glasses. She introduced herself. He stood and bowed. They were in a private room at a polished table of blond wood. The chairs were high-backed and upholstered like thrones. To their right was an open-air view of pines and the coast. She waited for him to smile and eventually he did. She smiled back and told him, “I’m writing a book.”
Riku said, “Aren’t you supposed to tell me how handsome I am?”
“Your hair is perfect,” she said.
He laughed. “I see.”
“I’m writing a book,” she said again. “I decided to make a study of something.”
“You’re a scientist?” he said.
“We’re all scientists,” she said. “We watch and listen, take in information, process it. We spin theories by which we live.”
