Authors: Bridget D. Brave, P.L. McMillan, Ryan Maries Ketterer
Publisher: Salt Heart Press
When I found out there was an anthology about cryptids written by three incredible horror authors, I knew I had to read it. On top of that, I discovered the stunning full-page illustrations inside (one for each story) and you all know by now how much I love that. The novellas were great reads: these authors have such distinct voices and styles that as you go from one story to another, it feels like jumping between different worlds. Being Brazilian, I’m only familiar with the more ‘mainstream’ cryptids, and so, this anthology also introduced me to a few creatures which made the reading experience that much more fun.
A Piasa for Christmas by Bridget D. Brave - I thought it was a little ironic that my favorite story featured a cryptid that I’d never even heard of. I adore stories that are written in different formats and the second I saw this was structured as blog posts, it grabbed my heart. The beginning was laugh-out-loud funny, it had me giggling almost every paragraph and it lured me into a false sense of security. Now, I won’t tell you how or why to avoid spoilers, but this story takes a turn and it will take you for a ride. I was blown away by how subtle Brave was with the progression of this tale and it will certainly stay with me for a long time.
EYEOFMOTH.EXE by P.L. McMillan - No one can write engaging science-fiction quite like P. L. does, it was hands down an incredible story (and this is coming from someone who’s not a huge scy-fy fan). I LOVE Mothman with all my heart and was so excited to read a novella about them, what I was not expecting was for the said novella to take place in the future (and in space!!!). McMillan did a phenomenal job, she gave an unexpected spin to the Mothman lore we’re familiar with and her original characters have complex personalities and backstories. I held my breath almost the whole time I was reading this (OK, I might be exaggerating a bit here), the tension was high and I couldn’t put it down until I was finished.
Once Upon a Time in Turu by Ryan Marie Ketterer - I’m sorry, but if you think that a murder mystery set in a city full of cryptids is not one of the coolest plots ever, then we cannot be friends. Ketterer blesses us with two compelling protagonists: Orli the Bigfoot and Malse the Jersey Devil. Together they’ll investigate a notorious Turu killer and as we join them for the ride, we’ll be introduced to the politics and social hierarchy of this cryptid city (I’ll not apologize for rhyming). It was incredible how many creatures were featured in this novella and I loved how the author explored the lores behind them while also making sure that those creatures are not just cardboard cutouts and have distinct personalities. This was highly entertaining and, as a bonus, I got to learn more about US cryptids that I didn’t even know existed.
Originally written in July/2023
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