Synopsis
“Kent Priore writes like a natural about the supernatural, and The Monsters Among Us is a marvelously dark and true novel. American fiction has found a terrific new voice.”
—Joseph O’Neill, PEN/Faulkner Award-Winning Author of Netherland
Seth’s life until now has been a product of a diabolical, evil Truman Show, his entire upbringing a façade orchestrated for malevolent purposes. After his beloved dies, he undergoes a demonic metamorphosis, which causes the world’s fictitious walls to crumble.
As he tries to piece a semblance of his life back together and move on, he meets friends who inspire, but even more harsh truths are revealed, perhaps too difficult to cope with.
The very existence of life and reality is exposed as a machination of grotesque gods. And to defeat them, Seth will have to fill his emptiness, for which there’s only two options…
Bring the world to ruin, or learn to transmute his pain into strength.
Fans of “Jerusalem” by Alan Moore, “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, or “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakovor will enjoy “The Monsters Among Us.”
“I was intrigued from the first sentence, determined to spend the night speed-reading so I didn’t have to remain in suspense any longer.”
-Ella Dupuie, author of Fractures of the Fallen
“Supernatural storytelling at its best, this vivid cinematic novel takes the reader on an imaginative journey through what could be considered end of days. The Monster’s Among Us is a masterful creation and a must read—even for those who aren’t fans of fantasy/horror.”
—Joni Marie Iraci MFA author of Vatican Daughter
Review
I had the opportunity to read this for the Indie Ink Awards, and I just so happened to already own it on Kindle. It was on my list for a while, so I’m glad the awards allowed me to bump it up the TBR chain.
Seth has lived a troubled life. His parents–hell, even his entire town–treat him with disdain, like he’s a stain on the community. But what has Seth actually done to deserve this? Then, he finds someone to confide in, someone to love and build a future with. It’s short-lived, as she is kidnapped right before his eyes while he is murdered. What follows is a demonic and twisted tale of deceit, malevolence, struggle, and survival. Demon Seth must overcome his nature, one that was painstakingly crafted for an evil purpose. Luckily, there are those that would stand with him to defeat those that carry the blade of judgment.
This was truly a unique novel. The author takes bits and pieces from our history’s religions and blends them with fantastical fiction to offer readers a wholly new experience. The prose is lofty and lyrical, giving the reader the chance to fall into step with Priore’s sentence work. The action is big (and often) but never falls into feeling like a superhero story, nor is it repetitive.
For me, the flipping back and forth between Seth’s first-person POV and the various other characters spanning through space and millennia was a little eclectic and took some getting used to. I think, at least at first, it felt like two separate kinds of story competing with each other, with Seth falling somewhat to the back burner at the beginning. With that said, I think the main chunk with Seth being first person was the right choice, as you can center yourself on it over time. The side and supporting characters also offer some of the story’s juiciest bits too…including my favorite, which was Virdeus.
To me, Virdeus represents some of the book’s best character work. An ancient man set on a path of magic and longevity. Every time he appears on the page, he could deservedly be angry, could be vengeful, but he’s not. He has mastered his loss and emotions over time, and builds something important to the human race. This group—or task force, or dare I say cult (depending on who’s asking), or secret order—thrives in the background, keeping many of the earth’s evils at bay as they hunt for demons and imps. Personally for me, this is where the novel felt truly alive. I was buzzing with the possibilities of other stories or spinoffs in their world, of limitless enemies felled. And again, this never felt superhero-y or corny. That’s an achievement.
With some overlying threads of Christianity and ancient mythology, this really does read like its own thing. Heaven and Hell exist, but the author has rewritten the code, changed their existence, rearranged even the smallest details you think you know. It could be called urban fantasy, for those needing a label, or it could be labeled a horror if not for its action base; however, dark fantasy doesn’t seem to sit too well with me either. Look, it is certainly fantastical, magical, dark as hell, but to me it still felt like something worldly. No, I can’t make that make more sense, but at the moment fantasy just feels strange to attach to it. For those that like to try new things, that like genre blends that are a tad “out there,” this one could be something special.
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