An introduction in more senses than one, as I'm not only introducing this blog today, but also sharing my own introduction to NO MONSTERS ALLOWED.
But let's start at the beginning - NO MONSTERS ALLOWED is an anthology from Dog Horn Publishing, and one that I had the pleasure of editing. As the title suggests, you won't see a single vampire, werewolf, zombie, goblin or ghoul in here. Each story is about some distinctly human element of horror, from war to work, and family to friends. And I must say I'm really pleased with the end result, which takes the theme in directions that I would never have guessed at.
So, in this first post, I thought I'd share my editors introduction to the collection with you. And as the days and weeks wear on, you can expect exclusive extracts, interview, giveaways and much more from NO MONSTERS ALLOWED.
So, without any further ado...
INTRODUCTION
from Alex Davis
I have to start by saying that this is an anthology I have wanted to do for a long time. The title No Monsters Allowed has been rattling around in my head for many years, and the concept came around for a very simple reason – I can’t remember the last time a monster really scared me in any form of fiction.
As a young horror reader I worked my way through many of the books that deliver classic monsters – James Herbert’s The Rats, Stephen King’s IT and of course the many Cthulhu tales of HP Lovecraft. I also saw more than my share of horror B-movies presenting all manner of weird and wonderful monsters.
However, over the course of time, I’ve very much found my taste changing towards what I’ve grown to dub ‘human horror’. What another person can do to you can be just as terrifying – if not more so – than what any werewolf, vampire or zombie can inflict. For me, that comes from the feeling that you don’t necessarily expect such a thing from your fellow human. The classic monsters, by their very definition, are evil. There’s no shock when a zombie tries to eat your brains, a vampire tries to drink your blood, or a werewolf goes to bite and transform you. That’s expected. A human being – well, human beings are surely good, on the whole? Aren’t they?
Perhaps so. But you can’t apply such a sweeping statement to all of humanity, and even less so when humanity finds itself placed in extreme situations. It’s a common thread in what disparagingly gets called ‘torture porn’, a genre that for me has ironically brought some of the most affecting films of the last ten years. Movies like the Saw series, Vile and The Tortured have played with this concept in a manner that is both intelligent and harrowing. The fear doesn’t come from the extreme nature of the violence itself, but the thought that it has been willingly inflicted by another person somewhere. There is also a lot to be said for the psychological aspect of horror – something foreign horror cinema does very ably, as evidenced by pieces such as The Squad, Ringu and Hierro.
What delighted me in particular with No Monsters Allowed is the range of submissions that I received. The term ‘human horror’ would of course seem to lend itself naturally to serial killers or revenge stories, but for me there is much more to it than that, something this anthology ably demonstrates. ‘Bred in the Bone’ and ‘An Honest Woman’s Child’ tell of the horror of family relations that are broken beyond recognition. ‘Puppyberries’ and ‘Special Girl’ tell of the horrors that may lurk within childhood. ‘Five an Hour’ and ‘The Algorithm’ explore the horrors that lie within the human brain itself, under the right – or the wrong – circumstances. There are stories here that explore the horrors that can exist within the workplace, within politics, within friendships. Each of these stories takes a very different approach to its horror, but keeps the human element at the very heart.
So if the invasion of monsters has left you weary and jaded, there might just be something here to perk you up a bit.
And remember to just be that bit careful of the people around you...
Alex Davis
Wolverhampton, October 2013
If you'd like to find out more about No Monsters Allowed, or pick up your copy, just drop by http://www.lulu.com/shop/alex-davis/no-monsters-allowed/paperback/product-21240457.html
Cheers!
Alex
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