Book Review: Dark Matter Presents Monstrous Futures: A Sci-Fi Horror Anthology edited by Alex Woodroe

“My tongue is a mess of paper cuts, chiseled into bloodied flesh by beautiful pages and lovelier words.”

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Monstrous Futures presents 29 never-before-published sci-fi horror stories that explore terrifying realities where optimism is extinct, technology lies at the root of societal discord, and the future is no longer underscored by progress and prospect, but hindered by it, rendering those left standing unsure how they’ll survive. And the most frightening aspect? The plausibility of these scenarios based on the world’s current trajectory.

Standouts include:

• “Consider This an Opportunity” by J. A. W. McCarthy: A disturbing tale of abuse and neglect, truth and recollection, and revenge and possibility.
  
  
• “Shiny™️ People” by Rae Knowles: An eerily prescient account of hate, ignorance, insanity, corruption, and the nurturing, restorative power of the written word.
  
  
• “A Smooth Handover” by Ashleigh Shears: A disquieting story of memory, individuality, corporate callousness, and technology’s destructive, soul-sucking reality (and that ending!😫).
  
  
• “All Parts of a Mermaid That I Can Recall” by S. J. Townend: A chilling narrative of technological advancement gone awry where man is (once again) both victim and aggressor.
  
  
• “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” by Andrea Goyan: A heartrending chronicle of misfits and monsters, humanity and hope, angst and longing, freedom and isolation, and love and self-sacrifice.

A huge thank you to Dark Matter INK for sending me a copy of this incredible anthology. Next up: Monster Lairs.

🖤Amanda