News

Shaun Hamill’s ‘A Cosmology of Monsters’ is a Gripping, Terrifying Tale

Published

5 years ago

October 15, 2019

“I started collecting my older sister Eunice’s suicide notes when I was seven years old,” A Cosmology of Monsters, the debut novel of Shaun Hamill, begins, and believe me when I tell you that this is one of the most challenging, beautiful, and harrowing novels I’ve read in some time.

It’s the kind of narrative that gets under the reader’s skin, shining a spotlight on the dark recesses of our own minds and relationships and forces us to ask difficult questions of ourselves and those around us.

What is a monster, after all? What makes a monster become a monster? Am I a monster? Are there monsters in my family?

The novel tells the story of the Turner family who, for whatever reason, have touched a fantastic and dangerous world beyond on our own in an inscrutable way that they do not understand. It is a land filled with monsters, and this connection slowly tears them apart from the inside out breeding obsession, disease, and strife like weeds in a springtime flowerbed.

For all its dysfunction, you see, the Turner family wants nothing more than to be whole. It simply doesn’t know how, and the unfettered realness of that challenge sparks deep emotion in Hamill’s readers.

We root for this family and at the same time we are repulsed by them. We love them, but never want to see them again.

This works most especially well in Hamill’s narrative by putting us in the capable hands of the youngest member of the family. By the time Noah was born, their troubles had already begun to take root, and much like Noah, the reader doesn’t fully understand why.

A child becomes our guide, taking our hand and leading us through Hamill’s carefully constructed labyrinth. It is effective and terrifying especially as Noah becomes more and more involved in his family’s story.

We watch as Noah grows up making the mistakes of youth and adolescence, and are unable to keep him from taking “the wrong” path. Then we question which path was right or wrong to begin with.

In short, he has created what might be considered a horror Bildungsroman–a term used in literary criticism to describe a novel that focuses on the moral and psychological growth of its protagonist in which ways a character changes is most important.

Hamill took this form literally and figuratively in his novel, earning praise from Stephen King who compared the work to the novels of John Irving who demonstrated a subtle mastery of the form in his novel The Cider House Rules.

What is most impressive, however, is that this author in his first published work knows exactly how to manipulate the reader. He creates a puzzle that demands to be solved even when we are stricken with horror by the emerging image, and he does all of this while ultimately telling a story about the importance of family and identity.

He is undeniably an impressive talent and a new voice to watch within the genre.

And remember those questions I mentioned at the beginning of this review? If you’re lucky, you might be able to answer one or two of those by the end of the book. If not, you may be pondering them for days to come.

Either way, make no mistake, once you pick up A Cosmology of Monsters, you will not put it down until its ghastly, heartbreaking conclusion.

A Cosmology of Monsters is available in hardback and e-book editions. You can pick up a copy at Amazon!

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors.

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie.

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time.

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.