Classic Monsters Unleashed

The Unleashed Series, Book 1

By: various, James Aquilone - editor

Narrated by: Joe Hempel, Paul Woodson, Tim Campbell, Emily Lawrence, P. J. Ochlan, Christopher Salazar, Cindy Kay, Cary Hite

2023 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award Winner for Best Classic Horror Fiction

2023 Aurealis Award for Best Horror Short Story for Geneve Flynn’s “They Call Me Mother”

Stories of famous monsters in a new horror anthology featuring Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, and many others.

Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Moreau, the Headless Horseman, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, the Wicked Witch of the West—they’re all here, in this collection of horror short stories that reimagine, subvert, and pay homage to our favorite monsters and creatures.

Written by the biggest names in the genre, including Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Owl Goingback, Richard Christian Matheson, Seanan McGuire, Maurice Broaddus, Dacre Stoker, Linda D. Addison, Alessandro Manzetti, Tim Waggoner, John Palisano, Mercedes M. Yardley, Lucy A. Snyder, Gary A. Braunbeck, Rena Mason, and Monique Snyman.

©2022 by Black Spot Books. All stories copyright © by their respective authors (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing

Something borrowed, something new

Thirty shorts, most clocking in around a half hour, labeled by title and author, but not narrator.
The assignment: deliver a short connected to a famous monster.
Revealing which monsters spoils the surprise in some of these, so I’ll simply say that most of these were excellent twists on old monsters. Half of these involved twists on Dracula or Frankenstein.

Pearl clutcher warnings, for those too frail to handle anything beyond white bread:
There’s an occasional F bomb, nude scene, or vaguely described coupling.
A handful of stories involve an FF romance(2), feminist twist on the monster genre,
or comment on man’s self-destructive nature.

1. Inferno by Alessandro Manzetti - 3 min - the feel of Dracula’s looming bite⭐️
2. Hollenlegion by Jonathan Mayberry - 36 min - Like Hell Boy meets Island of Dr. Moreau ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. They Call Me Mother by Geneve Flynn - 39 min - won’t spoil it; she aced the assignment ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Old Monsters Never Die by Tim Waggoner - 25 min - excellent variation on werewolves ⭐️⭐️⭐️
5. She-Creature from the Golden Cove by John Palisano - 39 min - ⭐️⭐️
6. Dreams by F. Paul Wilson - 29 min - ⭐️⭐️
7. Blood Hunt by Owl Goingback - 36 min - ⭐️⭐️
8. Mummy Calls by Simon Bestwick - 16 min - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
9. The Viscount and the Phantom by Lucy A. Snyder - 37 min - ⭐️⭐️
10. Modern Monsters by Monique Snuyman - 36 min - reality tv episode ⭐️⭐️

11. Beautiful Monster by JG Faherty - 37 min - is this a famous monster or … Twilight Zone twist?⭐️
12. The Nightbird by Michael Knost - 43 min - ⭐️⭐️
13. Give Me Your Hand by David Surface - 18 min - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
14. A Tale of Wickedness by Kelsea Yu - 16 min - ⭐️
15. Something Borrowed by Lindy Ryan - 9 min - ⭐️⭐️
16. Moonlight Serenade by Gaby Triana - 33 min -
17. Dead Lions by Richard Christian Matheson - 12 min -
18. Mai Don Izahn by Gary A. Braunbeck - 35 min - ⭐️
19. Hacking the Horseman’s Code by Lisa Morton - 38 min - ⭐️⭐️
20. The Invisible Man: The Fire this Time by Maurice Broaddus - 22 min - ⭐️⭐️

21. Diminished Seventh by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola - 26 min - ⭐️⭐️
22. You Can Have the Ground, My Love by Carlie St. George - 18 min - ⭐️⭐️
23. The Picture of Dorian’s Gray by Mercedes M. Yardley - 21 min - ⭐️
24. Make the Blood Go Where it Wants by Alessandro Manzetti - 21 min - which monster was this?
25. Da Noise, Da Funk, Da Blob by Linda D. Addison - 13 min - Blob’s a “classic” monster? Why not.⭐️⭐️
26. Rapt by Rena Mason - 37 min - An Asian, alien, mummy? Weird. Dug it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
27. ‘Can’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Should’ by Seanan McGuire - 14 min - huh? Was this … a screen rant about…?
28. Enter, the Dragon by Leverett Butts and Dacre Stoker - 46 min - “shut up, Vlad, I’ll handle this!” Hahahah⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
29. Someone to Blame by Ramsey Campbell - 21 min - ⭐️
30. God of the Razor by Joe R. Lansdale - 23 min - eh, more an ode to classic horror than monster

Great collection of writers and stories!

(4.0 Stars)

I thought this collection of short stories was very good. Most of the stories were entertaining and well written. The collection was mostly of stories inspired by classic movie monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, Wolfman, Creature, and various others). While there were some that really stood out as excellent, the collection as a whole was four stars. There were no "duds" in the bunch.

Most of the authors (and narrators) are familiar names in the literary world, so if you are new to Horror, this is a good jumping off point.

Old Monsters, New Life

Excellent work here. In spite of some ridiculous negative reviews that have somehow slipped past the review guidelines..this is “must listen” Audible content.

Mostly Hits, a Few Misses.

If you like monsters from classic movies and books, including some really, legitimately interesting and fun reimaginings that stay true to the spirit of the originals, you’ll love 87% of this collection. There are a couple of stumbles, but who cares. Well worth a credit!

A cool take on the classics

Definitely worth a listen, especially since it was in the plus catalog. I’ve purchased books that were no where near as good. If your into horror shorts, anthologies and the like this is a can’t miss for free.