Ok, so we know I love horror. I’ve said it a million times. So when I saw Suburban Monsters, a horror short story collection by Christopher Hawkins on NetGalley, I had to give it a try. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as thrilled with the collection as I’d hoped. Read on to see my thoughts on the various stories.

Suburban Monsters – The Stories
Green Eyes
This story isn’t too terribly scary or creepy. It’s more sad than anything, with just a touch of horror at the very end of the story. It only takes a few minutes to read (less than 30) and it’s a nice story to start Suburban Monsters off. I rather liked it.

Moonrise Over Water With Sargassum, 2022. Oil on Canvas
Again, this story in Suburban Monsters isn’t terribly scary or creepy. It’s more sad and perhaps a cautionary tale of what can happen when a husband is so controlling that the quiet wife decides she’s had enough. As with “Green Eyes”, this one doesn’t get to the actual horror until the very end. Up until then, you could honestly believe this was a set-up scene for a mystery/thriller novel. Very good story.

Storms of the Present
This one was more creepy than the other two. It was also more unsettling. It kind of gives a new perspective on being overweight/obese, albeit a supernatural perspective. The story was good though, a bit gross in parts, but good. I enjoyed this one. The true horror part, again, was towards the end, but I think that is just a signature for this author, and not a bad one.

Origin Story
This one was OK. Wondering what someone’s superhero origin story would be and then turning it into horror is kind of a cool concept to be honest. I enjoyed this story a lot. The ending was one of the best things about the story because it was just so unexpected. This one you got the horror aspect a bit sooner than the previous stories, but it was still more towards the end.

Poppy
Ok, this one was weird and creepy. This one was pretty creepy from the start, which isn’t the norm for this author’s stories from what I’ve read. But it was a good story. If you’re weirded out or creeped out by dolls/mannequins, you might not want to read this one, but if those things don’t bother you, I’d definitely recommend giving this story a try.

Interude
This one was a story that if you’re not a fan of clowns, I don’t recommend reading. It’s weird, creepy, and the ending is just… what the hell? You’ll never look at clowns the same again, I guarantee you that. It was an OK story, but seriously… clowns… (shudders). (Side Note: This is where Suburban Monsters started to go downhill for me.)

The Stumblybum Imperative
This one was just plain weird from the start. A story about a kids’ show that turns out to be something horrific. I wasn’t overly impressed with the story as I felt it drug on and on, only to come to a rather boring ending. Definitely my least favorite so far – but wait, there will be ones I like even less in Suburban Monsters.

Shadowman
So this story wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great either. It didn’t have a horror or scary component to it, just a supernatural one. Just a boy getting back at his bullies by less than natural means. Nothing special. I mean, it isn’t the worst story in the book but it isn’t the best either. I liked it well enough.

Carpenter’s Thumb
This one was at least a bit more entertaining. I will say that I’d have liked it to be longer, perhaps given more instances of the thumb giving the guy hell. It seems to me that this is almost a take on idle hands but maybe not. I actually liked this one quite a bit, which is interesting since the second half of Suburban Monsters hasn’t really been to my liking.

Swallow
I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to think of this one. It is at once ridiculous and disgusting. Nothing about it makes much sense, particularly the ending. I just can’t understand what I’m supposed to do with this one or how I’m supposed to process it. Definitely a contender for least favorite.

Ten and Gone
Another story in Suburban Monsters relying on the supernatural to provide horror, yet failing to provide anything that was even mildly creepy or scary. A house that tries to eat intruders might be relatively unique, but it certainly wasn’t creepy or scary. However, the story in and of itself wasn’t terrible, it just needs a little tweaking to make it a bit better.

Notice
This one was one of the better stories. A very long notice of terminating employment, although there is a twist at the end you won’t be expecting. Finally, a story in the second part of the book that wasn’t completely mediocre.

A Candle for the Birthday Boy
The title doesn’t make a lick of sense but that’s OK, because the story isn’t that great. A kid’s birthday party turns dark when the piñata is broken open. The story reads like a bad dream. It just kind of fell flat to me, mostly due to it taking a while to get to the point. It does have an interesting plot twist at the end though. Not the worst story but not the best either.

Conclusion
While there are some good stories in Suburban Monsters, the majority of the book just falls flat for me. I don’t see the horror elements in most of the stories, although that could be due to my pretty much jaded nature when it comes to horror – I don’t scare easily when it comes to horror and I find most horror movies and books to not be nearly as scary as people think.

I had trouble connecting with the writing style, so this may not be an author for me. I would try a full length novel in the future to see if that worked better.

I always go into anthologies with high hopes and end up feeling disappointed. This book helped me to realize why. It's because they're usually collections of stories by different authors, and some of those authors I enjoy, and some I don't really care for. But this collection is written by one author, on one specific theme, and I loved it. The writing was fantastic, easy to read but amazingly creative. And after just a couple stories, I knew I was going to love them all.

Every story in this book was unique. There was a lot of variety to the theme of "Suburban Monsters," but the stories always stayed on-topic. Monsters don't have to be things that go bump in the night; they can be your boss, your coworker, your employee, your parent, your own spouse, or even yourself, as this anthology reveals. I enjoyed how each story was told from a different perspective and in a different voice and tone. You might read a story from a psychopath's point of view in one story, but another from a child's perspective in the next. Some of the stories are supernatural, and some leave you wondering if the narrator is being haunted by a supernatural entity or if they've gone mad or even if they're on drugs. Several of them reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe's works, so I think if you're a Poe fan, you'll enjoy these stories a lot, too!

Unfortunately, this authors writing style is not for me. I didn't enjoy any of the stories in this collection.

Suburban Monsters is a collection of 13 short stories written by Christopher Hawkins. This is my first time reading anything by Hawkins, but it will not be the last. Each story was well crafted and o enjoyed reading each one. Of course when reading short stories, there are always some stories that don’t really feel fleshed out and complete. That is to be expected, so a couple of less thrilling stories are okay. This collection also included some stories that I was left wanting more because they were that good. My favorites from this collection include A Candle for the Birthday Boy, Notice, Ten & Gone, Shadowman, The Stumblybum Imperative, Origin Story, Poppy, and Green Eyes. Yes, I realize this is most of the stories, but they are that good. They are perfect for when you have a few minutes to read or you can read the entire collection in one sitting.

Suburban Monsters
By Christopher Hawkins
5/5
This short story collection focuses on the sad, scary and evil right in your own neighborhood.
Every story in the bunch had a unique voice that grabbed me in a different way. I find that very impressive when each story feels so very different. I digested this in small doses and loved it. My favorite was the very first story: Green Eyes.

Perfect for when you only have 15-30 min to read and every story left my horror loving self satisfied. I can’t wait to read more from Christopher!

Thank you Coronis Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of the book to review!

This is a collection of 13 short stories by Christopher Hawkins. I thought it would be fun to do a series of 13 short summaries (25 words or less) and short reviews for each story! Overall, the this is a fun collection and it 100% worth snagging a copy of!

My top three stories were: The Stumblybum Imperative, Shadow Man, and A Candle for the Birthday Boy. I’ve noted these below in the reviews, but I felt like they were the most well rounded out of the bunch.

My favorite was A Candle for the Birthday Boy.

The one I wish would have been longer (maybe adapted into a novella) was Shadow Man.

And The Stumblybum Imperative was the precise, but also felt the most complete.

So, without further ado, to the reviews:



Green Eyes- A girl whose mother is a dying witch, and the schools’ questioning her ability to take care of her daughter.

Review- A surprisingly dark tale with a very strange twist. It made me uncomfortable and piqued my interest for what was in store for the rest of the book.

Moonrise Over the Water- A rich man and his abused wife on the beach. There’s a freak accident and now she can rid herself of him for good.

Review- I really liked this one! Falls just outside the Top 3. It was odd in that you rooted for the killer. Beautifully written, it’s a tale of triumph in the face of brutal abuse.

Storms of the Present- An overweight person trying to overcome their weight problem in unconventional ways—with a scalpel.

Review- I have always been disturbed by body horror and this was disgusting and vivid. There was also more to the story than what the reader initially thinks.

Origin story- Nerdy comic book coworkers talk about superpowers. One finds out the other has a “gift” and is struggling to figure out why he got it.

Review- This one had lots of promise but kind of fizzled at the end. Still a fun read and some of the best characters in the entire book!

Poppy- A store manager hires goth girl who loves mannequins is a little too much.

Review: A fun story. There’s something strangely horrifying about mannequins and Hawkins does a great job of exposing those terrors.

Interlude- A boy turning inexplicably into a clown, his parents are powerless to do anything for him.

Review- What an odd little tale! It had no real origin or explanation. And the ending was something else entirely! Not sure what to think on this one!

The Stumblyum Imperative- A newly single mom is addicted to pain pills and tries to navigate life while a Teletubby-like show has an odd effect on her daughter.

Review- TOP 3- I liked this one a lot. The parallels between addiction and the effect of TV on kids was good. It’s unique and scary in its realism.

Shadow Man- Yasha is tormented by bullies. He discovers he has a supernatural gift having to do with his shadow. When his grandma dies, he seeks revenge.

Review: TOP 3- story ended rather abruptly. But I really enjoyed this one. It read a little like a Stephen Graham-Jones tale. I would have liked it to be even longer and have the main character explore his power more.

Carpenters Thumb- a roof line worker becomes possessed by his injured thumb.

Review- I liked the story stylistically, but I wanted more explanation. Why was the thumb able to take control? I also would have liked to see a little more in the way of gore out of this one, but I still enjoyed it!

Swallow- a couple of college guys who tell a story to a slow friend which causes him to start doing unimaginable things to himself.

Review- This one is cringeworthy. I was eating when I read this one. I had to stop! Well played Christopher, well played!

Ten and Gone- a serial burglar breaks into houses and is out in 10 minutes tops. Only this most recent house is off and strange things start happening.

Review- it started strong and took too big of a swing, but for me it was a miss. Needed a little more in the way of explanation.

Notice- a typed out quitting letter detailing the strange events connected to and leading up to the person leaving.

Review- This had an intriguing premise, it could be explored even more, but was well rounded as is.

A Candle for the Birthday Boy- a single dad whose party for his son is not going well and ends up taking a definite turn for the worse.

Review- TOP 3- Could have been alternatively called: Piñata and punch. Probably the darkest tale of the bunch. Certainly, it felt the most suburban. I loved it. The twist at the end is TWISTED and sticks with you.

Thank you NetGallay and Coronis Publishing.
I truly enjoyed this collection of short stories. Every time I thought one was sure to be my favorite, I read another one I liked better.

[book:Suburban Monsters|63267244] features a collection of short stories ranging from 2007 to 2023. This is a 5-star collection of stories – each one feels different from the rest (which is how I normally score short story collections). I also would like to put each entry into specific categories on whether or not there is potential for these short stories to bloom into something bigger.

<b><u> Perfectly fine in its current format </u></b>

<b> “Moonrise Over Water With Sargassum, 2022, Oil on Canvas" (3/5) </b> - This one reminded specifically about a story from Creepshow (I think it starred Leslie Nielsen)

<b>“Interlude” (1/5) </b> - Coulrophilia. Boy runs away with the Carnival. I would say it was my least favourite of the collection.

<b> “The Stumblybum Imperative” (5/5) </b> – I can see a subreddit opening on this story alone. Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared meets Babadook.

<b> “Shadowman” (2/5) </b> - Peter Pan and hid shadow’s hijinks in the real world.

<b> “Carpenter’s Thumb” (4/5) </b> - This one really harkened me back to reading Clive Barker’s Body Politic so many years ago.

<b> “Notice” (3/5) </b> - An epistolary, where someone slowly relates why they are resigning.

<b><u>Would love to see developed into a movie</u></b>

<b> “A Candle for the Birthday Boy" (5/5) </b> - This one was quite a ride as well! Expect a gut punch in the final pages of this one.

<b> “Ten and Gone” (5/5) </b> - Cat Burglar finds a pitchet plant of a target. A mimic meeting the end of Poltergeist. WOW what a ride this one was!

<b><u>Would love to see developed visually as a Graphic novel (or an entry in Heavy Metal magazine) </u></b>

<b> “Origin Story” – (4/5) </b> At first, this entry felt very out of place of this collection, but it quickly twists its way back into belonging.

<b> “Swallow” (5/5) </b> - It has long since been proven that a blinking of the eyes suppresses visual cortical activity with each blink. It is because of this that the world does not go noticeably dark 80 tmes a minute. What about gustation? How do we turn off tasting ourselves when we are not eating? Are we blocked from developing a craving for ourselves?

<b><u>Has true novella potential</u></b>

<b> “Poppy” - (3/5) </b> More of a sad story rather than a creepy one. Not the only one in the run that deals with mannequins

<b> “Storms of the Present” – (5/5) </b> OH MAN. This one had me grimacing, clutching my ethereal pearls and holding my face in empathetic pain. But it was a form of dread/disgust/horror that I had to immediately share. (Self-harm and Mental Health warnings in this one). It was very hard for me to get through this one – but for all the good reasons.

<b> <u>Single Season as a Mike Flanagan series</u></b>

<b>"Green Eyes” (5/5) </b> - Latchkey kid spending time at home with convalescing mother. Sweet scenes overlain with gruesome.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of the book.

Very excited for the release of this and already have it on my list for when it comes out. Fun collection of short stories all focused on the horrors of suburbia. Worth picking up.

I really enjoyed this collection of short horror stories!! It was a quick read for a lazy day off. Some of the stories were not as creepy as others but they all had their own little shock factor or plot twist that I really liked. One thing that I also enjoyed a lot was this authors writing styles. Some of these stories are written in third person while others are in first. One that really stuck out to me was “Notice.” It was written as a type of resignation letter to a persons boss but it ended in a way you weren’t expecting. The story that had me the most shocked was definitely “Swallow.” A girl is struggling with her weight and decides to take matters into her own hands but it goes terribly wrong.
I definitely recommend reading this book if you enjoy short horror stories!! Overall, I’m giving this book 4 stars but it was very close to 5! Thank you to Christopher Hawkins and NetGalley for this read!

I've never heard of this author, but wow. These are VERY well written and incredibly frightening. I don't get nauseous from horror very easily, especially horror literature, but wow, does this guy have a knack for descriptions. Despite the nausea, this is a wonderfully terrifying short story collection.

There were some short stories in this collection which I really enjoyed but there were more that left me disappointed. I was hoping that I would enjoy more of the stories.

Suburban Monsters by Christopher Hawkins

I received this anthology as an ARC via NetGalley.

The stories were interesting. Ive never read anything from this author before and these short stories kept me engaged.

WOW. Alright.

I was a bit skeptical, at first. Aiming more towards a solid 3 rating. But each story is so unique, written so well. It's easy to forget that it isn't a collection of different authors. We're talking various themes, different writing approaches, POVs...

Poppy and The Stumblyum Imperative were definitely my two favorite.

I liked how each one sort of touched upon something real and deep, in their own way. Definitely enjoyed this read! It was my first time reading this author's work, but won't be the last.

God, I LOVED this book. Every single story is GREAT.

It’s so disturbing, the way you can sense from the first few lines that something is just /off/ but yet you never know exactly what it is, what is going to happen. The twists on the plots are masterfully carved, and the endings leave you gapping.

The author masterfully intertwines dark horrors in every-day situations in ways that will have you looking over your shoulder and distrusting every person around. Sensations of nausea and dread are assured. Some images will haunt you for days after you read it; tread carefully.

Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book.

Suburban Monsters is raw and original. Christopher Hawkins expertly uses horror to lift the veil of reality to ask, "what if..." Each story has a it's own voice and deserves recognition. If you enjoy short stories in the horror genre, this book perfectly satisfies.

The story I'd like to highlight is Shadowman. Yasha is a young boy who finds a unique way within himself to deal with his bullies. In a short story, the author created a vivid world, and I want more. I wish this story in particular was an entire novel. I want to know more about how did Yashsa's life turns out. And a prequel on how his family handled their talents. Hawkins delivered a short story that plays on your mind.

I didn't realize that this anthology was all written by the same person until about halfway through -- all of the tones and themes were so wildly different while still remaining within that "suburban" sphere of tense, restrained, horror-of-everyday-things. My favorite story was the one about the cursed kids' show, and scenes from that story now haunt my dreams.

Suburban Monsters is a collection of horror stories previously published elsewhere with three new stories. This a great chance to sample the author's work.

The stories are all different from one another except for a couple that felt similar. Many of the stories are short, quick bites of horror but there are some long ones as well. They tend to be more creepy than terrifying. There is a feeling of sadness and loneliness throughout the stories. My favorite was Origin Story. It was short, intriguing, and the most different in theme for me.

I give this short story collection by Hawkins 3.5 stars
I've never read anything by this author before, so this was a great way to get a taste of his writing style. I must admit that I'm not usually a big lover of short stories, but for the most part, I felt that these stuck the landing. Some standouts for me were:

Storms of the Present: A story dealing with weight loss obsession that took quite the bizarre twist. I will never see the term "coin purse" again and not think of this story.

Shadowman: A young boy discovers his shadows have powers, much to his bully's dismay.

Carpenter's Thumb: gave me "idle hands" vibes in the best way.

A Candle for the Birthday boy: A birthday party gone horribly wrong. The pinata scene was everything.