Impossible Monsters

Eschewing romantic vampires and shambling zombies, this collection presents monsters that do not merely kill, but suddenly and incomprehensibly consume, destroy, and reduce their victims to mere bones. Lansdale eschews editorial commentary, but it’s clear that she’s worked to fill this anthology with visceral, creative pieces about ordinary people encountering the extraordinary; the book surprises readers with strangeness while tapping deeply into primal fears. Standouts include Neil Gaiman’s creepy turnabout on the bedtime story, “Click-Clack the Rattlebag”; Chet Williamson’s twisted depiction of OCD gone deadly in “Detritus”; and Neil Barrett Jr.’s delightfully disgusting redneck “Bloaters.” “The Case of the Angry Traveler” brings the editor’s father, longtime horror author Joe R. Lansdale, into the mix. Readers who stay up late wondering if there really is something out there will find these stories to be perfect nightmare fodder. (Aug.)