Sad Monsters: Growling on the Outside, Crying on the Inside

Continuing in the recent trend of cryptozooliterature (%C3%A0 la Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), comes a collection of witty vignettes from Emmy-award winning writer Lesser (The Colbert Report), who assures us that "monsters hunger for more than man-flesh; they hunger for love." These unique takes on popular monsters and myths range from the suicide note of a man-eating Victorian claw-foot tub to Godzilla's existential crisis: "Starting to wonder, what's the point? They're just going to rebuild." Lesser's humor occasionally verges on social satire. For example, "The Groom of Frankenstein" espouses his desire for a same-sex monster marriage, while Bigfoot laments the chupacabras that have been sneaking across the Mexican border. However, the tales often fall short and come across as vaguely offensive. Still, readers looking for an occasional chuckle will not be disappointed. (Sept.)