Pacific Monsters

We know them from ancient legends and tales whispered by the campfire. They don’t sparkle or have any interest in us except to tear us apart. Forgotten, unknown, misunderstood, overused, watered down. We want to give them a renaissance, to reestablish their dark reputation, to give them a comeback, let the world know of their real terror.

The Fox Spirit Books of Monsters is a coffee table book series from Fox Spirit Books with dark fiction from around the world, written by local authors, short stories and graphic stories based on local folklore, legends and myths. Illustrated by local artists.

The series has 7 books published between 2014 and 2020, starting with Europe (2014), continuing with Africa (2015), Asia (2016) and Pacific area in 2017. Volume five and six will cover South, Central and North America before the series end with Eurasia in the end of 2020.

Pacific Monsters

‘Another great monster collection! On maps, the Pacific has plenty of room for the chilling promise of “Here there are monsters,” and this collection certainly proves the truth in that, inviting readers to step away from the tame and venture into the uncharted reaches of Pacific myth and tradition.’

– Charles Payseur

‘Ultimately this series is a needed intervention into Anglo-American-centric monster stories, and Pacific Monsters particularly stands out as it encompasses nations and populations that are too often neglected altogether.’
– The Future Fire

‘All of the Monsters books have been very strong collections, and Pacific Monsters continues that trend.’
– Joanne Hall

Pacific Monsters is filled with dark fiction about monsters based on Pacific folklore, legends and history, written by authors from Australia, New Zealand, Antartica, Hawaii and Guam. Margrét Helgadóttir is once more the editor.

Pacific Monsters was released November 30th 2017. Buy it on Amazon here (UK) or here (.com). The book’s Goodreads page is here.

Contact me if you are interested in reviewing the book, writing articles about it, interviews with me or the authors/artists etc.

Tina Makereti: ‘Monster’
AJ Fitzwater: ‘From the Womb of the Land, Our Bones Entwined’
Rue Karney: ‘The Hand Walker’
Michael Grey: ‘Grind’
Octavia Cade and Dave Johnson (art) : ‘Dinornis’
Raymond Gates: ‘The Legend of Georgie’
Jeremy Szal: ‘The Weight of Silence’
Simon Dewar: ‘Above the Peppermint Trail’
Iona Winter: ‘Ink’
Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada: ‘All My Relations’
Tihema Baker: ‘Children of the Mist’
Kirstie Olley: ‘Mudgerwokee’
Michael Lujan Bevacqua and Dave Johnson (art) : ‘I Sindålu’
AC Buchanan: ‘Into the Sickly Light’

The book has illustrations by Laya Rose, Lahela Schoessler, Kieran Walsh and Eugene Smith. Cover art by Daniele Serra.

Awards

06.07.18 : Pacific Monsters was shortlisted to British Fantasy Awards 2018 in the category Best Anthology
09.05.18 : One of the short stories in Pacific Monsters – «The Hand Walker» by Rue Karney – was shortlisted to Australian Shadows Award in the category Short Fiction
17.03.18 : Margrét Helgadóttir is awarded Starburst Magazine’s Brave New Words Award for her work with editing Pacific Monsters
17.02.18 : One of the short stories in Pacific Monsters – «From the Womb of the Land, Our Bones Entwined« by AJ Fitzwater – was shortlisted to Sir Julius Vogel Awards 2018, in the category Best Short Story
15.02.18 : One of the short stories in Pacific Monsters – «Grind» by Michael Grey – was shortlisted to Aurealis Awards 2017, in the category Best Horror Novella
31.12.17 : Awarded Best Anthology by the lovely people at Sheffield Fantasy and Science Fiction Social: SFSF Awards 2017