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tizzyxlish23's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
music_mentalist's review
4.25
I thought this was an interesting collection of shorter stories - I like how some had multiple chapters spread throughout the book. Cool concepts perhaps for monsters Rory couldn't work into the main books. I've read reading this before the final book is recommended so hope some of these feed into the story.
sickler13's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
pshelling's review
3.0
Cute vignettes with a short story woven throughout. Not spooky, but creepy and unexpected at times. David, the short story's protagonist, is a gay man.
frodo_wesseling's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
annettenis's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
snappydog's review
4.0
Well worth a read, whether you've read Lesser Known Monsters or not. I got through the whole book in a bit over half an hour, I think, so there's kind of no reason not to pick it up.
Stories range from deliciously creepy to... actually sort of sweet, which is nice. The longest of the stories is the best, telling an awfully heartwarming tale that goes in about the direction I thought it would but works really well. I think, just going off LKM and this book, Michaelson is generally better at telling slightly longer stories because they have more space to develop their ideas; the shorter stories only really have time to show that there is some sort of monster rather than consider what that might mean, and that's the bit I think Michaelson's really great at, but that's not to say the short ones are bad at all. Just getting to see some new creepy thing that exists in this world makes it feel like a fuller, more interesting world, and the aforementioned creepy things often (not always, though) direct their energies towards either actually being pretty nice and well-adjusted or not being nice at all but taking that out on people who really sorta deserve it.
I'm intrigued to see whether any of these creatures pop up again in the LKM sequels - or perhaps one or more of them was already in LKM and I just didn't make the connection. Whether they do reappear or not, the Little Book is a great addition to the universe; now we'll always know that Oscar and co. might be just around the corner from a terrifying spider-woman. Or Knud. I love Knud.
Stories range from deliciously creepy to... actually sort of sweet, which is nice. The longest of the stories is the best, telling an awfully heartwarming tale that goes in about the direction I thought it would but works really well. I think, just going off LKM and this book, Michaelson is generally better at telling slightly longer stories because they have more space to develop their ideas; the shorter stories only really have time to show that there is some sort of monster rather than consider what that might mean, and that's the bit I think Michaelson's really great at, but that's not to say the short ones are bad at all. Just getting to see some new creepy thing that exists in this world makes it feel like a fuller, more interesting world, and the aforementioned creepy things often (not always, though) direct their energies towards either actually being pretty nice and well-adjusted or not being nice at all but taking that out on people who really sorta deserve it.
I'm intrigued to see whether any of these creatures pop up again in the LKM sequels - or perhaps one or more of them was already in LKM and I just didn't make the connection. Whether they do reappear or not, the Little Book is a great addition to the universe; now we'll always know that Oscar and co. might be just around the corner from a terrifying spider-woman. Or Knud. I love Knud.
polzhar's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
brittaniethekid's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this collection of creepy short stories. They all have some sort of otherworldly creature or "monster" but feels more in the world of faerie than any kind of supernatural being. No ghosts or vampires here but instead creatures based on regional folklore.
While I did have issues with the first book [b:Lesser Known Monsters|55374322|Lesser Known Monsters|Rory Michaelson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600510978l/55374322._SY75_.jpg|86362822], this shows that Michaelson does have strong storytelling skills as well as a grasp on the world they've created for this series of books. A few of these stories are a little too short as we don't get any real development other then showing off the monsters but as a collection, it's strong. The main story that's dispersed among the rest of the one-shots is very heartwarming as well, rather than being a creepy horror story, and I thought that was a good call for the editor and author so it's not just a cute story and then a bunch of scary ones after or before.
It definitely made me look forward to the next book in the series than I was before reading this.
While I did have issues with the first book [b:Lesser Known Monsters|55374322|Lesser Known Monsters|Rory Michaelson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600510978l/55374322._SY75_.jpg|86362822], this shows that Michaelson does have strong storytelling skills as well as a grasp on the world they've created for this series of books. A few of these stories are a little too short as we don't get any real development other then showing off the monsters but as a collection, it's strong. The main story that's dispersed among the rest of the one-shots is very heartwarming as well, rather than being a creepy horror story, and I thought that was a good call for the editor and author so it's not just a cute story and then a bunch of scary ones after or before.
It definitely made me look forward to the next book in the series than I was before reading this.
sarah_bell's review
4.0
More Lesser Known Monsters
An interesting further look at various Lesser Known Monsters. Each story is a little snapshot into a life & a monster encounter, and a lot about these characters is packed into each story.
An interesting further look at various Lesser Known Monsters. Each story is a little snapshot into a life & a monster encounter, and a lot about these characters is packed into each story.