Before going into "Monstrocity" I had read "Letters from Hades" and "Encounters with Enoch Coffin" by Jeffrey Thomas and had enjoyed both of them very much. I knew ahead of time that I was going to love this novel, but I did not know how great of passion I would develop for it.
"Monstrocity" is the perfect blend of horror and science fiction, with a little bit of mystery thrown in to further the delicious stew of combined genres. It reads like a novelization of the film "Taxi Driver" if the viewer were watching the movie under the influence of peyote and occult forces.
The main protagonist Christopher Ruby lives in Jeffrey Thomas' "Punktown" universe, a dystopian science fiction setting full of diverse races of aliens. Although Punktown is known for its high crime rates, and the low value its society assigns to sentient life. Christopher Ruby still finds good people in its populace and is forced into taking action to protect them when he learns of a conspiracy to resurrect an ancient evil through the use of powerful occult books. One of the most exciting parts for me is about halfway through the book when Christopher is forced to murder a man in an attempt to prevent something from disastrous from happening. During the whole chapter as he is plotting the murder he keeps reassuring himself that he is a good man. To me this really shows the true quality of Christopher as a worthy protagonist.
"Monstrocity" is not just a book about murder and cosmic mayhem though, there is romance. Christopher encounters a few women through out the course of the novel, but his main love interest is Saleet a police officer who is of the Kalian alien race. This sort of interracial romance is very standard to the essence of Jeffrey Thomas' books, and it shows a flair for xenophiliac erotica. It also shows a willingness of Christopher to see the essential "humanity" in all of the exotic denizens of Punktown. Saleet does not just read like a literary blow-up doll, a prize to be conquered by the protagonist, she is her own interesting character with her own traits and growth that feel very natural. Often times when male authors write about female characters they have a hard time creating believable women, but Saleet seems to walk off of the page. This further shows the great amount of empathy and care that Mr. Thomas has put into all of his characters.
The setting of Punktown is an impressive and diverse one, the locales that are explored through out the course of the book take the reader through many exotic locations. Jeffrey Thomas always writes the most evocative and descriptive paragraphs describing the surroundings of his characters, indeed the settings seem like characters themselves. Punktown is a sprawling city filled with a mix of incredible technology and architecture. Everything seems to be worn away by entropy even though much of what exists there is relatively new. As a metal worker I always get a kick out of the scenes that involve metal architecture and water systems in Punktown stories. The descriptions of giant, riveted beams, and titanic pipe work overhead give me great pleasure.
All of the elements of the book combine together to form a very interesting tale with a flavor of its own despite the Lovecraftian
influence.
The monsters (which there are plenty of) have their own distinct feel, and are very terrifying in contrast to the regular humans and humanoid aliens. Jeffrey Thomas' cosmic horror mixed with a blend of the ideas of cosmic design are very interesting. And the overall philosophy of patterns within patterns that dictates the nature of the universe is complete, and satisfying. Christopher Ruby's enlightenment and conversion as an agent of good becomes complete when he learns that everything is part of an incomprehensible design, and although he can see the patterns in the design and he cannot understand its ultimate goal. There are many moments of fatalistic contemplation throughout the narrative of "Monstrocity", but the enhance the plot as opposed to slowing it down.
All of the characters grow and change, the romance in the book feels organic and believable, the plot is tightly paced, and Punktown is a flavorful setting that is bound to become a monument in the modern geek lexicon.
I would highly recommend "Monstrocity" to anyone who enjoys horror stories, science fiction, or anyone looking for a change of pace from the norm. I would recommend this book to pretty much anybody, well anybody who doesn't have nightmares or a weak stomach.
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