A review by readthesparrow
Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Summary

Man Made Monsters follows members of a Cherokee family, the Wilsons, through decades as they deal with displacement, colonialism, prejudice, and monsters of both the human and inhuman variety. Abusive men, vampires, murderers, werewolves, predators, zombies, cultural erasure, Deer Women, medical abuse, and aliens populate the pages of this family’s history. 

 This book is Cherokee writer Andrea L. Rogers’ YA debut. Each story is accompanied by an illustration by Cherokee artist Jeff Edwards. 

Review

I typically do not enjoy generational family stories. I lose track of who is who easily (even with a family tree) and usually get frustrated by how little time each section allows for each family member. While the first problem was certainly still an issue for me (I made heavy use of the family tree), the second was not. Every story in Man Made Monsters was a fulfilling narrative. I was never left feeling that I’d read something with underdeveloped characters or a boring premise. Every single story is well written with tight pacing, excellent prose, and interesting characters. While some characters and narratives were certainly more memorable than others—I would kill for a full novel following Ama—none were stories that were bad or unenjoyable. 

Some were certainly stronger or weaker than others. Much of that boils down to personal taste; for example, I’m not a huge fan of zombies, meaning that the final part of the collection, "The Zombies Attack the Drive-In!" wasn’t my favorite despite it being a perfect thematic and structural end. Other stories simply weren’t as hard-hitting, unique, or memorable as the story proceeding. I’ll remember “American Predators” for years; its follow-up, “Manifesting Joy,” not so much. Overall, though, each and every single chapter is fantastic both as a single story as well as a piece of the larger whole.

My personal favorite is “I Come from the Water”. Walela, a teenage girl, finds an alien in her saltwater pool. It’s a coming-of-age narrative about loss, parental relationships, and coming out. The story swaps between the POV of Walela and the alien, named Sakonige, which I adored. What can I say? I’m a sucker for nonhuman POVs. Even among all the supernatural things which happen in Man Made Monsters, “I Come from the Water” is unique; while there are other sci-fi stories, such as “Man Made Monsters,” “I Come from the Water” isn’t horror in the least. Normally that would be jarring, but the story is so well-written, refreshing, and a perfect thematic fit that it works perfectly. 

I don’t have anything negative to say about Man Made Monsters. The only criticism I have I’m not even sure is valid to make, because it may be due to my own fault. There is a story in which the protagonist cannot exist, as the person they descended from died as a young child in one of the earlier stories. After reviewing the story where they died and the family tree I couldn’t puzzle out whether this was a continuity error or a misunderstanding on my part. Perhaps it’s neither; perhaps there was something explaining this that was cut out or I missed. Either way, though, it wasn’t something which ruined the reading experience or was too distracting beyond the initial confusion. There are vampires and werewolves and ghosts running around. I can accept an unexplained branch of the family tree.

Final Thoughts

This collection is a fascinating conversation which draws in many different inspirations, themes, and ideas into a cohesive, beautiful whole. For any horror lover, even those not into YA, this is a must-read. I look forward to reading more from Rogers and am crossing my fingers for more of Ama especially. If you're looking to purchase this, the digital copy is nice, but I'd definitely suggest getting the physical for ease of referencing the family trees.

I would like to thank Levine Querido for providing me with a digital review copy of Man Made Monsters via Netgalley.

Man Made Monsters was released 18 October. If you’re interested, you can find more information and links to places you can buy here. If possible, I would recommend buying from Bookshop.org or an independent bookstore. https://www.levinequerido.com/man-made-monsters