At a few points, the plot seems stretched beyond our suspension of disbelief events unravel without much explanation except that in this fantasy world anything can happen. Other strange bits and pieces factor into the plot, including the reason behind Noah’s father’s strange behavior, the disappearance of someone very close to the Turner family, and a group of young adults who have devoted themselves to solving certain mysteries within the story.Īll of the characters are likable and realistically depicted, but this is without question a story of Noah’s journey, and how much readers buy into his friendship with a Lovecraftian monster will determine whether or not they will fully enjoy the book. Horror gives way to fantasy as Noah himself learns how to fly and how to transport himself at seemingly lightning speed from one location to another. Ultimately, A Cosmology of Monsters centers on Noah, the teenage protagonist whose father believed in monsters that Noah will soon learn are all too real.Īs the haunted attraction angle of the story begins to fall by the wayside, the relationship between Noah and a flying creature who becomes his “friend” takes center stage in the novel. The plot spans three generations of characters and the author balances this time frame well the writing and overall narrative structure never get confusing or bogged down with unnecessary detail.Īt the same time, Hamill takes a few risks early on in the plot (a major character dies, and a bizarre sexual relationship develops between two other characters that takes the book out of the horror realm and into an almost fairy-tale-like fantasy), and these risks might not appeal to those who were hooked by the promising chills of the exposition. The family in question, the Turners, operate a popular haunted attraction and struggle to maintain a certain degree of sanity in their lives, all while confronting past tragedies and current conflicts within their immediate circle. In many ways, Shaun Hamill’s A Cosmology of Monsters has everything that a horror fan could want: haunted attractions, countless allusions to horror cinema and literature, a mysterious creature whose intent may or may not be good, unexplained disappearances, and a family shaped by despair and bonded by love.

Strange, broad in scope, and deeply Lovecraftian, Shaun Hamill’s “A Cosmology of Monsters” is an unusual fantasy tale with both horror and heart.

A cosmology of monsters