Monster, She Wrote

July 8, 2019
Kröger and Anderson anthologize the histories of horror’s greatest female writers into this meticulously compiled resource. Covering over three dozen writers, the coauthors reveal the experiences, whether with mysticism, trauma, or societal repression, that defined their subjects and led them toward the macabre. Kröger and Anderson describe the flamboyant public persona of pioneering feminist and science fiction writer Margaret Cavendish, the “stormy vacation” that inspired Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein, the proto-Wiccan musings of Dion Fortune’s occult detective stories, and the wellspring of creativity that “weird Western” writer Eli Colter found in a period of temporary blindness. Most significantly, the genre of horror is explored as a medium for “psychological excavations into how humanity sees itself,” in which a ghost might function as a “metaphorical mirror for what was already haunting the character.” In addition to the analysis and history of these writers, Kröger and Anderson offer a list of essential readings from, and film adaptations of, each woman’s work. This biographical index will reawaken readers’ admiration for established virtuosos of literary terror and inspire curiosity in lesser-known specialists in fictitious fear.

Starred review from June 1, 2019
Some you knew, others you missed, and some you weren't aware existed. Monster, She Wrote an ideal adjacent read for those who loved Mallory O'Meara's The Lady from the Black Lagoon (2019). Kr�ger and Anderson's superb little directory covers women authors of the gory and fantastic, past and present. Each author is placed into a section that best fits her most innovative work, and each entry is an informative treatise on what she wrote, her lasting influence, and how she touches the horror we know and love today. A chapter on current writers looks to the future, and is in direct conversation with the zeitgeist that the authors tap into on their podcast The Know Fear Cast. Sprinkled liberally throughout are more reads related to each entry, lists, anecdotes, and favorite quotes. Librarians can use this volume to flex their creepy-reads credibility, as the suggestions alone for related works, movies, and TV series are worth the price of admission. Straddling the divide between highly useful reference and compulsively readable stories about the writing lives of the women of horror, this book will keep you up all night (one way or another).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)