Monstrum: Longlisted for the 2025 Dylan Thomas Prize

I absolutely loved reading Monstrum. Mills superbly manages to captivate the reader from page one of each story. She effortlessly creates new worlds with tales that are fantastical and delightfully unconventional, yet somehow also instantly relatable. While parts reminded me of Frankenstein and Black Mirror, Mills is never derivative; instead, she builds on their work. Her use of mythology to explore disability neither talks down to the disabled nor alienates able-bodied readers, but creates a new framework to view disability in. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

What does it mean to be different in a world that values perfection, at any cost?Haunting, lurid, twisted and unflinching, Monstrum is a buffet of deliciously dark delights. Debut author Lottie Mills has crafted a thought-provoking collection of short stories that are eerily beautiful, exquisitely macabre, and deeply unnerving. I don’t read short stories often, but I was excited when this was picked as a SquadPod Featured Book for June (yes, I’m late with my review, sorry), and it is without a doubt the best short story collection I’ve read so far.Lottie Mills is a refreshing and unique new literary voice. Her writing is sublime, feeling melancholy, sinister, witty and full of deep yearning all at the same time. The stories have an otherworldly and bizarre quality, but Mills also makes them undeniably human, allowing the reader to connect to her characters. It is easy to see why she was the winner of the BBC Young Writers’ Award in 2020 and I am sure there are many more remarkable stories to come from this sensational new voice. In this collection Mills explores topics such as disability, ableism, prejudice, domestic abuse and identity, illuminating the darkest corners of our society and the experiences of those who are born different in a world that can’t accept them. As a disabled person I found myself relating to many of these stories on a personal level and I am sure they will strike a resonant chord in many readers.The opening story, The Changeling, sets the tone well. It is harrowing, heartrending and haunting, bringing the pain felt by these characters to life in achingly vivid detail. The Bear Children was a deeply moving portrayal of disability and ableism while The White Lion was sweet karma and beautifully brutal. She even manages to make child abuse and neglect horrifically beautiful in the moving The Toymaker’s Daughter. There were a couple of stories I didn’t understand but they were still an enjoyable read that made me feel like I was seeing the world through the eyes of someone that I needed to see. The stories that I personally related to most were The Pain, The Selkie and The Body. The Selkie felt like she’d put my first marriage on paper and I was reading my own life, while The Pain and The Body are ones I felt on a visceral level. I’ve often joked that I wish I could have a new body, so when I first began reading The Body I was excited and a little jealous that this person had the opportunity to cast off their broken body for one that worked properly without pain. But as it went on I was reminded to be thankful for all my body can do and no longer sure I would switch out my body if given the chance. Meanwhile, The Merman was so moving, and probably my favourite story of all, ending the collection on a high note.An outstanding collection of stories that will simultaneously send shivers down your spine, tug at your heart strings, and make you think, Monstrum is not to be missed.

Monstrum is a beautifully gothic collection of short stories by Lottie Mills, winner of the BBC Young Writers' Award for 'The Changeling' (which is included in this book), and it is incredibly difficult to sum up the powerful emotions they evoked within me in a short review.Mills weaves spellbinding themes throughout this collection, playing on the fascination with and fear of 'difference', and exploring aspects of the lives of those who are often excluded from society because of their 'otherness'. Cleverly using the format of traditional fairy tales, speculative horror fiction, atmospheric folklore yarns, and mythological retellings, she challenges you to alter your thinking about what society considers 'normal'. Disabilities become wondrous conditions that tell of hidden magical abilities; the pursuit of perfection leads to macabre consequences; characters are subjected to misguided, or malevolent, attention; and yearnings for freedom, or kinship, create intricately involved storylines that pull you in and compel you not to look away.These are the kinds of stories that are made up of layer upon elaborate layer, so that each time you read them you find different shades of meaning in her words, and curiously relatable echoes. Some are so eerie that they will inevitably become part of your darkest nightmares ('The Body', for me), and some will have you punching the air as well deserved revenge is served cold, but among them there are also golden threads that hold you in the moment, celebrating connection, warmth, acceptance, and love.This is impressive writing for a debut author, and this haunting little collection of stories will really stay with me. If I had to pick I favourite, I think it might be 'The Selkie', with its feminist themes, but they are all glorious in their own way. I am so looking forward to following Lottie Mills' career as a writer, because this is a brilliant beginning.

Monstrum is an atmospheric, beautiful and moving collection of short stories you won't want to miss in 2024! Many of the stories have roots in fairy tales and folklore but grow beyond these origins into compelling explorations of how we respond to disability and difference. Absolutely one of the most original and exciting books I've read for a long time.

Short stories can be a little hit and miss for me but I really enjoyed this collection. All the stories are about being different or “other” in some way and, because they were all written by the same person, they had a sense of coherency about them.The Body was a favourite, it felt a lot like a black mirror episode. I also really enjoyed The Merman, which made me both sad and angry. The Pain was my least favourite (but was still a 3 star story).