Review of The Different Kinds Of Monsters
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Review of The Different Kinds Of Monsters
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Different Kinds Of Monsters" by Seth Chambers.]
The Different Kinds Of Monsters, written by Seth Chambers, is a story told through Dylan Armitage's eyes, a schoolteacher with a family of his own. When his estranged father is suddenly admitted to the hospital with unexplainable injuries, Dylan finds himself having to confront his past. When he visits his father in the hospital, he divulges to him that it was a prehistoric allosaurus that attacked him. It was none other than Dylan's long-lost friend Emily the allosaurus, Dylan's bubble is burst. He thought Emily was his friend, his protector; however, things did not seem that way. Having realized that the allosaurus is after the Armitage family and is out for blood, Dylan must figure out a way to end this nightmare and save his family. Along this journey, though, Dylan recounts his childhood and the trauma that he faced that led him to this very predicament. There is also the question of why a magical prehistoric animal is after his family in the first place?
At first, the main character starts as any typical protagonist who must do the saving. However, as the story progresses and we dive deep into Dylan's life story, we realize that he is harboring trauma from his childhood from which he has yet to heal. His trauma has shaped the man he is today, and Dylan realizes that he is not proud of the man he has become. The author tackles many issues that we face, like rape and predatory behavior from close relatives. The author brings to light that those monsters are not only the things that lurk in the darkness and cannot be seen, nor are they the allosaurus that is seeking blood, neither are they the ones made up on television; instead, they are people just like us who are living every day. They could be your average schoolteacher or even an uncle. The author forces readers to do an introspection on themselves; that is what I found myself doing after reading and finishing the book.
There are concurrent timelines; one focuses on Dylan and his family in the present time, the other focuses on Dylan's childhood(the 1970s) , and the other focuses on the late Jurassic period when Emily the allosaurus lived. This was a good way of giving everyone a backstory in helping the readers understand where the characters are coming from and why they have chosen their paths.
The writing style is not of narration. Instead, the character is narrating the story from their point of view. I like this about the book because the author lets us experience every thought and emotion the main character felt as we move along with them.
Another positive aspect of the book was the concept of delving into the animal's mind instead of only focusing on humans. This was brilliant for me given I am an animal lover; I have not witnessed it in books in a while. It is a unique twist on things and enjoyable to read. To think that animals also have dreams is to give them human qualities, which is excellent because animals deserve to be treated as such.
The negative aspect about the book is that it contained profanity, a large amount. That was my only problem with the novel.
I rate the book a 3 out of 4 stars. The book was very informative, bringing severe issues such as sexual abuse and a magical aspect to the mix, making it a different way of tackling challenging subjects. The one star removed was for the profane language.
I recommend this book to lovers of sci-fi as well as drama novels. There is sensitive and sexual content throughout the book and violence, I do not recommend it to people who are triggered by violence and graphic scenes.
******
The Different Kinds Of Monsters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Different Kinds Of Monsters, written by Seth Chambers, is a story told through Dylan Armitage's eyes, a schoolteacher with a family of his own. When his estranged father is suddenly admitted to the hospital with unexplainable injuries, Dylan finds himself having to confront his past. When he visits his father in the hospital, he divulges to him that it was a prehistoric allosaurus that attacked him. It was none other than Dylan's long-lost friend Emily the allosaurus, Dylan's bubble is burst. He thought Emily was his friend, his protector; however, things did not seem that way. Having realized that the allosaurus is after the Armitage family and is out for blood, Dylan must figure out a way to end this nightmare and save his family. Along this journey, though, Dylan recounts his childhood and the trauma that he faced that led him to this very predicament. There is also the question of why a magical prehistoric animal is after his family in the first place?
At first, the main character starts as any typical protagonist who must do the saving. However, as the story progresses and we dive deep into Dylan's life story, we realize that he is harboring trauma from his childhood from which he has yet to heal. His trauma has shaped the man he is today, and Dylan realizes that he is not proud of the man he has become. The author tackles many issues that we face, like rape and predatory behavior from close relatives. The author brings to light that those monsters are not only the things that lurk in the darkness and cannot be seen, nor are they the allosaurus that is seeking blood, neither are they the ones made up on television; instead, they are people just like us who are living every day. They could be your average schoolteacher or even an uncle. The author forces readers to do an introspection on themselves; that is what I found myself doing after reading and finishing the book.
There are concurrent timelines; one focuses on Dylan and his family in the present time, the other focuses on Dylan's childhood(the 1970s) , and the other focuses on the late Jurassic period when Emily the allosaurus lived. This was a good way of giving everyone a backstory in helping the readers understand where the characters are coming from and why they have chosen their paths.
The writing style is not of narration. Instead, the character is narrating the story from their point of view. I like this about the book because the author lets us experience every thought and emotion the main character felt as we move along with them.
Another positive aspect of the book was the concept of delving into the animal's mind instead of only focusing on humans. This was brilliant for me given I am an animal lover; I have not witnessed it in books in a while. It is a unique twist on things and enjoyable to read. To think that animals also have dreams is to give them human qualities, which is excellent because animals deserve to be treated as such.
The negative aspect about the book is that it contained profanity, a large amount. That was my only problem with the novel.
I rate the book a 3 out of 4 stars. The book was very informative, bringing severe issues such as sexual abuse and a magical aspect to the mix, making it a different way of tackling challenging subjects. The one star removed was for the profane language.
I recommend this book to lovers of sci-fi as well as drama novels. There is sensitive and sexual content throughout the book and violence, I do not recommend it to people who are triggered by violence and graphic scenes.
******
The Different Kinds Of Monsters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Requium Report by Alison Demzon
