Have you ever felt so much at once—so angry, so happy, so scared, so excited—that you could just…explode? Well, in the small town of Richland, Ohio, under the looming threat of the town’s largest employer shutting down, peoples’ fears
and frustrations are mounting, ready to erupt. It starts with a cow named Cassie, but soon people and animals all over town are undergoing a transformation, and when the rich pricks start breathing down your neck it pays to be a little monstrous.
As a fan of John Scalzi—I think this is the thirteenth book of his that I’ve read—this book both was and wasn’t what I expected from him. On one hand, it’s an out-there premise mostly played straight, grounded in current events and featuring one or more annoying rich guys getting their comeuppance in bizarre and deeply satisfying ways. That’s what I’ve come to expect and it’s a solid formula for me to have a good time. That being said, this is a lot slower paced than his other recent standalones. When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Starter Villain, and Kaiju Preservation Society all get right into the plot and are really fast-paced throughout. Monsters of Ohio mostly seems pretty normal until maybe a third of the way in, and even after that you aren’t getting all of the POV-changes and time jumps you might expect. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing necessarily, but it’s definitely different. I also think there was less humor throughout than I normally expect, which again I don’t think really substantially takes away from the story, but together those things maybe left me a little wanting.
Something I love about Scalzi’s books are their willingness to take a premise (i.e. the moon has become cheese, people have stopped dying, there’s a nature preserve for Kaiju, etc.) and take it to its furthest extent. All of these scenarios have really wild implications, and I love when the premise effects something I never would have thought about. Monsters of Ohio is a fun book with a similarly intriguing premise and a nice, satisfying plot arc, but it didn’t take the idea as far as I would have liked. I think for it to do so, it would have needed the faster pace, and taking the idea to the extremes probably would have resulted in more humor. So, I don’t know. I like this book just comparing it against other books, but comparing it against some of Scalzi’s other books, I’m not sure it holds up as much.
Either way, I had a good time with it and I think others will too. As always, I look forward to Scalzi’s next project because they never fail to be equal parts weird and wonderful!
Thank you to John Scalzi and Tor Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!
Happy reading!
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