A Cosmology of Monsters

A Novel

By: Shaun Hamill

Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

"If John Irving ever wrote a horror novel, it would be something like this. I loved it." (Stephen King)

Noah Turner sees monsters.

His father saw them - and built a shrine to them with The Wandering Dark, an immersive horror experience that the whole family operates.

His practical mother has caught glimpses of terrors but refuses to believe - too focused on keeping the family from falling apart.

And his eldest sister, the dramatic and vulnerable Sydney, won't admit to seeing anything but the beckoning glow of the spotlight...until it swallows her up.

Noah Turner sees monsters. But, unlike his family, Noah chooses to let them in....

©2019 Shaun Hamill (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Shaun Hamill’s A Cosmology of Monsters brilliantly combines the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft with a contemporary story of a family under threat of destruction from supernatural forces. It succeeds because these are good, likeable people that we root for; they could be our neighbors. Horror only works when we care for the people involved, and because we care for the Turners, their nightmare becomes ours. Hamill’s prose is simple, and simply beautiful. If John Irving ever wrote a horror novel, it would be something like this. I loved it, and think you will, too.” (Stephen King)

“A monster stalks a family across generations; a hidden city beckons from beyond perception; trauma and human frailty and loss bear their terrible fangs. . . . A Cosmology of Monsters is as weird and compelling and ambitious a horror novel as you could possibly want.” (Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties)

“Sometimes you read a book and you know it’s special. A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill is just such a book. It’s a book about family, love, loss, obsession . . . and monsters. Unique and wonderful. You won’t read anything like it this year.” (C. J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place)

“Exquisitely written, A Cosmology of Monsters is both beautiful and haunting. Shaun Hamill has crafted the best sort of horror story: one full of love and dread that will have you rethinking your definition of what a monster is.” (Jennifer McMahon, New York Times best-selling author of The Winter People and The Invited)

"A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill is beautiful, heartbreaking, offbeat horror. A terrific debut." (Ellen Datlow, editor of The Best Horror of the Year)

"Told with tenderness and brimming with darkness, Hamill’s debut is sure to please readers who have a special literary craving for monsters." (Bradley Sides, The Millions)

"[A] very scary coming-of-age tale that lives in the same space as Stranger Things, Stand by Me, and Stephen King’s It.... The way Hamill weaves his way between the phantasmagorical elements and Noah’s everyday dramas is nimble in a way reminiscent of King.... An accomplished, macabre horror saga and a promising debut from an imaginative new author." (Kirkus Reviews)

Does NOT feel like H. P. Lovecraft Mythos!

The only "Lovecraftian mythos" in this story is one of the premises which just seems to be "very lightly inspired by HPL" and then there's all the Lovecraft name dropping.

I have never been about to put a book down, as many times as I have with this one. Every time because it was soo dragging and boring. But every time I gave it one more chance because it seemed that now it would get a bit exciting and Sean Patrick Hopkins has a good reading voice, but alas it would only get exciting for a very short while and then back to the boring.

First around part four (of seven) did it seem to finally begin the real excitement but then it turned around and got back to boring and by then I was over half way through so I decided to see it through and boy did it feel like a chore.

As others have written there is "music" and it can be a bit offputting, but no where near as offputting as the sheer boredom of the book. Actually it was nice to get a break from the monotony of the story and it gave a feeling of "hey, now something exciting is about to happen... but no..."

Sean Patrick Hopkins Did a very good job with the material he was given and did his to keep me listening.

This is deffinitely one I'm returning for my credit!

not my usual read

with saying that I genuinely enjoyed this book, got a little weird at parts for me.. but I loved the storyline. You really felt like you knew each character, easy to follow. Even though the author will at points tell a story from the past. I look forward to sharing this book with others to enjoy as much as I did.

Remove the music

The Erie music almost ruins many of the scenes in the book. Other than that the story was phenomenal.

Great Story!

The construction, flow and performance provide a very good journey through wonderfully written story. Although quick, this book is very satisfying.

Had my hopes up

After reading all of the reviews, I was excited to start this. Well, I kinda feel like I wasted 10 hours of my life waiting for this to get good.

gonna get you!

Monsters were these fantastical beasts... then they were humans with disguises (thanks Scooby-Doo and psychologists), then they were preternatural sex symbols, then they were metaphors for 'queer' people! But they're finally back to being fantastical beasts!

Great story, well-sequenced events, fully-developed characters, and while the monster remains a scary entity, it's the villains who get their just deserts! Ya, and some innocents were hurt in the process, but that's life!

I'm an insta-fan; bravo!

Didn’t think I would but I loved it.

When looking for the next book I was uncertain at first but so glad I did chose this one.

Wild Ride, Endless Surprises, Creepy but digestible. Really good book!

I think the book was written really well such that there’s a lot of twists and turns, and some of it can be really creepy almost scary, but it doesn’t make you want to stop reading it makes you wanna know more. Really great concept of making a “haunted” family story that goes beyond the family.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who’s looking for something that’s a little bit less conventional in its entertainment.

We are all the Turner Family.

A Cosmology of Monsters is a novel like no other. The story bends the rules of what horror and dark fiction are supposed to be and it pays off. Hamill leads us on an exploration of the terror, loss, longing, happiness, and love that we face everyday all while paying respect to the genre and those who came before him.

Hopkins' performance is top notch. Distinctive characters and excellent tone lend a perfect pairing to the story.

Going to keep this short...

This is a perfect book. It does a better job at cosmic horror than Lovecraft ever could because it comes at it from the point of view of a realized person looking out. It’s also incredibly touching, unlike anything the genre has seen. Bravo.