Book Review: Coffee Monsters

Coffee Monsters Book Review by Matt Boiselle

Coffee Monsters – written by Ophelia Darkly with artwork by Davey Cadaver

I’m always on the hunt for a spine-chilling read, especially when its written and crafted by people who have a true appreciation for the subject matter…and with a nice, steaming hot cup of coffee by my side I’m ready to tear into the pages like a zombie on a hunger-strike. I’d like to thank the Author, Ophelia Darkly for gifting me her incredibly addictive collection of short stories revolving around nightmarish imagery fleshed against serene dreamscapes, with some seriously demented looking java stains ready to leap off the page and ruin your church clothes. So why not step into the viewing parlor with me and crack open this tome of tomb-riffic mythos?

From the first short-story ‘Rex Pulls On The Strings Of Hearts’, the reader should already have prepared themselves to introduce themselves into this subconscious world and surrender to the words that Darkly has laid out in front of them. As the book strolls through the light and dark dimensions, we’re treated to a feverish gathering of personalities like “Wicker Wormwood’, “Peter The Parasite’, ‘The Scarecrow King’ and many others. Each respective character has a story to fall into, and believe me when I tell you that they’ll be all the more joyous to drag you alongside them as your mind races to catch up.

As a fan of literary horror, “Coffee Monsters” is the kind of read that acts as a balancing point: you can definitely wrap your mind around the grim and gloom that each tale hides within, and after a few scrapes of casket wood and a few less fingernails, we’ve reached the soil of the burial plot, where more peaceful sentiments lay and the prevalent sense of gothic illusion fills the atmosphere. Darkly’s eminent grasp for the descriptive is on full-show here, and any reader who is an aficionado of being put into the story for enhancement purposes will revel in this book’s entirety.

Combined with the amazing artwork provided by Mr. Cadaver, the pages come to life with regenerated (and once thought dried) spatters of the inveterate liquid that has become the life-blood of millions: COFFEE! Each respective overflow is manufactured into a creature or otherwise haunting figure – I’ll bet your next drive-thru order of sweetener-enhanced mud will have just a little more love and admiration sprinkled into it when you’re barking it out into the speaker!

Overall, with all 4 very talented sets of claws working on this fantastic read, I can only suggest this to the highest extent – if you love gothic trances and fantasy-riddled tales of curiosity and providence, then “Coffee Monsters” is the publication to assist you on your way to dreamland, and contains enough monsters to sharply awaken you from it.

The book can currently be ordered by contacting Ophelia on her website: OpheliaDarkly.com and she can also be found on Instagram @opheliadarkly