North American Lake Monsters Review

It’s hard to be disappointed by a Nathan Ballingrud story.

For the past decade there have been a handful of new writers taking a stab at weird fiction.
Among them, Nathan Ballingrud is the one who is capable of powerfully connecting with the
reader emotionally as well as viscerally. Yes, there are other accomplished writers like Laird
Barron or Simon Strantzas, but the works produced by them are often cold and unfeeling.
(especially Barron) This is why Ballingrud’s work stands out: it is engaging and relatable but no
less disturbing. That it brings up uneasy emotions within you while pandering to the unknown is
perhaps his prose’s greatest strength.

But cosmic horror is not just what Ballingrud brings to the table; he also discusses human frailty
and regret and how these two are often worse than any actual supernatural threat. This
technique, at the very least, makes his stories engaging and his protagonists / antagonists
relatable, if not likeable. I personally prefer this approach being tired of the usual clueless, listless
and ultimately useless characters found in Lovecraft’s stories and those of his infinite imitators.
I won’t be the first to say it and I won’t be the last; Nathan Ballingrud is a pioneer in this era of
New Weird Fiction. Everybody take notice.

1. YOU GO WHERE IT TAKES YOU

A down-on-her-luck waitress and single mother is intrigued by a man who comes at the diner
she works in. He reveals that he stole a car and he is, in fact, on the run. He also reveals another
truth to her, a fact that may either drive her away or make her indulge in her deepest desires.

This story also appeared in the anthology The Humanity of Monsters and its inclusion in that
anthology is probably a dead giveaway with regard to the twist. But regardless of that fact the
storytelling and characterization done by Ballingrud will make you care and hopefully
understand the characters even if they do the unthinkable.

I also did not see that ending coming.

2. WILD ACRE

Three security men are hired to look after a housing development site that has been a target of
vandals. They are attacked by a pack of feral men killing them all except the main character. He
finds out that getting torn apart by the wolf men would have been more comforting than living.

“Wild Acre” is another emotionally draining tale. What starts of as a gruesome, intense, and
scary werewolf tale is eventually replaced by a grueling examination of survivor’s guilt, trauma
and wounded masculinity. The interactions of the main character after the attack are depicted
with such brutal honesty and realism that I actually found myself tearing up a little when he loses
it in the finale. This was featured in Ellen Datlow’s Best of the Best New Horror series. (I totally
agree with its inclusion)

3. S.S.

An alienated young man tasked with caring for his sick (and gruesomely deteriorating) mother
finds himself being recruited by a local extremist group through a girl he fancies.

A tale that features no supernatural creatures or monsters but real human scum. This tale might
take some readers off the experience of reading a horror anthology but the story itself is horrific,
featuring a main character who rapidly descends on a rabbit hole filled with violence and
intimidation just because it gives meaning to his otherwise mundane existence. This story ends
in an enigmatic but somewhat redemptive way.

4. THE CREVASSE

An expedition team in Antarctica faces trial and hardship after they literally stumble into a
crevasse. When the team's doctor tries to mercy kill a sled dog trapped inside the crevasse, he
discovers what may be evidence of unspeakable cosmic horror. Paranoia and fear are soon
added to the mix.

Ballingrud (writing with Dale Bailey) does Cosmic Horror! Nuff said.

5. THE MONSTERS OF HEAVEN

A couple who just lost their son to a kidnapping find their already rocky relationship pushed into
inhuman limits when supposedly angelic beings fall from the sky. One of the angelic beings is
eventually brought to their home. Chaos ensues.

This tale is, for me, one of the most horrific, uncomfortable and disturbing portraits of a
marriage gone straight to hell via supernatural means since Possession (1981) and The Brood
(1979). The angelic creature is just the right element needed to turn the entire thing from a
family drama to a jaw-dropping sexual creep fest.

6. SUNBLEACHED

A tale about a relationship between a vampire on the run and an lonely boy who hates his
mother's new boyfriend. He keeps the vampire in the crawlspace and tries to make it do his
bidding. He finds out that the vampire is not an ideal bargaining partner.

My least favorite tale in the collection but only because I knew from the start that the vampire
character would not be so easily swayed to do anyone’s bidding. But this is still very disturbing
and features a gut-punch ending.
This short story was featured in Ellen Datlow’s Teeth: Vampire Stories.

7. NORTH AMERICAN LAKE MONSTERS

A man fresh out of prison tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter but his daughter seems
to be more interested with an unknown enormous creature that washed up by the lakeside.

The title story is another tale where the real monster is not what it seems. The lake creature may
be dead but the inability of the father to connect with his family- resulting in unpleasant
confrontations- is the real horror to be reckoned with. The tale also features some effective
body-horror scenes and a baffling ending.

8. THE WAY STATION

A vagrant is being haunted by a most unusual ghost, a specter that might be the only thing that
gave him value and importance his whole life. Now he must choose between that specter and
the other part of his past life that is reluctant to go back to him.

A heartbreaking ghost story. Ballingrud seems to be exorcising demons here, both national and
personal. I cannot spoil anything; just read it for yourself.

9. THE GOOD HUSBAND

A husband tries to patch up things with his suicidal wife when one night the impossible happens
and he is trapped in a crazy situation that will only end in more death and heartbreak.

Is this Ballingrud’s tribute to a famous Edgar Allan Poe Story? (No Spoiler) Even if it is not, it still
deals with some very sensitive topics and explores the disintegration of a family unit through a
time-tested horror trope: unwanted immortality.

Final Thoughts: Read this book if you want great, emotionally-affecting horror stories.