Book Review: Where Man and Monster Meet

A new collection of fairy tales by Eric Tamburino

From the Book Jacket:

An aspiring actor, lost in a city, where everyone wears a mask; a young academic, tampering with both magic and love; the most beautiful woman in the world, trapped in a tower for centuries; a murderous werewolf on the loose; a princess, kidnapped by a guilt-ridden vampire; and a man, who walks with Death... Where will it end?

​Review:
Where Man and Monster Meet is a collection of 6 dark fairy tales, some twists on old favorites like Beauty and the Beast, others more original, all richly detailed and thoroughly enjoyable. Each story takes on the classic question of what is or makes a man (or, alternatively, what separates the man from the beast) and explores the question from imaginative points of view. The prose is fast moving and rich in detail. Like all good fairy tales, there are curses, cut-throats, acts of heroism and cowardice, and romance aplenty, along with moments of genuine shock and suspense. Stand-outs among the collection are The Price of Beauty (when his city is under siege, a young prince must decide to take the path of honor or allow jealousy to color his judgement) and The Wolf (a grieving lone knight defends a family from were-wolf attacks) - The Wolf has an especially intense ending that lovers of old Gothic novels are sure to appreciate. But each of the stories hold their own and the reader is sure to find plenty to enjoy here. This is a knock-out first-book from a thoughtful new author - highly recommended.

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