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Boys, Beasts & Men
In Nebula Award-winning author Sam J. Miller’s devastating debut short-fiction collection, featuring an introduction by Amal El-Mohtar, queer infatuation, inevitable heartbreak, and brutal revenge seamlessly intertwine. Whether innocent, guilty, or not even human, the boys, beasts, and men roaming through Miller’s gorgeously crafted worlds can destroy readers, yet leave them wanting more.
“Miller’s sheer talent shines through in abundance . . . Boys, Beasts & Men is an outrageous journey which skillfully blends genres and will haunt you with its original, poetic voices as much as its victims, villains, and treasure trove of leading actors.”
—Grimdark Magazine
Despite his ability to control the ambient digital cloud, a foster teen falls for a clever con-man. Luring bullies to a quarry, a boy takes clearly enumerated revenge through unnatural powers of suggestion. In the aftermath of a shapeshifting alien invasion, a survivor fears that he brought something out of the Arctic to infect the rest of the world. A rebellious group of queer artists create a new identity that transcends even the anonymity of death.
Sam J. Miller (Blackfish City, The Art of Starving) shows his savage wit, unrelenting candor, and lush imagery in this essential career retrospective collection, taking his place alongside legends of the short-fiction form such as Carmen Maria Machado, Carson McCullers, and Jeff VanderMeer.
“Miller’s sheer talent shines through in abundance . . . Boys, Beasts & Men is an outrageous journey which skillfully blends genres and will haunt you with its original, poetic voices as much as its victims, villains, and treasure trove of leading actors.”
—Grimdark Magazine
Despite his ability to control the ambient digital cloud, a foster teen falls for a clever con-man. Luring bullies to a quarry, a boy takes clearly enumerated revenge through unnatural powers of suggestion. In the aftermath of a shapeshifting alien invasion, a survivor fears that he brought something out of the Arctic to infect the rest of the world. A rebellious group of queer artists create a new identity that transcends even the anonymity of death.
Sam J. Miller (Blackfish City, The Art of Starving) shows his savage wit, unrelenting candor, and lush imagery in this essential career retrospective collection, taking his place alongside legends of the short-fiction form such as Carmen Maria Machado, Carson McCullers, and Jeff VanderMeer.
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2022
About the author
Sam J. Miller
89 books823 followersSam J. Miller is the last in a long line of butchers, and the Nebula-Award-winning author of THE ART OF STARVING, one of NPR's Best Books of the Year. His second novel, BLACKFISH CITY was a "Must Read" according to Entertainment Weekly and O: The Oprah Magazine, and one of the best books of 2018 according to the Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and more. He got gay-married in a guerrilla wedding in the shadow of a tyrannosaurus skeleton. He lives in New York City, and at samjmiller.com.
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June 13, 2023A terrific short story collection full of strangeness, magic, SF, and hurt. It's immensely queer and achingly sad and angry and brave and defiant, with characters who have the courage to reach for joy in a world that tells them they have no right to exist. Really excellent writing and immense imagination, but it's the purity of its anger, pain and joy that stays with you.
Currently part of the Pride Storybundle (June 2023) and worth the price of admission on its own.
Currently part of the Pride Storybundle (June 2023) and worth the price of admission on its own.
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February 13, 2022Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
Urgh, there needs to be a word for, like, that sinking feeling you get when you’re not the right person to review a book but you kind of have to try because them are the rules. So let me start off by saying: I am not the right person to be talking about this book. First off, I admire short stories more than I enjoy them—and I really shouldn’t be reading them, except I know they’re a, y’know, a thing and I do kind of think it’s important to keep pushing against the boundaries of what limits your own interactions with art. Secondly, this was my first experience with this author, which is entirely my own ignorance I hasten to add and not a weird dig (the first 10% of his book is literally page after page after page of how brilliant he is, followed by an introduction from Amal El-Mohtar), and I don’t think Boys, Beasts and Men is necessarily the best introduction to his work: some of the stories actively reference his other work and I guess there’s part of me that always feels a short story is, like, a quickie in the fire escape with an author. Whereas with a novel they take you home, make you breakfast in the morning and sometimes promise to call.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say here is that I wanted to love these stories and I didn’t love them. I admired them, I appreciated what they were doing, I recognised the talent of the author: didn’t quite get what I was looking for emotionally-speaking. Which, y’know, is my own damn fault for going for a quickie in the fire escape.
What these stories are, though, is incredibly queer. Although, to me, it felt a very US-centric understanding of queerness, both in terms of the cultural reference points, and the aspects of identity it took as foundational. I hasten to add that this is an observation, not a criticism, but I found it genuinely interesting the degree to which I felt simultaneously spoken to and alienated. The alienation, I think, sprang not from the differences (I think the degree to which queerness not just internally but externally is something we don’t talk about enough in our rush to crowd-sourced homogenisation) but for what I came across to me as the unquestioned assumption that these experiences and touches were universal.
Anyway, these stories are all queer, set in a SFnal aligned version of the world as we might just about be able to recognise it, and united by themes that, err, when I wrote them out just looked like a list of abstract concepts. But, like, love, prejudice, masculinity, beauty, tenderness, violence, exploitation examined through this explicitly queer lens. While the stories are not connected, or even set in same time or within the same vision of the future, they build on each other and reflect each other like a good concept album. There’s a framing device, too, in which a young man in bar picks up or is picked up a hot but faintly sinister stranger who … uh … forgive the slightly inelegant word choice … infects him with the power of stories. It works but it also feels a bit blunt.
And, honestly, I think working but feeling a bit blunt is where I’m at with most of these stories? The least successful of them, while beautifully written, ended up feel either one step too obscure (Sun in an Empty Room, for example, is told from the perspective of a couch, which, and forgive the failure of empathy here, didn’t end up doing much for me personally) or one step too obvious (Shucked is a privilege-metaphor body-stealing story). And the ones that really drew me in tended to leave me wanting more in the unsatisfied rather than tantalised sense. We Are The Cloud, for example, posits a Black Mirror-esque future NYC where the impoverished essentially sell their brain processing power to companies. Between that, and the bare sketch of a relationship between the narrator and another, I felt I was kind of licking the bones of this story. Similarly, The Beast We Want To Be is set in Russia during the Communist revolution: there’s this truly horrific toxic masculinity allegory backstory type thing where young men are conditioned via devices called Pavlov’s Boxes to embody the ideals of the State and, maybe, develop super powers. Part of the plot here involves the relationship between the narrator and his immediate superior, a kind of Pavlov’s Boxes wunderkind. Unfortunately, much like We Are The Cloud, the relationship so very lightly sketched that its impact on the narrator felt muted and insufficient to drive the action of the story beyond its themes of resistance, surrender, and loss.
And I do kind of realise that I’m sitting here probably sounding like I have a terminal case of romance reader being like “but I needed more from the relationships”. But relationships—or if not relationships then connections—are, like, a theme, dammit. Like, a major deal is the way empathy can act as form of resistance, even rebellion, against the various forces that seek to control marginalised people, whether that’s social or government, or even just personal hate or prejudice.
For me, the story I liked best—and I sincerely fell in love with this one—was also the one that, on the surface, seems least calculated to appeal to me. Conspicuous Plumage is set in the aftermath of a murderous gay-bashing. The heroine (the victim’s sister) goes on a sort of road trip to the place where her brother died in order to come to terms both with the way he died and with his loss. It’s sort of anti-revenge story (in contrast to one of the earlier stories, 57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides, which is also kind of anti-revenge story but told as a revenge story and, again, to me ran aground on its own brevity) and (with the exception of When Your Child Strays From God which I liked but found one-step too blunt) I think the most explicitly hopeful of all of the stories in the collection. Again, this probably says more about me than about the stories.
I’m aware it’s probably odd to describe a story about some girl’s murdered gay brother “hopeful” but it doesn’t, you know, dwell, and the magical elements (everyone just kind of has powers maybe) functioned well in metaphor-space without feeling like they needed more detail. This is very directly a story about empathy, not so much empathy for people who commit terrible acts, but about being open to the beauty and the vulnerability of those around you even in the wake of grief. Of all the relationships in these stories, I found the ostensibly straight one between a dead gay boy’s bereaved sister and the damaged boy she convinces to take her to the site of her brother’s murder the most affecting. It’s unexpectedly tender and—unlike many of the other relationships portrayed in these stories—allows both characters to recognise each other’s pain in ways that allow for meaningful connection, not just exploitation:
In any case, the more I think about these stories, and the connections between them, the more I find things to appreciate and ponder over. It’s more than enough to make me want to seek out the author’s full-length novels, but not quite enough to help this collection cross the line from something I can recognise the value of into something I unabashedly love for myself. They are, however, impressive in their scope and exquisitely written. And I do think it will be love for many readers.
Do check trigger warnings before embarking. Some of these are very dark.
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
Urgh, there needs to be a word for, like, that sinking feeling you get when you’re not the right person to review a book but you kind of have to try because them are the rules. So let me start off by saying: I am not the right person to be talking about this book. First off, I admire short stories more than I enjoy them—and I really shouldn’t be reading them, except I know they’re a, y’know, a thing and I do kind of think it’s important to keep pushing against the boundaries of what limits your own interactions with art. Secondly, this was my first experience with this author, which is entirely my own ignorance I hasten to add and not a weird dig (the first 10% of his book is literally page after page after page of how brilliant he is, followed by an introduction from Amal El-Mohtar), and I don’t think Boys, Beasts and Men is necessarily the best introduction to his work: some of the stories actively reference his other work and I guess there’s part of me that always feels a short story is, like, a quickie in the fire escape with an author. Whereas with a novel they take you home, make you breakfast in the morning and sometimes promise to call.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say here is that I wanted to love these stories and I didn’t love them. I admired them, I appreciated what they were doing, I recognised the talent of the author: didn’t quite get what I was looking for emotionally-speaking. Which, y’know, is my own damn fault for going for a quickie in the fire escape.
What these stories are, though, is incredibly queer. Although, to me, it felt a very US-centric understanding of queerness, both in terms of the cultural reference points, and the aspects of identity it took as foundational. I hasten to add that this is an observation, not a criticism, but I found it genuinely interesting the degree to which I felt simultaneously spoken to and alienated. The alienation, I think, sprang not from the differences (I think the degree to which queerness not just internally but externally is something we don’t talk about enough in our rush to crowd-sourced homogenisation) but for what I came across to me as the unquestioned assumption that these experiences and touches were universal.
Anyway, these stories are all queer, set in a SFnal aligned version of the world as we might just about be able to recognise it, and united by themes that, err, when I wrote them out just looked like a list of abstract concepts. But, like, love, prejudice, masculinity, beauty, tenderness, violence, exploitation examined through this explicitly queer lens. While the stories are not connected, or even set in same time or within the same vision of the future, they build on each other and reflect each other like a good concept album. There’s a framing device, too, in which a young man in bar picks up or is picked up a hot but faintly sinister stranger who … uh … forgive the slightly inelegant word choice … infects him with the power of stories. It works but it also feels a bit blunt.
And, honestly, I think working but feeling a bit blunt is where I’m at with most of these stories? The least successful of them, while beautifully written, ended up feel either one step too obscure (Sun in an Empty Room, for example, is told from the perspective of a couch, which, and forgive the failure of empathy here, didn’t end up doing much for me personally) or one step too obvious (Shucked is a privilege-metaphor body-stealing story). And the ones that really drew me in tended to leave me wanting more in the unsatisfied rather than tantalised sense. We Are The Cloud, for example, posits a Black Mirror-esque future NYC where the impoverished essentially sell their brain processing power to companies. Between that, and the bare sketch of a relationship between the narrator and another, I felt I was kind of licking the bones of this story. Similarly, The Beast We Want To Be is set in Russia during the Communist revolution: there’s this truly horrific toxic masculinity allegory backstory type thing where young men are conditioned via devices called Pavlov’s Boxes to embody the ideals of the State and, maybe, develop super powers. Part of the plot here involves the relationship between the narrator and his immediate superior, a kind of Pavlov’s Boxes wunderkind. Unfortunately, much like We Are The Cloud, the relationship so very lightly sketched that its impact on the narrator felt muted and insufficient to drive the action of the story beyond its themes of resistance, surrender, and loss.
And I do kind of realise that I’m sitting here probably sounding like I have a terminal case of romance reader being like “but I needed more from the relationships”. But relationships—or if not relationships then connections—are, like, a theme, dammit. Like, a major deal is the way empathy can act as form of resistance, even rebellion, against the various forces that seek to control marginalised people, whether that’s social or government, or even just personal hate or prejudice.
For me, the story I liked best—and I sincerely fell in love with this one—was also the one that, on the surface, seems least calculated to appeal to me. Conspicuous Plumage is set in the aftermath of a murderous gay-bashing. The heroine (the victim’s sister) goes on a sort of road trip to the place where her brother died in order to come to terms both with the way he died and with his loss. It’s sort of anti-revenge story (in contrast to one of the earlier stories, 57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides, which is also kind of anti-revenge story but told as a revenge story and, again, to me ran aground on its own brevity) and (with the exception of When Your Child Strays From God which I liked but found one-step too blunt) I think the most explicitly hopeful of all of the stories in the collection. Again, this probably says more about me than about the stories.
I’m aware it’s probably odd to describe a story about some girl’s murdered gay brother “hopeful” but it doesn’t, you know, dwell, and the magical elements (everyone just kind of has powers maybe) functioned well in metaphor-space without feeling like they needed more detail. This is very directly a story about empathy, not so much empathy for people who commit terrible acts, but about being open to the beauty and the vulnerability of those around you even in the wake of grief. Of all the relationships in these stories, I found the ostensibly straight one between a dead gay boy’s bereaved sister and the damaged boy she convinces to take her to the site of her brother’s murder the most affecting. It’s unexpectedly tender and—unlike many of the other relationships portrayed in these stories—allows both characters to recognise each other’s pain in ways that allow for meaningful connection, not just exploitation:
There was no safe answer. Nothing that wouldn’t hurt him. Nothing that wouldn’t crack that lovely face down the middle. I’d been about to say I don’t know, it’s just something I overheard someone saying, but I saw now that this would hurt him even more. Even if it was the truth. To be reminded that he was gossiped about, to hear again how stories were passed from stranger to stranger, would be too devastating for fragile, private, little Hiram Raff.
In any case, the more I think about these stories, and the connections between them, the more I find things to appreciate and ponder over. It’s more than enough to make me want to seek out the author’s full-length novels, but not quite enough to help this collection cross the line from something I can recognise the value of into something I unabashedly love for myself. They are, however, impressive in their scope and exquisitely written. And I do think it will be love for many readers.
Do check trigger warnings before embarking. Some of these are very dark.
April 22, 2022
Boys, Beasts & Men is an excellent short story collection. Weird, brutal, and very human, it blends hope and pain, nostalgia, fear, and grief, but with a speculative twist.
The stories all contain some kind of speculative element- be it dinosaurs, house spirits, aliens, or a future with a climate apocalypse - they most often center queer men and boys, unflinchingly engaging with homophobia, race, poverty, addiction, death, and the pain of heartbreak. Several of the stories touch on the AIDS crisis with all of the fear and grief that went with it. One of my favorites was about a Christian mom trying to reach her teen son and come to terms with the fact that he's gay, except she does it through this weird drug that causes shared hallucinations. Miller does an excellent job of showing the nuance and humanity of characters, even those who are broken and deeply flawed.
This collection has a lot of variety but feels thematically and tonally pretty cohesive, which can be hard to achieve. The creativity and searing insight create a through line throughout. Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy for review, all opinions are my own.
There are a lot of content warnings because these can get quite dark. They include things like child abuse, homophobia, death, violence, etc.
The stories all contain some kind of speculative element- be it dinosaurs, house spirits, aliens, or a future with a climate apocalypse - they most often center queer men and boys, unflinchingly engaging with homophobia, race, poverty, addiction, death, and the pain of heartbreak. Several of the stories touch on the AIDS crisis with all of the fear and grief that went with it. One of my favorites was about a Christian mom trying to reach her teen son and come to terms with the fact that he's gay, except she does it through this weird drug that causes shared hallucinations. Miller does an excellent job of showing the nuance and humanity of characters, even those who are broken and deeply flawed.
This collection has a lot of variety but feels thematically and tonally pretty cohesive, which can be hard to achieve. The creativity and searing insight create a through line throughout. Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy for review, all opinions are my own.
There are a lot of content warnings because these can get quite dark. They include things like child abuse, homophobia, death, violence, etc.
June 13, 2024
Almost every story has gay character(s). All of these stories have a spooky theme. I liked the consistency of this single-author collection. All were ~20 pages, and got right to the point, the way short-stories tend to do.
4.25*
I really liked having these individual stories to read in-between my other books and chapters. When I had the mood for some eerie writing that would yield a moral point I would reach for this book. Very thought provoking. I can almost elevate this book to 5* just for how it made me THINK!
1 Allosaurus Burgers
Boys: Max
Beasts (Sci Fi): Allosaurus
Men: Dad
Idea: A live Allosaurus is caught. 9-year-old Max has parents split, with seemingly strong Mom, and a sister in college that is becoming pro-Dad. (I read this story last since a couple different reviewers thought this story didn't really belong in this collection. I agree. Story OK, but definitely doesn't match with the others)
2.5*
2 57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides
Boys: Jared+Anchel (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): The Gift
Men: Bullies from school
Idea: Don't you just wish your thoughts could control bullies?
4.5*
3 We Are The Cloud
Boys: Sauro+Chase (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): The Cloud
Men: Porn filmers
Idea: What if our brains became internet hub/storage?
4.5*
4 Conspicuous Plumage
Boys: Taylor+Hiram (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): To see things
Men: Bullies at College
Idea: Isn't college where we can really be our true selves?
4.5*
5 Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart
Boys: Solomon(gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): King Kong
Men: Nazi's/Antisemitism
Idea: Doesn't everyone feel bad for King Kong?
4*
6 Shucked
Boys: Teek(bi)+Adney
Beasts (Sci Fi): Shucked
Men: The tourist
Idea: How about 'shucking' your body for a short while to be someone else?
5* (my 2nd fav)
7 The Beasts We Want To Be
Boys: Nilolai (gay)+Apolek
Beasts (Sci Fi): A Pavlov Box
Men: Red Army
Idea: Obey or 'the box'
4.5*
8 Calved
Boys: Thede+Han (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): Flooded coasts
Men: Dad
Idea: Dad has seemingly good intentions, but he has lost touch.
5* - My Favorite
9 When You Child Strays From God
Boys: Tim+Brent (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): Webbing
Men: Dad/Jerome (Preacher)
Idea: Mom's love wants what is best for her son, but is this just the parents' idea?
4*
10 Things With Beards
Boys: MacReady+Hugh+Childs (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): Something Inside
Men: The police
Idea: Something has taken over from the inside.
3*
11 Ghosts of Home
Boys: Micah
Beasts (Sci Fi): House Spirits
Men: Trask
Idea: Evicting and demolishing houses when people are in need is not a nice thing to do.
4*
12 The Heat of Us: Nots Toward an Oral History
Boys: Ben (gay), Quentin, Craig(gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): Togetherness Heat
Men: Chief Asher/Police
Idea: Stonewall, with a heat-twist.
3.5*
13 Angel, Monster, Man
Boys: Jakob; Pablo; Derrick
Beasts (Sci Fi): AIDS
Men: Tom
Idea: Fictitious 'Tom' can represent the men that AIDS has taken.
4*
14 Sun in an Empty Room
Boys: Tim
Beasts (Sci Fi): Couch (that loves)
Men: x
Idea: The couch has feelings for Tim
4*
4.25*
I really liked having these individual stories to read in-between my other books and chapters. When I had the mood for some eerie writing that would yield a moral point I would reach for this book. Very thought provoking. I can almost elevate this book to 5* just for how it made me THINK!
1 Allosaurus Burgers
Boys: Max
Beasts (Sci Fi): Allosaurus
Men: Dad
Idea: A live Allosaurus is caught. 9-year-old Max has parents split, with seemingly strong Mom, and a sister in college that is becoming pro-Dad. (I read this story last since a couple different reviewers thought this story didn't really belong in this collection. I agree. Story OK, but definitely doesn't match with the others)
2.5*
2 57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides
Boys: Jared+Anchel (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): The Gift
Men: Bullies from school
Idea: Don't you just wish your thoughts could control bullies?
4.5*
3 We Are The Cloud
Boys: Sauro+Chase (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): The Cloud
Men: Porn filmers
Idea: What if our brains became internet hub/storage?
4.5*
4 Conspicuous Plumage
Boys: Taylor+Hiram (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): To see things
Men: Bullies at College
Idea: Isn't college where we can really be our true selves?
4.5*
5 Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart
Boys: Solomon(gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): King Kong
Men: Nazi's/Antisemitism
Idea: Doesn't everyone feel bad for King Kong?
4*
6 Shucked
Boys: Teek(bi)+Adney
Beasts (Sci Fi): Shucked
Men: The tourist
Idea: How about 'shucking' your body for a short while to be someone else?
5* (my 2nd fav)
7 The Beasts We Want To Be
Boys: Nilolai (gay)+Apolek
Beasts (Sci Fi): A Pavlov Box
Men: Red Army
Idea: Obey or 'the box'
4.5*
8 Calved
Boys: Thede+Han (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): Flooded coasts
Men: Dad
Idea: Dad has seemingly good intentions, but he has lost touch.
5* - My Favorite
9 When You Child Strays From God
Boys: Tim+Brent (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): Webbing
Men: Dad/Jerome (Preacher)
Idea: Mom's love wants what is best for her son, but is this just the parents' idea?
4*
10 Things With Beards
Boys: MacReady+Hugh+Childs (gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): Something Inside
Men: The police
Idea: Something has taken over from the inside.
3*
11 Ghosts of Home
Boys: Micah
Beasts (Sci Fi): House Spirits
Men: Trask
Idea: Evicting and demolishing houses when people are in need is not a nice thing to do.
4*
12 The Heat of Us: Nots Toward an Oral History
Boys: Ben (gay), Quentin, Craig(gay)
Beasts (Sci Fi): Togetherness Heat
Men: Chief Asher/Police
Idea: Stonewall, with a heat-twist.
3.5*
13 Angel, Monster, Man
Boys: Jakob; Pablo; Derrick
Beasts (Sci Fi): AIDS
Men: Tom
Idea: Fictitious 'Tom' can represent the men that AIDS has taken.
4*
14 Sun in an Empty Room
Boys: Tim
Beasts (Sci Fi): Couch (that loves)
Men: x
Idea: The couch has feelings for Tim
4*
June 14, 2022
3.5 stars.
If light horror speculative fiction is your jam, Boys, Beasts & Men should be on your TBR.
There are 15 stories (not including the interstitials) in this collection. The majority of them shared themes of family tension with young gay boys where the parents go to great lengths to fix their relationships, anger and/or injustice manifested as physical forms, AIDS, etc.
My favorite story in this collection is “Ghosts of Home,” which, a little ironically, was probably the only story that wasn’t on-page queer. As the title suggests, there are ghosts of houses even if no one lives there anymore, and I love how they all have personalities, backstories, and rage. Also, who doesn’t love some good ghost friends?
Boys, Beasts & Men is a very angry book. It is essentially about the monster in everyone and the monsters in the society. Miller also did an exceptional job with the interstitials for this collection. Every short scene (a few sentences long) links the preceding and following stories, and by the end, the interstitials come together, too.
There were a few times where the author’s choices in writing certain characters gave me a pause, and it was a slight disappointment that all stories are very cis and very gender binary (in terms of language).
Overall, I enjoyed Miller’s stories, the way he builds up tension and ties everything to a central theme while introducing prominent speculative elements. I have not previously read any of his works, but upon finishing Boys, Beasts & Men, I will definitely be paying more attention to his stories across different SFF magazines.
content warnings: homophobia, racism, AIDS, drug abuse, abusive relationship, gore, sex, slurs (queer: f-slur, d-slur; racist: E*), murder, death, suicidal thoughts, mugging, corporate & government violence against homeless people, animal deaths
Buddy read with Gabriella!
I received an advanced digital copy from Tachyon Publications and am voluntarily leaving a review.
If light horror speculative fiction is your jam, Boys, Beasts & Men should be on your TBR.
There are 15 stories (not including the interstitials) in this collection. The majority of them shared themes of family tension with young gay boys where the parents go to great lengths to fix their relationships, anger and/or injustice manifested as physical forms, AIDS, etc.
My favorite story in this collection is “Ghosts of Home,” which, a little ironically, was probably the only story that wasn’t on-page queer. As the title suggests, there are ghosts of houses even if no one lives there anymore, and I love how they all have personalities, backstories, and rage. Also, who doesn’t love some good ghost friends?
Boys, Beasts & Men is a very angry book. It is essentially about the monster in everyone and the monsters in the society. Miller also did an exceptional job with the interstitials for this collection. Every short scene (a few sentences long) links the preceding and following stories, and by the end, the interstitials come together, too.
There were a few times where the author’s choices in writing certain characters gave me a pause, and it was a slight disappointment that all stories are very cis and very gender binary (in terms of language).
Overall, I enjoyed Miller’s stories, the way he builds up tension and ties everything to a central theme while introducing prominent speculative elements. I have not previously read any of his works, but upon finishing Boys, Beasts & Men, I will definitely be paying more attention to his stories across different SFF magazines.
content warnings: homophobia, racism, AIDS, drug abuse, abusive relationship, gore, sex, slurs (queer: f-slur, d-slur; racist: E*), murder, death, suicidal thoughts, mugging, corporate & government violence against homeless people, animal deaths
Buddy read with Gabriella!
I received an advanced digital copy from Tachyon Publications and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 27, 2022
3.75 (?) stars ish
this was really fun and weird
im not a big short-story-person because i much more enjoy a tied-together narrative that follows throughout the whole book but i actually really enjoyed this. my main reason for taking off stars is really just that short stories aren’t my thing, but i think if some of these had been full novellas or even novels i would have liked them a LOT. the second to last one in particular was so good.
some of the stories are, naturally, much better than some others, but that’s obviously to be expected and i’d like to see any author miraculously write nothing but perfect short stories in a collection (it will never happen).
also, this is GAY. like fully out there unequivocally gay throughout every story. and i think the fact that this story collection is a little fucked up kind of adds to it. it’s honestly really annoying when the only LGBT rep is soft cinnamon roll (barf) characters who can do no wrong. i want to see some crazy idiots or people who just make bad choices because they’re people and that’s what they do.
anyway, if you’re someone who’s really into short story collections you should read this. it’s weird and messy.
thanks to the publicist for providing an advanced readers copy :)
this was really fun and weird
im not a big short-story-person because i much more enjoy a tied-together narrative that follows throughout the whole book but i actually really enjoyed this. my main reason for taking off stars is really just that short stories aren’t my thing, but i think if some of these had been full novellas or even novels i would have liked them a LOT. the second to last one in particular was so good.
some of the stories are, naturally, much better than some others, but that’s obviously to be expected and i’d like to see any author miraculously write nothing but perfect short stories in a collection (it will never happen).
also, this is GAY. like fully out there unequivocally gay throughout every story. and i think the fact that this story collection is a little fucked up kind of adds to it. it’s honestly really annoying when the only LGBT rep is soft cinnamon roll (barf) characters who can do no wrong. i want to see some crazy idiots or people who just make bad choices because they’re people and that’s what they do.
anyway, if you’re someone who’s really into short story collections you should read this. it’s weird and messy.
thanks to the publicist for providing an advanced readers copy :)
February 6, 2022
An excellent collection of stories. I read a lot of short stories-- on their own, as part of magazines, anthologies, or collections like this one. This book actually took me quite some time to finish because I kind of hated the first story and dropped it because of that. Having finished it, it feels kind of out of place.
I liked the majority of stories in this (which is a rarity for short story collections), but it took me until about 1/3rd into it before I started really loving it. These stories are exactly what's on the tin- exploring boys loving boys, literal beasts and monsters but also the monsters inside of us. It's unabashedly queer, alwas hard-hitting, and although they felt a bit one-note at the beginning it became a varied bunch of stories by the end. Would definitely recommend.
Just drop the burger story.
INDIVIDUAL REVIEWS FOR EACH STORY:
Allosaurus burgers was a funny story, but not really my kind of thing. Feels like a Scalzi short. [2/5]
57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides was an excellent Stephen King-esque story in terms of content but more experimental (told through a list). Really enjoyed this one. [4/5]
We Are the Cloud was DARK, but not the whole way through. Loved the world. [3.5/5]
Conspicuous Plumage
A story of grief. A small story told well. Mostly enjoyed the characters in this. [4/5]
Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart [4.5]
Loved this one. A cab driver gets an inconspicuous guest in his cab... King Kong's girl.
Shucked
For $10,000, would you give someone control of your body for an hour? Or... Longer? [4/5]
The Beasts We Want to Be
Exploring superhero-esque experimentation on people during times of war, from the perspective of one who has been experimented on. [3.5/5]
Calved [5/5]
A tragic story of a father desperately trying to get his son to love him again.
When Your Child Strays from God [4/5]
This is a great pairing with the previous story! It's about a mother trying to understand her son, and "save" him from the path he's currently on. Paired with some interesting drug concept, it makes for a nice story.
Things With Beards [3/5]
The Thing story about the monsters inside us. Not bad.
Ghosts of Home [4.5]
This story feels like a spiritual sequel to Open House on Haunted Hill. It's a similar tale told differently. Houses have spirits, and abandoned houses get lonely. What happens when the 2008 banking crisis hits, and many people lose their home?
The Heat of Us: Notes Towards an Oral History [4/5]
An alternative history account of Stonewall, where the queer people at Stonewall who fought back were also supernatural. A celebration of celebrations.
Angel, Monster, Man [4/5]
Another chilling piece, this time about the AIDS epidemic and how the government handled it (read: didn't handle it). An imaginary person, some fictional figurehead for the revolution, seems to become real.
Sun in an Empty Room [3/5]
A very musical story!
DISCLAIMER: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the majority of stories in this (which is a rarity for short story collections), but it took me until about 1/3rd into it before I started really loving it. These stories are exactly what's on the tin- exploring boys loving boys, literal beasts and monsters but also the monsters inside of us. It's unabashedly queer, alwas hard-hitting, and although they felt a bit one-note at the beginning it became a varied bunch of stories by the end. Would definitely recommend.
Just drop the burger story.
INDIVIDUAL REVIEWS FOR EACH STORY:
Allosaurus burgers was a funny story, but not really my kind of thing. Feels like a Scalzi short. [2/5]
57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides was an excellent Stephen King-esque story in terms of content but more experimental (told through a list). Really enjoyed this one. [4/5]
We Are the Cloud was DARK, but not the whole way through. Loved the world. [3.5/5]
Conspicuous Plumage
A story of grief. A small story told well. Mostly enjoyed the characters in this. [4/5]
Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart [4.5]
Loved this one. A cab driver gets an inconspicuous guest in his cab... King Kong's girl.
Shucked
For $10,000, would you give someone control of your body for an hour? Or... Longer? [4/5]
The Beasts We Want to Be
Exploring superhero-esque experimentation on people during times of war, from the perspective of one who has been experimented on. [3.5/5]
Calved [5/5]
A tragic story of a father desperately trying to get his son to love him again.
When Your Child Strays from God [4/5]
This is a great pairing with the previous story! It's about a mother trying to understand her son, and "save" him from the path he's currently on. Paired with some interesting drug concept, it makes for a nice story.
Things With Beards [3/5]
The Thing story about the monsters inside us. Not bad.
Ghosts of Home [4.5]
This story feels like a spiritual sequel to Open House on Haunted Hill. It's a similar tale told differently. Houses have spirits, and abandoned houses get lonely. What happens when the 2008 banking crisis hits, and many people lose their home?
The Heat of Us: Notes Towards an Oral History [4/5]
An alternative history account of Stonewall, where the queer people at Stonewall who fought back were also supernatural. A celebration of celebrations.
Angel, Monster, Man [4/5]
Another chilling piece, this time about the AIDS epidemic and how the government handled it (read: didn't handle it). An imaginary person, some fictional figurehead for the revolution, seems to become real.
Sun in an Empty Room [3/5]
A very musical story!
DISCLAIMER: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 7, 2022
Boys, Beasts & Men is a collection of short stories, loosely tied together through brief interludes between two strangers. It blends genres, but I would largely class the stories as queer spec-fic, focused mostly on the uncanny, with a vaguely disturbing feel. The stories are well-written and thought-provoking, and my star rating reflects my level of enjoyment of the stories as opposed to the quality of the work.
Some content warnings I believe should be included in the published version: exploitation through porn; child abuse; homophobia; use of a homophobic slur. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but certainly regarding the plotlines in We Are The Cloud and The Beasts We Want to Be, I did not expect to read this content, and was not prepared for it in any way, which impacted my enjoyment of the book. Content warnings help readers decide whether the book is an appropriate read for them, and help them prepare beforehand for what they will read, and for the difficult memories that may resurface.
Many of the characters included in the stories of Boys, Beasts & Men had a lot of potential, so I felt it was somewhat disappointing to see them in a short story setting. Especially with Nikolai in The Beasts We Want to Be, I wanted so badly to read a novel about him. Due to the length of the stories, I felt there was limited opportunity to engage with the characters, which meant the more disturbing aspects of the stories came across as somewhat gratuitous in my eyes. The length of the stories, and the disparate characters and their lives, meant I struggled to connect to anyone, which for me is a key part of enjoying fiction, and explains my relatively low rating. I thought the stories themselves were well-written, and I would especially recommend them to readers who enjoy speculative fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free eARC of Boys, Beasts & Men. These opinions are my own.
Some content warnings I believe should be included in the published version: exploitation through porn; child abuse; homophobia; use of a homophobic slur. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but certainly regarding the plotlines in We Are The Cloud and The Beasts We Want to Be, I did not expect to read this content, and was not prepared for it in any way, which impacted my enjoyment of the book. Content warnings help readers decide whether the book is an appropriate read for them, and help them prepare beforehand for what they will read, and for the difficult memories that may resurface.
Many of the characters included in the stories of Boys, Beasts & Men had a lot of potential, so I felt it was somewhat disappointing to see them in a short story setting. Especially with Nikolai in The Beasts We Want to Be, I wanted so badly to read a novel about him. Due to the length of the stories, I felt there was limited opportunity to engage with the characters, which meant the more disturbing aspects of the stories came across as somewhat gratuitous in my eyes. The length of the stories, and the disparate characters and their lives, meant I struggled to connect to anyone, which for me is a key part of enjoying fiction, and explains my relatively low rating. I thought the stories themselves were well-written, and I would especially recommend them to readers who enjoy speculative fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free eARC of Boys, Beasts & Men. These opinions are my own.
January 6, 2023
As someone who likes to binge read, this collection of short stories made me slow down and really think about what was happening in each of them. At times depressing and grim, each one is filled with hunger and longing and the urge to connect. They're strange and twisty, portraying worlds and realities subtly different from our own, ones where queer people have the power to start actual fires with their minds and house spirits interact with lonely humans. Some stories leave you wondering if what was described in the story really took place or not. Days later, I'm still thinking about them, haunted by the possibilities and what ifs.
I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
May 18, 2022
I was intrigued by the deceptive straightforwardness of the title of Boys, Beasts & Men—after all, mainstream sci-fi has historically been dominated by men writing about men—and was rewarded by the weirdness and queerness that Sam J. Miller brought to the table in this volume of short stories. Many of them have previously appeared in magazines over the years, but when brought together in this volume, the stories definitely gain something from proximity to each other. I honestly liked all of them, though there were a few weaker installments (which still had merit in either concept or execution, depending on what was lacking).
My favorites were “Things With Beards” (riffing on “The Thing,” a man comes back from a job in Antarctica unwittingly host to an alien, bringing it into the midst of a New York in the grips of the AIDS epidemic and rising police brutality), “Ghosts of Home” (in the aftermath of the subprime mortgage crisis, a woman is employed by a bank to leave offerings to placate the household spirits in foreclosed homes), and “Angel, Monster, Man” (three gay friends invent the fictional persona of Tom Minniq as a pen name for publishing the works of their friends who have died of AIDS, but it soon becomes apparent that their fictional creation has taken on a sinister life of its own).
I think I was hoping for something more Angela Carter-esque from this collection, but on the whole it’s more modern-urban-fantasy in style; I’d say in sensibility it often felt similar to N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became and Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone’s This is How You Lose the Time War (El-Mohtar actually wrote the introduction to this collection). A lot of urban sci-fi/fantasy, a lot of NYC stories, but also a lot of other material that really contributes to a diverse yet cohesive collection. The pacing was really good; the stories that deserved a little more length got it, and the others were kept short and sweet.
Thank you to Tachyon Publications for the NetGalley ARC.
My favorites were “Things With Beards” (riffing on “The Thing,” a man comes back from a job in Antarctica unwittingly host to an alien, bringing it into the midst of a New York in the grips of the AIDS epidemic and rising police brutality), “Ghosts of Home” (in the aftermath of the subprime mortgage crisis, a woman is employed by a bank to leave offerings to placate the household spirits in foreclosed homes), and “Angel, Monster, Man” (three gay friends invent the fictional persona of Tom Minniq as a pen name for publishing the works of their friends who have died of AIDS, but it soon becomes apparent that their fictional creation has taken on a sinister life of its own).
I think I was hoping for something more Angela Carter-esque from this collection, but on the whole it’s more modern-urban-fantasy in style; I’d say in sensibility it often felt similar to N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became and Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone’s This is How You Lose the Time War (El-Mohtar actually wrote the introduction to this collection). A lot of urban sci-fi/fantasy, a lot of NYC stories, but also a lot of other material that really contributes to a diverse yet cohesive collection. The pacing was really good; the stories that deserved a little more length got it, and the others were kept short and sweet.
Thank you to Tachyon Publications for the NetGalley ARC.
June 30, 2022
I cannot recommend this book. DNF at page 134. The stories were pretty obvious and on the nose, and the writing was not very technically skillful--in fact, the first few stories maybe needed another go with the editor.
There was a lot about infatuation and infatuation WITH infatuation, pining after "pretty" or "beautiful" or "gorgeous" boys and contemplating those always-awful jocks or jock-ish types. The interludes were a little groan-inducing. I know there are scenarios in which one sexual partner takes to using the word "boy" as part of the play, but it was hard for me to take it seriously after the fifth or sixth.
These problems often took the focus away from what was actually interesting in the stories, at least to me. There is one particular story I found infuriatingly guilty of this, in which the character, after being jilted by one of these charming love interests...well, I won't get too spoiler-y, but he unleashes something that made me stop and say, "I mean, THAT was a big part of your story." Instead it was a bit of a throwaway B-plot.
I also found the stories boring, to boot, which is the sort of cardinal sin that made me finally put it down.
There was a lot about infatuation and infatuation WITH infatuation, pining after "pretty" or "beautiful" or "gorgeous" boys and contemplating those always-awful jocks or jock-ish types. The interludes were a little groan-inducing. I know there are scenarios in which one sexual partner takes to using the word "boy" as part of the play, but it was hard for me to take it seriously after the fifth or sixth.
These problems often took the focus away from what was actually interesting in the stories, at least to me. There is one particular story I found infuriatingly guilty of this, in which the character, after being jilted by one of these charming love interests...well, I won't get too spoiler-y, but he unleashes something that made me stop and say, "I mean, THAT was a big part of your story." Instead it was a bit of a throwaway B-plot.
I also found the stories boring, to boot, which is the sort of cardinal sin that made me finally put it down.
November 6, 2022
This book is a bombshell. I was thrilled by the ideas at play here and how they were executed. Sam J. Miller touches on Bradbury and Gibson but this work is utterly his own. His uses dinosaurs, King Kong, The Thing, cyberpunk among others to explore destitution, racism, immigration, HIV/AIDS, homophobia, and love.
Read
August 8, 2023i think this might have been a five star collection because i really did enjoy most of these stories, they were excellent and thought provoking, but I felt the glaring absence of trans people but especially centering cis queer people in the story reimagining stonewall made me ill at ease.
July 4, 2022
4.5 stars. I pretty much hated these short stories, which is why I couldn't give this book 5 stars. But I couldn't give it fewer stars either - that would not do justice to how powerful, memorable, thought-provoking, creative, diverse, amazingly well-written these stories are, with characters that creep under your skin, and a gut punch and an education around inequality, lgbtq+ issues, school to prison+ pipeline and more. Makes vengeance seems like a rational response, but vengeance is hard, and dark, and very distressing. So, although I can't say I loved these stories, or even liked them (what an insipid word in the presence of this writing), I have uber respect for them. I'm glad I read the three I did, but I planned to stop there because they were so upsetting. Now, I find myself thinking of going back to read more because of the profound impact they are having on me.
I read the first three stories in order:
Allosaurus Burgers - relatively gentle start to this collection after you see what comes next. A sobering look at the parent/child relationship. The protagonist is also the protagonist of Miller's debut novel, The Art of Starving.
57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides - this one was the worst. Just harrowing.
We are the Cloud - an imprisoned black man, in the clutches of the prison/abuse system. I learned a lot from this one. Makes me rail against the corruption and horror in the treatment of those at the bottom of our society, through no fault of their own. It's all about the money. And the power. Is there a way out? This story will make you wonder.
I read the first three stories in order:
Allosaurus Burgers - relatively gentle start to this collection after you see what comes next. A sobering look at the parent/child relationship. The protagonist is also the protagonist of Miller's debut novel, The Art of Starving.
57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides - this one was the worst. Just harrowing.
We are the Cloud - an imprisoned black man, in the clutches of the prison/abuse system. I learned a lot from this one. Makes me rail against the corruption and horror in the treatment of those at the bottom of our society, through no fault of their own. It's all about the money. And the power. Is there a way out? This story will make you wonder.
March 9, 2024
Here is a collection with excellent high highs and kind of irksome, okay lows. The best stories in this book made worth reading the less compelling stories, but those were tired from hitting the same emotional and thematic beats over and over again, using stylistic prose that often didn’t amount to anything more than itself. However, in those few stunning stories among the okay ones, Miller commands emotion through provoking narrative where all the pieces fall into place perfectly.
Overall, Boys, Beasts & Men is a compelling collection where each story has a new and interesting world with something profound to say about queer identity, manhood, and sex (even the stories without a queer character, a man, or sex were still about queerness, manhood, and sex, which was either brilliant or annoying depending on the story). The best, in my opinion, were Calved, Things With Beards, Angel, Monster, Man, The Heat of Us, and Ghosts of Home.
Overall, Boys, Beasts & Men is a compelling collection where each story has a new and interesting world with something profound to say about queer identity, manhood, and sex (even the stories without a queer character, a man, or sex were still about queerness, manhood, and sex, which was either brilliant or annoying depending on the story). The best, in my opinion, were Calved, Things With Beards, Angel, Monster, Man, The Heat of Us, and Ghosts of Home.
December 29, 2022
Incandescent. Love the connections to his novels, the framing across the collection, the story notes at the end. And the stories: heart-rending, even the hopeful ones. Monstrous in exposing the harms of our economic regime.
October 3, 2023
I think this will be in my top 5 books of the year.
A short story collection of mostly speculative fiction, centered around queer men and boys. Excellent writing, wonderful stories and a coherent collection.
A short story collection of mostly speculative fiction, centered around queer men and boys. Excellent writing, wonderful stories and a coherent collection.
March 11, 2024
rtc.....if i remember
April 9, 2024
short story collections can be very hit or miss with me and this had some beautiful hits and severe misses!!! really cool ideas all around though
January 11, 2022
'Boys, Beasts & Men' is a phenomenal short story collection that brings to mind a pack of wolves, with each story pulsing to its own heartbeat, straining at the leash that affixes it to the whole with bestial vigor.
The stories are dark, enigmatic, eerie and fantastical, all written with surprising weightlessness. As a result, they invoke the feeling of trying to breathe in subzero temperatures, when puffs of gelled heat are replaced by a chill, one which steals more than just body heat. In much the same way, Miller's prose breaches and traces that most inner part, sneaking its way past the body's defenses, pawing at the senses.
Every story is wildly imaginative, each one twists and bends its form to stun and titillate that much more. And aside from the wonderfully eclectic narratives, which burst and shatter but never disenchant, it's emotion that dominates every page. Death, grief, rage, lust, longing, loss and desire breed various beasts and terrors, which are, in turn, nurtured by the intensity of human passion. Likewise, the monsters' physicality is used to illustrate the depravity lurking within the human psyche.
Miller makes it a point to disengage the body from the soul, repeatedly referencing "the bodies we wear", the fates dictated by our lack of choice when it comes to the fit and color we're assigned upon conception. This fracture is tangible in each one of his stories, and it blends eroticism with ghoulishness, sensuality with violence. Talk of capitalism and AIDS is founded on rage, but it's the intensity of the emotion that allows sensations and actions to bleed into each other, arousing those in the throes of savagery.
The idea of the body is further pushed to envelop Eastern elements, such as spirits incorporating the essence of a house. Through them, Miller shows the rupture between the spiritual and the material in the human mind, an innate sense of connection gone feral. What enhances the collection's unique appeal is the stories' duality, the way they instill morals to combat insanity.
Miller is the master of his worlds and his characters the gods of their domains, pivoting and remolding reality in a state of euphoric dread. That's why entering the space they occupy is a challenge, a thrill, a plunge into an untethered imagination. Not a gradual descent, but a drop toward a new, form-defying center of gravity.
'Boys, Beasts & Men' is the fruit of substantial creative autonomy, a glorious nightmare wrapped around a daydream. Its images are vibrant, its thoughts throb on the page, its characters reshape the labyrinth of the mind, fears and desires feed on the flesh they manifest. Whatever imprint the stories choose to leave behind, whether it be yearning, outrage, grief or unfulfilled carnality, each one is imbued with sorrow, each one breaks you with a craving for more.
The stories are dark, enigmatic, eerie and fantastical, all written with surprising weightlessness. As a result, they invoke the feeling of trying to breathe in subzero temperatures, when puffs of gelled heat are replaced by a chill, one which steals more than just body heat. In much the same way, Miller's prose breaches and traces that most inner part, sneaking its way past the body's defenses, pawing at the senses.
Every story is wildly imaginative, each one twists and bends its form to stun and titillate that much more. And aside from the wonderfully eclectic narratives, which burst and shatter but never disenchant, it's emotion that dominates every page. Death, grief, rage, lust, longing, loss and desire breed various beasts and terrors, which are, in turn, nurtured by the intensity of human passion. Likewise, the monsters' physicality is used to illustrate the depravity lurking within the human psyche.
Miller makes it a point to disengage the body from the soul, repeatedly referencing "the bodies we wear", the fates dictated by our lack of choice when it comes to the fit and color we're assigned upon conception. This fracture is tangible in each one of his stories, and it blends eroticism with ghoulishness, sensuality with violence. Talk of capitalism and AIDS is founded on rage, but it's the intensity of the emotion that allows sensations and actions to bleed into each other, arousing those in the throes of savagery.
The idea of the body is further pushed to envelop Eastern elements, such as spirits incorporating the essence of a house. Through them, Miller shows the rupture between the spiritual and the material in the human mind, an innate sense of connection gone feral. What enhances the collection's unique appeal is the stories' duality, the way they instill morals to combat insanity.
Miller is the master of his worlds and his characters the gods of their domains, pivoting and remolding reality in a state of euphoric dread. That's why entering the space they occupy is a challenge, a thrill, a plunge into an untethered imagination. Not a gradual descent, but a drop toward a new, form-defying center of gravity.
'Boys, Beasts & Men' is the fruit of substantial creative autonomy, a glorious nightmare wrapped around a daydream. Its images are vibrant, its thoughts throb on the page, its characters reshape the labyrinth of the mind, fears and desires feed on the flesh they manifest. Whatever imprint the stories choose to leave behind, whether it be yearning, outrage, grief or unfulfilled carnality, each one is imbued with sorrow, each one breaks you with a craving for more.
June 1, 2022
I pretty much enjoyed this collection start to finish. It does what good collections do, thematically building an arc that layers as we go. We start with a fairly simple story, Allosaurus Burgers, which really grew on me as I got farther away from it. The story just brilliantly encapsulates a moment in time, the moment of shift when a child realizes their parent is a fallible human. At the other side of the lens, a couple later stories feature parents as they come to realize they are the monster in their child's life. T
here is a lot of play with perspective, really tweaking how we look at mundane situations in a different way, some stories use innovative format like oral history, others apply some novelty like making very literal interpretation of things. Almost every story is tinged with sadness in some way, they're dirty, beautiful, and sad. We're also heavily engaged in the topics of bullying and bodily control from a markedly gay focus using a variety of speculative elements to shift our perception; these are imminent and timely in a world increasingly targeting not just LGBTQIA+ individuals and topics, but also women in these areas. The content is heavy, featuring serious depictions of bullying, homophobia, aids epidemic, physical & emotional abuse.
I saw a lot of similarities to the work of Cory Doctorow, talking about problems of today and the near future in a critical way that is all about average people dealing with their situation. These are somewhat broken, downtrodden people just trying to solve a problem that impacts their daily life. Many of the same themes of class disparity & systems of oppression are prominent, but where Doctorow focuses the technology, Miller focuses the interpersonal - overcoming bullies, burning bridges in relationships, community, just plain fighting back - sometimes it's not the most heroic choices that are made.
Usually there are at least a few in a collection that you don't like, but here there were mostly absolute hits and only a couple that I simply didn't connect with as overly memorable, but no fails for me. I found this a new favorite, I'll definitely intend on getting to Miller's novels soon on the strength of this collection.
here is a lot of play with perspective, really tweaking how we look at mundane situations in a different way, some stories use innovative format like oral history, others apply some novelty like making very literal interpretation of things. Almost every story is tinged with sadness in some way, they're dirty, beautiful, and sad. We're also heavily engaged in the topics of bullying and bodily control from a markedly gay focus using a variety of speculative elements to shift our perception; these are imminent and timely in a world increasingly targeting not just LGBTQIA+ individuals and topics, but also women in these areas. The content is heavy, featuring serious depictions of bullying, homophobia, aids epidemic, physical & emotional abuse.
I saw a lot of similarities to the work of Cory Doctorow, talking about problems of today and the near future in a critical way that is all about average people dealing with their situation. These are somewhat broken, downtrodden people just trying to solve a problem that impacts their daily life. Many of the same themes of class disparity & systems of oppression are prominent, but where Doctorow focuses the technology, Miller focuses the interpersonal - overcoming bullies, burning bridges in relationships, community, just plain fighting back - sometimes it's not the most heroic choices that are made.
Usually there are at least a few in a collection that you don't like, but here there were mostly absolute hits and only a couple that I simply didn't connect with as overly memorable, but no fails for me. I found this a new favorite, I'll definitely intend on getting to Miller's novels soon on the strength of this collection.
May 25, 2022
Boys, Beasts & Men by Sam J. Miller was the first work of his that I’ve read, but I have a suspicion it won’t be my last. Short story anthologies can be hit or miss, but for me, this one was a solid hit; full of weird, dark, queer stories that incorporate elements of several genres, I found a lot to admire within the pages.
Most of these stories center the experiences of gay boys and men, and there is more heartbreak and howling rage than hope to be found within them. Among my favourites were “Angel, Monster, Man”, a story about a group of queer artists who create a fictional persona that takes on a life of its own, “We Are the Cloud”, a Black Mirror-esque take on a future where people sell their brains for data processing capability, and “Ghosts of Home”, a story about a woman employed by a bank to keep the spirits of foreclosed and other homes content.
Some stories didn’t work as well for me, which is to be expected out of any anthology, and some were a little heavy-handed on their themes or overarching messages. Some also reference the author’s other work, so you may get a bit more value out of those than I did if you’ve read it. What I did love though was the notes at the end of the collection where the author talks a bit more about each story from a craft/meta perspective; I wish more books did or had something like this, because I found it fascinating.
Overall I would recommend checking Boys, Beasts & Men out if you’re up for a heavy, messy, visceral collection of queer short fiction; fans of darker fantasy and horror would get the most out of this. Just be sure to mind the content warnings.
Thank you to Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Most of these stories center the experiences of gay boys and men, and there is more heartbreak and howling rage than hope to be found within them. Among my favourites were “Angel, Monster, Man”, a story about a group of queer artists who create a fictional persona that takes on a life of its own, “We Are the Cloud”, a Black Mirror-esque take on a future where people sell their brains for data processing capability, and “Ghosts of Home”, a story about a woman employed by a bank to keep the spirits of foreclosed and other homes content.
Some stories didn’t work as well for me, which is to be expected out of any anthology, and some were a little heavy-handed on their themes or overarching messages. Some also reference the author’s other work, so you may get a bit more value out of those than I did if you’ve read it. What I did love though was the notes at the end of the collection where the author talks a bit more about each story from a craft/meta perspective; I wish more books did or had something like this, because I found it fascinating.
Overall I would recommend checking Boys, Beasts & Men out if you’re up for a heavy, messy, visceral collection of queer short fiction; fans of darker fantasy and horror would get the most out of this. Just be sure to mind the content warnings.
Thank you to Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
September 5, 2022
I have been seeking out Sam J. Miller’s short stories for years, so it’s wonderful to have a collection that binds some of their intersected themes together. A teen boy begins to understand his mother’s fallible humanity as their small town hosts a captured allosaurus; in the near future of an abusive New York foster system, a Black queer teen searches for human comfort and systemic empowerment; a Jewish gay New York cabbie mourns the fall of King Kong as a scouring of American humanity with Ann Darrow. A post-Revolution Russian youth pieces together the corruption of his generation as bestial soldiers; a sentient couch evolves as their sympathies towards the couple that own it diverge and deepen; the oral history of a Stonewall Uprising that ends with queer pyrokinetics blazing a new world that is still impacted by the same echoes of hate, then segues into queer writers and artists at the ending first decade of the AIDS pandemic galvanize action by creating a fictional artist spirit who inspires empathy that bleeds into more intricate and dangerous emotions and desires.
Miller writes vastly hopeful, queer centered speculative stories where the characters crave tender hornyness for relationships both sexual and heartfelt, and aspire to live and fight against racism, queerphobia, xenopobia, classism, and the binding weariness of authoritarianism. Miller viscerally evokes compassionate justice for everyone, whether individual family members or entire cities, no matter how delicate and momentary.
Miller writes vastly hopeful, queer centered speculative stories where the characters crave tender hornyness for relationships both sexual and heartfelt, and aspire to live and fight against racism, queerphobia, xenopobia, classism, and the binding weariness of authoritarianism. Miller viscerally evokes compassionate justice for everyone, whether individual family members or entire cities, no matter how delicate and momentary.
Read
March 5, 2022Requested from Netgalley mainly for having an introduction by Amal El-Mohtar, who as co-writer as one of the best SF books of the past decade, seemed like a signpost worth following. But once I got stuck in I realised that, Miller having such an unprepossessing name, I had in fact read and really liked two of these stories elsewhere, without the moniker staying in my brain as one worth keeping an eye out for. Hopefully a whole book's worth will be enough to get past that hurdle in future. Those two were the climate change tragedy Calved, which I couldn't bear to reread, and Things With Beards, which I could. Now, since I first encountered the latter, I have read another current SF writer doing a Thing's-eye sequel/reinterpretation of John Carpenter's icy classic, and if I'm honest, I did prefer the other one. But that was Peter Watts' The Things, so the bar is pretty bloody high here, and Things With Beards is still very good. Also, and this goes for most of the stories here, very gay. Specifically, an angry, revolutionary queerness, the sort which is deeply sceptical of the idea that being able to settle down in suburbia with 2.4 kids like the straights is much of a victory. Occasionally, I wondered if this might not be a bit of an easy fantasy of outsider chic, 'be gay do crimes' badges extended to story length without quite answering which crimes exactly are OK, and why those ones – most notably in The Heat Of Us, which reimagines the Stonewall riot with pyrokinesis. But that's followed by Angel, Monster, Man, which uses a similar timeframe and New York setting to much greater effect, imagining a tulpa of all the talented boys who died too soon and too little known thanks to AIDS, but who doesn't work out quite the way his creators hoped. Here, it's clearer that society's urge to control and the countervailing urge to freely fight and fuck aren't evil and good, but "simply two different forces, two kinds of energy eternally interlocked" – and not only did this story work much better for me, but its light even made its predecessor more satisfying too, as I realised that of course, The Heat Of Us had also shown a cost to that great psychic upwelling, I just hadn't paid it enough attention.
There's a lot of that here, stories with surface hooks which seem like they're going to be enough to justify the piece, only to twist around and snap something else into place. Most obviously, the linking narrative which slots between the stories proper, where a lot of modern collections would put author notes (here relegated to the back, but perfectly happy there), and which more than earns its place by leading the reader on with its bite-sized morsels of lust and danger – two things that often intertwine in this collection. Such that I almost feel bad letting on here that as well as all that, it's luring the reader in to do something else altogether too. The opening Allosaurus Burgers is a story that could easily have been done as well-made, broadsheet-praised litfic, about a divorced couple and their kid, the way they've all been damaged by the situation – but as Miller's note correctly observes, dinosaurs always make a story better, and it's immeasurably improved for having them all displaced from the tale's centre by a time-lost dinosaur with more personality than the models ever had, "Curious and mistrustful, not particularly smart, a little like a seagull that wants to steal your food." There's a glimpse of Ann Darrow's life after the events of King Kong, half-echoing Caitlin Kiernan's Ape's Wife, and a piece narrated by a sofa, but over and over two themes recur: the terrifying allure of sex, and the utter shittiness of late capitalism. Which, let's face it, are both pretty big deals, aren't they, as themes go? As the story in which children in care rent out their headspace for cloud storage puts it, "Any business model based around poor people making bad decisions out of ignorance and desperation always works." Though I think my favourite treatment of the theme was the one in which the obscenity of the sub-prime mortgage crisis is rendered in even sharper relief by taking place in a world where household gods are a recognised fact of life. And then just when you're starting to get a wee bit worried because of how for too many people nowadays, this legitimate disgust with capitalism can tip over into forgiving the sins of the other lot, there's the reassurance of The Beasts We Want To Be, though this is probably the only sense in which it could be described as reassuring, given it's a memorably brutal affair in which Pavlov Boxes make the Russian Revolution even more of a hideous betrayal of the people it purported to help than it was in our world.
There's a lot of that here, stories with surface hooks which seem like they're going to be enough to justify the piece, only to twist around and snap something else into place. Most obviously, the linking narrative which slots between the stories proper, where a lot of modern collections would put author notes (here relegated to the back, but perfectly happy there), and which more than earns its place by leading the reader on with its bite-sized morsels of lust and danger – two things that often intertwine in this collection. Such that I almost feel bad letting on here that as well as all that, it's luring the reader in to do something else altogether too. The opening Allosaurus Burgers is a story that could easily have been done as well-made, broadsheet-praised litfic, about a divorced couple and their kid, the way they've all been damaged by the situation – but as Miller's note correctly observes, dinosaurs always make a story better, and it's immeasurably improved for having them all displaced from the tale's centre by a time-lost dinosaur with more personality than the models ever had, "Curious and mistrustful, not particularly smart, a little like a seagull that wants to steal your food." There's a glimpse of Ann Darrow's life after the events of King Kong, half-echoing Caitlin Kiernan's Ape's Wife, and a piece narrated by a sofa, but over and over two themes recur: the terrifying allure of sex, and the utter shittiness of late capitalism. Which, let's face it, are both pretty big deals, aren't they, as themes go? As the story in which children in care rent out their headspace for cloud storage puts it, "Any business model based around poor people making bad decisions out of ignorance and desperation always works." Though I think my favourite treatment of the theme was the one in which the obscenity of the sub-prime mortgage crisis is rendered in even sharper relief by taking place in a world where household gods are a recognised fact of life. And then just when you're starting to get a wee bit worried because of how for too many people nowadays, this legitimate disgust with capitalism can tip over into forgiving the sins of the other lot, there's the reassurance of The Beasts We Want To Be, though this is probably the only sense in which it could be described as reassuring, given it's a memorably brutal affair in which Pavlov Boxes make the Russian Revolution even more of a hideous betrayal of the people it purported to help than it was in our world.
August 13, 2023
Boys, Beasts & Men caught me by surprise, turning out to be a set of more literary and satisfying stories than I'd expected from the descriptions. While there are homosexual characters and themes in most of the stories and it's certainly fair to call this collection "Queer Fiction," it would be totally facile and reductionist to leave it at that; Miller has a very aware and painterly voice, crafting captivating tales of alienation, loneliness, and hidden natures, of being the voice of That Which Is Other, those Outside-Looking-In. Really, his stories -- while more masculine in tone and gay at heart -- hit like classic Joni Mitchell songs in terms of the images and impulses voiced. In the acknowledgements, Miller cites Ray Bradbury as a major, early influence on his writing and that is evident; the light and dark creatures of human nature breathe within everyone and the stories are the fora in which they play out their parts, with swaths of the fantastical woven through the mundane and everyday. He also threads a unifying, interstitial story through B,B&M very reminiscent of that around Bradbury's own certain man of many tattoos.....
All of these stories affected me on an emotional level, if not all the same flavor of emotion, but that alone alerts me that this was not just an ordinary read. "Conspicuous Plumage" and "Ghosts of Home" had the strongest immediate impact, partly wistful and partly grief, but the two-sided coin that is the pair "Calved" and "When Your Child Strays From God" lit up my empathy boards; as a dad, it's tough to read those two. I not only recommend this collection to anyone with an interest in urban-SFF, light horror, or human psychology itself, but think that any of these stories would work brilliantly as discussion fodder for bringing xenophobes around to empathetic awareness of others.
And Miller is right about one other thing: you can make just about any story better by adding a dinosaur.
All of these stories affected me on an emotional level, if not all the same flavor of emotion, but that alone alerts me that this was not just an ordinary read. "Conspicuous Plumage" and "Ghosts of Home" had the strongest immediate impact, partly wistful and partly grief, but the two-sided coin that is the pair "Calved" and "When Your Child Strays From God" lit up my empathy boards; as a dad, it's tough to read those two. I not only recommend this collection to anyone with an interest in urban-SFF, light horror, or human psychology itself, but think that any of these stories would work brilliantly as discussion fodder for bringing xenophobes around to empathetic awareness of others.
And Miller is right about one other thing: you can make just about any story better by adding a dinosaur.
August 5, 2022
Sam Miller is a gay man and community activist, and much of his writing focuses on those aspects of his life. As he says in a story note, he writes to understand things he finds horrifying or incomprehensible. This includes persecution of LGBTQ+ people, and institutional policies that cause homelessness.
Some of the stories are cathartic, like “The Heat of Us” which retells the Stonewall Riot, while “Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart” show his great love for King Kong. Other stories spring from his community activism with homeless people, such as “We Are The Cloud” and “Ghosts of Home”. Others look at gay relationships, both with other gay people and with non-gay people. “When Your Child Strays From God” is an examination of how a fundamentalist parent might view her gay teenage son.
Miller is a powerful writer, imaginatively using genre tropes to address some of the more difficult issues of our day. His career over the last ten years has been on an upward trajectory. “I still can't believe this happened” he says in the acknowledgments, but the field of science fiction and fantasy has been expanding into examinations of these issues for the past decade or so, and Miller is benefiting from that shift.
Some of the stories are cathartic, like “The Heat of Us” which retells the Stonewall Riot, while “Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart” show his great love for King Kong. Other stories spring from his community activism with homeless people, such as “We Are The Cloud” and “Ghosts of Home”. Others look at gay relationships, both with other gay people and with non-gay people. “When Your Child Strays From God” is an examination of how a fundamentalist parent might view her gay teenage son.
Miller is a powerful writer, imaginatively using genre tropes to address some of the more difficult issues of our day. His career over the last ten years has been on an upward trajectory. “I still can't believe this happened” he says in the acknowledgments, but the field of science fiction and fantasy has been expanding into examinations of these issues for the past decade or so, and Miller is benefiting from that shift.
January 25, 2022
Boys, Beasts & Men was an intriguing collection of tales tenuously linked by short snatches of another story interspersed between them. The stories certainly contained some interesting concepts and ideas, all within the loose genre of speculative fiction, and I enjoyed that aspect of this collection. A couple of the stories caught my attention, but for the most part, although I found these tales intellectually interesting, I never really engaged with them on a deeper level, so I was always reading at something of a distance, without much emotional connection. As such, I am giving this book three and a half stars. It was an interesting collection featuring some unique ideas, but while there was nothing wrong with the writing, I just never fully got into the stories for some reason.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2022
This short story collection was wonderfully queer, weird and packed a punch.
I was positively surprised by this anthology. I genuinely found myself enjoying majority of the stories. Sam J. Miller's excellent writing brought to life many interesting characters, that very much felt like real people. Intriguing and twisted plot that kept you interested, and melancholy atmosphere that amplified the stories in all the right places. All while discussing many important topics.
This was my first introduction to Sam J. Miller's writing. Although some stories were more to my taste than the others, there was not a single story that I disliked. This collection definitely sparked my interest in his full length novels and I will check them out in the future.
Thank you very much to Tachyon Publications for an advanced reading copy!
I was positively surprised by this anthology. I genuinely found myself enjoying majority of the stories. Sam J. Miller's excellent writing brought to life many interesting characters, that very much felt like real people. Intriguing and twisted plot that kept you interested, and melancholy atmosphere that amplified the stories in all the right places. All while discussing many important topics.
This was my first introduction to Sam J. Miller's writing. Although some stories were more to my taste than the others, there was not a single story that I disliked. This collection definitely sparked my interest in his full length novels and I will check them out in the future.
Thank you very much to Tachyon Publications for an advanced reading copy!
July 30, 2022
I’ll start by saying I’m a huge fan of short story collections. They are probably my favorite type of literature. These stories were as beautiful as they were brutal. Some of them got into my heart and tugged at me. A few of them almost made me cry. These are queer stories which deal with love, lose, grief, heartbreak, and everything that could be in between. I’d say my favorite story was probably Ghosts of Home. After reading it I felt so broken yet filled with warmth.
I had been interested in this book for months after seeing it online. The cover had gotten my attention at first and I had become so drawn to it I knew I had to buy it. I’m very glad I got to read it. While the topics involved are very heavy and I wouldn’t say this is a light read, I do recommend it if you like short stories or just gay literature in general.
I had been interested in this book for months after seeing it online. The cover had gotten my attention at first and I had become so drawn to it I knew I had to buy it. I’m very glad I got to read it. While the topics involved are very heavy and I wouldn’t say this is a light read, I do recommend it if you like short stories or just gay literature in general.
February 12, 2023
i didn't enjoy this as much as i thought i would. i think the formatting of this book enhanced the themes present in each of the short stories, however, there is something particular i cannot name about miller's style that i wasn't a fan of. it could be that i prefer third-person over first-person and nearly every story in this was from a first-person perspective. i also think all the stories were too similar to each other. narrators, characteristics, plots, and voice all felt interchangeable with each other with few exceptions.
still, each story was written with sincerity and personally. i applaud miller for his efforts and what he was attempting to do from reading his story notes. i look forward to seeing what sam miller does next :)
still, each story was written with sincerity and personally. i applaud miller for his efforts and what he was attempting to do from reading his story notes. i look forward to seeing what sam miller does next :)
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