Hello Sup readers and writers,
Let me introduce you to today's topic in the Art of Adaptation series. It's all about Monsters!
In Fantasy Fiction, there are many kinds of 'evil' antagonistic creatures: classic monsters reimaged, new monsters with historical twists, and monsters from cultures beyond our familiar Western tropes. Through these creatures, we explore the physicality and psychology of our darkest nightmares and how they have adapted and changed over time.
Classic Monsters
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is often cited as the first published SF/horror story. Exploring themes of humanity, divinity, power and abuse, it has been frequently reimaged. the results are everything from the comedic Young Frankenstein film by Mel Brooks to Pádraig Kenny's middle-grade read, Stitch.
One of our own Sup authors, Merrie Destefano, has written an entire series in this theme, starting with book #1, Shade.
A dangerous holiday. A deadly curse brought to life.
When Mary Wollstonecroft Godwin accepted an invitation to Lord Byron's house party deep in the Swiss Alps, she hoped it would serve as a welcome distraction from her broken heart. Instead, she finds herself surrounded by enigmatic guests with their own dangerous secrets to hide....
Another classic monster is seen in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, an 1886 Gothic horror novella by Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of bizarre occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde.
I think we are all familiar with at least one of the modern-day spinoffs, The Incredible Hulk. But this powerful monster has adapted to new motivations triggered by emotions. Through rage, he becomes incredibly powerful, but unlike the murdering Hyde, he often tries to help or protect others.
Vampires Revissioned
The classic origin of vampires is usually cited as
Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula. Here we see a hideous, ravenous monster, as portrayed in the film
Nosferatu, but slowly, over time, a transformation in these creatures is occurring. The image of the vampire, still wicked and powerful, is now the alluring and attractive creatures of
The Vampire Diaries and
The Southern Vampire Mysteries.
In more examples, four of our own Sup authors have contributed to the expanding genre with an anthology titled Supernatural Underground, Vampires Gone Wild! Have you read it?
A deeper dive into this relationship between readers, writers and vampires is HERE in The Evolution of the Vampire. One of the more intriguing aspects is ... not so much of the monsters themselves, but of our relationship to them. We don’t see evil like we used to! - From Vampire Evolution - 2011
The Fae and Other Forest Creatures
From Pixies to the Unseelie Court, books featuring Fae - revisioned or otherwise - are extremely popular. Originally, we meet this brand of Fantasy creatures in the 1697 "
Tales of Mother Goose," by Charles Perrault. It includes familiar stories like "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," and "Puss in Boots."
Perrault's work was followed in 1812 by Grimms' Fairy Tales, which included stories like "Hansel and Gretel," "Rapunzel," and "Snow White".
Many of these Fae from ancient folklore were dangerous, deadly so, but modern adaptations see them differently. Still risky and highly mercurial, contemporary Fae have something akin to a human heart. Consider Holly Blacks Folk of the Air, and Seanan McGuire's "Every Heart a Doorway.
Our own Helen Lowe began her Fantasy Fiction career with the publication of Thornspell - a reimaging of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of the prince!
Further Shores - Dragons East and West
When dragons take the form of East or West, they split our cultural psychologies in half. They used to, anyway. Nowadays, you know when you are face to face with a Dragon, but you may not know what kind it is - one that brings the best day of your life, or the worst.
For example, Eastern dragons are benevolent, representing good luck and prosperity, a rain deity to be honoured, while Western dragons are commonly depicted as fire-breathing, treasure-hording,
Smaug-like, destructive monsters that must be slayed.
But contemporary storytelling in the West is changing as our dragons adapt to a more blended representation.
Anne McCaffrey dedicated her life, intentionally or not, to this cause with her 25 volumes of
Dragon Riders of Pern.
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Where to begin? Anne McCaffrey's first novel is Dragonflight
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In this world, dragons bond telepathically with a single human when they hatch, and then the pair spends their lives together protecting the planet from deadly Thread that falls from the sky. Those growing up with, or even reading her books for the first time, experience a new dragon psychology that is warmer, yet challenging, empowering, but full of risks.
Compare this to the novels released in the last few decades featuring Eastern Dragons, such as
Alison Goodman's Eon and Eona. Can you feel the adaptations, in both directions?
If you are drawn to a specific type of 'monster', I would love to hear about it!
:) Kim
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Other Posts in the Art of Adaptation 2025
June - The Art of Adaptation - Fantasy Monsters Part 2
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About Kim Falconer
Kim Falconer, also writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is ready with the third book, out in 2025. TBA
Throw the bones on the AKWilder.com site.. See you there!