Monsters and Other Tales of Humanity

Dash’s fast and furious debut collection of weird fiction focuses on the ways alienation can make someone become truly alien. Her traumatized protagonists might be mothers (as in “Monsters”) or daughters (“What Was Meant to be Buried”) let down by society and taking it out on society in return. The grieving heroine of “A Puzzle by the Name of L” allows Death into her apartment when he comes knocking. In “The Thing with the Stars,” the focus turns onto a mail carrier experiencing a terrifying cosmic phenomenon he can’t share with anyone. The standout, “Hack n’ Slash #999,” follows a video game character chafing against his lack of free will and trying to seize a shred of control over his life even as the plot of the game he’s trapped in compels him to move forward. It’s a broad array of characters and setups, but at the center of each story is a person who has been pulled away from their own humanity and is struggling to find any way back. Even in the shortest pieces, like the somewhat too abrupt “The Thing in the Water,” Dash’s thoughtful psychological exploration and evocative prose impress. There are no easy answers on offer here, but there is plenty of heart. (July)