Classic Monsters Unleashed (Unleashed Series Book 1) by James Aquilone

​Ah. Monsters. I love all monsters. Classic ones, modern ones, pink ones. You name it, I love ‘em. 
So this collection attracted my attention immediately. Not only does it unleash on its audience an absolutely awesome selection of original takes on classic monsters, but its contents page read like the who’s who of horror fiction. Ok, granted, there was a number of author’s who names I didn’t recognize, but a small number compared to the sum total.
And the stories were terrific, one after another. Only a few out of the well over 20 entries didn’t quite work for me and even those were still pretty good, just not as bombastic as their companions.
Selection wise…well as one might have expected Dracula took the cake. Of course. Vampires have got to be the least original and the most overdone monsters out there and yet…
Tragically, only one mummy story. What? Why?
Most of the spins on the classic themes were notably clever and fun. Sure, there were some predictable clichés done over and over again, like gender-swapping, but some of that was quite clever too. In fact, a couple of stories were particular stand-outs using the monster genre to address social evils, such as sexism and racism. Those might have gone preachy had they not been so well done. 
Also, some art. Not one for each story, but still…added bonus.
Overall, a killer anthology, pun intended. Does the monsters justice. Very enjoyable, fun, and a must for monster fans. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.