Ada Hoffmann has woven together an entrancing collection of poetry and short stories in this vibrant debut. MONSTERS IN MY MIND is expansive in scope and intimate in detail, carrying us into the depths of the ocean and outward amidst the infinite span of space. Witches and monsters, computers and dinosaurs, the undead and the living, each piece in this book is a brushstroke on Hoffmann’s brilliant mural of imagination. Passion, resistance, courage, and resilience: these stories and poems challenge ideas and enchant or unsettle the reader in equal measure. Travel to distant futures and remembered pasts. There await wonders and horrors alike, wrapped in delicious prose and unforgettable imagery. And no matter how far into these fantastic and weird worlds we delve, there always remains a solid, comforting sense that we are not alone.
–A. Merc Rustad, Nebula finalist and author of SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROBOT
Ada Hoffmann’s collection MONSTERS IN MY MIND is unsettling and unique in equal measure. Fiction and poetry conspire to plunge the reader headfirst into undersea realms and bloody histories. From the mother of all squid to a choir of singing angels, we are introduced to a memorable cast of characters who live and die in places slightly offset from the familiar. Magic and mysticism go hand in hand with spaceflight, vampires prowl in ancient cities, and dinosaurs perform opera. Reading this collection is like watching a centipede burrow into the center of your palm, knowing it will remain there, under your skin.
–Bogi Takács, author of IWUNEN INTERSTELLAR INVESTIGATIONS and BOGI READS THE WORLD