How I Met the Ghoul by Sofia Samatar
Title: How I Met the Ghoul
Author: Sofia Samatar
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy
Dates read: 14th May 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: You could say it’s in my blood.
It’s an interesting interview. One that was polite, intriguing, but not 100% remembered by the interviewer. This is how they met the ghoul.
This short story is about an interview. Which at the beginning I honestly found a little bit odd. I’ve read stories in interview format, diaries, dialogue, etc. But never a story that is a story about an interview. And then it leaves so many aspects of that interview out. It all makes it a wee bit confusing. But, ultimately, I actually understood why at the conclusion and found this style seriously enjoyable.
Ghouls aren’t something that I normally come across much in the stories I read, in fact, other than the Nicki Styx series, I’m not entirely sure I can think of another series of stories in which they feature. Which makes me seriously appreciate this short story. A unique paranormal creature and a different, contemporary way in which to deal with it. What isn’t there to like?
All in all, even though this was written in a format that I most definitely didn’t expect, it was definitely a fun read. Like most of the other stories in The Monstrous it dealt with the things that go bump in the night that we don’t normally think of. But, unlike the rest of the stories, it wasn’t quite so creepy and horrific. Mostly, it was just a good read that reminded me I should find some more “ghoul” books.
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