If you read Edward M. Erdelac's story, Andersonville, about the most sadistic rebel prison of the Civil War, with a supernatural twist, you likely have some idea where he's going with this new novel combining the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland with Frankenstein's monster.
Once again, this gifted storyteller plays with historic events and imbues his tale with elements of horror, as Josef Mengele endeavors to improve upon the work of Dr. Victor Frankenstein.
Jewish twins, Jotham and Eli, are taken to a concentration camp. It was interesting to see how the twins went in different directions once in the camp. Jotham managing to become the golden boy as a messenger for Dr. Mengele and Eli falling in with the resistance. The story of their life at Auschwitz was absolutely devastating. As twins they are somewhat luckier than others as Dr. Mengele wants them for his experiments, but what they see outside of their barracks is unreservedly horrible.
Horribly emaciated, rail thin, naked bodies, haphazardly piled together, spindly limbs intertwined, oversized, shaven heads with skeletal faces, eyes rolling. It was like a refuse pile of imperfect marionettes heaped in the corner of a toymaker's workshop.
The author excels at combining real life events and horror into a complex, well-constructed story. At times this is an unpleasant read, but all of the characters in the concentration camp are masterfully drawn, making Monstrumführer a creative and entertaining work which left me with much to ponder.
Recommended.
Monstrumführer is available in both paperback and e-book formats from Comet Press.
In addition to short story appearances in dozens of anthologies and periodicals, he is an independent filmmaker, an award winning screenwriter, a game designer, and sometime Star Wars contributor.
Born in Indiana, educated in Chicago, he now lives in the Los Angeles area with his family.
You've convinced me to pick this one up! I like Ed's other work so it's an easy sell.
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