Monsters of Ohio is a heartfelt exploration of a tentacular solution to the struggles of the modern world from the New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain

Welcome to Richland, Ohio. Things aren’t great.

The town’s biggest employer is closing shop, and Richland’s on the brink. It’s where Mike Boyd, with his own set of problems, finds himself returning to after decades away.

He’s not planning to stay.

But Richland has other plans for Mike, his old friend Dave, and a newcomer Andi. They’re caught in a swirl of local troubles, private equity, executive theft… and something extremely weird involving Jeremy Keller’s prize cow.

Welcome to Richland. Leave your expectations behind. Bring a tarp.

The cover of Monsters of Ohio perfectly represents the content and tone of this new book by master storyteller John Scalzi. A monster, doing the grocery shopping? Yup. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Richland, Ohio is in crisis. The town’s major employer, a food processing plant that’s always done well for the town and its residents, is about to be shut down by the private equity company that basically just bought it for the tax advantage. Does the company care about the dire straits it’ll leave the people of Richland in? No, it does not.

Things are tough all over. Mike Boyd, laid off from his job in the public relations department of the USDA, has just moved back to Richland… much to his chagrin. He’s not exactly crazy about being a full-grown adult moving back into his childhood bedroom, especially now that his overbearing stepmother has redecorated the entire house with inspirational signs and artwork. Live, laugh, love… indeed.

But strange things begin happening in Richland, including an exploding cow… which still is somehow alive after the explosion, just now with tentacles rather than legs and the normal cow parts. And pretty soon, it’s not just livestock. When people start exploding and turning into monsters as well (one person is described as resembling the creature in the horror movie The Thing, which… ew), the town’s sole police officer and Mike start trying to chase down some answers.

Meanwhile, evil corporate shenanigans are at play. With the fate of the plant at stake, the corporate overlords scheme to milk it for every possible dollar, and one especially reprehensible corporate tool is looking for his own payout, even if it means sucking dry the plant’s pension fund.

Monsters of Ohio is awfully funny, which is honestly not at all surprisingly. John Scalzi excels at creating off-the-wall scenarios, filling them with slice-of-life characters, and then setting it all in motion with a mix of ordinary moments and ridiculous, crazy interludes. (See above, i.e., exploding people turning into monsters).

From the opening chapter, told from the point of view of a rabbit, we know we’re in for a treat.

And yes, rabbits absolutely fucking swear. You’re a prey animal, for fuck’s sake, and everything from hawks to riding mowers are trying to eat you every single moment you exist. You have narrowly avoided being eaten more times than you can count, and that’s not just because you have very little concept of aggregate numbers. If any animal deserves to fucking swear, it’s fucking you.

One of the most amusing elements about the book is that the monsters aren’t actually monstrous. Sure, they have tentacles or other unidentifiable appendages and look truly horrific… but they’re still just regular folks, although somehow the transformation also makes everyone nicer. Maybe it’s accepting their new realities (with new shapes and faces), but the transformed people are a happy bunch, going about their lives, making amends in some cases, and even indulging in raucous karaoke nights at the local dive bar.

Monsters of Ohio is not a particularly deep or serious book, but it is oodles of fun. My analytical brain wanted a few more concrete answers about certain aspects and people, but that’s more of a me problem — I really didn’t pick up this book expecting a story that sticks to logic and verifiable science! I generally read Scalzi books via audio, because Wil Wheaton does an amazing job as the narrator, and this time around is no exception. His intonation and delivery are hilarious — and even if I switch over to the print versions of Scalzi’s books, I end up hearing Wheaton’s voice in my head while I read.

Once again, the author’s bio photo on the back flap is totally on point: