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It Came from the Swamp
Edited by Joey R. Poole, It Came From the Swamp is an anthology of short stories about the creatures that haunt our dreams and fuel our fantasies. Some of the creatures here, like the sasquatch if you ever find one, are flesh and blood animals. Others, like DG Bracey’s Boo Hag and Edward Karshner’s Appalachian golem, are the stuff of folklore, relics of a bygone era thriving on our fascination with the unknown. Though the subject might be the cryptids themselves, the real stars here are the human beings. The predatory privilege of the men in Jaq Evans� “Flood Tide� is more monstrous than anything lurking in the shallows. Meagan Lucas� Mishipeshu, the water panther of Anishinaabe lore, is blamed for the all-too-human sins of the past.
Cover design by Sarah Allen Reed
Stories by DG Bracey, Sheldon Birnie, Jon Doyle, Jaq Evans, Zakariah Johnson, Edward Karshner, Steve Lambert, Meagan Lucas, J.S. McQueen, and T.A. Simonelli.
Cover design by Sarah Allen Reed
Stories by DG Bracey, Sheldon Birnie, Jon Doyle, Jaq Evans, Zakariah Johnson, Edward Karshner, Steve Lambert, Meagan Lucas, J.S. McQueen, and T.A. Simonelli.
200 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2022
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28 people want to read
About the author
Joey R. Poole
5Ìýbooks54ÌýfollowersJoey R. Poole is the author of I Have Always Been Here Before, a collection of gritty literary fictions that glance in the directions of horror, sci-fi, and crime fiction. He is currently at work on a novel, The Year of the Possum, set in the same fictional town of Hammer Springs, South Carolina as his story collection, and another project, set on the moon. Follow him on twitter @JoeyRPoole and find his blog, where he writes creative non-fiction and news about the writing and reading life at
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 2, 2023
I saw that Malarky Books had put a call out for some help in getting funds for the press and they had dropped the prices of their books to encourage sales. I don't need much of a nudge to buy small press, so I snagged this ebook.
It Came From the Swamp is an anthology of stories involving cryptids and local folklore and honestly, who doesn't love getting lost in some creature-feature fiction every now and then?
Whether or not you're a believer in Bigfoot and the Florida Skunkape, or the lesser known Boo Hag and Mishipeshu, these stories will pull you in and wow you. There are shark teethed mermaids hiding beneath boat docks and scarecrows who come after those who poision their land and jackalopes that harness tremendous powers.
While not typically a fan of collected stories from a variety of writers, which tend to have an uneven feel for me, I had high hopes for this one. And it definitely exceeded my expectations. Why aren't more of you guys reading this one?!
A fascinating collection of the wild and weird that's not afraid to point a finger at the real monsters - humankind!
It Came From the Swamp is an anthology of stories involving cryptids and local folklore and honestly, who doesn't love getting lost in some creature-feature fiction every now and then?
Whether or not you're a believer in Bigfoot and the Florida Skunkape, or the lesser known Boo Hag and Mishipeshu, these stories will pull you in and wow you. There are shark teethed mermaids hiding beneath boat docks and scarecrows who come after those who poision their land and jackalopes that harness tremendous powers.
While not typically a fan of collected stories from a variety of writers, which tend to have an uneven feel for me, I had high hopes for this one. And it definitely exceeded my expectations. Why aren't more of you guys reading this one?!
A fascinating collection of the wild and weird that's not afraid to point a finger at the real monsters - humankind!
January 28, 2022
I wasn't sure what kind of stories I'd get when we put out the call for this book, but these writers delivered so much more than backwoods thrills, and I'm proud to be a part of sharing their work here. You can read a sample of what you'll find inside at the link below. Meagan Lucas is the author of , and her "Monster Beneath," is the perfect introduction to this book in which cryptid creatures lurk but the real monsters are often human.
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February 5, 2022
This book started as a tweet, with Joey Poole putting out a feeler to see if anyone would be into the idea of publishing an anthology of stories about cryptids. As in Bigfoot. I replied and, however many months later, who knows, here we are. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm the print editor for Malarkey Books, publisher of this book. I wasn't very involved in the selection of the stories, and I didn't know what to expect. I didn't really get involved until it was time for copy edits and I was really blown away by the writing. The stories are tender and sad and playful and wistful and beautiful. There's ten stories in this book, all about creatures that probably don't exist, yet at the same time they're about so much more than that.
May 16, 2022
This is a really great collection of stories, moving, spooky, and exciting. If you like cryptids or monsters, you'll definitely want to check this one out. Plus, as any cryptid collection must, it included (and concluded with) a fantastic story featuring the Florida skunkape. A must read. (I also really loved the author's notes that followed each story.)
August 20, 2022
I appreciated how each author in the anthology approached the cryptid theme in their own way.
For me, the standout stories are as follows:
“Cliffs of Blood� by Zakariah Johnson involves three magic practitioners attempting to harness the power of a colony of jackalopes. The story beautifully builds a world full of lore about the creatures while hinting at government conspiracies. The relationship dynamics between the women creates tension as does the horror of seeing how one of the characters mentally strips a group of baby jackalopes into the sum of their powerful parts.
“The Monster Beneath� by Meagan Lucas straddles the past and present as the discovery of a body may help the interim Sheriff solve the decades old mystery of the disappearance of her dad. Lucas does a phenomenal job of encapsulating a fully fleshed out mystery with supernatural elements within a small word count.
“Ceasing� by D.G. Bracey gives a pair of crypids the opportunity to share their perspectives as lead characters. A Boo Hag succubus and a Lizardman contemplate procreation of a brand new kind of cryptid. My favorite part is when the female cryptid accuses the male of using making a new monster as an excuse to hookup.
In “Soo-Soo Go Bye Bye� by Sheldon Birnie, a dad of a young daughter must make a trip to Walmart to replace a soiled pacifier. From the road, he spies what he believes might be a Sasquatch. The voice of the protagonist really grabbed me. I also really liked how the story played into the idea of random cryptid sightings.
Kim, the protagonist of “Haeneyo� by T.A. Simonelli, tires of her chore of feeding the thing that lives in the basement. The logistics of keeping a cryptid as a kind of pet are nicely explored. Well developed family dynamics and obligations make the story shine.
For me, the standout stories are as follows:
“Cliffs of Blood� by Zakariah Johnson involves three magic practitioners attempting to harness the power of a colony of jackalopes. The story beautifully builds a world full of lore about the creatures while hinting at government conspiracies. The relationship dynamics between the women creates tension as does the horror of seeing how one of the characters mentally strips a group of baby jackalopes into the sum of their powerful parts.
“The Monster Beneath� by Meagan Lucas straddles the past and present as the discovery of a body may help the interim Sheriff solve the decades old mystery of the disappearance of her dad. Lucas does a phenomenal job of encapsulating a fully fleshed out mystery with supernatural elements within a small word count.
“Ceasing� by D.G. Bracey gives a pair of crypids the opportunity to share their perspectives as lead characters. A Boo Hag succubus and a Lizardman contemplate procreation of a brand new kind of cryptid. My favorite part is when the female cryptid accuses the male of using making a new monster as an excuse to hookup.
In “Soo-Soo Go Bye Bye� by Sheldon Birnie, a dad of a young daughter must make a trip to Walmart to replace a soiled pacifier. From the road, he spies what he believes might be a Sasquatch. The voice of the protagonist really grabbed me. I also really liked how the story played into the idea of random cryptid sightings.
Kim, the protagonist of “Haeneyo� by T.A. Simonelli, tires of her chore of feeding the thing that lives in the basement. The logistics of keeping a cryptid as a kind of pet are nicely explored. Well developed family dynamics and obligations make the story shine.
February 2, 2023
I discovered this anthology last year during Smol Fair (online). One of my sweet spots in horror/supernatural is the creature feature. So, when I saw an opportunity to attend a virtual event where the authors would be reading snippets from an anthology about cryptids, I joined. Once I had heard the authors read from their stories, I knew this would be an anthology I would dig. And I was right. There are a few cryptids that are the superstars of the cryptid community, but there are also several stories of cryptids I had never heard of before. So! You can learn something from this anthology as well, this is a win/win in my mind. These stories are scary, but fun, yet thought provoking in their commentary. And I really enjoyed the author's notes at the end of each story. It really added another layer knowing the author's thoughts.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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