Meat Eaters - by Meredith McClaren (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"This mash-up of mumblecore dramedy and gorehound horror slays." --Publishers Weekly

"A strong comedy-horror pick." --Booklist

From cartoonist Meredith McClaren (co-creator of the acclaimed series Black Cloak) comes a punishing and poignant original graphic novel about the monsters that lurk both in the darkness beyond--and within us all . . .

Let it be said that dying is hard. Nineteen-year-old Ashley Moore found this out the hard way.

All Ashley wanted was to keep her head down and work hard until she could escape the small town where she felt she was stagnating. But after waking up one night covered in blood--and irrevocably dead--Ashley finds her foolproof plan for getting out has gone up in smoke, and something within her has changed.

Without a heartbeat and with a disturbing craving for fresh--preferably bloody--meat, Ashley finds herself privy to a world that exists just beneath our own: a world of ghouls and monsters and things that go bump-in-the-night. Despite her desire to be left alone--and to not think about the night of her death at all--Ashley is slowly drawn into the realm of the unusual, getting advice from ancient vampires, dodging angry pack leaders, and becoming the reluctant big sister to werewolves Motley and Harrison. As she does, she finds it increasingly difficult to put away the parts of herself she wishes to ignore--namely, what happened that fateful night she stopped breathing. The truth, it turns out, can't stay buried forever.

In this visceral story about the effects of trauma and anxiety, dying is indeed hard. But getting on with it? That can be worse.

Review Quotes

"A punishing and poignant original graphic novel about the monsters that lurk in the darkness."-- "Macabre Daily"

"It may do so with ample gore and guts, but Meat Eaters is also a book for everyone regardless of their love/disdain for horror. It's about how we all try and survive the seemingly worst thing we could ever imagine, and learn just what it takes to actually make it out the other side. You'll be dying to read this, that's for sure."-- "AIPT"

"McClaren's cute, funny-faced characters and slapstick action provide an offbeat contrast to the scares, and she adeptly depicts Ashley's trauma as she processes her new supernatural status. In a clever visual touch, the monster characters shift subtly between human and inhuman in response to their situation, with Ashley growing more gnarly as the story progresses. This mash-up of mumblecore dramedy and gorehound horror slays."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Through the use of fantastical creatures, painful memories, and isolation McClaren, who wrote and illustrated the book, crafts a tale that frames friendship as a kind of hunt for the right kind of monsters to share your pain with... Meat Eaters is a great example of how powerful horror can be as a vehicle for heavy and painful topics. Its characters approach monstrosity as both a manifestation of the anxieties trauma induces and as a representation of the mental anguish trauma can cause if not confronted. McClaren is not afraid to open wounds to tell bloody stories with."-- "Comics Beat"

"While Meat Eaters is a fun and compelling comic book romp, the pathos are what make the graphic novel shine."-- "Freak Sugar"

"While the mystery of what's eviscerating critters drives the plot, the buddy-comedy among Ashley, Motley, and Harrison is the heart of the story as Ashley figures out how to be herself in a new context and finds friends who appreciate her for the undead craver of flesh that she is. A strong comedy-horror pick."-- "Booklist"

About the Author

Living in a place with entirely too much sun is the little monster and creator named Meredith McClaren. Meredith has worked on a number of books, including the Eisner-nominated Black Cloak written by Kelly Thompson, Hopeless Savages written by Jen Van Meter, and Crumble drawn by Andrea Bell.