Now I consider I am reasonably knowledgeable about places in the world, but I must admit that Ohio in the US is not a place I know about in great detail. (Please note that I live in the UK!)
No offense intended, but all I think I know is that Ohio is reasonably big, as US states go; and b) It’s part of the US industrial heritage, known for its production of cars and machined parts. Oh, and the Wright Brothers, who introduced powered flight to the world. Otherwise, it’s pretty typical of many industrial areas of the US. (Again, apologies if I have that wrong.)
With all of that in mind, it doesn’t normally lend itself to the setting of a science-fictional novel. And that may be the point. In fact, the main reason it seems to have been chosen for the setting in John Scalzi’s latest book, his twentieth, is that he lives there.
From the publisher: “Richland, Ohio is a sleepy rural community. But it’s now facing ruin after a predatory private equity firm defrauds the local factory. Now, Richland is primed to explode. Just not in the way anyone expected. Because when corporate greed threatens this town, its citizens don’t just take it silently – they make a change. A big one. Which might involve a few unexpected tentacles.
Mike Boyd left Richland decades ago to find his way in the world. But when he’s called back to tie up loose ends, he finds far more than he bargained for. Teaming up with the overwhelmed Police Chief, Mike becomes entangled in a wild sequence of events that will bring this tiny village to global attention, change humanity forever . . . and, perhaps, spell its doom.”
The plot fits firmly into one of Scalzi’s lighter more amusing stories, although there are definitely moments that are not amusing in the slightest. It’s got a touch of the X Files, and more than a tentacle of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu. It’s really the reimagining of those old 1950’s and 60’s SF monster stories, brought up to date. What if the aliens were in our midst, hidden in plain sight?
One of Scalzi’s strengths for me is his characters – he does his thing of creating characters that seem right and appropriate, and his dialogue always seems as if it was realistic. Monsters of Ohio is no exception. The rural society it depicts is immediately recognisable – a world of a small community riven with petty grievances, foreclosures, declining marriages, racism, misogyny, corporate takeovers; in other words, a place that seems somewhat reflective of the real world many people live in today.
Once the reader is settled into this imaginary place that feels real, Scalzi then makes weird things happen. Without giving too much away, the stress of factory closure caused by the imminent shutdown of the town’s main employer has an unusual effect in Richland, the consequences of which are the rest of the book.
For a man who knowingly writes weird stuff, Monsters of Ohio may be Scalzi’s weirdest to date – and yes, even odder than When the Moon Hits Your Eye. Bearing in mind that I could cope with a universe where the Moon turns to cheese there, I did find that in places this one may have been a step too far, too odd, too extreme for my own personal tastes. Parts that I think were meant to be humorous – weren’t, although I could see how they might be for some readers.
My sense of disbelief was not as suspended as usual – please do bear in mind what I’ve already said about some of his earlier books.
His usual satirical take on the grubby world of corporate greed is well done and there are a few surprises along the way, but in the end I came to the conclusion that although Monsters of Ohio is a solid work, certainly readable, but unfortunately events felt more forced than normal.
It pains me a little to say it, but unfortunately the best thing about this one for me is its cover.
Nevertheless, I can see that others may like this one more. There’s a lot of Scalzi in there, and so you may find that this one might do the trick for you. Monsters of Ohio is not a book I regret reading, but it is also unlikely to be one I’ll remember much about in the long run.
© 2026 Mark Yon
Hardback | Tor Books/ Pan Macmillan
MONSTERS OF OHIO by John Scalzi
November 2026 |264 pages
ISBN: 978 1 5290 8289 0
