Of Men and Monsters

Of Men and Monsters
Cover of the 1981 Del Rey edition of Of Men and Monsters, being the 3rd Ballantine edition.
Author(s)	William Tenn
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science Fiction
Publisher	Ballantine Books
Publication date	June 1968
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages	251 pp
ISBN	N/A
OCLC Number	5086030

Of Men and Monsters is a science fiction novel by William Tenn (a pseudonym Philip Klass used for his sci-fi work). It was first published in June 1968 as a paperback by Ballantine Books.

Tenn wrote many short stories but only two novels, both published in 1968. A Lamp for Medusa was published as a double novel with Dave Van Arnam's The Players of Hell. That novella was an expansion of his story "Medusa Was a Lady!" from the October, 1951 issue of Fantastic Adventures.

Of Men and Monsters is an expansion of his story "The Men in the Walls," originally in Galaxy Science Fiction (October 1963).

The storyline introduces giant, technologically superior aliens who have conquered Earth. Humankind survives and even flourishes in a way. Men and women live like mice in burrows in the massive walls of the huge homes of the aliens, scurrying about under their feet, stealing from them.

A complex social and religious order has evolved, with women preserving knowledge and working as healers, while men serve as warriors and thieves. For the aliens, men and women are just a nuisance, neither civilized nor intelligent, and certainly not a worthy adversary. In fact, they are regarded as vermin, to be exterminated. Which, ironically, may just be humankind's strength and point the way forward.

External links

• Castro, Adam-Troy. Review, Sci Fi Weekly, March 18, 2002.
• Another review by Jo Walton
• Of Men and Monsters publication history at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database