Of Men and Monsters

by William Tenn

This novel recalled for me a Thomas M. Disch novel that I read back in high school. I'm not sure of the title at the moment, but I think it was The Puppies of Terra. Tenn's novel could easily be retitled The Cockroaches of Terra. Earth has been invaded, and conquered, by giant beings. Mankind is still alive--underground and in the walls of the houses built by the monsters. The first part of the book reads like your typical post-holocaust story: young man seeks acceptance in the new order of society, which gives the author plenty of chance to show you how things have changed. Luckily, Tenn has an agenda, and we quickly move beyond the standard hunter/gatherer phase into a darkly satiric view of humans. Tenn is supposedly a very funny author, but in Of Men and Monsters, it's all black (as in Disch's novels).