The best man-eating monster novels

This is the first and most obvious man-eating monster novel. The movies were amazing, but the book was perfection. And I believe that is why it is so gripping. Michael Crichton’s attention to detail regarding what was then cutting-edge science, combined with his directorial eye for action (remember, he also directed Westworld and six other films), made for an un-put-downable experience which I still remember devouring to this day. I mean, you just can’t go wrong with genetically modified dinosaurs on a remote island eating people left and right. And one man’s hubris over nature and subsequent reckoning by creatures of his own creation is quite a satisfying tale. If you haven’t read Jurassic Park yet, I’d suggest you do so as soon as you finish the rest of my article.

This fantastic story is another must-read, in my opinion, so add it to your list right now. As I am sure you know, it went on to be an equally terrifying movie directed by the same man who directed Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg, and was one that launched his career. Sadly, I was too young to see the movie in the theatre and so experienced it first as a novel and then later on home video. As an aside, if I know a novel has a movie adaptation, I usually try to read the novel first to experience what the author intended before seeing the movie, since as you know, they can vary greatly. However, Benchley’s well-developed and relatable characters, Chief Brody’s conflict between the mayor and city council, and the insatiable great white shark make Jaws a classic of man-eating monster tales both on the silver screen and in print. Whichever way you go with this one, you’ll have a good time. This was Peter Benchley’s debut and it experienced phenomenal success upon its release, going on to sell over twenty million copies, and something of which most authors can only dream. 

A thoroughly enjoyable romp that is still relevant today, Prophecy is a story of mankind’s decimation of the environment and the disasters that can result from this neglect. It can be a little draggy at times, but with a monster mutant bear chowing down on everyone, it makes for an entertaining novel to while away the time on a camping trip, if you dare. I saw this first as a movie, starring Robert Foxworth and Armand Assante, and then read the novel shortly thereafter. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a monster completist like me, and as always, great fun to see the film adaption of a story you’ve enjoyed and how it compares to what you imagined. 

This one goes back a century or so, but no man-eating monster list would be complete without it. The Lost World is one of my favourites from when I first read it many years ago (not in 1912, however, I’m not that old), and it has stuck with me since. Interestingly, The Lost World is also the title to Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park sequel and was also noted as being Merian C. Cooper’s favourite novel. Cooper, as you may or may not know, co-directed King Kong with Ernest B. Schoedsack in 1933. Written by Arthur Conan Doyle, who was also the creator of the immortal Sherlock Holmes series, The Lost World was one of his biggest hits, and it’s still a great read today.

Following a similar plotline to King Kong, a group of South American explorers encounter an unknown world and bring back a creature from beyond time to the modern day, in this case, a pterodactyl. And, of course, it escapes and wreaks havoc upon London, England (in the Willis O’Brien movie adaptation from 1925, it was a brontosaurus). It’s a little hokey and dated, sure, but it evokes a time and place that no one will ever see again and one I suggest you check out to ensure you get a well-balanced diet of monster shenanigans.

And this brings us to the final of my little top five man-eating monsters list. It’s another one of which you may have heard, and after all, who doesn’t love killer clowns? And I am sure you’ll agree that Pennywise qualifies as a man-eating (and kid-eating) monster worthy of this list. Sporting a mouthful of teeth that any orthodontist would kill for, he has a voracious appetite and can alter his size to accommodate it. It is a masterpiece of terror about the past coming back to haunt you (and eat you) and how one’s fear of something can sometimes be greater than the fear itself. I would set aside a few days to read the novel since it's a long one. But despite its length, it’s a story you don’t want to come to an end, as King’s characterizations and scares are second to none.