<p>Joseph Merrick, known as the Elephant Man, had extensive deformities and earned a living as an exhibit in freak shows and fairgrounds, horrifying the public with his appearance. Later he became a medical curiosity and something of a celebrity, meeting royalty and members of London society. Treated as a monster, he was actually a gentle and thoguhtful soul. His life was the inspiration for this collection of short stories about outsiders of all kinds, and their tormentors. The tales range from realistic fiction, through horror, science fiction, humour and fantasy, but they all contain characters who are in some way separate, different, alone. Some might appear monstrous, some embrace their otherness or rise above it, and some do terrible things. But as we see how they are treated by the mainstream we may ask, &lsquo;Who are the real monsters here?&rsquo;</p>