Monster on the Hill by Rob Harrell

All the villages had a monster.  The monster would tear through town scaring the residents, knocking a few things about, and then return to its cave.  That kept the tourists coming, they could sell trinkets with the monster's picture or form, and all was well.  But poor Stoker-on-Avon is out of luck.  Their monster is depressed and hardly leaves his cave.  He certainly isn't "scaring" the town or its inhabitants.

Top Shelf Products and Net Galley let me download this story as an ebook (thank you).  It will be published the 6th of August and is a graphic novel.

I really liked this tale.  The graphics portray this dragon as small, out of shape, and really down at the mouth.  He's so pathetic.  The story is cute.  The monsters are really fairly tame, but there is one who is not.  When the professor tries to spruce him to get his license to practice back, it takes some real inventiveness to inspire him.  Rayburn decides to go visit his friend, Noodles.  They graduated together.  Of course, his name isn't Noodles anymore.

While they are chatting and discussing his problem, Noodles asks Rayburn who's guarding his village.  When he finds out no one is, he tells him about Murk who likes to destroy villages.

Rayburn is still down and out, but when he thinks he has lost his friend, he finally comes to life and goes after Murk in revenge.

This is a simple tale, but I think many of us get like Rayburn.  We lose our joy in life, our motivation, and our enthusiasm.  It sometimes takes a life changing moment to propel us forward.  I hope we all have as a good an ending as Rayburn does!

Happy reading.