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Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters and Mythos
Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A manual of Monsters & Mythos takes a look at over 90 different creatures from around the world. Discover monsters from cryptozoology, (commonly known as cryptids) folklore, and mythology. Each creature is featured with a detailed and descriptive account, and is accompanied by bold, colourful illustrations interpreted by the author and guest artists.
205 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
August 12, 2024
This was SUCH a cute and informative look at cryptids, folklore, and more from all over the world. I loved it! The art was gorgeous and the author did such a great job of covering the basics, but what I loved most was that they even took the time to discuss how some of these myths and stories have been changed over time due to colonization, the spread of Christianity, and other sociopolitical impacts. I learned new things about some favorites and also found some totally new-to-me entities. I'll definitely be buying a finished copy of this one at some point to reference back to in the future!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
� Content warnings for:
—Ĕ�
| | | |
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
� Content warnings for:
—Ĕ�
| | | |
August 31, 2024
If you like the cover and title, you'll like this book. Cute illustrations of cryptids and mythological creatures alongside fun facts about them! It's exactly what it says on the tin!
I also appreciate the intro, where the author said they planned to do this as an "adventurer explores the world discovering mythical creatures" format and then got an imperialist vibe and dropped that framing device. Good call.
I also appreciate the intro, where the author said they planned to do this as an "adventurer explores the world discovering mythical creatures" format and then got an imperialist vibe and dropped that framing device. Good call.
June 26, 2023
I just love it when my Kickstarter books come with a lot of swag! Apart from the beautifully illustrated and full-colour book, my Kickstarter package included washi tapes, a map of the creatures featured in this book, patches, a pin, stickers, prints, and postcards!
Cryptids, Creatures & Creatures is a lovely book that features over 90 different creatures from various parts of the world. Some, like the unicorn and the aswang, might be familiar to you while others, such as the vampiric watermelon, might not. Every creature is illustrated, and there is a write up about what the creature is, its origins, and what it might be. There is also an appendix with additional information and a reference section, so that you can continue to read up on these creatures if you want to.
Personally, I really appreciated the variety of creatures featured in this book. Many of them were new to me, and even for those I knew, I ended up learning one or two things that I hadn’t know before.
Another thing I really appreciated was that Quinney did her best to remain factual and free from bias. Like she pointed out in the introduction, many myths have been distorted through time and from things like colonisation, so the book’s attempts to remain neutral were greatly appreciated.
If you’re a fan of cryptids, folklore, or mythological creatures, you’re going to want to own a copy of this book. Everything is in colour and you’ll definitely enjoy reading about the various creatures that could possibly be found around the world.
This review was first posted at
Cryptids, Creatures & Creatures is a lovely book that features over 90 different creatures from various parts of the world. Some, like the unicorn and the aswang, might be familiar to you while others, such as the vampiric watermelon, might not. Every creature is illustrated, and there is a write up about what the creature is, its origins, and what it might be. There is also an appendix with additional information and a reference section, so that you can continue to read up on these creatures if you want to.
Personally, I really appreciated the variety of creatures featured in this book. Many of them were new to me, and even for those I knew, I ended up learning one or two things that I hadn’t know before.
Another thing I really appreciated was that Quinney did her best to remain factual and free from bias. Like she pointed out in the introduction, many myths have been distorted through time and from things like colonisation, so the book’s attempts to remain neutral were greatly appreciated.
If you’re a fan of cryptids, folklore, or mythological creatures, you’re going to want to own a copy of this book. Everything is in colour and you’ll definitely enjoy reading about the various creatures that could possibly be found around the world.
This review was first posted at
April 15, 2024
Thank you Netgalley for the Arc.
This was a cute and informational book, from familiar creatures to unknown ones (to me, personally).
This was a cute and informational book, from familiar creatures to unknown ones (to me, personally).
March 21, 2024
source: NetGalley
This is hard to rate because it's more of a reference book, but 4.5 rounded up.
The art was absolutely gorgeous. Some of the entries on different creatures were a little unbalanced. Obviously the lore for some has developed more than others and it's pretty comprehensive as far as geography/culture.
This is hard to rate because it's more of a reference book, but 4.5 rounded up.
The art was absolutely gorgeous. Some of the entries on different creatures were a little unbalanced. Obviously the lore for some has developed more than others and it's pretty comprehensive as far as geography/culture.
August 5, 2022
I think this is a really cute idea, but I wish the execution was a little better. the binding a presentation on the outside is lovely, but the typos inside were enough to be a distraction.
May 21, 2024
Cryptids, Creatures & Critters features 90 different creatures from all around the world. Each creature’s page includes the sighting location, cute artwork of the creature, 1-2 pages of the lore behind the creature, and for some, content warnings. This book contains cryptids, and creatures from folklore and mythology.
This was an easy to read creature book with cute artwork and a brief description of the creature. After reading J. W. Ocker’s book, , I was eager to see what this book would include, considering it features creatures from all over the world, and is not limited to cryptids. Each entry was easy to read and provided a basic description (usually 1-2 pages) of what that creature was and how it came about. This was great for someone just wanting to get a brief overview of what the creature is and made the book go by very quickly. If you are looking for more details around sightings and lore behind cryptids, I do recommend Ocker’s book.
I only have two real complaints about this book. First, a pronunciation guide for some of the names of these creatures would have been great, especially in the folklore section. Second, in the cryptid section I question why a creature named Globster is included because it’s not a creature at all, but a decaying ocean animal that has washed ashore.
Overall, if you are interested in cryptids and creatures of folklore and mythology, I highly recommend this book. It features great artwork and is easy to read so it's great for beginner creature researchers or as a great reference book.
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
This was an easy to read creature book with cute artwork and a brief description of the creature. After reading J. W. Ocker’s book, , I was eager to see what this book would include, considering it features creatures from all over the world, and is not limited to cryptids. Each entry was easy to read and provided a basic description (usually 1-2 pages) of what that creature was and how it came about. This was great for someone just wanting to get a brief overview of what the creature is and made the book go by very quickly. If you are looking for more details around sightings and lore behind cryptids, I do recommend Ocker’s book.
I only have two real complaints about this book. First, a pronunciation guide for some of the names of these creatures would have been great, especially in the folklore section. Second, in the cryptid section I question why a creature named Globster is included because it’s not a creature at all, but a decaying ocean animal that has washed ashore.
Overall, if you are interested in cryptids and creatures of folklore and mythology, I highly recommend this book. It features great artwork and is easy to read so it's great for beginner creature researchers or as a great reference book.
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
March 23, 2024
I. LOVE. This book!
I tend to love all things cryptid anyway so that part is easy. But this book is fantastic. It’s set up like a great little dictionary of creatures, some you have heard of and some that may be new to you. It seriously covers a great range. Each section is accompanied by fantastic art of the creature.
The book split into 3 sections. It starts with the cryptid section, which has info on the cryptid, from where it is located, to variations in look, to stories about the cryptid. Part 2 is folklore, which tells you all sorts of variations on each creature it presents to you. Part 3 is mythology and delves into fascinating mythological creatures from around the world.
All of the art with each of these creatures is absolutely beautiful. A moment for the artist/artists (as I understand it, the author drew most of them, though there are also some guest artists) each and every one is great, from the small ones hanging out on the bottom of a page to the large full page pieces!
I seriously love this book so much I have now ordered it, I want a permanent hard copy in my library (I read it digitally on an advance from netgalley).
I tend to love all things cryptid anyway so that part is easy. But this book is fantastic. It’s set up like a great little dictionary of creatures, some you have heard of and some that may be new to you. It seriously covers a great range. Each section is accompanied by fantastic art of the creature.
The book split into 3 sections. It starts with the cryptid section, which has info on the cryptid, from where it is located, to variations in look, to stories about the cryptid. Part 2 is folklore, which tells you all sorts of variations on each creature it presents to you. Part 3 is mythology and delves into fascinating mythological creatures from around the world.
All of the art with each of these creatures is absolutely beautiful. A moment for the artist/artists (as I understand it, the author drew most of them, though there are also some guest artists) each and every one is great, from the small ones hanging out on the bottom of a page to the large full page pieces!
I seriously love this book so much I have now ordered it, I want a permanent hard copy in my library (I read it digitally on an advance from netgalley).
April 13, 2025
I received a copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you are someone who has always been interested in cryptids, folklore, and mythology, then this is going to be a good book for you! Inside, you will find information on everything from unicorns to Medusa. There is so much information packed inside that you’re bound to enjoy it whether or not you’re already familiar with it. I love that it also makes a point to cover the origins and how the stories have been impacted and changed by colonization, religion, and technology. There’s also pictures included all throughout the book. I think this is an excellent read that I cannot recommend enough.
If you are someone who has always been interested in cryptids, folklore, and mythology, then this is going to be a good book for you! Inside, you will find information on everything from unicorns to Medusa. There is so much information packed inside that you’re bound to enjoy it whether or not you’re already familiar with it. I love that it also makes a point to cover the origins and how the stories have been impacted and changed by colonization, religion, and technology. There’s also pictures included all throughout the book. I think this is an excellent read that I cannot recommend enough.
June 17, 2024
Rating: 5/5
I received eARC for my honest opinion
First let me start off with wow! There are so many interesting Cryptids, Creatures and Critters that I didn’t know about. I loved all the information and the references that the author made to help the readers to see that some of the creatures have similarities to other creatures that were in the book before or after the creature you’re learning about. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book, they were amazingly detailed. I would definitely want this book on my shelves to read again.
I want to thank NetGalley and Andrew’s McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.
I received eARC for my honest opinion
First let me start off with wow! There are so many interesting Cryptids, Creatures and Critters that I didn’t know about. I loved all the information and the references that the author made to help the readers to see that some of the creatures have similarities to other creatures that were in the book before or after the creature you’re learning about. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book, they were amazingly detailed. I would definitely want this book on my shelves to read again.
I want to thank NetGalley and Andrew’s McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.
December 24, 2024
This is an interesting and very detailed thumbnail sketch of dozens of mythical creatures, most of which are completely new to me. The authors included copious detail of similarities to other creatures along with many mundane explanations for the origin or details of many of the species. The artwork was interesting in that some looked rather like I expected while others were completely different in every possible aspect.
While this isn’t a story per se, it fuels the imagination for people who might want to read either mythological stories or more modern fantasy.
While this isn’t a story per se, it fuels the imagination for people who might want to read either mythological stories or more modern fantasy.
February 7, 2025
4⭐️
An adorable compendium of cryptids, folklore, and mythological creatures. I appreciated the author’s dedication to pointing out instances where colonialism influenced the stories of creatures big and small.
While I loved the illustrations and guest illustrators, I think a more consistent art style would have made me enjoy the book a little more! I also feel as if the author referenced multiple creatures without defining or explaining them in any other way
An adorable compendium of cryptids, folklore, and mythological creatures. I appreciated the author’s dedication to pointing out instances where colonialism influenced the stories of creatures big and small.
While I loved the illustrations and guest illustrators, I think a more consistent art style would have made me enjoy the book a little more! I also feel as if the author referenced multiple creatures without defining or explaining them in any other way
March 24, 2024
so fun to see all the art styles from all the contributing artists and learn about new mythologies and creatures. i love reference-style art books ¯\_(�)_/¯
many thanks to andrews mcmeel publishing and netgalley for the advance reader copy.
many thanks to andrews mcmeel publishing and netgalley for the advance reader copy.
July 30, 2022
It’s very cute, I love the artwork! It’s great to hear about all these creatures I’ve always loved and hearing about new ones that I can dive deeper into. It’s also nice how they are trying to be very respectful with the descriptions and history of each creature, especially how a lot of people don’t care and just go with the modern, eastern version of every tale. It’s nice to see.
May 17, 2024
I am obsessed! This book is amazing. Not only are the illustrations absolutely stunning but the information packed into every page was so much fun. I learned so many new things about creatures that I didn't even know about. This is a book that I cannot wait to have on my coffee table to read over and over again!!
June 16, 2024
I blame Mulder. Sure, I already knew about Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster through some sort of cultural osmosis but had no overwhelming urge to learn about creatures I hadn’t met before. Thirty years ago, I found out that the truth was out there and, well, my curiosity never went back in its box.
This book is divided into three sections: cryptids, folklore and mythology. The entries in each section are alphabetised and illustrated. I absolutely loved the illustrations!
If you know me at all, you know it’s not possible for me to overdose on fun facts. I may drown you in them but I’ll be good to keep going. It was so hard to decide which were my favourites. I’ve managed to narrow it down to three from each section.
Cryptids
The hoop snake bites its tail to form a hoop. It gets to its victims by rolling towards them, “reaching speeds of up to 60 mph (97 kmph).� It stabs its victims with sharp prongs at the end of its tail.
The tizzie-whizie loves ginger biscuits and warm milk.
One of the descriptions of the Lusca, a Bahamian cryptid, is half shark and half octopus, which naturally made me think of one of the many Eric Roberts movies I’ve seen too many times, . Come to think of it, I met a lot of these creatures in B grade movies.
Image credit: Rachel Quinney
Folklore
Image credit: Hallalaween
With its name translating to “the roaring animal� or “the fetid beast�, the mapinguari isn’t a creature you want to come across. Some descriptions include a “large mouth across its stomach to devour humans who are too slow to escape.�
Mythology
Rompo sing to themselves as they consume human flesh. If a mythological creature is going to eat my corpse, at least I can be content knowing they enjoyed doing so.
Image credit: Rachel Quinney
This is one of the most fun introductions to all things monstrous and maybe mythological that I’ve ever come across. I found out new fun facts about some of my favourites, learned of the existence of myths I’ve never encountered before and have an entire list of cute, creepy and downright diabolical creatures that I need to know more about.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
Blog -
This book is divided into three sections: cryptids, folklore and mythology. The entries in each section are alphabetised and illustrated. I absolutely loved the illustrations!
If you know me at all, you know it’s not possible for me to overdose on fun facts. I may drown you in them but I’ll be good to keep going. It was so hard to decide which were my favourites. I’ve managed to narrow it down to three from each section.
Cryptids
The hoop snake bites its tail to form a hoop. It gets to its victims by rolling towards them, “reaching speeds of up to 60 mph (97 kmph).� It stabs its victims with sharp prongs at the end of its tail.
The tizzie-whizie loves ginger biscuits and warm milk.
One of the descriptions of the Lusca, a Bahamian cryptid, is half shark and half octopus, which naturally made me think of one of the many Eric Roberts movies I’ve seen too many times, . Come to think of it, I met a lot of these creatures in B grade movies.
Image credit: Rachel Quinney
Folklore
Cat sídhes have an interesting collection of stories behind them. Many believe them to be witches who have transformed into cats. Limited to transforming only eight times between human and cat, on the ninth transformation, the witch would be unable to return to their human form and would be thus trapped as a cat. Some believe this to be the origin of the tale that cats have nine lives.
Image credit: Hallalaween
With its name translating to “the roaring animal� or “the fetid beast�, the mapinguari isn’t a creature you want to come across. Some descriptions include a “large mouth across its stomach to devour humans who are too slow to escape.�
According to Romani and Slavic folk legends, pumpkins and watermelons are the only two types of vegetation that may become vampiric in nature. If a pumpkin or watermelon is left out under a full moon or kept for ten days after Christmas, it will turn into a vampire. Once transformed, the pumpkin or watermelon will roll around and pester the living with snarls or by knocking into furniture.You know I’m going to try this one!
Mythology
There is a popular legend of the sazae-oni: A group of wealthy pirates rescue a young maiden, the crew have sex with her (versions vary on whether it was consensual or not), and she cuts or bites off the testicles of every man before returning to the ocean. From the ocean, she taunts the men and demands that they buy back their testicles from her. The pirates trade away all their gold in order to get their testicles. In Japan, testicles are sometimes called "golden balls,� creating the punchline that they paid for gold with gold.Qilin are said to be so gentle that they walk on clouds because they don’t want to damage a blade of grass. However, they also “protect innocent people by incinerating those who seek to harm them with their fiery breath.� That’s the kind of cognitive dissonance I can get behind.
Rompo sing to themselves as they consume human flesh. If a mythological creature is going to eat my corpse, at least I can be content knowing they enjoyed doing so.
Image credit: Rachel Quinney
This is one of the most fun introductions to all things monstrous and maybe mythological that I’ve ever come across. I found out new fun facts about some of my favourites, learned of the existence of myths I’ve never encountered before and have an entire list of cute, creepy and downright diabolical creatures that I need to know more about.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
Blog -
December 16, 2024
***Due to inclusion of original material stories, this book is not intended for young audiences***
This was a book that was passed onto me for testing of whether it was child-friendly, especially as given the presentation of brightly colored, almost cartoonish illustrations, it seems that it reaches for that particular audience. Instead it is a book that is most better suited for adults and if you can't handle the graphic and sometimes horrifying results of history than you shouldn't be reading it.
The book itself splits the world of its subjects into two conflicting groups - cryptids versus folklore and mythological/fantastical. And the order places the newest subject first, which is more than likely the one that most readers will supposedly know more about followed by the next oldest in folklore, which didn't really seem to be folklore, then mythoi. Readers will find each section provides the name of said being, its country of origin, what type of category it can be found in (there is no animal category) and sometimes also content warning labels, which I found to be extremely annoying (and in one case the content warning was put on there but the claimed trigger content wasn't included in the entry for the Snallygaster) since it is one of those "duh" things for me with the age of most of these stories.
Within the folklore section of the book, readers will find the entries heavily Scottish and with the cryptids, the weight comes from the United States.
Anyway there are multiple illustrations included while they all kept to the same type of illustrations - mostly bright colors, cartoonish and cute although open to the interpretation of the artist such as the Wolpertinger. As a result they can't be used too accurately for some of the creatures included in the book.
And that is basically where any resemblance of me liking this book came into play. First of all the Introduction was the red flag that I needed to read to know just where this book was going to go with its usage of: "racist sentiments, fetishization of non-white cultures, colonization & imperialism leaving sour tastes" and the most virtue signaler of all "as a white woman (although the author doesn't claim she/her pronouns), it is not my role or right to tell people who live closer to these stories that my word is the truth. In fact, I encourage you to take my writings with a grain of salt". Given the fact that you are including some of anyone's culture in a book with the much mocked as well as sneered upon fields of cryptozoology and ufology, lots of salt is necessary.
I also found it weird that the author would use content warnings for most of the entries and yet in others was rather mum, especially when it seems a union may have been consensual although all other surrounding evidence may imply it wasn't such as with the selkies or swan people who were held hostage until they could redeem themselves or the chief's daughter who was kidnapped while made to carry seven of her abductor's children or even the mother of the Minotaur. And yet no content warning was provided for some of those encounters.
The author also has a weird way of wording some of her other entries such as having the Sphinx guard the city of Thebes or that the offspring of Medusa were born from a wound. But maybe at this point I am so agitated with the dull writing, the attempts at trying to explain some of the entries and the silliness of content warnings that I am clearly nitpicking.
Other last points I would like to point out is the fact that the whoever illustrated the Sazae-Oni left me confused by putting an octopus on its head when the entry cleared stated the creature's face should have been a turban snail. And my last major complaint is the author include entries rather oddly with the non-seeming El Naddaha and kataw being included as mermaid although they don't appear to include the traits or even a yokai as a predatory plant when it just looks like one while the vampiric pumpkins and watermelons had their own entry apart from the rest.
Honestly I have read a lot better books with a mixture of creatures while they weren't as dull, silly in their virtue signalling greatness and just a lot better at entertainment in the bigger picture. I could definitely see some potential where this book lies but at this point I would just keep it shelved while moving onto hopefully the next better read.
This was a book that was passed onto me for testing of whether it was child-friendly, especially as given the presentation of brightly colored, almost cartoonish illustrations, it seems that it reaches for that particular audience. Instead it is a book that is most better suited for adults and if you can't handle the graphic and sometimes horrifying results of history than you shouldn't be reading it.
The book itself splits the world of its subjects into two conflicting groups - cryptids versus folklore and mythological/fantastical. And the order places the newest subject first, which is more than likely the one that most readers will supposedly know more about followed by the next oldest in folklore, which didn't really seem to be folklore, then mythoi. Readers will find each section provides the name of said being, its country of origin, what type of category it can be found in (there is no animal category) and sometimes also content warning labels, which I found to be extremely annoying (and in one case the content warning was put on there but the claimed trigger content wasn't included in the entry for the Snallygaster) since it is one of those "duh" things for me with the age of most of these stories.
Within the folklore section of the book, readers will find the entries heavily Scottish and with the cryptids, the weight comes from the United States.
Anyway there are multiple illustrations included while they all kept to the same type of illustrations - mostly bright colors, cartoonish and cute although open to the interpretation of the artist such as the Wolpertinger. As a result they can't be used too accurately for some of the creatures included in the book.
And that is basically where any resemblance of me liking this book came into play. First of all the Introduction was the red flag that I needed to read to know just where this book was going to go with its usage of: "racist sentiments, fetishization of non-white cultures, colonization & imperialism leaving sour tastes" and the most virtue signaler of all "as a white woman (although the author doesn't claim she/her pronouns), it is not my role or right to tell people who live closer to these stories that my word is the truth. In fact, I encourage you to take my writings with a grain of salt". Given the fact that you are including some of anyone's culture in a book with the much mocked as well as sneered upon fields of cryptozoology and ufology, lots of salt is necessary.
I also found it weird that the author would use content warnings for most of the entries and yet in others was rather mum, especially when it seems a union may have been consensual although all other surrounding evidence may imply it wasn't such as with the selkies or swan people who were held hostage until they could redeem themselves or the chief's daughter who was kidnapped while made to carry seven of her abductor's children or even the mother of the Minotaur. And yet no content warning was provided for some of those encounters.
The author also has a weird way of wording some of her other entries such as having the Sphinx guard the city of Thebes or that the offspring of Medusa were born from a wound. But maybe at this point I am so agitated with the dull writing, the attempts at trying to explain some of the entries and the silliness of content warnings that I am clearly nitpicking.
Other last points I would like to point out is the fact that the whoever illustrated the Sazae-Oni left me confused by putting an octopus on its head when the entry cleared stated the creature's face should have been a turban snail. And my last major complaint is the author include entries rather oddly with the non-seeming El Naddaha and kataw being included as mermaid although they don't appear to include the traits or even a yokai as a predatory plant when it just looks like one while the vampiric pumpkins and watermelons had their own entry apart from the rest.
Honestly I have read a lot better books with a mixture of creatures while they weren't as dull, silly in their virtue signalling greatness and just a lot better at entertainment in the bigger picture. I could definitely see some potential where this book lies but at this point I would just keep it shelved while moving onto hopefully the next better read.
March 23, 2024
If you like the strange creatures that exist in mythology and legend, you'll like this book. It's both light-hearted and comprehensive, which is a tough balance to hit. It's laid out in three main sections: Cryptids, Folklore, and Mythology. The introduction includes an interesting little list that defines the classifications in the book (classifications here meaning the "physical form of the creature") as: monster, spirit, humanoid, shapeshifter, and alien. Each entry gets at least a full page, most two, with a full-color illustration and interesting facts about what the creature is said to do (especially, of course, its interactions with or impact on us humans).
On to some of my new favorites! The Tatzelwurm (an Alpine snake with clawed front legs and the head of a cat) might top the list. The Bake-Kujira (a spectral whale skeleton seen in Japan) is a close follow, along with the Buschgroßmutter (the "shrub grandmother"), the Lusca (a Bahamian chimera that is half shark and either half eel or octopus - two of my favorite animals), and the Skvader (a winged rabbit that resides in Sweden).
And let us not forget about the Tizzie-Whizie, an English cryptic with the body of a hedgehog, the wings of a dragon, the antennae of a bee or butterfly, and the tail of a squirrel. It can be coaxed and soothed with warm milk and ginger biscuits. Actually, perhaps that's my new favorite.
There are a few things that keep this from being 5 stars for me. Firstly, the art pieces (which are all wonderful individually) are done in such a wide variety of styles that it's almost disconcerting. As you flip between pages, you're first looking at images that are detailed and eerie, then suddenly cutesy and cuddly, then suddenly stylized angular. There doesn't seem to be any consideration given to which art style was paired with which creature, which could have gone a long way to offset this issue. In many places there's a huge mismatch between the illustration and the creature being illustrated. Case in point: the Zheng, which is described as "a ferocious and malevolent beast." The accompanying illustration looks like the cutest, friendliest leopard-inspired furry that you've ever seen. It's an odd choice, to put it mildly. But to be fair, many of the illustrations are perfect pairings with the creatures, like the enormous skeleton striding through a moonlit forest, depicting the Gashadokuro. A special shout-out for the illustration of the Enfield Horror that looks extremely inspired by the rat-creatures in the gorgeous Bone graphic novels (that's a big compliment, if you don't know Bone).
My second little quibble is that the descriptions don't always bother to give any information on time periods, i.e. when legends began of the specific creature. I know it's not easy to nail this sort of thing down, but even a general statement like "sometime in the Edo period" or "during the Middle Ages" would have been nice, as some kind of reference point. For the cryptids, there's often not even a mention of where or how the creatures have entered into folklore. More details, please! Is this a common legend? Has it been around forever? Is it very new? Is it extremely area-specific??
But as I said, these are small quibbles. Overall this is a wonderful book and will be a great addition to the collection of anyone who enjoys these sorts of creatures.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
On to some of my new favorites! The Tatzelwurm (an Alpine snake with clawed front legs and the head of a cat) might top the list. The Bake-Kujira (a spectral whale skeleton seen in Japan) is a close follow, along with the Buschgroßmutter (the "shrub grandmother"), the Lusca (a Bahamian chimera that is half shark and either half eel or octopus - two of my favorite animals), and the Skvader (a winged rabbit that resides in Sweden).
And let us not forget about the Tizzie-Whizie, an English cryptic with the body of a hedgehog, the wings of a dragon, the antennae of a bee or butterfly, and the tail of a squirrel. It can be coaxed and soothed with warm milk and ginger biscuits. Actually, perhaps that's my new favorite.
There are a few things that keep this from being 5 stars for me. Firstly, the art pieces (which are all wonderful individually) are done in such a wide variety of styles that it's almost disconcerting. As you flip between pages, you're first looking at images that are detailed and eerie, then suddenly cutesy and cuddly, then suddenly stylized angular. There doesn't seem to be any consideration given to which art style was paired with which creature, which could have gone a long way to offset this issue. In many places there's a huge mismatch between the illustration and the creature being illustrated. Case in point: the Zheng, which is described as "a ferocious and malevolent beast." The accompanying illustration looks like the cutest, friendliest leopard-inspired furry that you've ever seen. It's an odd choice, to put it mildly. But to be fair, many of the illustrations are perfect pairings with the creatures, like the enormous skeleton striding through a moonlit forest, depicting the Gashadokuro. A special shout-out for the illustration of the Enfield Horror that looks extremely inspired by the rat-creatures in the gorgeous Bone graphic novels (that's a big compliment, if you don't know Bone).
My second little quibble is that the descriptions don't always bother to give any information on time periods, i.e. when legends began of the specific creature. I know it's not easy to nail this sort of thing down, but even a general statement like "sometime in the Edo period" or "during the Middle Ages" would have been nice, as some kind of reference point. For the cryptids, there's often not even a mention of where or how the creatures have entered into folklore. More details, please! Is this a common legend? Has it been around forever? Is it very new? Is it extremely area-specific??
But as I said, these are small quibbles. Overall this is a wonderful book and will be a great addition to the collection of anyone who enjoys these sorts of creatures.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
March 30, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advance copy of this book that works as both a field guide and a character handbook listing many of the fantastical creatures thought to be living and thriving all over the world.
When I was a young reader I was addicted to anything that dealt with Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, aliens or really anything that went bump in the night, or that people thought they saw bumping around in the night. My library had a great selection of nonfiction books for kids, and among them were books on the supernatural, the paranormal, and what has grown into cryptids. I was constantly checking them out, reading and rereading, taking little notes to myself, about what I would look for if I found one, and how I would react. My parents later gifted me with a flea market find of the Time-Life Mysteries of the Unknown, which was probably a gateway drug for many pre-X-Files. I loved those books. Magic, majick, ESP, aliens, Jersey Devils, and ghosts, all with the imprimatur of Time-Life. That was legitimate, so this stuff had to be real. Little me would have loved this book, Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World by artist, writer and educator Rachel Quinney.
The book features over 90 different mysteries from all over the world. The book is divided into tree sections, cryptid, mythology and folklore, with alphabetical listings of the creatures in each section, starting of course with my favourite Bigfoot. The descriptions give locations that these have been spotted, if it is humanoid, or monster, or something else, possibly alien. All have illustrations either drawn by the author, or by guest artists, who might add their own reflections or thoughts about the creatures. There is a good mix of demons, from all over the world, Mothman, Owlman, native myths, and much more.
I enjoyed this book alot. Most of the information might not be new to most cryptid readers, but it is nice to have everything in one place. Also there were a lot of creatures I have never heard of and that was exciting. The art really helps bring the creatures to life, and while I enjoyed all the art, the ones that were done by Quinney were some of my favorites. In addition to being a fine illustrator, Quinney has a really good grasp of the subject and how to present it. A mix of these are real, with a healthy dose of skepticism, as many of these just sound like ways to get more people to come to small towns and spend money. Maybe.
Recommended for people just getting into cryptids, or for people like me who love all these books and can't get enough. Also a nice gift for people just getting into podcasting, as podcasters love cryptid tales. Also this would be a good reference for writers to get ideas, and for role players to add to adventures.
When I was a young reader I was addicted to anything that dealt with Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, aliens or really anything that went bump in the night, or that people thought they saw bumping around in the night. My library had a great selection of nonfiction books for kids, and among them were books on the supernatural, the paranormal, and what has grown into cryptids. I was constantly checking them out, reading and rereading, taking little notes to myself, about what I would look for if I found one, and how I would react. My parents later gifted me with a flea market find of the Time-Life Mysteries of the Unknown, which was probably a gateway drug for many pre-X-Files. I loved those books. Magic, majick, ESP, aliens, Jersey Devils, and ghosts, all with the imprimatur of Time-Life. That was legitimate, so this stuff had to be real. Little me would have loved this book, Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World by artist, writer and educator Rachel Quinney.
The book features over 90 different mysteries from all over the world. The book is divided into tree sections, cryptid, mythology and folklore, with alphabetical listings of the creatures in each section, starting of course with my favourite Bigfoot. The descriptions give locations that these have been spotted, if it is humanoid, or monster, or something else, possibly alien. All have illustrations either drawn by the author, or by guest artists, who might add their own reflections or thoughts about the creatures. There is a good mix of demons, from all over the world, Mothman, Owlman, native myths, and much more.
I enjoyed this book alot. Most of the information might not be new to most cryptid readers, but it is nice to have everything in one place. Also there were a lot of creatures I have never heard of and that was exciting. The art really helps bring the creatures to life, and while I enjoyed all the art, the ones that were done by Quinney were some of my favorites. In addition to being a fine illustrator, Quinney has a really good grasp of the subject and how to present it. A mix of these are real, with a healthy dose of skepticism, as many of these just sound like ways to get more people to come to small towns and spend money. Maybe.
Recommended for people just getting into cryptids, or for people like me who love all these books and can't get enough. Also a nice gift for people just getting into podcasting, as podcasters love cryptid tales. Also this would be a good reference for writers to get ideas, and for role players to add to adventures.
May 8, 2024
This was a Netgalley ARC read!
I think this is a 3.5, so giving it 4 stars is me being generous. I liked the art, and I found several critters that were new to me.
I am however confused about the intended audience of this book. At first, I thought it was aimed at children. It makes sense. Cute drawing, content warnings under the labels mentioning innocent things like "alcohol" and less innocent such as "Animal Death" which gave me the initial impression of an parent reading to an child and deciding to skip the entry with the Chupacabre because it was said it caused multiple pet deaths.
But then the Goatman entry arrived with the "bestiality" tag and that gave me whiplash. I can just imagine a child looking at their parent and going "what is bestiality?". Which, maybe I'm clutching my pearls here but that isn't something I want coming out of anyones mouth. The actual entry was rather innocent saying that some tales said the goatman was "the offspring of a farmer and a goat" which.. is a lot more acceptable than seeing the word bestiality somehow.
(Other content warnings I wouldn't want a child to see include Sexual Assault and Genital Mutilation)
The cover also goes under this. It is like a book made by two people and both thinking they're making the book for different audiences. The actual text in the book feels like it is written like non-fiction, it features reported sightings, even going as far as naming people who has stated they've seen the creature. There is even some entries (like the Chupacabre) where the author points out arguments over what the creature might actually be (A dog with mange). However, the cover doesn't say "here is a nonfiction book about creatures we might be sharing the earth with", it says "here is a cute little book about imaginary beings". Even ignoring the art style (which I personally love), it features a creature that isn't very well known and is on the more whimsical side. (Why the artist decided to draw it like an alien thumbelina when the reports mention a creature several meters tall I don't understand either)
The content warning wasn't always consistent either, the Jersey Devil didn't have any but mentioned multiple sheep killing. (So should have had the Animal Death warning like the Chupacabre did, but it seems the Chupacabre got that because it mentioned sheep, farm animals and pets. Seeming to value the pet part a lot more than the being accurate part).
Featuring around a 100 different creatures, it's obviously an selective bunch. Most of these types of monster manuals are. I was pleasantly surprised to see several I wasn't aware of (which is saying a lot considering how big of a fantasy fan I am). But, if the intended audience is younger, why include the two bestiality entries? If it's aimed at an adult audience, why not choose a more serious cover?
I think this is a 3.5, so giving it 4 stars is me being generous. I liked the art, and I found several critters that were new to me.
I am however confused about the intended audience of this book. At first, I thought it was aimed at children. It makes sense. Cute drawing, content warnings under the labels mentioning innocent things like "alcohol" and less innocent such as "Animal Death" which gave me the initial impression of an parent reading to an child and deciding to skip the entry with the Chupacabre because it was said it caused multiple pet deaths.
But then the Goatman entry arrived with the "bestiality" tag and that gave me whiplash. I can just imagine a child looking at their parent and going "what is bestiality?". Which, maybe I'm clutching my pearls here but that isn't something I want coming out of anyones mouth. The actual entry was rather innocent saying that some tales said the goatman was "the offspring of a farmer and a goat" which.. is a lot more acceptable than seeing the word bestiality somehow.
(Other content warnings I wouldn't want a child to see include Sexual Assault and Genital Mutilation)
The cover also goes under this. It is like a book made by two people and both thinking they're making the book for different audiences. The actual text in the book feels like it is written like non-fiction, it features reported sightings, even going as far as naming people who has stated they've seen the creature. There is even some entries (like the Chupacabre) where the author points out arguments over what the creature might actually be (A dog with mange). However, the cover doesn't say "here is a nonfiction book about creatures we might be sharing the earth with", it says "here is a cute little book about imaginary beings". Even ignoring the art style (which I personally love), it features a creature that isn't very well known and is on the more whimsical side. (Why the artist decided to draw it like an alien thumbelina when the reports mention a creature several meters tall I don't understand either)
The content warning wasn't always consistent either, the Jersey Devil didn't have any but mentioned multiple sheep killing. (So should have had the Animal Death warning like the Chupacabre did, but it seems the Chupacabre got that because it mentioned sheep, farm animals and pets. Seeming to value the pet part a lot more than the being accurate part).
Featuring around a 100 different creatures, it's obviously an selective bunch. Most of these types of monster manuals are. I was pleasantly surprised to see several I wasn't aware of (which is saying a lot considering how big of a fantasy fan I am). But, if the intended audience is younger, why include the two bestiality entries? If it's aimed at an adult audience, why not choose a more serious cover?
April 9, 2024
3.5 stars
As a long-time lover of cryptids and cryptid books, it's always a treat to read a new one, especially one that introduces me to some cryptids I was not previously familiar with!
I enjoyed the art throughout the book, though I do think it would probably land better as a physical copy instead of digitally (as you lose the 2-page spread of art and text together in several places).
I also appreciate that the author was sensitive to their position as an outsider to a lot of these legends, and the prejudices that can seep into how they are portrayed. The introduction did a good job to show the care that Quinney seems to have put into organizing the structure and stories to be respectful towards the cultures and people these stories are pulled from - I am not part of any of the groups that could really speak to the success of this, but it seems at the very least a promising attempt.
I did appreciate the inclusion of content warnings throughout for some of the more grusome stories, though I did find it a little inconsistent (death probably could have been included on 50% of them, due to the nature of a lot of cryptids).
My only major gripe with the book is I feel like the information on a few of the cryptids was lacking - while some had multiple pages, others were limited to not even a full page, or simply described the appearance but didn't have much information on things like sightings, behavior, or stories. It is not too much of an issue if you're taking this as more of a beginners guide/overview, but I would have loved a little more info on some pages where there was already more room available on the page. Additionally, I agree with some points I've seen in other reviews that formatting some things like size or time period more consistently in a list like location was could help a little with placing some of the creatures into their context upfront. I also would have loved artist credits on the page for the guest artists - especially as some of them left comments on the page already! (They are credited fully in the back, it is just harder to flip back and forth in an e-book!)
Overall, I enjoyed it! Definitely recommend checking out a print copy to enjoy the art, and I will be researching some of the new creatures that I've learned about!
This digital ARC was provided by the publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley. This is an honest review.
As a long-time lover of cryptids and cryptid books, it's always a treat to read a new one, especially one that introduces me to some cryptids I was not previously familiar with!
I enjoyed the art throughout the book, though I do think it would probably land better as a physical copy instead of digitally (as you lose the 2-page spread of art and text together in several places).
I also appreciate that the author was sensitive to their position as an outsider to a lot of these legends, and the prejudices that can seep into how they are portrayed. The introduction did a good job to show the care that Quinney seems to have put into organizing the structure and stories to be respectful towards the cultures and people these stories are pulled from - I am not part of any of the groups that could really speak to the success of this, but it seems at the very least a promising attempt.
I did appreciate the inclusion of content warnings throughout for some of the more grusome stories, though I did find it a little inconsistent (death probably could have been included on 50% of them, due to the nature of a lot of cryptids).
My only major gripe with the book is I feel like the information on a few of the cryptids was lacking - while some had multiple pages, others were limited to not even a full page, or simply described the appearance but didn't have much information on things like sightings, behavior, or stories. It is not too much of an issue if you're taking this as more of a beginners guide/overview, but I would have loved a little more info on some pages where there was already more room available on the page. Additionally, I agree with some points I've seen in other reviews that formatting some things like size or time period more consistently in a list like location was could help a little with placing some of the creatures into their context upfront. I also would have loved artist credits on the page for the guest artists - especially as some of them left comments on the page already! (They are credited fully in the back, it is just harder to flip back and forth in an e-book!)
Overall, I enjoyed it! Definitely recommend checking out a print copy to enjoy the art, and I will be researching some of the new creatures that I've learned about!
This digital ARC was provided by the publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley. This is an honest review.
May 22, 2024
**I was provided an electronic ARC through NetGalley.**
Rachel Quinney presents Cryptids, Creatures & Critters, an encyclopedic collection of the aforementioned accompanied by associated illustrations. Known as EldritchRach on social media/Etsy, Quinney had a successful Kickstarter campaign for the production of this book which features their own illustrations in addition to several guest artists.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have been a fan of EldritchRach for years and have made purchases through their Etsy. There was no potential for this book to not be a hit for me.
Quinney acknowledges the impacts of imperialism/colonialism on the shifting descriptions of creatures throughout folklore, mythology, and legend. The content of the book is split into creatures best described as Cryptids and those designated as Folklore creatures or Mythology creatures. The included creatures do tend toward Western origins, but Quinney did make deliberate effort to include content from diverse backgrounds. The content included is well researched and the art is beautiful, full-color, and of various artistic styles depending on which of the included artists did the illustration. In addition, the layout of the book is visually neat and appealing not just as an encyclopedic collection of creatures, but could easily function as a coffee table book.
Overall, I was glad to be able to read this book early and would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested in the subject matter. Quinney understood the assignment with this book and fulfilled it beautifully with their signature style.
Rachel Quinney presents Cryptids, Creatures & Critters, an encyclopedic collection of the aforementioned accompanied by associated illustrations. Known as EldritchRach on social media/Etsy, Quinney had a successful Kickstarter campaign for the production of this book which features their own illustrations in addition to several guest artists.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have been a fan of EldritchRach for years and have made purchases through their Etsy. There was no potential for this book to not be a hit for me.
Quinney acknowledges the impacts of imperialism/colonialism on the shifting descriptions of creatures throughout folklore, mythology, and legend. The content of the book is split into creatures best described as Cryptids and those designated as Folklore creatures or Mythology creatures. The included creatures do tend toward Western origins, but Quinney did make deliberate effort to include content from diverse backgrounds. The content included is well researched and the art is beautiful, full-color, and of various artistic styles depending on which of the included artists did the illustration. In addition, the layout of the book is visually neat and appealing not just as an encyclopedic collection of creatures, but could easily function as a coffee table book.
Overall, I was glad to be able to read this book early and would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested in the subject matter. Quinney understood the assignment with this book and fulfilled it beautifully with their signature style.
May 3, 2024
I'm not overly familiar with cryptids et. al. so went into this book hoping to learn new tidbits and I certainly did! This is more of an encyclopedia: the entries are split into three parts (Cryptids, Folklore, and Mythology), and also includes a lengthy reference list. Each entry includes a full colour illustration, description, and geographical information. I do think the author tried to be as comprehensive as possible covering global locations and cultures. It's a very visual book, though I think it could've included even more illustrations as some pages do have larger blank spaces between entries, and a map would've been a nice addition. In some cases the descriptions were quite expansive yet others were sparse, but kudos to the author for all the information gathering as this must have been an extensive amount of research (on topics where not a lot of information is always available or reliable for obvious reasons).
I appreciated the explanation at the beginning about cultural appropriation, misrepresention, and colonialism, and thought the author did a good job at curating the inclusion of entries, including content warnings, and explaining problematic elements throughout.
This is one to buy and keep around to dip into, and could be considered a Kickstarter win for those lucky enough to back it before it was traditionally published.
Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I appreciated the explanation at the beginning about cultural appropriation, misrepresention, and colonialism, and thought the author did a good job at curating the inclusion of entries, including content warnings, and explaining problematic elements throughout.
This is one to buy and keep around to dip into, and could be considered a Kickstarter win for those lucky enough to back it before it was traditionally published.
Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2024
This was an excellent little reference guide for cryptids and creatures from around the world. The sections for this book are broken up into Cryptids, Folklore, and Mythology. I really appreciated how Rachel Quinney highlights the important cultural distinctions between each category and acknowledges the way western viewpoints have impacted the narrative of these legends in the introduction. Helpful context is provided at the start of each individual creature’s page through the location of its origin, classification category, and content warnings so readers know what to expect. The artwork by Rachel Quinney is delightful and the guest artists provide some incredible pieces to give the book variety with their unique takes on the beings featured in the pages. While much of the artwork here is very cute, the text does not shy away from some of the more unsavory aspects in the mythology of the subjects. These descriptions provide a great foundational knowledge of what makes each cryptid unique and the reference pages at the end contribute a wealth of information for those that are excited to take their exploration further. I’m so glad I picked up this book and I’m excited to check out more of Rachel’s amazing cryptid art!
Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
March 23, 2024
I. LOVE. This book!
I tend to love all things cryptid anyway so that part is easy. But this book is fantastic. It’s set up like a great little dictionary of creatures, some you have heard of and some that may be new to you. It seriously covers a great range. Each section is accompanied by fantastic art of the creature.
The book split into 3 sections. It starts with the cryptid section, which has info on the cryptid, from where it is located, to variations in look, to stories about the cryptid. Part 2 is folklore, which tells you all sorts of variations on each creature it presents to you. Part 3 is mythology and delves into fascinating mythological creatures from around the world.
All of the art with each of these creatures is absolutely beautiful. A moment for the artist/artists (as I understand it, the author drew most of them, though there are also some guest artists) each and every one is great, from the small ones hanging out on the bottom of a page to the large full page pieces!
I seriously love this book so much I have now ordered it, I want a permanent hard copy in my library (I read it digitally on an advance from netgalley).
I tend to love all things cryptid anyway so that part is easy. But this book is fantastic. It’s set up like a great little dictionary of creatures, some you have heard of and some that may be new to you. It seriously covers a great range. Each section is accompanied by fantastic art of the creature.
The book split into 3 sections. It starts with the cryptid section, which has info on the cryptid, from where it is located, to variations in look, to stories about the cryptid. Part 2 is folklore, which tells you all sorts of variations on each creature it presents to you. Part 3 is mythology and delves into fascinating mythological creatures from around the world.
All of the art with each of these creatures is absolutely beautiful. A moment for the artist/artists (as I understand it, the author drew most of them, though there are also some guest artists) each and every one is great, from the small ones hanging out on the bottom of a page to the large full page pieces!
I seriously love this book so much I have now ordered it, I want a permanent hard copy in my library (I read it digitally on an advance from netgalley).
June 13, 2024
This is a nicely varied collection of anomalous creatures that could've used another round of editing, as there are errors sprinkled here and there, both in the text and the art.
The art, itself, is really quite good, but for example, the Owlman is described as "[having] large, glowing red eyes, pointed ears, a black beak, clawed wings, black legs with large taloned feet, and is covered in silver and gray feathers." The accompanying illustration gets the ears, beak, and wings right, but the eyes are yellow, and it's depicted in varying shades of brown. Nice as the art is, it would've been nice if it hadn't deviated from the descriptions so often.
Less often, you'll run into discrepancies in the text, itself. Take the Simurgh which must either immolate itself and be reborn every 1,700 years or (just two paragraphs later), 17,000 years.
Still, despite these unfortunate errors, Quinney covers a wide swath of cryptids, aliens, and beings from folklore and mythology from across the world. If nothing else, Cryptids, Creatures & Critters is a great primer for discovering creatures you might want to learn more about.
The art, itself, is really quite good, but for example, the Owlman is described as "[having] large, glowing red eyes, pointed ears, a black beak, clawed wings, black legs with large taloned feet, and is covered in silver and gray feathers." The accompanying illustration gets the ears, beak, and wings right, but the eyes are yellow, and it's depicted in varying shades of brown. Nice as the art is, it would've been nice if it hadn't deviated from the descriptions so often.
Less often, you'll run into discrepancies in the text, itself. Take the Simurgh which must either immolate itself and be reborn every 1,700 years or (just two paragraphs later), 17,000 years.
Still, despite these unfortunate errors, Quinney covers a wide swath of cryptids, aliens, and beings from folklore and mythology from across the world. If nothing else, Cryptids, Creatures & Critters is a great primer for discovering creatures you might want to learn more about.
July 26, 2024
Soy un fanático nato de la ڲԳٲí. Si llevan esa misma ڲԳٲí, cosas que deberían ser imposibles, a la vida real, caigo enamorado. Tengo esta fascinación por las criaturas imposibles. Algunos los llaman críptidos, otros monstruos, otros simplemente figuras y personajes del folclore y la mitología. Yo los llamo cultura. Por eso decidí darle una oportunidad a echarle el guante a Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World, por Rachel Quinney.
Reseña completa:
I’m a natural-born sucker for fantasy. Bring that same fantasy, things that should be impossible, to real life, and I am all yours. I have this fascination for impossible creatures. Some call them cryptids, some monsters, others just figures and characters from folklore and mythology. I call them culture. That’s why I decided to get my hands on Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World, by Rachel Quinney.
Full review:
Reseña completa:
I’m a natural-born sucker for fantasy. Bring that same fantasy, things that should be impossible, to real life, and I am all yours. I have this fascination for impossible creatures. Some call them cryptids, some monsters, others just figures and characters from folklore and mythology. I call them culture. That’s why I decided to get my hands on Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World, by Rachel Quinney.
Full review:
June 15, 2024
For each cryptid, creature or critter you will find an origin country, its classification type and a snapshot bio. The book is sectioned off into Cryptids, Folklore and Mythology for easy reading and enjoyment.🦄
Let’s talk about the fantastic art. Half the fun is reading and the other is admiring the variety of talent from the artists. This was an incredibly fun and interesting book. The effort for the research into each section is apparent and even more amazing was the note to take everything with a grain of salt and to do your own research! You don’t have to believe (Bigfoot, I know you’re out there!) but I do and I love everything that was put into the book!
Thank you to the author, Rachel Quinney, NetGalley and the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing, for the opportunity to read to this book. I received this advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
#CryptidsCreaturesCritters #RachelQuinney #NetGalley
Let’s talk about the fantastic art. Half the fun is reading and the other is admiring the variety of talent from the artists. This was an incredibly fun and interesting book. The effort for the research into each section is apparent and even more amazing was the note to take everything with a grain of salt and to do your own research! You don’t have to believe (Bigfoot, I know you’re out there!) but I do and I love everything that was put into the book!
Thank you to the author, Rachel Quinney, NetGalley and the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing, for the opportunity to read to this book. I received this advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
#CryptidsCreaturesCritters #RachelQuinney #NetGalley
July 30, 2024
A big thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
An adorable graphic novel that is both terrifying and educational.
Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters and Mythos from Around the World features 90 different creatures from around the world, each with their own researched description and full-color illustrations. The book is divided into three sections: cryptids, folklore, and mythology. It features popular cryptid favorites, such as Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster, and some lesser-known cryptids, such as the Enfield Horror and the Montauk Monster. For folklore, there are kelpies, selkies, cat sidhes, and grimalkins, along with the dobarchu and the vampiric pumpkin! In mythology, you'll find Medusa, sphinx, Pegasus, and the bukavac!
Yes. Yes. Yes. This book is just all yes. Give me more!
An adorable graphic novel that is both terrifying and educational.
Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters and Mythos from Around the World features 90 different creatures from around the world, each with their own researched description and full-color illustrations. The book is divided into three sections: cryptids, folklore, and mythology. It features popular cryptid favorites, such as Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster, and some lesser-known cryptids, such as the Enfield Horror and the Montauk Monster. For folklore, there are kelpies, selkies, cat sidhes, and grimalkins, along with the dobarchu and the vampiric pumpkin! In mythology, you'll find Medusa, sphinx, Pegasus, and the bukavac!
Yes. Yes. Yes. This book is just all yes. Give me more!
January 6, 2025
Rachel Quinney compiles an impressive collection of creatures and critters that fall under cryptids, folklore, and mythology. With thoughtful nuance and an acknowledged room to grow, Quinney pulls together a diverse set of beings from all around the world. This collection includes beings that are believed to be singular as well as those believed to thrive and multiply. From the spooky to the deadly to the ominous to the quaint, Quinney reveals a wide range of tales behind cryptids as well as folkloric and mythological beings.
Featuring enchanting, charming, and, at appropriate times, disturbing illustrations from a variety of artists, Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World is an impeccable and inspirational guide to those interested in the otherworld, urban legends, cryptozoology, folklore, and mythology.
Featuring enchanting, charming, and, at appropriate times, disturbing illustrations from a variety of artists, Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World is an impeccable and inspirational guide to those interested in the otherworld, urban legends, cryptozoology, folklore, and mythology.
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