Fabulous Beasts
Malcom Ashman, with text by Joyce Hargreaves
The Overlook Press
Fiction, Fantasy
****
DESCRIPTION: A collection of Ashman's images illustrates beasts from myth and legend, from well-known creatures to the obscure.
REVIEW: This is a marvelously illustrated reference, with many creatures not appearing in other books in my library. Ashman, unlike many fantasy artists,
isn't yet another Boris Vajello imitator. I must be one of the only fantasy fans alive who thinks Vajello's work is horrendously sexist and degrading, and his dragons
are mutated, but I suppose that's another rant for another review. I clipped it for somewhat grotesque styles and occasionally uniformative text. Despite those very
minor flaws, this one's worthy of a place in any fantasist's library!
(As a warning, some of the images may not be appropriate for young readers, so browse before you buy if there's any doubt in your mind!)
You might also enjoy:
Mythical Beasts (Alexandra Bonfante-Warren, Nonfiction - Mythology bestiary)
Magickal Mystical Creatures (D.J. Conway, Nonfiction - Fabulous beasts as spirit guides)
A Natural History of the Unnatural World ("The Cryptozoological Society of London", Fiction - Fabulous and cryptozoological creatures)
The Flight of Dragons (Peter Dickinson, Fiction - A speculative look at how a biologically-probably dragon might live)
The Big Book of Dragons, Monsters, and Other Mythical Creatures (Ernst and Johanna Lehner, Nonfiction - Fabulous animal art)
The Book of Fabulous Beasts (Joseph Nigg, Nonfiction - Mythological animal lore, from classical sources)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Return to Brightdreamer Books Home
Brightdreamer Books is created and maintained by TBW, a.k.a. "Brightdreamer."
E-mail: tbweber AT comcast DOT net. (Remove spaces, replace AT with "@" and DOT with "." - please put "Brightdreamer Books" in the subject line, or your e-mail may be deleted as
spam! Thank you!