Mythical Beasts
Alexandra Bonfante-Warren
Metro Books
Nonfiction, Mythology
****
DESCRIPTION: "Traditions and tales of favorite fabled creatures," as the subtitle indicates. This volume contains many illustrations from ancient to contemporary sources, along with the stories and legends behind such enduring creatures as the Phoenix, the Dragon, and other beasts and heroes.
REVIEW: Yet another wonder from the discount shelves of Barnes & Noble, I bought it mainly for the many pictures. The text is a bit too flowery and overblown, tending toward sentiment rather than information, though it does cover some ground not included in other books I possess on the subject. The author uses a very subjective method to determine what creatures made the cut, rather than which animals had historic or mythic significance over others. Some of her recounted tales also are cut off at either end, as she focuses on the creatures rather than how they fit in with the story. I found this tendency distracting, as I wanted at least the gist of the whole tale to better understand the creature's place in it. However, I still enjoyed this book for the images and what new (or new to me) information it contained.
You might also enjoy:
Magickal, Mystical Creatures (D. J. Conway, Nonfiction - A compendium of fantastic creatures and their attributes as spirit guides)
The Flight of Dragons (Peter Dickinson, Fiction - A speculative look at how a biologically-probable dragon might live)
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures (John and Caitlin Matthews, Nonfiction - An overview of magical beasts from around the world)
The Book of Fabulous Beasts (Joseph Nigg, Nonfiction - Classical origins of many fabulous animals)
The Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were (Michael Page and Robert Ingpen, Fiction - Fantastic beasts, gods, places, and people)
Dr. Ernest Drake's Monsterology (Dugald A. Steer, "editor", YA Fiction - Guide to fabulous beasts of the world)
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