Synopsis
Turn your gaze toward the skies
Where wyvern, lung, and phoenix fly.
As mermaids swim through oceans blue
Under Arctic ice, past coral hues.
Accounts arise from here and there,
Of manticores in hidden lairs,
And faeries dance ’round mushroom caps
As brownies steal your fabric scraps.
But beware the moon and mind the howls
For many hungry beasts doth prowl.
My dearest trav’lers, enjoy these pages
Filled with creatures throughout the ages
That wander ’cross the lands of lore
Where few have dared to venture forth.
Review
Thanks so much to Page Street Publishing for the physical ARC. This is the type of thing that HAS to be read in a physical form! The images shared below are taken from me from my copy and they are just some of the coolest art ever.
A truly magical and vivid read that mixes the fantastical with mythology and history. This collection of mythological creatures will have you drooling with its in-depth creature designs, its watercolor beauty, and its heavily researched yet inventive histories for each being. There’s something so special about how deeply magic this feels while also somehow feeling grounded in our world history. I thoroughly enjoyed how different cultures and parts of the world were portrayed has different relatives/branches of creatures, with none of them being depicted as first or more real.
The author delivers this beauty in parts. From creatures of the air, sea, forests, and the plains, this showcases just how wide the range of creation is in this world. While dragons will always be a personal favorite, it’s crazy to me just how many kinds of flying mythological beasts exist, and just how different they can be. I kept thinking while reading through these how so many different places in the world shared some of the same depictions and ideas and yet we’re to believe none of these existed?!
I feel like this book will scratch the itch for those that were upset by the direction the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series went. It’s educational, with tidbits from the author and other ‘mythologists’ that have evidence of, or are lacking it, to prove or disprove previous conceptions or claims. It really is such a fun and unique read. Fantasy and mythology fans will love it, and with its vivid imagery and coloration, so will children.
Check out Frasier’s review here
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