An Illustrated Guide to Welsh Monsters & Mythical Beasts
C C J Ellis
C C J Ellis, publisher
Nonfiction, Art/Folklore
Themes: Bestiaries, Canids, Dragons, Equines, Faeries and Kin, Fantasy Races, Felines, Ghosts and Spirits, Gryphons, Merfolk, Shapeshifters
****+
Description
Drawing the deep mythic roots of Welsh culture, artist C C J Ellis describes numerous beasts and beings, from dragons to Fair Folk and everything
in, around, and between.
Not currently available through Amazon. Information can be found at C C J Ellis's art book page.
Review
In the interest of full disclosure, I follow the artist on Patreon and contributed to the Kickstarter campaign for this book. This review was not
specifically requested.
This is, as promised, a beautifully illustrated guide to creatures of Welsh folklore, the traditions that gave rise to King Arthur and which are
currently threatened, as so many traditions are threatened, by a world that seems content to blur, twist, and forget its mythic roots. Ellis offers
pronunciation guides with the non-phonetic Welsh names and brief descriptions, with a few examples of lore and legend.
Where it lost a half-star (and nearly a full star) was in the editing. Some of the descriptions read awkwardly at the sentence level, and there are
some probably unintentional incomplete sentences where a period was used instead of a comma. (There was also at least one homophone error.) In one
instance at least the write-up seemed to contradict itself. It was just enough of an issue to distract me, and therefore just enough to merit
mention. Overall, though, I'm quite pleased with my purchase. It is slated for wider release and publication in October 2020 (as of this review,
in late June 2020), and is worth investigating for anyone interested in a starter book on uniquely Welsh mythic beasts... or who just enjoys good
fantasy art.