The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures
Jon & Caitlin Matthews
Barnes & Noble Books
Nonfiction, Cryptozoology/Folklore
Themes: Avians, Cryptids, Diversity, Dragons, Encyclopedias, Faeries and Kin, Fantasy Races, Equines, Ghosts and Spirits, Gryphons, Merfolk, Undead, Werebeasts, Witches
*****
Description
As strange and wondrous as the world around us is, people have never been able to resist adding even stranger and more wondrous creations of their own - some of which may even once have walked this world with us. From ancient creation gods to modern cryptozoological puzzles, from mythical hybrids to the magical attributes of everyday animals, this encyclopedia covers a great variety of beasts and beings.
Review
Though the articles themselves rarely run longer than a single paragraph, the overall coverage and number of entries exceed any similar book I own. The authors include mythical and allegorical creatures with cryptids and the magical aspects of real animals, but the distinction between what is, what isn't, and what may be is fairly clear; the authors don’t belittle cryptozoologists by suggesting that they’re chasing fairy tales, unlike a few books I’ve read. Since context is important to understanding many of these creatures, the authors present several myths and legends featuring them alongside the text, abridged but getting the general idea across nonetheless. Unlike some recent bestiary attempts, this book focuses on information and range rather than graphic appeal; the few illustrations are stock clip-art, mostly unrelated to page content. An extensive bibliography at the end shows the amount of effort that went into writing this book. Even if some of the articles seem to contradict information I've read elsewhere (in a few books mentioned in the bibliography), I can respect the conclusions the authors came to as the result of sincere effort and thought rather than deliberate negligence or apathy. I only wish they could have included slightly longer descriptions of the more obscure creatures, or perhaps actual illustrations instead of clip-art, but I was impressed enough with the sheer volume of entries to give it a five-star rating anyway. If fantastic creatures interest you, this book belongs on your shelf.