Title: Monstrous Creatures (The World of Lore #1)

Author: Aaron Mahnke

Publisher: Del Rey 2017

Genre: Horror

Pages: 299

Rating: 3/5 stars*****

Reading Challenges: Share-a-Tea; A to Z - M; I Love Libraries

In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating  journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, exploring not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. He delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism—some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where séances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, even Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert.

In a world of “emotional vampires” and “zombie malls,” the monsters of folklore have become both a part of our language and a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore.

So I am conflicted on this collection. I'm giving it 3 stars, but for most people, I would give it 5 stars. I thought I would be reading more and/or extended stories from the Lore podcast, but by and large, it was just the podcast episodes written out. Given that I have listened to almost all of the episodes of Lore, I was just revisiting the same stories. For those that do not listen to the podcast this is a very fun collection of scary maybe true/maybe not stories. I really did enjoy that aspect. And the illustrations are really great.

Next up on the TBR pile: