World of Lore: Monstrous Creature - Review

Author: Aaron Mahnke

Genre: Folklore

Format: Hardback

Pages: 299

They live in shadows--deep in the forest, late in the night, in the dark recesses of our minds. They're spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives' tales, passed down through generations. Yet no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them: werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits.

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 seances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, even Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert.

Before picking up World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures I had listened to a few of Aaron Mahnke's podcast of same name. I also just recently caught the mini series that Amazon Prime had popped of the reenactments of some of podcasts. So I was pretty stocked when became my turn to snag it from the library.

This book was everything I adore about the podcast Lore. I couldn't help but read each new section in Aaron Mahnke's voice. Especially the sections of episodes I had listened to previously. The narrative is very much his, and I found myself laughing as Mahnke added his own opinions to each folk story. As for the stories themselves, the book felt well researched and was fun to read.  Filled with eye witness accounts that date from a long ago to just a few decades.

Now I knew some of the stories I read about because I love a book on folklore, but I didn't learn a few new things as I read. Even heard a few new tales I'd never heard before, and a few I flagged to dig up the podcast and see if there was anything not mentioned in the book.

I felt like the book itself flowed pretty well. This volume is all about the creatures of our past, and our future since some sittings have continued in recent years. Mahnke found a way to tie the book together section by section, and to show some stories just don't span over a long period of time, but across the globe. Which while I knew that about some creature tales, I didn't know that about all of them.

Which means I've made some notes to do research on my one on a few things.

However, I do have own sort of sour note to mention about the book. It has to do with the story of a doll. Now it's an episode I skipped because I do not do creepy dolls. That being said, my flatmate and I did see the Amazon episode about Robert and Gene. In fact it's one of the few episodes I remember because it creeped me out the most. But, the Amazon episode and story in the book don't match. There were a lot of difference between what I read in the book and what I saw on my TV. Which I found weird and why I couldn't give this book the 4 stars I planned.

In the end though it was fun read and I'm excited for the next volume World of Lore: Wicked Mortals which is due out this year. This was a fun way to pass the long night bus home. If not a creepish one.

Buy, Borrow, Skip: Borrow it from your local library. It's a really fun read!

HAPPY READING!!