Tracking the man-beasts Sasquatch, vampires, zombies, and more

Review by Choice Review

In an almost encyclopedic synopsis, this book by paranormal investigator Nickell (Adventures in Paranormal Investigation, CH, Mar'08, 45-4082) succinctly, confidently, and often pithily summarizes the history of claimed encounters with man-beast-like monsters from ancient Greece to current times. Chapters are brief summaries of the major types of contemporary, classical, and supernatural man-beasts, including supposed extraterrestrial aliens, ape-men, devil men, harpies, swamp creatures, and zombies. In many cases, Nickell traveled to the original locations of the reports; in all cases, he attributes the creature sightings to misidentification, as with the West Virginia "Mothman," which was most likely a barred owl. He discusses social "contagion," e.g., the "Monkey Man" hysteria in New Delhi, India (2001), and also outright trickery, as with the Cardiff Giant and P. T. Barnum's "Fejee Mermaid.. Recurring and effective themes are the evolving nature of iconography--for example, the chupacabra, initially described as a bird-type creature and then a hybrid with limbs, and the standardization of Bigfoot/Sasquatch descriptions from multiple-sized humanoids to large primates. The author also discusses the inherent unreliability and variability of eyewitness accounts such as the 1955 Kelly-Hopkinsville, Kentucky, alien encounter. Overall, a good addition to libraries actively collecting materials related to paranormal activity/creatures. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, lower-division undergraduates. K. D. Winward Central College

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

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Review by Booklist Review

Nickell, one of the most visible skeptical investigators of the paranormal, traces the history of and fascination for legendary creatures as various as werewolves, vampires, zombies, merfolk, alien visitors, giants, and, of course, Bigfoot and his numerous hairy cousins. He explores the origins of the various legends, the evidence supporting them, and, in many cases, the more prosaic explanations of them (e.g., the Cardiff Giant, a petrified man discovered in the mid-1800s, was a clever hoax). One of Nickell's strengths as investigator and writer has been his understanding of human nature. As he shows here, it is quite often the observer's imagination and expectations, and not the evidence itself, that attaches otherworldly or mystical explanations to mundane matters. The book might be a bit of a bring-down for some readers no one who believes in the Mothman, found and well-known in Pennsylvania in the mid-1960s, will want to be told it was probably just a large owl but it's hard to argue with Nickell's clear-headed examinations of popular legends or with his reasonable, logical conclusions.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Nickell (Crime Scene: Methods of Forensic Detection), a foremost expert in paranormal investigation, spends more time hunting down legendary monsters than he seems to in compiling his findings. Nickell is uniquely qualified to write about our mythic beasts, but his repetitive accounts and slim histories repeat and strain in the effort of filling even this short book-length attempt at verifying the authenticity of the myriad "creatures of our prolific imagination." The takeaway? They're not authentic; they don't exist. Nickell presents minor histories into creatures as disparate as Siamese twins and Louisiana swamp monsters, followed by research into why these creatures don't exist, have ever existed. Comprehensively he debunks every one of the phonies. This could have been an absorbing study into legend; instead, wafer-thin chapters breed repetition and tedium. Nickell is a knowledgeable guide into folklore and myth-making; a few more tall tales and a careful editor would have made this a keeper. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Review by Library Journal Review

Nickell's (The Mystery Chronicles: More Real-Life X-Files) varied career includes stage magician and private detective. He is well known and respected for his skeptical approach to investigating popular modern phenomena such as UFOs and Bigfoot. In his latest book, he traces a large collection of frightening creatures including vampires, zombies, werewolves, merpeople, aliens, swamp creatures, and many more. Nickell looks closely at why we believed in these creatures in the past and why they continue to capture our imaginations. Because he includes so many creatures, there isn't a tremendous amount of information on each one, but the book does present engrossing history on each beast and insight into what many of them actually were; some "creatures" that ancient and medieval humans feared were actually other people with various diseases. VERDICT Nickell writes in a straightforward, nonacademic manner and includes many insights about human nature (what we fear and why). This fun book includes loads of information and would serve as a good overview for anyone interested in legends and monsters.-Mary E. Jones, Los Angeles P.L. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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