Let's say you're out fighting monsters and you see a mummy lurching toward you. How are you going to stop him? Silver bullet? No, that's werewolves. Cut off his head? Well, that's a pretty big risk to take if it doesn't work. With The Monster Hunter's Handbook, you need guess no more. Divided into two sections, Cryptozoology (monsters, critters, and such) and Cryptohoplology (mythical weapons and armor), each entry gives a brief history, how to recognize such, what to do with it (for monsters, how to kill it; for weapons, how to wield it), and ends with literary citations. We're not talking citations to Monster Manual, 5th edition, but rather references to Ovid, Homer, and other rather old and weighty folk.

Here's the rub. I didn't read it. I skimmed it. I didn't care enough about fighting monsters to read each entry carefully, and although I think it was marketed as a lark, it was rather humorless. This is a great book for game enthusiasts, 10-year-old boys (or girls), or those who fight monsters for a living. It's simply not meaty nor amusing enough to hold the attention of the lay reader. ( )

Let's say you're out fighting monsters and you see a mummy lurching toward you. How are you going to stop him? Silver bullet? No, that's werewolves. Cut off his head? Well, that's a pretty big risk to take if it doesn't work. With [The Monster Hunter's Handbook], you need guess no more. Divided into two sections, Cryptozoology (monsters, critters, and such) and Cryptohoplology (mythical weapons and armor), each entry gives a brief history, how to recognize such, what to do with it (for monsters, how to kill it; for weapons, how to wield it), and ends with literary citations. We're not talking citations to Monster Manual, 5th edition, but rather references to Ovid, Homer, and other rather old and weighty folk.

Here's the rub. I didn't read it. I skimmed it. I didn't care enough about fighting monsters to read each entry carefully, and although I think it was marketed as a lark, it was rather humorless. This is a great book for game enthusiasts, 10-year-old boys (or girls), or those who fight monsters for a living. It's simply not meaty nor amusing enough to hold the attention of the lay reader. ( )

The Monster Hunter's Handbook provides a fun look at mythological creatures and arms. This book is actually a good way to get reluctant readers into mythology because it provides a hands-on and active approach to the subject. Readers of this handbook will encounter a world where ancient nightmares are not dead, just in hiding. This guide leads the reader to believe that the only thing preventing us from slaying a minotaur is a lack of preparedness.