Aaron Mahnke

I suppose if I were British, a horror book starring the Duke of Wellington might have the cultural impact of a mashup title like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. But I'm not British, and I found nothing engaging in the fantasy adventures of an imperialistic, aristocratic, and egotistical stuffed shirt who finds himself fighting supernatural forces in a most feeble and faltering manner after being called by an old friend to investigate the case of a missing child, a mysterious death, and the show more sighting of a supernatural black dog.

I was truly done with this book when, with no explanation as to why, the Duke refers to his spouse repeatedly as his "hated wife." The lady barely says two words in the whole book and does nothing to merit such treatment. A quick Wikipedia check says she became ill while the Dick -- I mean Duke -- was abroad for most of a decade ravaging India, and he married her upon his return to England despite exclaiming, "She has grown ugly, by Jove!" What a swell fellow.

This is a poorly told story that is not even complete in this volume. I guess they expect to do a sequel at some point -- perhaps paying off the several Alice in Wonderland references? -- but I shall not bother with it if it does come to pass.

p.s., I didn't recognize any of the creator names when I picked up the book, but I just found that writer Delilah S. Dawson previously earned a one-star rating from me for Ladycastle. I need to remember her name in order to avoid her works in the future. show less

This is undoubtedly one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read.

I've been a fan of Aaron Mahnke (and Lore) since the beginning, so it's reasonable to expect a certain amount of bias in my feelings toward this book. But I'm also a folklorist, and I can be incredibly critical about research in particular, but also citations and how the information is laid out and presented in nonfiction. When I say that this book is as close to perfect as one could possibly get, I say that having read the show more book as a folklorist, not just as a fan. At no point did I feel like I was reading a 300+ page book. Everything is laid out so intuitively and cohesively, and I didn't want to put it down.

Part of that is certainly Mahnke's writing style. Anyone who's heard his podcasts or his narration on the Lore television series knows his cadence, and he writes just like he speaks, making for a deeply engaging, conversational, and approachable narrative. I can't remember the last time I've laughed this much or had this much fun reading a nonfiction book (if ever). Part of that is also how he chooses to lay out the information in the book. Individual aspects of the main story are laid out, one piece at a time, steadily building on the section before it and flowing seamlessly into the section that follows until all the pieces are laid out and the full story can be understood, almost at a glance. There's no need to guess or assume or try to tie the pieces together yourself, either, because Mahnke pauses at exactly the right moment to stitch those threads together for you. Lastly, the humor in this book is really just the cherry on top. I love a good pun. I love some silly wordplay. I got plenty of both from this book, and it made the reading experience so much fun.

Despite the title, this isn't just a book for fans of vampire folklore or people who are interested in the strange moments of American history. The folklore stretches far both globally and historically, and includes a fair bit of cultural, religious, literary, linguistic, and medical history as well. It's kind of amazing how easily all those pieces come together, too. show less

I'm kind of sad that there isn't a 4th World of Lore book to listen to next year. Many of the tales included in Dreadful Places are ones that are well known and all can probably be found in Mahnke's Lore podcast. Mahnke has a good narrative voice and style. He's able to deliver creepy tales in a such a deadpan way that the chills come directly from the words themselves, not any acting/overacting on his part.

I appreciate that Mahnke provides the stories, but leaves it up to the reader to show more decide whether they believe something supernatural is behind it or not. As is the case in his first two books, the scariest stories are the ones where the monsters are unquestionably real - they are flesh and blood human beings who commit evil, depraved acts. But it's not all dark and scary. There's a Hamilton: The Musical reference that had me laughing out loud on my commute home. 3 1/2 stars - rounded up. show less

‘’The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.’’
H.P. Lovecraft

Starting this book, I had the belief that nothing new was in store for me. That it would possibly prove to be a satisfying read on the Paranormal field but with little new to offer. Well, I was wrong. It was very well-written with some exciting changes from the norms that made it all the more interesting.

The title ‘’Monstrous Creatures’’ is show more a bit misleading. I suppose the word ‘’monstrous’’ is loosely used to signify something unnatural, threatening and evil. Something that we cannot understand, something that repels us. In this volume, we find a well-balanced array of traditions from all over the world, folklore from the five continents, although the emphasis is on the Anglo-Saxon world since the written testimonies are heavily broader and properly documented. Vampires, werewolves, the living dead, mysterious creatures of the sea, anthropomorphic being lurking in dark woods, dark entities responsible for dark deeds. There are spirits, superstitions and beliefs that go back ages and ages ago and yet, they are very much alive in our time.

There are two things that I found refreshing and worthy of praise, in my opinion. For starters, the narration is very vivid, very interesting, thoughtful and sincere. The writer comes across as a level-headed person, witty and respectful of the subject. He doesn’t downgrade it, he doesn’t turn it into a smartarse satire. He walks the thin line between the believer and the sceptic comfortably and I found myself in absolute agreement with his views. What makes this book special, in my opinion, is the fact that it links beliefs and traditions of the past with extremely recent unexplained occurrences. We’re talking about phenomena that were reported in the 60s, the 70s, all the way to our decade. The fact that stories whose roots can be found in the past still seem to concern us certainly gives food for thought. I admit that many of the stories- and quite a few were unknown to me- were eerie and chilling. The experience was enhanced by the simple yet effective black-and-white illustrations and I cannot help but give extra points to Aaron Mahnke for the Hannibal (TV series) reference. Nothing beats Mads and his culinary skills. Or any other of his skills and yes, this was totally inappropriate…

So, it takes a lot to impress a reader who has read extensively on the Paranormal subject, but this book managed to do it. I consider myself leaning more towards the believer’s side with a significant dose of doubt (because who knows for sure, right….?) and many of the questions Mahnke poses had me thinking. This is a book that sceptics and believers will enjoy since the writer doesn’t provide answers. He simply states the facts. Speaking for myself, I was a bit influenced and each night I read it (because I obviously such things in the late hours...), I double-checked to make sure the cross I keep on my bedside table was there. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious….

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com show less