QUOTE
A Monstrous Book
By Nick Redfern January 17, 2009
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A WIZARD'S BESTIARY by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Ash DeKirk(2007). © New Page Books
Not long ago, I was asked if I would consider writing a short, inside-cover blurb for a new book titled A Wizard's Bestiary written by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (with Ash DeKirk).
Well, at the time of the inquiry, Oberon (who is a highly renowned and very well-respected wizard in his own right, and the author of the book Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard) dispatched to me a Word document that was comprised of various sections of the book itself.
And, after I had finished carefully reading them, I immediately knew that this was most definitely going to be a very good one to say the absolute least; and so I quickly sent off my blurb for inclusion in the book.
As I’m sure you can guess from the fact that I’m now writing about it, the book has now been published. For what is a very reasonable price indeed, you get a 360-page title that is as magical as it is fascinating, and that is as informative as it is both thought-provoking and monstrous.
I do not joke or exaggerate at all when I say that A Wizard's Bestiary is very likely to become one of the most talked about books on monsters and mysterious beasts of the next few years.
And not only that: Oberon's book is packed (and I really do mean packed) with very cool drawings, ancient woodcuts and old engravings on just about everything of a bizarre and monster-driven nature. Indeed, I would say that the book averages about 5 illustrations per page. That's right: not just 5 pictures per chapter, but 5 per page.
I would have to say that picking up and reading the book is very much like delving deeply into some ancient, secret, and magical tome of a type that would without doubt sit very well within the pages of a classic, dark tale of truly Lovecraftian proportions.
So, with all of that now firmly said, precisely what is the book about, and what do you get for your hard-earned money?
Well, basically, A Wizard’s Bestiary is a very detailed and highly encyclopedic study of countless unknown, unacknowledged and strange beasts that range from the definitively cryptozoological to the truly fantastic, and the outright magical and mythological.
The mainstream monster-hunting cryptozoologist will find a great deal of interest here, including (A) in-depth sections, data and information on such famous hairy man-beasts as the Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, of the United States, the Yeti – or Abominable Snowman – of the icy-cold and harsh Himalayas, the Almas of the stark plains of Russia, and the Yowie of Australia; (
a wealth of data (and absolutely great imagery) on such beasts of the waters as sea-serpents and lake-monsters, including the Loch Ness Monster and much more; © intriguing and thought-provoking tales of mystery big-cats seen prowling all around the globe; (D) fantastic sightings of huge unidentified flying winged things of both a giant-bird and pterodactyl-style; (E) notable reports of the infamous, devilish, glowing red-eyed Black Dogs of centuries-past; and (F) startling alleged encounters with still-living dinosaurs, and much, much more.
Extensive reports of magical entities such as Unicorns, Basilisks, Gryphons, the Phoenix, Satyrs and Centaurs of old are all carefully addressed in-depth; as are the mysterious and unique "Plantimals" - animate-plants, as the book describes them, and which yet again create wonderful Lovecraftian-style imagery in the mind of the reader – well, in the mind of this reader, at least.
I could, of course, go on and on about this book all day and night long. But, suffice to say, this is most definitely one of the most significant monster-related titles of not just recent years, but of all time, and one that, in terms of its specific subject matter and its approach, content and style, is unlikely to be eclipsed for a very long, long time to come.
Definitively magical, highly informative, massively monstrous and truly engaging, A Wizard's Bestiary is one of those classic books that is best read and digested late at night, when the wind howls, when the moon is full, and when the creatures of the night surface from their darkened lairs.
Nick Redfern is a full-time monster-hunter and the author of four books on the subject: Three Men Seeking Monsters; Memoirs of a Monster Hunter; Man-Monkey; and his latest book: There’s something in the Woods.
By Nick Redfern January 17, 2009
Click to view attachment
A WIZARD'S BESTIARY by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Ash DeKirk(2007). © New Page Books
Not long ago, I was asked if I would consider writing a short, inside-cover blurb for a new book titled A Wizard's Bestiary written by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (with Ash DeKirk).
Well, at the time of the inquiry, Oberon (who is a highly renowned and very well-respected wizard in his own right, and the author of the book Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard) dispatched to me a Word document that was comprised of various sections of the book itself.
And, after I had finished carefully reading them, I immediately knew that this was most definitely going to be a very good one to say the absolute least; and so I quickly sent off my blurb for inclusion in the book.
As I’m sure you can guess from the fact that I’m now writing about it, the book has now been published. For what is a very reasonable price indeed, you get a 360-page title that is as magical as it is fascinating, and that is as informative as it is both thought-provoking and monstrous.
I do not joke or exaggerate at all when I say that A Wizard's Bestiary is very likely to become one of the most talked about books on monsters and mysterious beasts of the next few years.
And not only that: Oberon's book is packed (and I really do mean packed) with very cool drawings, ancient woodcuts and old engravings on just about everything of a bizarre and monster-driven nature. Indeed, I would say that the book averages about 5 illustrations per page. That's right: not just 5 pictures per chapter, but 5 per page.
I would have to say that picking up and reading the book is very much like delving deeply into some ancient, secret, and magical tome of a type that would without doubt sit very well within the pages of a classic, dark tale of truly Lovecraftian proportions.
So, with all of that now firmly said, precisely what is the book about, and what do you get for your hard-earned money?
Well, basically, A Wizard’s Bestiary is a very detailed and highly encyclopedic study of countless unknown, unacknowledged and strange beasts that range from the definitively cryptozoological to the truly fantastic, and the outright magical and mythological.
The mainstream monster-hunting cryptozoologist will find a great deal of interest here, including (A) in-depth sections, data and information on such famous hairy man-beasts as the Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, of the United States, the Yeti – or Abominable Snowman – of the icy-cold and harsh Himalayas, the Almas of the stark plains of Russia, and the Yowie of Australia; (
a wealth of data (and absolutely great imagery) on such beasts of the waters as sea-serpents and lake-monsters, including the Loch Ness Monster and much more; © intriguing and thought-provoking tales of mystery big-cats seen prowling all around the globe; (D) fantastic sightings of huge unidentified flying winged things of both a giant-bird and pterodactyl-style; (E) notable reports of the infamous, devilish, glowing red-eyed Black Dogs of centuries-past; and (F) startling alleged encounters with still-living dinosaurs, and much, much more.Extensive reports of magical entities such as Unicorns, Basilisks, Gryphons, the Phoenix, Satyrs and Centaurs of old are all carefully addressed in-depth; as are the mysterious and unique "Plantimals" - animate-plants, as the book describes them, and which yet again create wonderful Lovecraftian-style imagery in the mind of the reader – well, in the mind of this reader, at least.
I could, of course, go on and on about this book all day and night long. But, suffice to say, this is most definitely one of the most significant monster-related titles of not just recent years, but of all time, and one that, in terms of its specific subject matter and its approach, content and style, is unlikely to be eclipsed for a very long, long time to come.
Definitively magical, highly informative, massively monstrous and truly engaging, A Wizard's Bestiary is one of those classic books that is best read and digested late at night, when the wind howls, when the moon is full, and when the creatures of the night surface from their darkened lairs.
Nick Redfern is a full-time monster-hunter and the author of four books on the subject: Three Men Seeking Monsters; Memoirs of a Monster Hunter; Man-Monkey; and his latest book: There’s something in the Woods.