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Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings
Of course that monster hiding under your bed when you were little didn't really exist. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, demons--they're simply figments of our imagination, right? After all, their existence has never been scientifically proven. But there is one giant problem with such an easy dismissal of these creepy creatures: people keep encountering them.
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Paperback, 282 pages
Published
September 8th 2001
by Llewellyn Publications
(first published September 1st 2001)
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Even if you don't believe in ghosts, demons, or other monsters, the aim of this book is a fascinating thought experiment: explain the existence of phenomena which are consistent across the experiences of humans with no communication or cultural link - despite the lack of any empirical evidence. While usually tackled by parapsychology and appeals to a collective unconscious, or the common evolutionary roots of human thinking, this author has a much more novel claim they're real!
But assuming ghost...more
But assuming ghost...more
This is a New Agey manual on the fantasy creatures we know and love. How to find them, identify them, protect yourself against them, run a basic investigation, as well as a hodgepodge of history and cultural takes can all be found in this book. However, it has a tone that's bitterly anti-science (citing the Santa Claus defense, “so many people believe it, how could it not be true” as proof of these creatures existence) liberally redefines terms, and cherry picks data and history to suit the auth...more
Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com
Monsters is a New Agey manual on the fantasy creatures we know and love. How to find them, identify them, protect yourself against them, run a basic investigation, as well as a hodgepodge of history and cultural takes can all be found in this book. However the point of view comes from a tone that's bitterly anti-science (citing the Santa Claus defense, “So many people believe it, how could it not be true” as proof of these creatures existence) and liberally rede...more
Monsters is a New Agey manual on the fantasy creatures we know and love. How to find them, identify them, protect yourself against them, run a basic investigation, as well as a hodgepodge of history and cultural takes can all be found in this book. However the point of view comes from a tone that's bitterly anti-science (citing the Santa Claus defense, “So many people believe it, how could it not be true” as proof of these creatures existence) and liberally rede...more
I picked this up around Halloween, hoping for something slightly spooky, kind of like The Mothman Prophecies.
I love weird -- I mean, REALLY love it. Ancient aliens, impossible pre-history, cryptozoology, count me in. So of course a book like this -- wow, we're exploring REAL MONSTERS! -- makes my heart beat a little faster and my eyes twinkle.
But this books just . . . wasn't it. For me, it was just okay, not because it was poorly written, but because the subject doesn't really appeal to me. Vamp...more
I love weird -- I mean, REALLY love it. Ancient aliens, impossible pre-history, cryptozoology, count me in. So of course a book like this -- wow, we're exploring REAL MONSTERS! -- makes my heart beat a little faster and my eyes twinkle.
But this books just . . . wasn't it. For me, it was just okay, not because it was poorly written, but because the subject doesn't really appeal to me. Vamp...more
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I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to like it. I had been looking for this book for over ten years when I finally found it a few months ago.
I started off enjoying the book but then... It was pedantic. And mocking, self-important, and repetitious.
If you wanted to tackle this book in portions it might not be so bad. If you tried to read only the bits that interested you it might be good; unfortunately I did not take this approach and am now soured on this book to the point that I don'...more
I started off enjoying the book but then... It was pedantic. And mocking, self-important, and repetitious.
If you wanted to tackle this book in portions it might not be so bad. If you tried to read only the bits that interested you it might be good; unfortunately I did not take this approach and am now soured on this book to the point that I don'...more
Fabulous book! Greer offers eye-opening, educated, extremely thoughtful and experienced views about many types of paranormal events and the spiritual beings responsible. Anyone who wants to learn about ghosts, hauntings, the spirit world, demons, or the unexplained should read this book. I think it's a must for anyone interested in the paranormal or parapsychology.
A few good bits of folklore, which is why I picked it up. Otherwise, a lot of goofy, self-seriousousness. The author's arguments against scientific explanations for monsters were blatently flawed and subjective. No, I'm not surprised.
This is a long study on monsters as actual creatures and how to combat them. It, for the most part, states that monsters are multi-dimensional beings or astral projections and explains their inability to be detected/killed/captured by simply stating they are magic. It has a lot of interesting stuff about folklore within it, the chapter on the origins of vampire folklore and the information about traditional European faerys was interesting as well. Take it with a grain of salt, but it's still wor...more
Aug 06, 2009
Kathryn
added it
Do you know why America doesn't have vampires? I do.
This is a good reference book as well as a good read. It is a starter book book for those who want to dwelve deeper.
If I were to teach a class about monstrous beings, this would be the required text.
An interesting read with a unique perspective.
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