The Monster Hunter's Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Saving Mankind from Vampires, Zombies, Hellhounds, and Other Mythical Beasts

by Ibrahim S. Amin

A fascinating, eye-popping, and one-of-a-kind handbook of the monsters that have beset mankind for millennia, and the fabulous weapons with which to battle them .

In this incomparable and fully illustrated compendium, classicist Ibrahim Amin reintroduces the ancient art of monster hunting to a whole new generation of intrepid warriors. From a hellhound's three-headed assault to a brain-eating zombie attack, The Monster Hunter's Handbook instructs readers in the background of each creature and the dangers each present. It also includes an impressive catalog of the premodern world's most powerful armament. Illustrated by Richard Horne, the creator of the wildly successful 101 Things to Do Before You Die, this trusty book details everything a new generation of valiant monster hunters needs to know to vanquish antiquity's biggest―and baddest―beasts.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Supernatural, Zombies, Vampires, Mythology

212 pages, Hardcover

First published August 21, 2007

About the author

Ibrahim S. Amin was educated at the Manchester Grammar School, the University of Newcastle, and the University of Manchester. He wallowed in education for as long as he could, earning his PhD in Classics & Ancient History. At that point he ran out of excuses and joined the real world, where he now writes to support his unhealthy takeaway addiction.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naturally I picked this book up because it mentioned zombies. That and I pretty much like to read about creatures in general. It was pretty interesting at the beginning with all the different monsters. Most of them I had either heard of or known about ex. vampires, hydra, cyclops, centaur, golem, harpy, kraken,....So many! A lot dealt with mythology which I had taken a class in university which dealt with all that (which I did fail at. The test was hard okay!!) The zombie write-up was at the end of the monster section. It was only 3 pages. It gave a description, killing method, dangers, and weaknesses. This write-up leaned more towards voodoo zombie lore and less about viral ones.

Then the book went lame. The last section was about enchanted items. These would include the history and description then the combative applications. It was just so dull. I recognized some like Achilles' Armor, Excalibur, and Mjolnir (Thor's hammer). Because of the dry ending, I rated this low on the scale.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-have for all aspiring monster hunters out there. "The Ultimate Guide to Saving Mankind from Vampires, Zombies, Hellhounds and Other Mythical Beasts" is the go-to guide to hunting monsters of all stripes...and returning home alive. In addition, to listing strengths and weaknesses, there is also a mini-bibliography reference list for all monsters. Along with monster guidance, this book also includes information on a wide variety of supernatural arms and armaments, though this list is by no means comprehensive. In short, a fun, entertaining and even a bit informative read!

[Andreas Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tutto sommato ...
E' un libretto piacevole. Non posso affermare che valga interamente la spesa, tuttavia si presenta in una edizione molto particolare: copertina scura e pagine bordate di rosso; all'interno un'impaginazione con titoli a caratteri gotici (per la verità è una rivisitazione moderna del tipo gotico) e illustrazioni (schizzi, più che altro). Con questa impostazione il libro spiega di mostri fantastici, assumendo per assurdo che essi esistano veramente e il lettore stia usando questa guida per andare a caccia di mostri. La seconda parte parla di armi e armature mitologiche (della mitologia greca, romana, nordica, cinese, giapponese).

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I use this for reference material for my writing.

[Elisa Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an awesome book! Lots of detail with a great dash of humor.

[Isaac Pudas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally bought this book for one of my Original characters, a hunter turned vampire who is hell bent on banishing evil before giving himself up to the sunrise one last time. This book was supposed to be one of his props. I decided to also read it, and loved all the valuable information I found in the pages. Not only does it tell you about monsters, but it also informs you of relics that one should attempt to find to fight off the most difficult of creatures.

[Allison Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Halloween read.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations and the works cited at every entry. I really enjoyed the humor sprinkled in as well!

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Monster Hunter's Handbook is something of a mixed bag. As this book is broken up into two distinct sections, I'll start with the one on monsters themselves.

A lot of the information presented here is very basic stuff, that anyone acquainted with these beasts from folklore has likely already heard at some point. There are a few genuinely worthwhile tidbits of information that stand out at least (e.g. basilisks are vulnerable to weasel musk, and griffon feathers are said to cure blindness--who knew?).

Furthermore, for a tome that's presented as the accumulated lore of secret monster-hunting societies, there are a lot of uncertainties here. A lot of creatures are described as "possibly" behaving in a certain way, or "potentially" vulnerable to a certain weapon or tactic--shouldn't the trade secrets of monster hunters be a bit more authoritative? This really undercuts the tone that the book is going for.

Things do fare a bit better in the section on weapons, with exhaustive visual details on many of them, and more in-depth histories than we get for most of the monsters. In addition, the fact that many of these weapons and pieces of armor are confirmed as being long-lost, the uncertain tone surrounding some of their abilities is more convincing (whereas the monsters are presented as contemporary threats lurking in the shadows).

All in all, The Monster Hunter's Handbook is an okay read. If you're looking for a quick introduction to basic mythological mainstays, it does that job. Just don't expect anything too illuminating.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

File this under, "Books to read while on the can."

Nothing but a short collection of mythological beasts, monsters, arms, and armor. Not nearly in depth to be of any actual use to a real monster hunter, I seriously doubt Van Helsing, the Men In Black, or Gilgamesh are going to be brushing up on their monster-slaying with this book.

Is it entertaining? Yes, kind of. Is it humorous? Maybe if you're actually interested in any of the monsters or equipment the books cover and you notice a mistake. Then I suppose there's an element of ironic humor in the fact that a guide book on killing monsters is wrong.

So it's not really entertaining (unless you're other option is poking yourself in the eye), and it's not really funny. Should you read this book? If you're interested in monsters and ancient arms and armor, then sure. Or if you're in the bathroom and your options are the newest issue of Cheeses of the World Quarterly or this, you're probably going to want to reach for The Monster Hunter's Handbook. Probably.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really appreciate this book. The title makes you think you're going to learn about evil monsters and how to kill them, but instead it presented it all as if you're a sportsman. So it talked about fairies and how to kill them, but didn't even mention what exactly they did to plague mankind and deserve to be hunted. It later went on to talk about different weapons and where to find them if you're a treasure hunter. So (yes, in the realm of fantasy), it wasn't really a practical book. I would have hoped for the weapons section to talk about salt and how it deflects evil or iron or holy water. Not Thor's hammer and how I might go about finding it. Really felt like this book was thrown together; there are so many better versions of "monster hunter" books out there.

[Gab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woah!Woah!Woah! I picked up this book expecting it to be like an essay - a challenge. It has PICTURES! And let me tell you people, they are AWESOME!!!!!! I never actually knew the original myths could be compared to 21st century myths and still be relativley similar. For people who like limited reading and cool-beans pictures. (Yes I just quoted Hot Rod...) :) :) :) :) :)

[Ryan Noseworthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun. I really wish I'd have gained the knowledge on how to destroy a fairy, but whoever had taken it out of the library before me obviously had a bigger problem that they needed the whole page.

[Sandy Lender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever!
Not as informative as a speculative fiction author would want in a resource book, but still very clever!

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read better, and some of the items in here don't seem correct in how I thought the monsters should be. However there is no specific here's how dragons are, so fun read.

[Sammy]

Most of it was stuff that is already pretty common knowledge (making it not too enjoyable to read) and didn't delve too much into any particular monster or conventional weapons. Meh.