Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2023 Challenge - Regular
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05 - A book with mythical creatures
I have really enjoyed the Rick Riordan presents books. I may choose one of those to fit this task I have Paola Santiago and the River of Tears
City of the Plague God
The Last Fallen Star
on my TBR list!
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Pahua and the Soul Stealer and the Tristan Strong series which would work for this prompt as well!
I think I might pick up my reread of Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series in 2023. The entire series is about a family working to preserve creatures thought by most of the world to be mythical, so I should be able to fit a book from the series in this spot.
The Kaiju Preservation Society was a fun and unique take on the "finding out mythical monsters are actually real" trope.
This one is tricky. This requires fiction so I'm not sure if I'll do it. Have fun though if you do!
Lailah wrote: "The Kaiju Preservation Society was a fun and unique take on the "finding out mythical monsters are actually real" trope."That was a good read, no pun intended.
There are novelizations for the Legendary Godzilla films, so I will probably read one of those in 2023.
Ron wrote: "This one is tricky. This requires fiction so I'm not sure if I'll do it. Have fun though if you do!"It doesn't have to require fiction. There are non-fiction books out there about people searching for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. A book I read last year about the first summit of Mount Everest devoted an entire chapter to the Abominable Snowman myth (Coronation Everest). Try something in that vein.
Ron wrote: "This one is tricky. This requires fiction so I'm not sure if I'll do it. Have fun though if you do!"Not necessarily. A few years ago for a similar prompt I read The Lore of the Unicorn. I'm sure there are other nonfiction books talking about myths and mythical creatures.
This one is pretty loose. It could just have a statue of a unicorn in one of the pictures or cover, and that would count. The fantasy genre has plenty to choose from, of course.
Do you think something like A Court of Thorns and Roses would count for this?
Jenna wrote: "Do you think something like A Court of Thorns and Roses would count for this?"After a quick google, I found that elves come from Norse mythology, and there are elves in that book, right? So you're good.
Lailah wrote: "The Kaiju Preservation Society was a fun and unique take on the "finding out mythical monsters are actually real" trope."I'm considering rereading this one for this prompt because I loved it so much this year!
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I might just go that route then. I'm sure I can find books in the new-age sections at bookstores.
I initially thought The Dark Materials Trilogy but if I am being pedantic, 'mythical' likely does not include creatures that have been created within the story and are not referenced within myths and legends. However, I can see that the Trilogy is on the Listopia list, soooooo....! (Shrugs)
Found a book that will work. It delves into the history and mythology of mermaids.The Penguin Book of Mermaids
Ron wrote: "This one is tricky. This requires fiction so I'm not sure if I'll do it. Have fun though if you do!"No books on mythology that interest you?
Heather L wrote: No books on mythology that interest you?I was able to find one :^D
Ron wrote: "Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I might just go that route then. I'm sure I can find books in the new-age sections at bookstores."Mobituaries by Mo Rocca is non-fiction and talks about dragons (among many, many other things and people). It was such an entertaining read - I recommend the audiobook which is read by Mo Rocca!
I'll be continuing with my read of Terry Goodkind's Sword of truth series and reading Faith of the Fallen for this prompt. All the previous ones have had magical creatures so I'm hoping this one does too haha!
Carly wrote: "Would The Witch's Boy work for this one? The summary mentions a witch and a Bandit King..."I just read it, and I would vote no. There are some talking stones and a witch (more like a wise woman) but nothing I would label a creature.
I'm planning a reread of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, plus I have several Twisted Tale books to read (Conceal, Don't Feel, Unbirthday), so I have to imagine one of those will work.
I haven't finished the Brandon Mull's Dragonwatch series yet, so looks like Champion of the Titan Games is up next. If you like middle grade fantasy, he has several wonderful series, Fablehaven being my favorite. Dragonwatch is the sequel series.And there are plenty of Rick Riordan books I haven't gotten to yet either. This will be an easy category to fill.
So my copy came in:The Penguin Book of Mermaids
It's perfect because it also brings back some nostalgia for me. I loved the Disney movie "The Thirteenth Year" so this will be fun to learn about other mermaid tales.
Anything from long-running Xanth series by Piers Anthony will be my title for this prompt.
Would folks consider ghosts a mythical creature? Certainly there must be mythology that includes hauntings, yes?
Answered my own question! https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Melin...
In this case, I will likely use The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Ally wrote: "Answered my own question! https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Melin...
In this case, I will likely use The Sentence by Louise Erdrich"
Nice. I have this one but haven't had the time to read it.
Ally wrote: "Answered my own question! https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Melin...
In this case, I will likely use The Sentence by Louise Erdrich"
Great choice! I loved that book :)
Given that I've set a goal for myself to read Indigenous authors/themes for the challenge, I think I'll end up going with The Sentence too.
Does anyone know if Kafka on the Shore fits here? It sounds like it from descriptions, but it would be good to know from someone who's read it.
Do we consider vampires mythical creatures? Initially, I assumed dragons, mermaids, unicorns.
Laura wrote: "Do we consider vampires mythical creatures? Initially, I assumed dragons, mermaids, unicorns."I don't see why not. They are not real, but the product of myth - therefore mythical.
The list on Wikipedia might be helpful>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
I'm finally going to read The Good Fairies of New York for this one. It's been on my TBR list for years.
Jamie wrote: "I'm finally going to read The Good Fairies of New York for this one. It's been on my TBR list for years."Martin Millar books are so fun. They fly by. That wasn't meant to be a fairy pun but...
Would Strange the Dreamer work for this perhaps? This would be a reread, but it's been 3 years since I read it and I'm not entirely sure, but do think that I remember a mythical creature in there :'D
I count audio books as reading (my choice) and listened to Norse Myths on You Tube and also read American Indian Myths and Legends by Catherine Chambers on my library e-books.
Amy wrote: "Martin Millar books are so fun. They fly by. That wasn't meant to be a fairy pun but...""Fly by ..." Ha ha!
I haven't read any of his stuff before but Good Fairies seems right up my alley. I'll have to go look up some more of his books!
I am not normally a fantasy reader, and thought this prompt would come much later in the challenge for me, but The House in the Cerulean Sea kept coming up on so many recommended lists that I decided to give it a read, and I am so glad I did. Fantastic, lighthearted escapist read that contains many a mythical creature without being complex or hard to follow (perhaps misconceptions I have about fantasy, but ones this book certainly debunked). I recommend it for both fans and skeptics of the genre alike - this book is for everyone!
I read Guards! Guards! for this, which has dragons. A lot of laugh out loud moments, but I'm not sure I'll read any more Terry Pratchett.
Mod
So I googled it. "A mythical creature is a creature from mythology or folklore."
Approximately 118 Examples (with definitions where the creature is less well known)
Birds and serpents
Basilisk - Most often depicted as a reptile, the basilisk is reputed to be king of serpents.
Chinese dragon
Dragon
Feng-huang = Sometimes called the Chinese Phoenix
Firebird - In Slavic folklore, the Firebird is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land.
Garuda - in Hindu myth the king of the birds and a kite-like figure.
Phoenix
Ziz - A giant bird in Jewish mythology
Lake & sea monsters
the Loch Ness monster and similar
Monstrous creatures
Behemoth - Behemoth is the primal unconquerable monster of the land, as Leviathan is the primal monster of the waters of the sea and Ziz the primordial monster of the sky.
Leviathan - Leviathan is a Biblical sea monster
Kraken
Chimeras and hybrids
In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monstrous creature that was composed of several different animals.
Animals
Catoblepas - The catoblepas is a legendary creature from Ethiopia
Griffin - The griffin has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle.
Hippogriff - supposedly the offspring of a griffin and a horse.
Pegasus - the famous winged horse of Greek mythology
Unicorn
Vegetable Lamb of Tartary - a mythical plant of central Asia, believed to grow sheep as its fruit.
(WEIRD! IF ANYONE KNOWS OF A BOOK FEATURING A VEGETABLE LAMB, I AM ALL EARS!!!!)
Part-human
Adlet (or Erqigdlet) in the Inuit mythology are a race of fabulous creatures with dogs' legs and human bodies.
Centaur
Faun - In Greek and Roman mythology ... half human - half goat, human from the head to the waist, apart from the addition of goat's horns, and with the lower body of a goat. (Like Pan)
Gorgon - eg Medusa
Harpy - in Greek mythology, winged-beasts that were sent down by Zeus to punish
Manticore - of Central Asia is a kind of chimera, that is sometimes said to be related to the Sphinx.
Mermaid
Minotaur
Siren
Sphinx
Tengu - ("heavenly dogs") are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore
Humanoid creatures
Banshee
Brownie
Dwarf
Elf
Fairy
Gnome
Goblin
Gremlin
Leprechaun
Nix - shapeshifting water spirits of Germanic and Nordic folklore.
Nymph
Ogre
Orc
Pixie
Sasquatch
Troll
Valkyrie
Vampire
Werewolf
Wendigo - a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans, appearing in Algonquian mythology.
Yeti - an alleged ape-like animal said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal and Tibet.
Other
Cerberus - a multi-headed (usually three-headed) dog in Greek and Roman mythology
Chupacabra - a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas.
Kelpie- a supernatural shape-shifting water horse from Celtic folklore
Most of what I copied here is from:
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/...
Okay, I feel a lot better now that I have a list! Mermaids, fairies, vampires, werewolves, trolls, goblins, etc are all common in books.
Laini Taylor superb series Daughter of Smoke & Bone would fit perfectly here, it is all about chimera and hybrids (and angels). I loved that series.
The garuda features prominently in China Miéville's Perdido Street Station and of course the kraken features in his book Kraken
And, of course, Marlon James's series Black Leopard, Red Wolf is FULL of mythical creatures (it's basically nothing BUT mythical creatures)
Nadine in NY wrote: "I've been struggling a bit on this because I was unclear on what, exactly, a "mythical creature" is. So I googled it. "A mystical creature is a creature from mythology or folklore."
Approximatel..."
This is absolutely amazing and you are absolutely wonderful for sharing all of this!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
Nadine, thanks so much for the list!!!! I was having such a hard time with this prompt. I mean I have a book on mermaids, but they seem so basic even if some of them are strange.I wanted to look for others. The Odessey is pretty obvious because it includes a lot of them. And I don't want to read Twilight since it has werewolves, but I read it all the time.
I'm going to try to find others. Again, thanks for your list. It makes it so much easier.
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I LOVE books based on myths!! Mythical creatures can include dragons, werewolves, and unicorns as well as sphinxes, centaurs, Minotaurs, and Medusa. Is a vampire a "creature"? I'd say that's up to each reader to decide!
Our Listopia list is Here: A book with mythical creatures . (In this case, there are SO MANY Listopias on this topic. But we can still create our own!)