Book Review: Mythical Beasts and Beings by Lisa Graves

Mythical Beasts and Beings by Lisa Graves takes on monsters, fairies, gods and dragons in this illustrated guide to mythological creatures. Featuring legends from around the world, this collection provides information for fans of mythology, magic and more in short but a lovely volume.

Mythical Beasts and Beings is a basic and brief introduction to a sampling of mythical creatures from around the world. Some I was very well acquainted with through my fantasy reading and mythology research over the years, and some I knew much less about. The included creatures are Mermaids, Hobgoblins, Tylwyth Teg, Ciguapa, Leshy, Gorgon, Imoogi, Nuberu, Morrigan, Kraken, Hulder, Muma Padurii, Valkyrie, Spriggan, Baobhan Sith, Makara, Banshee, Pixie, Sphinx, Kappa, Satyr, and Unicorn. I like that each creature profile included countries of origin, habitat, unusual features, similar creatures, and other important aspects of the myths and how they vary by region or time. THe images used are like lovely painting, with colors and soft lines. I will admit that some of my knowledge of myths and legends surrounding some of the creatures varied from what was presented here, but not in drastic or remarkable ways. I attribute thoth difference to the lenses in which I have view the creatures and characters through the collections and fiction I have previously been introduced to them.