The United States of Cryptids by JW Ocker takes readers on a journey through the lore of myriad mystery monsters in America. Broken down into four broad categories- the Northeast (Jersey Devil, Puckwudgie), the South (Wampus Cat, Rougarou), the Midwest (Piasa Bird, Wendigo), and the West (Fresno Nightcrawler, Shunka Warak’in). Ocker’s playful, and at times […]
Loki by Mohammed Ghassan Farija puts a new spin on the legends and myths of the Norse pantheon. Myth is a culture’s way of encoding important events, among other things. And, as Tolkien notes, sometimes history becomes myth under the weight of time. This story, centred on one of the Norse pantheon’s rather more misunderstood […]
Mayers’ The Cursed Baron was an interesting read to be sure. I’m thankful for the preface that added context, but there were still times I felt asea, like I was missing something important. I gradually adapted to the unusual notions that Rakshasas from Venus lived among humans. Knowing the terms Rakshasa and Yaksha from myth […]
Walking with Ghosts on Ward’s Pond by Heidi Sprouse is a fictional ‘what if’ take in an actual case. Charlie Baxter is a journalist, and a descendant of the Gilette family. He’s staying at Ward’s Pond, working on research related to Chester’s case. Charlie hopes to find evidence that might exonerate his ancestor for the […]
This book was reviewed via Netgalley Sub rosa. Beneath the rose, nothing is safe, yet all is sacred. Caraval whisked me away from word one. Garber has woven true magic, as only the best authors can, opening the door to a wondrous new world. For years, Scarlett has written […]
Legends and myths contain nuggets of truth, oft buried beneath the detritus of time. Layer upon layer added until sometimes what is has become a distorted reflection of what was. With Minotaur, Simpson has given us just such a story of what might have been. Not the chimeric creature of legend, half human and half […]
Crying Woman Bridge is the 6th book in the High Country Mystery Series. Each in the series is a stand-alone story. In a crime that mirrors the haunting legend of Mirabella, a ‘crying woman’ whose story is a variation of the legend of La Llorona, a babe […]