Monsterland by Nicholas Jubber

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Monsterland:

Exactly what you want it to be.

Quick synopsis:

A look at the origins of history’s greatest monsters.

Fact for Non-History People:

One of the possible origins for vampires can be found in a Russian text from 1047.

Fact for History Nerds:

Mary Shelley was only 18 when she wrote Frankenstein.  

My Take on Monsterland:

I love it when a book is exactly what I want it to be, and Nicholas Jubber’s Monsterland is exactly what I wanted it to be.

Jubber looks at the history of twelve different monsters, but if you are familiar with his work, then you know Jubber can’t just read books. He has to go to the source, and I mean that literally. He ends up in the American bayou, Morocco, and Japan among others. Sure, he probably could have written a fine book without the travel, but there is something different about the author being able to articulate what Castle Frankenstein looks like. It’s also an added bonus when the author can tell you about all the times he was almost arrested (which is more than once!).

I can’t overstate how important Jubber’s prose and enthusiasm is to how engrossing Monsterland is. Jubber is a monster nerd. He loves this stuff, and you can tell on every page that he is having as much fun reporting these stories as we are reading them. The other aspect is his prose which borders on poetic without going overboard. There are many authors who try to spice up their writing by adding completely extraneous words to sound smart. Jubber’s word choices truly are vital to the mood. It’s not enough to say he saw the Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico. Instead, he makes you feel the temperature, see the colors, and smell the food.

But let’s stop being all fancy and talk about the monsters! I worried that twelve would be too small a number to cover. Jubber himself admits his own children had the same concerns. However, by the end, I felt like all the major ones were explored including one I was not expecting. I thought I knew a lot about monsters, but the narrative proved me wrong time and time again. This book was only a little over 300 pages, but it could have fooled me (in a good way!). In summary, no notes. Monsterland is fantastic.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by the author.)

Verdict:

A must read. Buy it here!

If You Liked This Try:

• Tabitha Stanmore, Cunning Folk
• J.W. Ocker, The United States of Cryptids