Scan barcode
lunaseassecondaccount's review against another edition
3.0
I like reading about fairies and the like. I like indulging my childish side, what can I say. I also enjoy reading about various mythologies and religions, and this book also indulges that side.
Broken up into areas such as forests, deserts, domiciles and psyche, this 'guide' presents demons and the like that inhabit the world and where they live. It is also highly multicultural, with demons et al from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, America and Australia. This wide-ranging research comes along with religious ideals, dating from Babylonia to today. In the Psyche section, it also presents ideas from Freud and Jung, along with stories such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
There are a few points where Mack&Mack confuse certain mythologies. In the Water section, while talking about Mermaids, they briefly mention Selkies without acknowledging it as such. However, this is a minor complaint, and in scope of the wider text, just a small error.
What I particularly liked is that although it is essentially a young adult novel, it's written in an adult manner. Like other reviewers have stated, this would be a good guide for authors, as it is not only split into regions, but it also has the country of origin, the behaviour and ways to dispel the demons.
Overall, interesting, useful and amusing.
Broken up into areas such as forests, deserts, domiciles and psyche, this 'guide' presents demons and the like that inhabit the world and where they live. It is also highly multicultural, with demons et al from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, America and Australia. This wide-ranging research comes along with religious ideals, dating from Babylonia to today. In the Psyche section, it also presents ideas from Freud and Jung, along with stories such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
There are a few points where Mack&Mack confuse certain mythologies. In the Water section, while talking about Mermaids, they briefly mention Selkies without acknowledging it as such. However, this is a minor complaint, and in scope of the wider text, just a small error.
What I particularly liked is that although it is essentially a young adult novel, it's written in an adult manner. Like other reviewers have stated, this would be a good guide for authors, as it is not only split into regions, but it also has the country of origin, the behaviour and ways to dispel the demons.
Overall, interesting, useful and amusing.
andy5185's review
4.0
Loved this book full of dark history and lore! It was fun to read and I appreciated the diversity in subjects. It was most especially pleasing to me to read of the demons of our psyche - our internal battles! Interesting and accessible reading.
dabblingintgeminestrone's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
oliviat's review
In her mermaid entry, she recounts a story about selkies, which are Irish seal-women. Her story includes the mermaids having seal coats, and follows a very formulaic structure for selkie stories. However, the author never explains that they are selkies, she continues to call them mermaids instead. While they are a type of mermaid, I found it odd a book about creatures of lore wouldn't be more specific.
At that moment I realized either the book was inaccurate, or I knew more than its author, and stopped wasting my time.
At that moment I realized either the book was inaccurate, or I knew more than its author, and stopped wasting my time.
keelygorski's review
4.0
This was a cute little dictionary type book with really accurate information. Short and sweet. Each being only got 2-3 pages max to tell about their lore and history. I liked it.
damsorrow's review
1.0
the only thing i learned from this book is that i need to solicit a huge grant to go around the world studying demons and possession and then turn that into a well-written and comprehensive yet fascinating tome because apparently nobody else can pull it off, cough cough carol mack.