A review by em_harring
On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears by Stephen T. Asma

3.0

I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I had read it about four years ago. It's a good introduction to monster theory/history; the problem for me is that I knew a lot of the information present in the book. I was hoping it would include a more historical look at why certain monsters prevailed at certain times, but it didn't really do that. It also didn't really utilize any of the philosophies or theories that it brought to the forefront to any great extant. And I had some issues with the organization of the book; at times it felt all over the place, and the last chapter has almost nothing to do with monsters, and everything to do with the author's own bias towards the topics that he brings up.

So, overall, it was okay. It just wasn't completely what I wanted. I'd give it a 2.5, if I could.