Customer Reviews

The Book of Sea Monsters

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The main goal of this book is as a showcase for the art of Bob Eggleton. In this respect the book works, as it has many excellent illustrations of sea monsters, everything from the Midgard Serpent, to the Daedalus serpent, and the Loch Ness Monster. The illustrations are beautiful, if perhaps a bit "exaggerated" ie. the head of the Loch Ness Monster being larger than the entire body of St. Colomba.

The text of the book is a bit thin, but does provide an adequate framework for Suckling's drawings. A little over 100 pages hardly scratches the surface of such a broad topic as sea monsters. Topics briefly discussed are the following: Mythology, Sea Serpents, Real Sea Monsters, and Lake Monsters. If one is looking for a wealth of information on sea monsters they would be better served to look up a copy of Bernard Heuvelmans' In the Wake of the Sea Serpents.

Overall, the goal of presenting Bob Eggleton's artwork of sea monsters is achieved satisfactorily in this book. The text is a bit lacking, but it was only intended as a supplement to the artwork.

As a showcase for Bob Eggleton's fantastic (and by this I mean superb as well as fanciful) artwork of sea serpents, this book is a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, as a serious study of these creatures it comes up short, sprinting through all manner of mythical and real-life sightings of serpents which often does not do them justice (the section on the Lake Champlain serpent, for example, is only about 200 words and doesn't even mention the Mansi photograph). The fact that the artwork bears little resemblance to reported sightings of many of these creatures doesn't help matters any. This may be of interest for those who appreciate good fantasy art and/or have a casual interest in serpents and their mythology, but for the serious student of cryptozoology, there are many other, better books around.

Knowing I'm a sea monster buff, my girlfriend bought this for me during a date at the aquarium (along with a shark tooth). I must say, I'm not disappointed at all with this book. Totalling in at only about a hundred pages or so, it provides a great introduction to various legends, sightings and facts about monsters of the deep, whether real or mythological. It would certainly be a great book to buy for children interested in such things. But where it REALLY shines forth is in Bob Eggleton's lush paintings of the various sea monsters described herein.

The book opens with an introduction to sea monsters, and why such stories continue to fascinate us even today (and sometimes miles from any large body of water at all). The first section shows off some compelling portraits of various sea monsters from mythology - the Norse Kraken, the Biblical Leviathon, the Aztec Quetzalcoatal, the Greek Hydra, and even mermaids. All of them are brought to life in full color glory by Eggleton's brilliant artwork. Theres an entire chapter dedicated to sea serpents, like the Gloucester serpent and Morgawr, and another on lake monsters like Nessie, Champ, Ogopogo, Nahuelito and Caddy. Cryptozoologists might find these chapters a bit basic, but the artwork alone is magnificent enough to justify buying it. The book also includes other creatures of the deep, like merhorses, giant squid and living dinosaurs. Finally, it closes with an epilogue mentioning sea creatures in movies, and gives Eggleton a chance to re-imagine such classics as Gorgo and the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms!

Overall, this is a gorgeous book. It is especially suited for children, or as a coffee table book, but the artwork is truly amazing. It definately would be at home on the shelf of anyone who appreciates Fantasy artwork. The selling point for me, of course, was the fact that its an entire book on sea monsters. Its not particularly academic, but its a fun read nonetheless. If you want more detailed cryptozoology, you'll have to look elsewhere I fear (though the book does have a nice list of recommended reading, including Ellis' "Monsters of the Sea" and Heuvalman's "In the Wake of Sea Serpents"). But if your looking for a nice little book of sea monsters, this is your baby.

While fishing on the Stilliguamish River near Robe, Washington on September 5, 1980, I came upon a set of three large human-like tracks in the river sand. Two of these tracks were spaced side by side facing the river edge, while the third track was set five feet behind the others, behind a boulder. A hillside sloping away from the river revealed slide marks which appeared to be made by the culprit as it walked to the river edge and apparently walked into the water. A search in subsequent days of both sides of the river found no more tracks in the area. Rene Dahinden arrived at the scene one week later, and the tracks could still be seen, indicating very little human traffic in the area. Newspaper articles about this find turned up more than ten additional people from the area who claimed they too had found similar tracks nearby in recent years, and one claimed to have seen the Sasquatch who made them. This area of Washington State has a history of Sasquatch sighting and footprint finds, and some good audio tapes have been recorded in Snohomish County of supposed Sasquatch vocalizations. Although these footprints do not prove the existence of a Sasquatch, the large amount of reported activity in the area by credible witnesses indicates that something strange is going on there. I offer no opinion as to whether or not I believe Sasquatches are moving around in Snohomish County other than I can say that I've talked to some credible eyewitnesses who are convinced that these giant bipeds are real.