Customer Reviews

From Flying Toads to Snakes with Wings : From the Pages of Fate Magazine

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Cryptozoology, the study of undiscovered animals, is a relatively new science. One of its foremost pioneers is Karl Shuker, who has a doctorate in Zoology and Comparative Physiology from the University of Birmingham. Dr. Shuker has collected dozens of his cryptozoological articles in his book From Flying Toads to Snakes with Wings. The book is a fantastic journey through every corner of our planet. Throughout the journey the reader encounters a parade of rarely seen creatures, including: whale-sized sharks, man-eating elephants, and blue tigers. Dr. Shuker's writing style is educated and fanciful. The result is a book that can be enjoyed by cryptozoological novices and veterans alike.

The Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot are perhaps two of the world's most notorious cryptozoological entities. Dr. Shuker presents a far more diverse group of lesser-known creatures. In fact, two of his chapters deal with newly discovered animals and proven hoaxes. This impressive collection of creatures would appeal to anyone interested in animals or the unknown.

Dr. Shuker uses thorough scientific research and eyewitness accounts in each of his articles. For example, in his chapter devoted to sharks Dr. Shuker describes an incident involving a very large shark: " They told him that their series of heavily weighted three-and-a-half-foot crayfish pots had been carried away once by a shark of ghostly white coloration and so extraordinarily immense that they estimated its length to have been anything between 115 and 300 feet." Dr. Shuker then goes on to explain that recent research on fossilized megalodon (prehistoric shark) remains have proven that sharks over 50 feet did indeed exist, a mere 11,000 years ago. Dr. Shuker believes the fishermen who saw the shark were shocked and therefore exaggerated the shark's length. Most of the creatures discussed in the book appear to be highly elusive and rarely seen by man. Others like the monster salmon of China, 33 feet in length, are alive and well.

From Flying Toads to Snakes with Wings is skillfully divided into eighteen chapters. Each chapter discusses a certain type of monster, such as: mystery bears of the world, giant jellyfishes, and the graveyard of monsters. The book has many illustrations and contains illustration credits to help locate the source of an illustration. There is also a selected bibliography and an index of animal names. This book would be useful to zoology students, science-fiction writers, and passengers aboard a long plane trip. Dr. Shuker clearly explains scientific information and presents each animal with the enthusiasm of a proud father. The number of animals presented in the book is incredibly lengthy and richly diverse. It has provided countless hours of enjoyment, and the book itself has held up quite well, with minimal wear and tear.

From Flying Toads to Snakes with Wings sheds light on a subject not usually discussed. With this book Dr. Shuker has made a significant contribution to the field of cryptozoology. Dr. Shuker does not limit his research to the common lake monster; he discusses the existence of the Golden Fleece and the macabre eating habits of sheep during food shortages (they bite the heads off young birds). Dr. Shuker's book is a sometimes frightful, thrill ride through the zoo of the unknown.

Although I've always been big on the paranormal, and supernatural, and all things abnormal, this was my first strictly cryptozoology book and I thuroughly enjoyed it. It's not the sort of thing you sit down and read strait through, but I had a hard time putting it down. It's fascinating and extremely well written, and very informative. It was a stroke of luck that I happened to run across it in the bookstore, and I think that anyone with even the slightest interest will be more than pleased.

This book is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in cryptozoology. Shuker provides information on not only well known animals like nessie, but includes very rare and non-mainstream animals. My only complaint is that the few pages dedicated to each animal is not enough. I was so captivated by Shuker's writing that I would have liked to see more indepth analyses of each animal. The pictures, woodcuts, and engraved images were well done and appropriate. I recommend this book for anyone interested in learning about animals science has not yet discovered.

Could the Dodo bird still be hiding out there? How about Blue Tigers in China? Some of the extremely interesting possibilities revealed in this book. Real can't put down reading, zoologist Karl Shuker is a leader of today's Cryptozoology investigation. Have enjoyed reading Mr. Shuker's articles in the Fortean Times for years.

I rank this book with Willy Ley's Exotic Zoology for delightful, yet level-headed reading that doesn't insult the reader's intelligence. Shuker ignores brainless sensationalism and writes with a mind that is at once open and analytical. His approach is that of a confirmed scientist who marvels at nature's capacity for producing known and yet-to-be revealed wonders. With a writing style that is relaxed and laced with subtle humor, "Flying Toads" is a book that is hard to put down and even harder to end.

An outstanding guide for any and all interested in cryptozoology. Well and wittily written, informative and entertaining. Perhaps Shuker should have written a longer book of even greater depth and detail. Alternatively, he might have described fewer animals, while focusing on those of stand-out interest. I, for example, would have liked to have known a great deal more about monstrous jellyfish. And what about those giant and sinister toads of China! These observations (hardly criticisms) indicate how much I enjoyed the book and how sorry I am that the voyage ended much too soon.

Only one question - if you are seriously or even mildly interested in cryptozoology, why isn't this already in your collection??Highly recommended.

While it appears that most of the previous reviews were from dedicated cryptozoology buffs, I had a much more "normal" use for this book. I run a role-playing game called "Conspiracy X" and I had just purchased the Cryptozoology sourcebook only to be dismayed by the lack of ...er... noncommon creatures (although there was plenty of Nessie, Bigfoot, et al.). I found this book here by accident and bought it and I have to say that I was plesantly suprised. Extremely well written and intelligent with all kinds of facts and tidbits that can be easily dropped right into a game. I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to run an "X-Files"ish RPG.