Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shapeshifters Galore! Excellent Resource!, September 3, 2003
I'd always been interested in myths and legends about shapeshifters, but most books about them tend to focus more on werewolves than any other kind. Therefore, it was a delight to find this book which covers shapeshifters of many kinds, from a wide range of cultures, past to present. Of course, werewolves are thoroughly discussed, but the author also presents a huge amount of material on were-cats, kitsune, were-dolphins, snake-people, "human hyenas", and even some stories about shapeshifting herbivores such as deer, donkeys, and boar.I really liked the book's organization (each chapter presents a different group of shapeshifters), and at the end of each chapter there is a listing of books and movies relevant to the section; each chapter begins with an illustration as well. In addition, there is a massive resource guide at the end of the book, listing relevant movies, TV shows, comics, web pages, books, and more, with a special section devoted entirely to werewolves; it made for a lot of fun browsing. The author's writing is pleasant to read, yet thorough; I really enjoyed this book! Highly recommended!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New Tome Examines the Unexplored Niches of Worldwide Lore, November 11, 2004
Jamie Hall's goal is clear from the start of 'Half Human, Half Animal'. He intends to bring up every aspect of werewolves and shapeshifters that has habitually been ignored by authors writing werewolf books for general audiences. In this respect, he certainly succeeds. Many topics in this book will be completely new to most readers. Seasoned intellectuals and folklore specialists will recognize a number of topics that have previously been covered in academic articles and obscure books published mainly by university presses, but which are seldom seen outside those venues. Jamie Hall manages to filter these academic treatises for a lay audience with remarkable finesse. He leaves the dry theorizing aside to present one interesting folktale or curious custom after another, with just enough background information for readers to appreciate the cultural significance and not get lost. The density of material is surprising. Few writers can manage to include so many legends, anecdotes and details of various sorts in just 300 pages without seeming rushed or jumbled, but Jamie Hall manages to avoid this problem.
He steers the reader through a whirlwind of cultural bogey-men, pranksters, monsters and heroes. The breadth and depth of this book clearly distinguish it from peer works, and should guarantee a place for it on library shelves. It will complement, not compete with, other books on the same topic.
The subject of this book is worldwide legends and lore about people who could change into animals or, in some cases, animals who could change into people. It contains folktales about the more usual animals, such as (were)wolves, cats and foxes, along with more exotic specimens of the shapeshifter archetype, such as dolphins, snakes and hyenas. Not content with a focus on the various species of shapeshifter that are usually ignored, Hall trumps other werewolf books by also having a truly worldwide, multicultural depth and by examining werewolf legends of several obscure types. He looks at American werewolf legends in some detail, including the discipline of urban legends.
Hall is also keenly interested in werewolf fandom and seems to be a dedicated fan himself. He knows a great deal about werewolf fiction, and includes a gigantic appendix of novels, movies, television shows, video games and everything else. The only item I see lacking is plays, but I suppose we can do without a list of the greatest werewolf plays. As the back of the book reads, there are "over 250 films and more than 500 books" in these fiction guides. Not only are these lists longer than most I have encountered online or in books such as those by Leonard R. N. Ashley or Brad Steiger, but they are also more helpful. Rather than just including a title and author, Hall includes a remarkably succinct description for each work of fiction, getting right to the point of what the novel or movie is about and exactly what part a werewolf or shapeshifter plays in it.
This is a thoroughly delightful book, romping through history, anthropology, and the realms of fiction, all seen through werewolf-colored glasses. I recommend it heartily to most readers, with one reservation. The book's sole problem is Hall's desire to make it much different from other books about werewolves. The same characteristics that lead us into so many exotic, little-explored niche areas of mythology will leave some readers high and dry. Hall forgets to include some of the basics. Legends that have made it into nearly every werewolf book ever published are curiously absent from Hall's work. He reduces the entire craze of Medieval werewolf trials to a three-paragraph summary that is rather dismissive because, as Hall states, the trials are boring, repetitive and chock full of ideas that came directly from convoluted theological teachings that were not understood by the average peasant, the source of most legends. Therefore, the trials did not have much to do with the legends, and since Hall's book is about legends, it ignores these trials. This line of reasoning allows the author to leave out what should be a basic part of every werewolf book. Another area of lack is the explanations for why people have believed in werewolves, kitsune, human hyenas and the like throughout history. Most books include copious material on this subject, but Hall only includes enough to get by. In his case, each explanation is tied to a legend or custom that has just been told. It is enlightening to see explanations presented in this way, but the book really needs a large section devoted just to these explanations, especially since Hall's mind has come up with some unique, clever, yet simple explanations that people should have thought of years ago. I would wish to hear more about them. The only other complaint I have is that it is a paperback. This book is the sort that will be consulted again and again, and paperbacks simply can't stand up to long-term abuse like hardcovers can.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
very diverse legends!, October 1, 2003
Not only does this have a great resource for shapeshifter movies and books but lots of legends from all over the world! This book focuses on all kinds of shapeshifting legends not just werewolves.The creatures are described as good and evil depending on the legend unlike many werewolf books that paint them as evil or tragic.
I have read tons of material on this subject and am very pleased with this book.Most books about werewolves tell the same legends over and over but this one gets into some that I have never come across.The language used is simple and effective. This is a solid book.
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