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

~ Karl P. N. Shuker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With the rising popularity of UFO conspiracies and alien abductions, good books on low profile subjects such as cryptozoology have become scarce. Many people have relied on standards such as On the Track of Unknown Animals to explore the fringes of fauna, but Karl P.N. Shuker's From Flying Toads to Snakes with Wings is a more budget-conscious option. An accomplished zoologist, Shuker bypasses the hype found in the tabloids and leaves cryptozoological celebrities such as Big Foot and the Loch Ness monster behind; he concentrates only on the rarest of the rare. Shuker also provides a revealing glimpse at the detective work involved in deciphering the identities of creatures whose existences refuse to be denied, but who have been proclaimed extinct or relegated to myth and folklore. He constructs a formidable argument for the existence of new animal oddities not yet recognized by science, even in the late 20th century, and cites important discoveries from the 1990s. From Flying Toads to Snakes with Wings is sure to pique the curiosity of anyone interested in exotic specimens from the animal kingdom, and doesn't require a major financial investment or a degree in zoology.

Product Description

From the pages of FATE magazine comes a unique, compelling survey of the world's most elusive and mystifying creatures the beasts that hide from man. Renowned zoological authority Dr. Karl P.N. Shuker examines the mystery animals of fact and fiction from a bloodsucking "death bird" of Ethiopia to winged feathered serpents and three-headed river monsters to living dinosaurs. Photos & illus.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567186734
• ISBN-13: 978-1567186734
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,276,549 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Here Be Monsters, November 21, 2002

By	Eddie Real (Missouri City, TX) - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for Cryptozoology buffs, December 28, 2001

By	Liz "LoftyKitten" (Springfield, MO USA) - See all my reviews

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, April 28, 1998

By	[e-mail] (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

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.