Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Starred Review Look out! It's 25 of "the creepiest creatures from classic literature," including famous frights such as Dracula and Frankenstein's monster as well as lesser-known grotesqueries like the Horla or the Bengali Rakshasi. Sievert conjures a cartoon-horror aesthetic (think Scooby-Doo), with bug-eyed, drooling, toothy terrors rendered in slimy greens and pale purples as they stagger off the page t wait! Hiding beneath the book's spooky facade is old man Johnson (Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, 2015) with a beautifully researched review of (mostly Western) literature. Yes, the monsters take the forefront: each subject is introduced with a full-bleed portrait, followed by a synopsis of their story, but the back half ventures "beyond the book." Here topics are fleshed out with terrifyingly tangential trivia thor backgrounds, fiction analyses, examples of similar monsters, relevant history, topical jokes, and so on. Johnson has an eyeball for the details nformative, entertaining, frightfully funny d humor buoys the work throughout, with tongue-in-cheek sarcasm employed to relay the often-absurd tales. And while the text doesn't plunge particularly deep, it takes a stab at ancient classics, Shakespeare, gothic literature, romanticism, modernism, and more, with monsters being framed as illustrative metaphors for their respective times. Perfect for Halloween and beyond, this is a ready-made syllabus for an engaging literature course that will have readers shrieking th delight!

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A thrilling gallery of boojums drawn from the pages, scrolls, and clay tablets of literary classics.Staying in the public domain aside from a few brief excursions, Johnson (Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, 2015) selects 25 monsters and arranges them alphabetically from "Apep" and "Beatrice Rappaccini" to "Zahhak" (a cursed king from Persian literature with brain-eating snakes growing on his shoulders, woohoo!). For each he supplies a two- or three-page plot summary that incorporates occasional quotes and a basic fact box. Each main entry gets a "Fear Factor" rating designated with screaming-skull symbols (Dracula and Guy de Maupassant's invisible Horla join Zahhak to lead the pack with five; the Jabberwock rates just two). In an often fascinating aftersection dubbed "Beyond the Book," Johnson lays out literary or historical background, grants nods to similar tales (such as Rabelais' Gargantua, "a philosophical work and a collection of toilet jokes"), or just takes up fascinating tangential topics. His range of interests and informal style (" ‘Don't worry, I got this,' said Beowulf") make him a particularly engaging tour guide, and at the end he not only lists more monsters that did not make the cut, but also conscientiously cites and discusses his classic sources and translations. Sievert goes for lurid effects in his illustrations, depicting menacing figures with glowing eyes, half-rotten undead, and toothy, slavering monsters.Readers on the lookout for something wicked this way coming will be terrified, grossed out, delighted. (timeline, further reading) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Gr 5 Up-Readers prepared for a big scare with a side order of literary history will love this collection of 25 monsters and villains ranging from The Epic of Gilgamesh demigod Humbaba to the vampires, werewolves, and golems of gothic literature. Presented alphabetically by the monster's name, each chapter tells the tale of a famous literary fright complete with stats such as their "most dastardly deed" and "fear factor" rating of one to five spooky skulls. A "Beyond the Book" section following each monster's story allows the author to delve briefly into topics like science fiction traditions, connecting myth and symbolism between cultures, the importance of representation in publishing folklore, and the origin of supervillains. Back matter provides a time line of the monsters presented, an abundance of reading lists (including all of the stories mentioned throughout the book), notes on translation from source texts, and even a list of 20 additional spine-tingling creatures and bad guys worth investigating. Sievert's full-page illustrations bring each monster to life with shades of bloody reds and oozy greens. VERDICT Johnson's casual descriptions of horrifying tales will delight middle grade readers while he successfully lures them to grander-scheme ideas. A must-have for middle school libraries and those whose readers seek out the creepy and the scary. Liz Allen, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A thrilling gallery of boojums drawn from the pages, scrolls, and clay tablets of literary classics.Staying in the public domain aside from a few brief excursions, Johnson (Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, 2015) selects 25 monsters and arranges them alphabetically from "Apep" and "Beatrice Rappaccini" to "Zahhak" (a cursed king from Persian literature with brain-eating snakes growing on his shoulders, woohoo!). For each he supplies a two- or three-page plot summary that incorporates occasional quotes and a basic fact box. Each main entry gets a "Fear Factor" rating designated with screaming-skull symbols (Dracula and Guy de Maupassant's invisible Horla join Zahhak to lead the pack with five; the Jabberwock rates just two). In an often fascinating aftersection dubbed "Beyond the Book," Johnson lays out literary or historical background, grants nods to similar tales (such as Rabelais' Gargantua, "a philosophical work and a collection of toilet jokes"), or just takes up fascinating tangential topics. His range of interests and informal style (" ‘Don't worry, I got this,' said Beowulf") make him a particularly engaging tour guide, and at the end he not only lists more monsters that did not make the cut, but also conscientiously cites and discusses his classic sources and translations. Sievert goes for lurid effects in his illustrations, depicting menacing figures with glowing eyes, half-rotten undead, and toothy, slavering monsters.Readers on the lookout for something wicked this way coming will be terrified, grossed out, delighted. (timeline, further reading) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This bookish guide to 25 monsters includes those originating from largely Western mythology, novels, and fairy tales; the entities include the Headless Horseman, Dorian Gray, Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, and the Goblin Spider, among others. Each is presented in a bold and playful portrait, while text offers a brief synopsis of each tale. Sections explore the cultural and historical context of the stories, as well as their enduring influence; sidebars provide humorous stats for each monster, including a -Fear Factor- rating. Johnson offers entertaining insights into each monster-s origin story, while suggesting that great literature creates characters that can truly take on lives of their own-and what-s scarier (and cooler) than that? Ages 10-up. (Sept.)