Overview
The sequel to The New York Times best-selling A Practical Guide to Dragons
How do you trick a troll? Do vampires sleep? Why worry about yuan-ti? Just in time for Halloween, this lavishly illustrated guide showcases the spooky, unexpected, and always fascinating world of monsters!
Synopsis
The sequel to The New York Times best-selling A Practical Guide to Dragons
How do you trick a troll? Do vampires sleep? Why worry about yuan-ti? Just in time for Halloween, this lavishly illustrated guide showcases the spooky, unexpected, and always fascinating world of monsters!
VOYA
This slim book is a guide to the monsters of the Dungeons & Dragons (D & D) universe. Without the usual dice statistics, though, it is best used as background for those players who focus on character development rather than on fighting when role-playing. The lack of game and rule detail also makes this book more accessible to non-gamers and might attract those interested in general mythology and fantasy. The monster descriptions, however, are very firmly grounded in the D & D universe, so descriptions of common mythological creatures such as gorgons, harpies, and chimera should not be used for academic research. With these limitations, it is a lovely, fun coffee table book for fantasy fans of all types. Written as a guide for apprentices by their traveling professor, High Wizard Zendric, the book is nicely illustrated with color maps, paintings of creatures, and line drawings. Each monster is clearly described in text and has a chart with its basic facts (height, weight, habitat, best defenses). "Handwritten" notes from Zendric add to the fiction of a professor's lesson plan left for students. Parchment color pages also add to the illusion. Less common creatures such as Thri-kreen and Ettin will capture readers' attention. The book would be a nice gift and an optional purchase for a library with lots of role players. Reviewer: Beth Karpas