Giants and Trolls

August 17, 2015
In one of four titles kicking off the Mythical Beasts series, Peebles introduces 10 of the “biggest, meanest and most bloodthirsty creatures that stomped the world in ancient times,” ranking them in terms of strength, repulsiveness, ferocity, and other categories. Brief but gruesome narratives (“Licking his lips with a black tongue, King Troll grabbed the man and prepared to roast him on the fire”) mirror the action in Chilvers’s digital collages, which lavish attention on the monsters’ gleaming fangs, bulging muscles, and misshapen features. Most hail from Greek and Norse myth (Odysseus’s brushes with one-eyed Polyphemus and man-eating Laestrygonians are mentioned), and Peebles includes tips for readers who might face these creatures in the wild (hint: have salt or an arrow dipped in hydra blood handy). Simultaneously available: Demons and Monsters, Mighty Mutants, and Monsters of the Gods. Ages 8–12.

November 1, 2015

Gr 3-6-How gory and repulsive are the beastly creatures of the world's mythology? The 10 bloodthirsty giants in each of these slim sets appear in a ranked scheme and ascending order. They're scored "from 1 to 10 for each of five categories: Strength, Repulsiveness, Special Powers, Ferocity and Invincibility." Two-page entries on each creature, which lead up to the score, include a short anecdotal story, suggested ways to defeat the beast, and an orange inset describing origins of the myth. Bold, digitally created visuals feature plenty of fangs and claws, blood and guts, and horrific mixes of human/animal figures. Sixteen of the 40 monsters are from Greek mythology, and another eight are of Norse origin. Others span the world widely. These titles lack some of the customary nonfiction features. Sources aren't listed, and there are no bibliographies or websites recommended. Each book ends with a "Rogue's Gallery" that depicts and briefly describes each of the characters, arranged in reverse order from top to lowest score on the beastly scale. Three bits of added discussion on related topics appear on the final two pages. VERDICT Probably most interesting to readers of horror, these might occasionally spark interest in mythology.

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