Monsterland: a journey around the world's dark imagination

(Paperback)

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Monsters, in all their terrifying glory, have preoccupied humans since we began telling stories. But where did these stories come from In Monsterland, award-winning author Nicholas Jubber goes on a journey to discover more about the monsters we've invented, lurking in the dark and the wild places of the earth - giants, dragons, ogres, zombies, ghosts, demons - all with one thing in common- their ability to terrify. His far-ranging adventure takes him across the world. He sits on the thrones of giants in Cornwall, visits the shrine of a beheaded ogre near Kyoto, travels to an eighteenth-century Balkan vampire's forest dwelling, and paddles among the shapeshifters of the Louisiana bayous. On his travels, he discovers that the stories of the people and places that birthed them are just as fascinating as the creatures themselves. Artfully written, Monsterland is a fascinating interrogation into why we need these monsters and what they can tell us about ourselves - how they bind communities together as much as they cruelly cast away outsiders. Praise for The Fairy Tellers- 'Prepare yourself for a wild ride.' -The Times 'His cornucopia of tellers and tales is a delight, a riveting celebration of a genre that revels in its own hybridity and the imaginative riches produced by the crossing of cultural and literary borders.' -Financial Times 'Engaging and interesting ... Jubber's book shows the long-sustained value of these narratives, and should make us wonder what might happen to us if they disappeared from somewhere at the back of our brains.' -The Spectator