BOOK REVIEW: "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps" by Dom Joly

Is a book about cryptozoology. Now there is a word for you. A form of zoology which is about monster hunting, as in Loch Ness Monster for example. Monster is another great word derived from Latin via Middle English, it means something scary or to be feared. The title of the book punning on David Bowie's song is sub-titled 'in search of the worlds most hideous monsters'. The author Joly visits Canada, Japan, The Congo, Nepal, USA and Scotland in pursuit of you've guessed it - MONSTERS!

Monsters exotic, monsters mundane, they are out there, dear reader. Or at least some think so. The results for Joly are ambiguous. The travel is great and takes the reader to some out of the way places. 

In Canada the monster is known as Ogopogo and lives purportedly in Lake Okanagan in British Columbia. Reputedly a large serpentine creature . The author stays by the lake and thinks he spots the beast. He takes a boat out and searches for the beas, and then wanders around the area interviewing people who have seen the creature. The personalities, weather and environment are described. Some characters are rational others a little eccentric.  This sets the template for his trips to other parts of the world looking for creatures such as  Hibagon in Japan, Mokele-Mbembe in Africa, Yeti in Nepal, and the Sasquatch in California.

The author has a penchant for arguing with his fellow airplane passengers over elbow room and sees himself reflectively. Some encounters are quiet scary eg in California not so much with the monsters he is seeking, but the people who live in the areas he visits. The chapter on Loch Ness he undertakes with his wife and children and is I found most amusing. 

This book is great little read and I recommend it for summer holiday reading.

Review by Neil