Book Review: Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies – Compendium – Suzanne Schwalb

VAMPIRES, WEREWOLVES, ZOMBIES: COMPENDIUM MONSTRUM (HARDCOVER)
Written by Suzanne Schwalb (Author), Margaret Rubiano (Author), Peter Pauper Press (Editor), Bruce Waldman (Illustrator), David Lindroth (Illustrator)
Published by Peter Pauper Press
Publication Date: 2010
Format: B&W – 168 Pages
Price: $9.95

Vampires, werewolves and zombies oh my! – I must say my curiosity has peaked this last year as these 3 categories of old school horror lore have risen once again to the top of interest and public fascination. This is apparent in the outpouring of fresh books, manuals and fiction stories concerning these 3 fear inducing monstrosities of generations past. I think I’ve probably read more fictional truths on these subjects in the last year than I have in my whole life. Well, with the recent Hollywood offerings of “the Wolf Man”, “Twilight (and company) and films such as “Zombieland”, “Survival of the Dead” and well 100 more…. it seems to be the moment for new reads.

Our latest comes in the form of …dare I say “cute” small attractively decored book called “Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies: Compendium Monstrum” from the team at “Peter Pauper Press” The size makes it perfect for your back pocket and its presentation is as impressive as anything out there. In fact Van Helsing himself would most likely pick this one up if he had lived in the modern times.

It is broken in chapters on all 3 of the monster categories mentioned. Each also starts with a detailed illustrative map introducing us to the sections of the book. The maps are known locations of these beasts as if you were on a hunt for them yourself. The book ends with a few pages dedicated to notating in your “hunting” journeys so that once you’ve mastered the information you can seek these beasts out yourself, take them on confidently and protect yourself along the way. You could call it a manual but it takes the time to really dig into the lore, the methods, the signs, the meanings and anything else that the authors Suzanne Schwalb and Margaret Rubiano thought would be good to know in your journeys.

A stand out feature is that it’s beautifully illustrated with stylized pages and sketches by Bruce Waldman within. I was intrigued with the offering of information such as “helpful Romanian phrases”,”sites of interest and locations for tracking the different beasts. Each section details traits belonging to the focus beast. Werewolves details traits to be on the watch for, information of joining a pack., ancient wisdom passed down and even some information of werewolves in literature.

The zombies section cant help but be hilarious at times with things like “indicators for recognizing true zombies”. Dead pan expression anyone? visible decomposition or odor or how about limited speech patterns? Well if you don’t mistake these traits for a street vagrant it might just be a zombie in your presence. There is much more here to indulge your supernatural senses. Give this one a go with its pocket size format, you won’t be disappointed.

This small listing from Amazon contains the featured materials within:

Collected from the papers of 19th-century monstrologists Herr Doktor Max Sturm und Baron Ludwig Von Drang, this intriguing book includes:

”Notes and sketches,” arranged with some updating
Transylvania travel section
Fold-out maps
”Tracking the Beasties” visual aid
”For Further Investigation” resource list
Index
”Sightings Record Pages,” in which readers can record their own encounters, location, moon phase, weapons, etc.
Red ribbon marker
Covers feature foil-enhanced accents
Gothic/Victorian-style endpapers

also maps that are included are:

Vampires Around the World
Transylvania
Were-creatures of the World
Zombies Around the World
Additional in-text maps

Available at AMAZON
Available at PETER PAUPER PRESS

Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies – Compendium  – Suzanne Schwalb