(Download pdf ebook) Cryptozoologicon: Volume I Cryptozoologicon: Volume I

0ohWYeTps Cryptozoologicon: Volume I CIqMBJDBD GT-45522 PmAJysrjl USmix/Data/US-2013 uGpZ5g0xJ 3.5/5 From 353 Reviews M2L60TlqF John Conway, C. M. Kosemen, Darren Naish tlVxNUM7B DOC | *audiobook | ebooks | Download PDF | ePub YYS7gqrCH CphlupWG8 PD02vpgOx luHTWxpZq lMELCQG6X rMGRQvmNK YRVEWqfTG nKHf5MTS4 16 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Cryptozoology finally gets eYVnIGJXh the treatment it deservesBy Cameron A. McCormickCryptozoology claims to be NMqsqoGWY a lot of things normally something along the lines of searching for "hidden" or sjwVc6whE "unexpected" animals but effectively it's the art of taking anecdotes and even I8KQou2XV softer evidence way too seriously. For a practice purportedly focused on LI5xo5bHq discovery, cryptozoology is ironically hyper-conservative and tends to rehash t7JsNRhH2 the same old information and hypotheses even if they've been shown to be MJCRv0ETY improbable, wrong or fake. While cryptozoology has been stuck in a purgatory- 2WUbxrDBg like existence since the 1960's, people eschewing or unaware of that label have 51l6CTNhs been going around discovering new and sometimes large and exciting species, AUEzkKESM even when initially starting from soft evidence like anecdotes.Just because 6gIXbjepg cryptozoology is (largely) an unintentionally serious study of mythical creatures yswE7wmN7 doesn't make it worthless. The thing is, lots of the cryptids are really e2RYboWTn compelling. Some of my favorite monsters are cryptozoological creations. 8UPhJRCSp Cryptids are at their most interesting when they're decoupled from any pretense of being real and treated as speculative modern folklore. Which is what the Cryptozoologicon does.It's been a while since I've been as excited about a book as the Cryptozoologicon. It covers 28 cryptids ranging from ubiquitous in pop culture (Bigfoot, Yeti) to hyper-obscure (Con Rit, Tizheruk); from teetering-on- plausible (Orang Pendek) to freakishly crazy (Kelpie?! Goatman?!?!) to known mistakes (Zuiyo Maru carcass, Rods). Each of these cryptids is treated to one beautiful illustration (and sometimes other figures) and a trifid discussion: a review of the available information, a skeptical analysis of the information, and then a speculative treatment. Occasionally the speculation becomes so wild the authors break down into the sort of madness hitherto found only in Lovecraft's epistolary heroes, ranting and raving in a style curiously similar to that espoused by the Internet's less coherent cryptozoologists.Summarizing a book covering so many topics isn't easy, so I'll look at one cryptid that I feel was treated in an extra-clever way: the Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu. Previously, it was the world's stupidest cryptid; a rogue microbiologist named Roy Mackal went to equatorial Africa and somebody (not an eyewitness, apparently) pointed to a picture of a stegosaur in a book and gave it a name. Mackal's conclusion about a semi-aquatic extant stegosaur is just word salad-y nonsense (and yes, I've read his book), but some people continue on treating it as a valid concept! The Cryptozoologicon out-speculates the speculators. Why a stegosaur and not a fish known as a bichir? They already have numerous bifid dorsal fins, can breathe air, unexpectedly tetrapod-like limbs (more so than lungfish and coelacanths... long story), and have reached huge sizes in the past. They seem all set to evolve into semi-aquatic pseudo-stegosaurs! Of course the authors of the Cryptozoologicon don't actually *believe* this, it's just a fun and exceedingly clever alternative.The Cryptozoologicon doesn't always speculate wildly, but this doesn't make the cryptids any less compelling. It's pretty light and very fun and the best approach to cryptozoology I've ever encountered.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Top notch Illustrations, combined with skepticism and speculative fiction.By Tim MorrisThrough my long obsession with Cryptozoology, it pains me that even the best, most comprehensive books on the subject have little in the way of original, high quality illustrations. Many describe the entities well in the text, enough to give a mental picture, but the majority of cryptozoology books are compendiums of information on the subject, compiling sightings and hypotheses about these mystery creatures. Even the greats such as Sanderson and Heuvelmans are very sparse with proper illustrations, the illustrations in Bernard Heuvelman's books are so forgettably plain that they are not noteworthy.One problem is, that many current cryptozoologists do not have the proper funding to employ many artists. Loren Coleman is a notable exception in having one or two devoted illustrators that have provided many, many black and white depictions. I myself produce cryptozoology illustrations for some clients, but I am paid in merchandise (complimentary copies of the books), simply because I have a thirst for crypto books in the first place.It is unfortunate that I can count on one hand, the books about Cryptozoology that posses truly striking, original artwork. One of which is a very lavish children's book, one is the skeptical tome "Abominable Science", one is Loren Coleman's Hominoid Field Guide, and one very exhaustive French handbook that was never released in English. The 2 recent books about sea monsters on renaissance and medieval maps also warrant inclusion, but their illustrations are historical documents, not originals."The Cryptozoologicon: Volume 1", which will soon have a sequel, instantly rockets to the top of this list.Each creature entry, of which there are 28, provides a truly beautiful, realistic color portrait of each cryptid. Accompanying this are 3 sections of text per entry. The first is about the sightings and general context, the next is a skeptical paragraph about the likelihood or lack thereof, to its existence, and the third is a piece of speculative fiction as to the nature of the creature, as if it were actually real. The book takes pains to point out that they do not endorse the un-supported existence of any folkoloric creatures, in fact, some cryptids covered in the book are either disproved, false, or fake. The main point of the book is not the investigative nature of many crypto books, but viewing this modern mythological bestiary as what in most cases, it truly is, creative exercises in speculative thought.After a long love-affair with Cryptozoology, this book has brought me to an epiphany. The fact that these mystery beasts probably do not exist, is not really a bad thing, nor is it a smirch on the reputation of any cryptozoologists. It isn't a bad thing, because the sightings, investigation, and resulting speculation have become a contemporary equivalent of the long-gone annals of Greek and Medieval mythology. That is, of course, perhaps not real, but damn good storytelling. Creatures seemingly exist in our minds and collective conscious, as much as the material, natural world.I eagerly await the second edition, which will be a sequel. apparently the author and illustrators became so enthused with their speculative ramblings, that they will soon have enough for a second book. Sooner rather than later, I hope.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Cryptozoology - as science and as gloriously preposterous speculationBy Sharon HillThis is Volume One. More volumes are possibly on the way (at least one more). The authors seemed to have great fun with this one.The introduction is cryptozoology in a nutshell, with a smart, skeptical, scholarly point of view - the kind I prefer. Each entry is a summary of what is known or conjectured about the cryptid. Then the authors crank up the fictional biology to 11 and even push the limits of popular cryptozoo-ers, while remaining generally within the confines of zoology, to indulge in descriptions and illustrations of the proposed animals.There is no "belief" or religiously fed need by these authors to PROVE this or that animal is real. It's straight zoology blended with art, folklore and a creativity fueled by love of this topic. This book is a few reading levels above your average pop cryptid book, which is good, I think. There is nothing bad about raising the bar.The Cryptozoologicon picks at the foundation of the field and finds it rather holey. They advocate a new approach to the subject - a more rigorous, rational, less ridiculous approach. However...parts of The Cryptozoologicon are very very silly. That was clearly the intent. The hoop snake makes an appearance. The chupacabra becomes a very large opossum called "Deinoroo"; only a matter of time, they say, until it graduates from attacking livestock to targeting humans. I enjoyed the treatment of "rods" as the most ridiculous of all proposed cryptids; the resulting speculative animal turns out to be gloriously preposterous. This is speculative zoology at its finest.

Cryptozoologicon is a celebration of the myths, legends, evolution and biology of hidden animals. Always sceptical, but always willing to indulge in speculative fun, Cryptozoologicon aims to provide a new way to approach cryptozoology: as fictional biology.