Review of MONSTERS AMONG US

Review of MONSTERS AMONG US: AN EXPLORATION OF OTHERWORDLY BIGFOOTS, WOLFMEN, PORTALS, PHANTOMS, AND ODD PHENOMENA by Linda S. Godfrey

I'll admit to being creeped out by parts of this book, but it was so cool, I couldn’t put it down.Author Linda S. Godfrey has compiled accounts of encounters with both cryptids of various kinds and unexplained phenomena. For anyone who doesn’t know, cryptids are legendary or supernatural creatures like Bigfoot, the Lock Ness Monster, wolfmen, etc. They are the focus of the field of cryptozoology. These creatures might exist, or they might not, but if they don’t, it’s surprising how many people claim to have seen one.

Godfrey starts her book with wolfmen/dogmen/transformation stories. My favorites include the dog-headed guy who was sitting in the backseat of a limo. He looked like a normal German shepherd, until he raised his human arm and propped it on the car window. I also liked the woman who transformed into a wolf-like creature in the middle of a Sunday church service. Church Lady appreciated showmanship.

There are lots of other cryptids represented throughout this book, including everything from Bigfoot to werewolves to UFOs. There are plenty of odd phenomena, too, like footprints appearing in the middle of a snowy field, all manner of unusual lights, and portals that allow creatures from who-knows-where to appear and disappear at will.

MONSTERS AMONG US uses a consistent approach when examining the cryptid and unusual phenomena stories. Typically, the author has been contacted by someone who claims to have seen something unexplained, and she interviews that person. Sometimes the incident was witnessed by multiple people, in which case, the stories from all witnesses are compared. Each incident is catalogued with its date, time, location, weather conditions, etc. in an effort to provide as much information as possible while ruling out alternative explanations for the phenomena. For instance, the sighting of a doglike creature that occurs at dusk might be easier to misinterpret than the same creature in broad daylight.

This is an intriguing collection of cryptid tales that has crept into my subconscious. This morning, when I accidentally dropped a spoon, my first thought was the old superstition that says dropping a spoon predicts that a child will be visiting. My second thought was that I hoped the visiting child wouldn’t be some supernatural monster that tumbles out of a portal onto my front porch. 

There’s another book on my to-be-read list called BLACK EYED CHILDREN  by David Weatherly. I can’t wait to read it, but the inevitable sleepless nights are worrisome. Almost as worrisome as uninvited cryptid kids showing up because of one stinking dropped spoon….

Bigfoot Reading List

I’ve been reading a lot about Bigfoot lately. My novel BIGFOOT CSI will be coming out this spring, and I’m busy doing final edits on the manuscript and trying to get the word out there in social media. In the process of doing these things, I’ve run across some excellent books about people’s encounters with not only Bigfoot but also a wide variety of other cryptids. 

Did you know there’s something called Black Eyed Children? Apparently these troublesome urchins show up at people’s doors wearing old fashioned clothes and ask to come in. They all have big black eyes with no whites in them. They insist that if you let them in, “it” won’t take long. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. This is precisely why I never open my door. I’m hoping Amazon’s drone technology will soon be able to drop supplies down my chimney because I’m running low on bourbon.

Speaking of cryptozoology books, author Tom Lyons gave me a copy of his book LIVING AMONG BIGFOOT: FIRST CONTACT. As the title suggests, it’s about the author’s alarming encounters with a mysterious creature when he moved to California. I eagerly turned the pages of this book. Part of it focuses on the author’s efforts to settle into a new home in a new state, while part of it details experiences that most new homeowners are never subjected to. Granted, most homeowners would prefer to wrestle an angry Sasquatch than deal with the cable company, but having to do both just adds insult to injury.

This book picked up on a couple angles that emerge from some of the other fascinating Bigfoot accounts I’ve been reading. For one thing, in some books, the creatures are more human-like in that they walk upright. In other stories, the creatures are more dog-like and have a preference for walking on all fours. These latter creatures are sometimes called Dogmen for obvious reasons. You’ll have to read LIVING AMONG BIGFOOT to see which kind the author saw.

Another thing I find intriguing about the Bigfoot literature is that there’s a touch of magic surrounding the creatures. By magic, I don’t mean wands or spells, but the ability to move more quickly than any normal creature and evade capture either on film or through traps. Some Native American stories suggest that Bigfoot lives partly in this world and partly in a spirit world.

These are the kinds of things I’ve been working on lately, and it’s terrific! Creepy, interesting, mysterious, and overall fun. Thanks to Tom Lyons for sharing his book with me!