Here are 80 books that Cryptids, Creatures & Critters fans have personally recommended if you like
Cryptids, Creatures & Critters.
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I’ve always had an interest in the unexplained and mysteries of the world, and I have a scientific background, so the search for cryptids blends both interests. I’m also a huge octopus/squid lover, so the Kraken’s possible existence and the search for the giant squid are ones I’ve followed for years. Diving into how modern tech helps wildlife scientists study real animals led me to wonder how using such tech could help find cryptids. The world is huge, and new species are discovered every year, so why not use some of that tech to search for cryptids? Even if they escape our detection, who knows what else we might find?!
The author is a journalist, and the book is about her real-life investigation into Bigfoot. I love how her wit and skepticism shine through her research, and she keeps an open mind. She uses the scientific method and thinks critically while analyzing research and data, but her scene visits and chats with other investigators show she’s leaving the possibility open that Bigfoot is out there, somewhere.
Overall, I love this book for its in-depth scientific hunt for a cryptid, and the colorful illustrations really pack a punch.
Inspired by her popular Wild Thing podcast, journalist Laura Krantz incorporates the scientific method and her journalistic skills to determine if Bigfoot is real-now in paperback
When journalist Laura Krantz discovered that her long-lost cousin, Grover Krantz, a distinguished anthropologist and professor at Washington State University, had devoted much of his career to the search for Bigfoot, she couldn't quite believe it. A natural skeptic and a strong believer in facts, Krantz decided to conduct her own quest for the most famous and elusive mythical creature.
The Search for Sasquatch takes readers through the big guy's fun, fascinating, and complex…
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
I’ve always had an interest in the unexplained and mysteries of the world, and I have a scientific background, so the search for cryptids blends both interests. I’m also a huge octopus/squid lover, so the Kraken’s possible existence and the search for the giant squid are ones I’ve followed for years. Diving into how modern tech helps wildlife scientists study real animals led me to wonder how using such tech could help find cryptids. The world is huge, and new species are discovered every year, so why not use some of that tech to search for cryptids? Even if they escape our detection, who knows what else we might find?!
I love the colorful illustrations depicting all sorts of monsters in this book! The author does such a great job of sprinkling in facts and info between the images as she questions how the monster might exist, and if it does would it act the way people have come to believe.
Monster origin stories are included, and I found it such a fun read that blends science with imagination.
Bursting with blood, guts, history, and science, this book is a must-have for monster lovers of all ages
Could Dr. Frankenstein's machine ever animate a body? Why should vampires drink from veins and not arteries? What body parts are best for zombies to eat? (It's not brains.)
This fascinating encyclopedia of monsters delves into the history and science behind eight legendary creatures, from Bigfoot and the kraken to zombies and more. Find out each monster's origin story and the real-world history that informed it, and then explore the science of each creature in fun and surprising ways. Tips and infographics―including…
I’ve always had an interest in the unexplained and mysteries of the world, and I have a scientific background, so the search for cryptids blends both interests. I’m also a huge octopus/squid lover, so the Kraken’s possible existence and the search for the giant squid are ones I’ve followed for years. Diving into how modern tech helps wildlife scientists study real animals led me to wonder how using such tech could help find cryptids. The world is huge, and new species are discovered every year, so why not use some of that tech to search for cryptids? Even if they escape our detection, who knows what else we might find?!
I love the summer camp setting of this story, as many cryptids lurk in the forest. In addition to summer camp hijinks, the legend of the Jersey Devil, a cryptid supposedly living in New Jersey, is featured when strange things start happening in the woods and fellow campers disappear.
I loved the way the author took tidbits of the Jersey Devil and then fashioned her own mythical creature who may or may not be the evil monster the area believes it to be. A not-so-scary light horror with a ton of fun.
Whispering Pines meets Small Spaces in this spooky "part campfire tale, part eco-fable, all charm" (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade novel about a girl whose first summer camp experience is disrupted by a menacing creature abducting her fellow campers.
Eleven-year-old Naomi loves all things outdoors-birds and beetles, bats and bunnies-in theory. She explores nature in the best possible way: the cold, hard facts in books. So when her parents' announcement of their impending divorce comes hand in hand with sending Naomi and her younger twin brothers to summer camp while they figure things out, it's salt in the wound for Naomi…
The Guardian of the Palace is the first novel in a modern fantasy series set in a New York City where magic is real—but hidden, suppressed, and dangerous when exposed.
When an ancient magic begins to leak into the world, a small group of unlikely allies is forced to act…
I’ve always had an interest in the unexplained and mysteries of the world, and I have a scientific background, so the search for cryptids blends both interests. I’m also a huge octopus/squid lover, so the Kraken’s possible existence and the search for the giant squid are ones I’ve followed for years. Diving into how modern tech helps wildlife scientists study real animals led me to wonder how using such tech could help find cryptids. The world is huge, and new species are discovered every year, so why not use some of that tech to search for cryptids? Even if they escape our detection, who knows what else we might find?!
This book features short sections on over 50 cryptids. Spot illustrations occur throughout, which I love because it’s nice to see an example of the creature being discussed.
The short history of the cryptid, along with witness descriptions and sightings, makes it an interesting read. I also love the author’s “scientific ranking” of each cryptid, along with her personal opinion as to how much she believes the cryptid might be real. Overall, I love this book for its basic info on a bunch of cryptids. Fun read!
Explore the fascinating world of cryptozoology with this fun guide, filled with eyewitness accounts of 50 cryptids found throughout the world, some of which have been proven real. Cryptozoology is the study of mysterious creatures that fall between the realm of real and imaginary on the scientific spectrum. Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide offers a closer look at fifty of these amazing creatures, examining the best possible evidence for each, including scientific papers, magazine and newspaper articles, and credible eyewitness accounts.
The fifty cryptids are arranged in order alphabetically, and in addition to speculative illustrations, include details like when they…
I love learning about how the world we know came to be the way it is. That’s another way of saying I love history. But not the dry, boring history we all remember from school. I want to know more about the entrepreneurial risk-takers, eccentric inventors, and strange circumstances that somehow shaped the world we know today. I want to be fascinated. What’s more, I want to laugh and be entertained while I’m reading and learning. I want every page to reward my attention with some amazing fact or a hearty laugh. That’s what the books on my list do. I hope you love them as much as I have!
I want to believe. Yes, like just about everyone else who has ever been a kid (so, you know, everyone), I want to think somewhere out there there’s a Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster or random chupacabra just waiting to be discovered. But even if there isn’t, I want to be told fascinating stories about the lengths people will go to to find such mystifying creatures. And no one does it better than Josh Gates.
Combining fun facts, absorbing backstories, and his trademark wit, Gates takes readers along on an unforgettable expedition through the wild—and his own lifetime of enthralling adventures.
Truth is stranger than legend . . . and your journey into both begins here.
World adventurer and international monster hunter Josh Gates has careened through nearly 100 countries, investigating frightening myths, chilling cryptozoological legends, and terrifying paranormal phenomena. Now, he invites fans to get a behind-the-scenes look at these breathtaking expeditions.
Follow Gates from the inception of the groundbreaking hit show (at the summit of Kilimanjaro) to his hair-raising encounters with dangerous creatures in the most treacherous locations on earth. Among his many adventures, he unearths the flesh-crawling reality of the Mongolian Death Worm, challenges an ancient curse by…
Like most writers, I’ve been a voracious reader since I was a child; but my preferences were witches and haunted houses, rather than princesses and talking frogs. As I developed my own writing, I wanted to tell stories that were reflective of my world but with a dark twist. My first completed story was "Patchwork", about a woman emptying the marital home after the breakdown of her marriage. I went on to participate in several popular horror anthologies. I really enjoy the challenge of writing a great short story because you have to get the reader in a chokehold early and then deliver that gut punch sooner than later.
Did someone say monsters? As much as I love the stories about the dark sides of human souls, there is nothing quite better than actual monsters. And this anthology packs them in, I’m talking the literal stuff of nightmares! Creatures designed by writers who obviously love monsters as much as the readers; demons with frames and features that only a mother could love. This parade of monsters was a lot to absorb in one sitting, which is the whole point of my list – collections that give you so much to dig into that it leaves you breathless. Short of being an all-out gore-fest, Monster Brawl! is so well curated that you might be surprised to find that you care about a few of them.
For this book, we collected stories of monsters doing epic battle with other monsters! The beasts could be classical by design with a unique twist, or they could be spawned straight from the author's imagination. The only rule: there must be a clear-cut winner at the end of each story; one of the creatures had to die!
Some of the stories in this collection pit a single monster against another, while others are all-out gang warfare. Some are campy, some serious, but all a fight for the ages!
Aury and Scott travel to the Finger Lakes in New York’s wine country to get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings at the Songscape Winery. Disturbed furniture and curious noises are one thing, but when a customer winds up dead, it’s time to dig into the details and see…
Hello! I am Jane Yolen, author of almost 450 books. I write picture books and novels, poetry, and graphic novels–mostly for children. I have published books about just about every subject imaginable. But I’ve always loved fantasy books especially. I grew up on the Alice in Wonderland books and the Arthurian legends. I, of course, carried that love into my writing life–having written about monsters, mermaids, and unicorns. I’m fascinated by fairies; they show up in a lot of what I write. Give me a real kid and a mythical creature of some sort, sprinkle in a bit of magic–I’m in!
The book's great front matter invites the child reader to experience a journey through the night to search for jumbies, which are, it explains, not friendly. But then, within the pages, the jumbies, though lying gently to the child, are, in fact, quite friendly. The darkness is, sort of, implied for later.
I love this ambiguity–gentle enough to allow this book to exist but mysterious enough to open up possibilities. This book will definitely serve as an introduction to the author’s middle-grade series. It is dark, luminous, and wonderful.
New York Times bestselling author Tracey Baptiste and acclaimed illustrator Amber Ren take readers on a fun, creepy, storytime-ready romp through a forest filled with creatures from Caribbean folklore.
I'm looking for a jumbie, I'm going to find a scary one.
But Mama says jumbies exist only in stories. So Naya sets out on a nighttime adventure to find out for herself.
No such thing, say the friends she makes along the way.
But Naya is sure that jumbies are real. Some have big mouths. Or thick fur. Or glowing skin. Or sharp teeth. Kind of like her new friends....…
I’m a Canadian author and artist that loves to write and draw the darker side of fantasy. Ever since I was a child, I have adored mythology, horror, and the creatures and worlds that are present within the fantasy genre. The world of fantasy has unlimited imagination, and its lore and structure grow constantly, which gives endless ideas to us writers to create endless brilliant realms and the creatures that dwell within them.
Dread Island was an enjoyable read for me due to its mix of Lovecraftian horror intertwined with the old tales of Huckleberry Fin. The way Joe R. Lansdale depicted his version of the story was incredible and gave me the insight that anything can be made into a horror story. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys horror, especially Lovecraftian-style horror.
Limited to remaining stock on hand! This "Monster Lit" mash-up novella from modern horror master Joe R. Lansdale, a highlight from the recent Classics Mutilated anthology, combines Lovecraft and Mark Twain in a way that can only be described as brilliant. Or, as Lansdale.
There was a time when women had to use pseudonyms or otherwise pretend to be men to get published. These days, especially in the urban fantasy genre, it seems like there are more female authors and female main characters than male ones! I love dynamic main characters, male or female, and every one of these books has stellar characters with a great story. I wanted to mention so many other authors, but I have narrowed it down to these five. I hope you enjoy my list.
Where do people go when they disappear and can’t be found? Well, maybe they end up in Jay Barnson’s world, a dangerous place full of monsters and enemies. While this has a kind of “scoring” typical of DnD, that is a background to high fantasy adventures and survival.
The main starts out not only humble but pretty powerless. He must survive on his wits and heart and never stops doing that, even as he becomes physically and magically stronger in each book. Tangled, delightful plots that kept me turning the pages and characters I greatly enjoyed spending time with.
There is a lot of good growth in each book of the series and fun shenanigans to keep things from being dismal, even as the characters fight for their lives and freedom.
Sometimes people vanish without a trace. Sometimes those people arrive… elsewhere.
As a teen, Aiden Holt studied stories of unexplained disappearances throughout history. He never dreamed he would become one of those disappearances.
Now trapped in an alien world, hunted for his non-functional “special abilities,” Aiden fights to survive against horrific creatures and determined enemies.
Somewhere between certain death and servitude, Aiden seeks an escape—if he can find other “vanished” who beat the odds and survived in this harsh magical world.
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
I’ve always been fascinated by monsters. Growing up I saw television shows and read books about famous ones like Bigfoot and Nessie, and always wanted to search for them and discover the truth. That led me to a degree in psychology to learn about human cognition and perception, and a career in folklore to understand how legends and rumors spread. But I also wanted field experience, and spent time at Loch Ness, in Canadian woods said to house Sasquatch, to the Amazon, Sahara, and the jungles of Central America looking for the chupacabra. Along the way became an author, writing books including Tracking the Chupacabra, Lake Monster Mysteries, Big—If True, and Investigating Ghosts.
The Jersey Devil, is a horrifying creature said to lurk in the rugged New Jersey pine barrens.
It’s been the subject of (fruitless) searches and scary legends for well over a century. But it’s not an intrepid cryptozoologist or weekend monster hunter who finally cornered the beast, but instead two historians, Brian Regal and Frank Esposito.
Just as Jay Smith tackled the beast of Gévaudan as a historial mystery, the pair trace the origins of the Jersey Devil from an eighteenth-century settler named Daniel Leeds to the present day.
Along the way we find a smattering of compelling –yet evidence-free—eyewitness reports, much folklore, some professional feuds, and several outright hoaxes (including a painted kangaroo exhibited as the Devil!)
As with the chupacabra and other monsters, the true story is in many ways more interesting than the fictional one.
A provocative look at the mystery surrounding the Jersey Devil, a beast born of colonial times that haunts the corners of the Pine Barrens-and the American imagination-to this day.
Legend has it that in 1735, a witch named Mother Leeds gave birth to a horrifying monster-a deformed flying horse with glowing red eyes-that flew up the chimney of her New Jersey home and disappeared into the Pine Barrens. Ever since, this nightmarish beast has haunted those woods, presaging catastrophe and frightening innocent passersby-or so the story goes. In The Secret History of the Jersey Devil, Brian Regal and Frank J.…
