A review by scheu
The Bestiary by Nicholas Christopher

4.0

Interesting, enjoyable, but ultimately not satisfying, thanks to my own hopes for the book. At first glance the description makes the book out to be something it isn't; I was hoping to read about unknown animals in a somewhat more magic-realist setting. The novel, however, is more about the main character's life, the issues he had with his father, and in the end his quest for the bestiary itself, a McGuffin of great antiquity.

The creatures he describes are all from the same sources as the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manuals - Greek myth and history, European folklore, etc. I suppose if I want something different I should read the Borges on my shelf. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the story.