Chasing North American Monsters is a book that will make you want to immediately sit down and devour it front to back and then add it to your library as a reference book that you will come back to again and again. This tome is formatted in encyclopedia form, but is so engaging and compelling, that in addition to being an informative resource, it is also a very fun read. The author, Jason Offutt has taken a deep dive into over 250 creatures that you likely have never heard of. As a follow up to the successful Chasing American Monsters, Offutt now goes to Canada, Mexico, Greenland, the Caribbean and beyond. Every US state is covered and the cryptids he finds are obscure and fascinating. The book is painstakingly researched and incredibly thorough. The artwork throughout the book provides fun linocut style images that are playful and intriguing.

The monsters in the book range from ancient Indigenous legends to modern cryptids, giving an amazing range of creatures to explore. The entries are quite short and seem to serve as a jumping off point for all the monster rabbit holes you want to explore. The writing itself is friendly and engaging and makes you feel like you are sitting down to have a lively conversation with a friend that knows a lot more about cryptids than you. If I have a criticism it is that there is only one entry for my stomping grounds on the shores of Lake Michigan, but I have a strong feeling that I need to go back to the author’s previous book for more fascinating lore from Illinois.

Whether you use this book as reference, an introduction to cryptids in North America or both, what you will find here is a book that will draw you in, keep you turning pages and open up a whole new world of the monsters around us.

You can find Chasing North American Monsters here:

Chasing North American Monsters