Monsters of the Deep
Nick Redfern
2021, Visible Ink Press
366 pp
Following the format of Redfern’s other books with Visible Ink, this volume is a long, winding stroll through most of the prominent reported cases of water creatures, often through use of huge sections of quotes from other sources. As with previous volumes, the content draws heavily from Internet blogs and anonymous forum posts. Therefore, it’s difficult to read many parts with the assurance of reliability – making me strongly disinclined to recommend it. Also, the side paths through the subject might frustrate or bore readers. There is considerable content only tangentially related to water creatures. These out-of-place sections refer to giant insects, snakes, wurms and dragons, Bigfoot, and reptilians. The writing frequently ignores the plausible but mundane explanations for more dramatic interpretations in the Fortean zoology genre. This will be a fun book for the serious beginner but note that it’s not a balanced view. It’s worthwhile as an introduction to the many important accounts of cryptids but a serious researcher should note the context, skip the opinion, and seek out the original sources instead.
Modern Cryptozoology 