Review de "The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls"

O livro está á venda desde o principio deste mês e aqui fica uma review feita por um fã que já teve a sorte de o ler. Nunca mais é fim do mês para ir buscar o meu...ai ai:

TITLE: The "Supernatural" Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls

AUTHOR: Alex Irvine

PAGE COUNT: 219

RELEASE DATE: September 1st, 2007

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins Publishers

When I first got the book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Would this be a reference book like A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack and Dinah Mack (which is a bit stiff/reference book-like, but a pretty good guide for the casual and/or novice fan of the occult)? And if so, would it appeal to Supernatural fans only? Or would other enthusiasts of the occult also be interested? Most important, though: Would this book be able to stand out among the other readily available supernatural/demon book guides?Before beginning to read, I flipped through the book and noted that a lot of it was text, and while fans of Supernatural are devoted to the show, some of them may not be readers, and all the lines of text had me a little concerned for them.But then I read the preface.The "Supernatural" Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls is told from Sam and Dean's point-of-view, and that is what will keep readers hooked, as it is what keeps television viewers hooked. The tone is very conversational, which makes it an easy and interesting read. Sam and Dean really do sound like they would if they decided to write a book about their season 1 and season 2 capers (though there wasn't as much bickering as I expected, but I guess that only means they had thorough editors!). One minor annoyance, though: They're both narrating at the same time, and a new paragraph or marker or something does not denote when they switch off. I really didn't like that, but once I got into the mythology bits, I didn't mind so much, and as you keep reading, you'll slowly be able to determine whether it's Sam or Dean who is speaking. For example, there is reference to a Nietzsche quote that is obviously being explained by Sam, who thinks too hard about everything (honestly, who else would reference a hardcore philosopher in the preface?!), and when there's a personal jab made at crazy hunter Gordon, or a Dr. Phil reference, we all know it's Dean.The preface ends with an introduction/a reason to continue reading the rest of book: "There's a war coming, and when it starts, we're all going to need to know as much as we can about the other side. So read on, and see what it's like when you take a step into the world of the supernatural."As far as spoilers for the show are concerned, it seems Irvine's Sam and Dean reference events (from the show) that occurred as far as "Hollywood Babylon", and maybe "What Is and What Should Never Be".What sets The "Supernatural" Book of Monsters apart from other monster guide books is Irvine uses Sam and Dean's hunting gigs to determine what creatures need to be mentioned, but then he goes on several topical tangents in a very interesting way. Some of the legends and beings covered in this book are about things I haven't read in any other books similar to this one, but when I googled them, sure enough, it was all "real". Certainly one of the best parts of this book is you can google all of it-- even texts referenced as far back as the 11th century! Irvine’s topics of choice are unique and intelligent.Within the actual book, several excerpts from John's journal are used to better explain some of the creatures Sam and Dean are introducing to us. Some of the journal excerpts are as choppy and messy as the actual notebook on the show, but other excerpts have a mentor-like tone to them, which is nice since the boys reference their dad's journal entries quite a lot in this book. We get important quotes John has jotted down (I, personally, really loved the selection of quotes), fresh bedtime ghost stories, and even some of his theories about supernatural legends.And what would this book be without a guide to SALT? Sam and Dean cover this early on, as it's very important in all demonic lore. I found the history behind salt particularly interesting... and funny: Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft, from 1584, tells us that "the Devil loveth no salt in his meat." Dean matter-of-factly adds: "And spirits loveth no salt blasted out of the barrel of a gun into their ectoplasmic mugs."Again, Alex Irvine is a genius for using Sam and Dean as the narrators for this book. I also think he does a much better job at keeping the boys in character than DeCandido in Nevermore (despite the fact Irvine never clarifies when Sam is speaking or when Dean is speaking). However, Irvine does have some slip-ups, although they're very minor. He gets the details of "Scarecrow" wrong because he has Dean recall he and Sam "roll into town", except we all know Sam only showed up at the end of the episode since he was heading to California at first. Irvine also notes that Sam and Dean are "tied to chairs" in "Shadow" when Meg captures them, but we all know they were tied to pillars. But as I said, they're small little errors that don't affect the quality of this book at all.Another thing I liked is how Irvine, through Sam and Dean, makes some of his own assessments about the Supernatural-verse hunters. He notes how John believed there weren't many vampires in existence, yet Gordon spent much of the beginning of his life as a hunter training to find and kill vampires since that's how he lost his sister, which consequentially led him to believe the world harbored quite a few vampires. Irvine takes this to mean hunters don't communicate well, and this is true… and probably obvious, but it's never really stated since fans, much like the Winchesters, are all about the Winchesters. However, until season 2, fans and the Winchesters alike don't realize there is an actual underground society of hunters, so the fact that Sam and Dean, twenty or so years after hunting, learn about this, tells us that Irvine is right. This is just one example of some of the clever little things Irvine includes.This book also features very nice diagrams of things like the Clavicula Solomonis/Key of Solomon, symbols, and more. There is even a five and a half page-long transcript of the Rituale Romanum, which is the Latin exorcism first used in "Phantom Traveler", and we're also treated to the transcription of the Latin evil!Sam uses to break the Devil's Trap in "Born Under A Bad Sign".The chapters/sections in this book are: "Spirits", "Monsters", "Ghouls, Revenants, Et Cetera", "Witches, Familiars, and Black Dogs", and "Demons". The end also includes two appendices: "Herbs, Oils, and Hoodoo Hands", which lists what the aforementioned do and what they're used for, and "Names and Attributes of European Demons", which further expands on some of the more well-known demons.The "Supernatural" Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls reads very fluidly, and the stories and personal accounts with some of the mentioned creatures and/or legends make the book interesting and make it come alive for the majority of us who have never experienced anything so supernatural. It definitely belongs on the bookshelf of any Supernatural fan, but even people who are fans of the occult, but don't watch the show, will appreciate this book for it's in-depth and rare history that reaches far back into time and references all kinds of literature.Thank you, Alex Irvine, for writing an amazing book that does our show justice!

MY FINAL RATING: 9/10

Review de Joya