Monsterland: A Journey Around the World’s Dark Imagination

by Nicholas Jubber

Monsters, in all their terrifying glory, have preoccupied humans since we began telling stories. But where did these stories come from?

In Monsterland, award-winning author Nicholas Jubber goes on a journey to discover more about the monsters we’ve invented, lurking in the dark and the wild places of the earth — giants, dragons, ogres, zombies, ghosts, demons — all with one thing in their ability to terrify.

His far-ranging adventure takes him across the world. He sits on the thrones of giants in Cornwall, visits the shrine of a beheaded ogre near Kyoto, travels to an eighteenth-century Balkan vampire’s forest dwelling, and paddles among the shapeshifters of the Louisiana bayous. On his travels, he discovers that the stories of the people and places that birthed them are just as fascinating as the creatures themselves.

Artfully written, Monsterland is a fascinating interrogation into why we need these monsters and what they can tell us about ourselves — how they bind communities together as much as they cruelly cast away outsiders.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, History, Historical, Mythology, Travel

373 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2025

About the author

I'm a writer and traveller, with a passion for history and a pair of itchy feet. I'm fascinated by storytelling, nomadism, exploration and the connections (or misconnections!) between past and present.

I've written four books so far. My latest is Epic Continent, about some of Europe's iconic tales and my adventures amongst them.

Before that was The Timbuktu School for Nomads, about my experiences amongst nomads in North Africa.

The Prester Quest, my first book, sets out from the canals of Venice to the highlands of Ethiopia, following the mission of a medieval physician sent in search of a mythical priest-king. It won the Dolman Travel Book Award.

My second book, Drinking Arak off an Ayatollah's Beard, explores the Persian-speaking world through the lens of an 11th century epic poem, travelling from Tehran to the tomb of a medieval Sultan in Afghanistan.

I have written for The Guardian, The Observer, the TLS, the Globe and Mail and BBC Online, amongst other publications; spoken on BBC Radio 4 and NPR in the US; and have written plays performed at the Edinburgh Festival, the Finborough Theatre and the Actors' Centre.

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when a book is exactly what I want it to be, and Nicholas Jubber's Monsterland is exactly what I wanted it to be.

Jubber looks at the history of twelve different monsters, but if you are familiar with his work, then you know Jubber can't just read books. He has to go to the source, and I mean that literally. He ends up in the American bayou, Morocco, and Japan among others. Sure, he probably could have written a fine book without the travel, but there is something different about the author being able to articulate what Castle Frankenstein looks like. It's also an added bonus when the author can tell you about all the times he was almost arrested (which is more than once!).

I can't overstate how important Jubber's prose and enthusiasm is to how engrossing Monsterland is. Jubber is a monster nerd. He loves this stuff, and you can tell on every page that he is having as much fun reporting these stories as we are reading them. The other aspect is his prose which borders on poetic without going overboard. There are many authors who try to spice up their writing by adding completely extraneous words to sound smart. Jubber's word choices truly are vital to the mood. It's not enough to say he saw the Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico. Instead, he makes you feel the temperature, see the colors, and smell the food.

But let's stop being all fancy and talk about the monsters! I was worried that twelve would be too small a number to cover. Jubber himself admits his own children had the same concerns. However, by the end, I felt like all the major ones were explored including one I was not expecting. I thought I knew a lot about monsters, but the narrative proved me wrong time and time again. This book was only a little over 300 pages, but it could have fooled me (in a good way!). In summary, no notes. Monsterland is fantastic.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by the author.)

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll admit I struggled to sink into Monsterland. I think it would have benefited from a strong single narrative threaded through the chapters, beyond simply “monsters are cool and I travelled around the world looking for them”. It’s a chimera of history, anthropology, and memoir which will no doubt delight a niche of invested readers but may struggle to connect for a broader audience.

My full review of Monsterland is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giants and dragons and oni’s, oh my!

Nicholas Jubber leads the reader on an immersive global tour hunting the monsters that haunt our nightmares in Monsterland.

Each chapter begins with a short traditional folk story that introduces one of twelve mythical monsters, and the place and people to whom they belong.

Starting in Cornwall, England among the giants, Jubber then takes us with him to a village in Bavaria that worships a dragon; to Japan’s capital to visit the shrine of a beheaded ogre; to the Scottish Orkney Isles in search of Selkies; to a controversial ceremony in Morocco to exorcise the Jinn; to Louisiana in the USA to learn the legend of the rougarou; to Mexico to celebrate the Day of the Dead; to listen to stories about vampires in Croatia and Serbia; to understand the history of the Haitian Zombie; to the Swiss castle that inspired Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; to Prague where the term ‘robot’ was coined; and finally to Hiroshima where Godzilla was born in the shadow of the Atomic bomb.

I enjoyed traveling with Jubber who writes eloquently of his experiences in the places that he visits. I found the history of the monsters among the various cultures, some whose roots are centuries old, some more recent, to be interesting. I learned that universally, monsters express people’s fears, and desires, from storms to strangers, escape to success. They are a way to explain the inexplicable, from sudden death to missing socks, they are the things we can’t control like mental health issues, or a means of diverting responsibility for mistakes or misfortune. Monsters are essentially distorted images of ourselves, and they are one of the things that makes us human.

Part travelogue, part cultural history lesson, part psychosocial analysis, Monsterland is an illuminating and fascinating journey into the darkness of humanity. Highly recommended if your interest is piqued by any of these subjects.

[Leane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an excellent find that delivered beyond my expectations.

It isn't a randomly selected collection of monster-related tales linked by a handful of words by the author.

Instead, you are taken on an immersive journey, trekking across multiple countries and through different societies and peoples, all in the name of learning about some of the world's monsters.

Rather than a generic white/western overview, this book offers more of a local view of the monsters. The well-researched and author-experienced context, in addition to relevant historical grounding, enriches our understanding of these monstrous entities.

The reader is led along organically but with enough space to consider the role of humanity's ugliness and depravity upon the existence of monsters. Or furthermore, to consider who the monsters really are in the world.

Additionally, this book discusses the shift in the types of monsters across history, from naturally occurring to the more modern automaton and robot-based.

I would heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in monsters, and I would love to see more of this content from the author. There are plenty of monsters in the world to be written about, after all.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

[Jarryd · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, would recommend to people who like folklore and monsters and a bit of history.

Discovering the origins of these monsters and how they weave in and out of history and folklore, and how they've become symbols for the various cultures they were bourne from was very fascinating.

I would have appreciated some sort of through line in the narrative because at times it felt like a disjointed series of essays with a few bits to link one another here and there.

I also thought some sort of visual depiction of a timeline of the origin date for each monster in relation to one another would have been beneficial.

[Alex Sarll]

With reservations, I enjoyed Nicholas Jubber's previous book, The Fairy Tellers, a delve into the people responsible for bringing us the odd assemblage we know as fairy stories – and, in many cases, the people responsible for ripping them off and stealing the credit. And you can see exactly how a book about monsters, and the stories behind them, might have felt like the perfect follow-up, but at the same time there's an unease, isn't there? Not so much over the teeth and claws, but an awareness that this is a larger and less manageable theme, a tougher one to corral. Jubher adopts a perfectly sensible organising principle: four sections look at big beasts, shapechangers, the undead, and modern monsters, with three examples of each. But it can't help feeling pat in some places, arguable in others, and by the end even his own kids are openly dissing his selection. And, alas, one is inclined to side with them. The Fairy Tellers, as a project of the early 2020s, was necessarily more of a research gig, but before that, Jubber was largely a travel writer. When he gets back on the road here, though, what becomes apparent is that he doesn't seem terribly good at it. Partly I mean that in purely practical terms; he keeps on turning up when places are closed, failing to call ahead, or in one instance thinking he's booked a place at a hotel which was in fact wrecked by a hurricane some time previously. Worse than that, though, when he goes somewhere I've been, I don't get that delighted thrill which should result if you're in good hands, an alloy of pleasant familiarity with a new angle or insight. Rather, I feel disappointment at a take at once sillier and flatter than I could manage myself. Yes, Shinjuku has neon and sleaze, but the Blade Runner clichés here could never clue you in that you're just as likely to find senior citizens doing a traditional dance under Godzilla's watchful head. And when he talks about Kyoto as "an artificial vision, a re-creation of past glories, like the luminous painted faces of the geishas gliding between the shuttered wooden houses of the Gion Quarter", I became actively annoyed. Things burned down; people liked them as they were, so they rebuilt them on much the same lines. Would he say the same of Bath, or Notre-Dame, because they weren't replaced with some ugly new concrete?

And this is the broader problem here too, received opinions insufficiently examined. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if this happened to be your first time thinking about these themes, but I'm not sure who would be in that position; how many people are going to pick up a book about monsters without having already encountered basic notions like the monster as debased form of the gods of the old religion, or a dramatisation of fears of the other? Yes, you probably can't address this topic without a glance at that damp post-volcanic summer in the Villa Diodati, but either find something new to add, or at least hurry it up. I don't even want to pick up on the little glitches, like when he doesn't query the fan saying "Nobody messes with Gojira" despite decades of content based around everyone doing exactly that, or the passing mention of "the steel-clawed Wolverine", because the problem runs deeper. Every so often, thank heavens, Jubber does hit on something novel, or else I'd likely not have persevered. The dragon chapter is a highlight, with a visit to the Bavarian town of Furth im Wald, which in legend was menaced by such a beast but has now taken him as a mascot and focus for the community, complete with a grand parade and what sounds like a very impressive mechanical replica. Similarly, when he investigates jinn, Jubber ends up as a fairly rare outside presence at an esoteric Sufi rite, and offers a fascinating dispatch from a hidden world. Even the chapter on robots, while I'm not totally sure it belongs here, offers the horribly appropriate detail that Karel Capek's brother Josef, who suggested the old Czech word that would be taken up around the world, himself died as a dehumanised labourer in the Nazi camps (also, that the fascists turned up to arrest Karel even though he was already dead, and refused to believe that he was; good to know their supposed efficiency was a myth that time around as well). Maybe more time and more thought could have given us a book with more like this, which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. But the exigencies of modern publishing means that instead they're gems scattered amongst some fairly by-the-numbers stuff.

(Netgalley ARC)

[Laurence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information here and interesting monsters, but lacks focus as there’s lots of contemporary culture and conversations with locals etc. If you are after travel writing this is perfect. Not so good if you just want detailed analysis of monsters.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this, so fascinating and so fun.

[Mike Bryant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this is a BAD book, but I was bored out of my tree and had no motivation to keep reading. Maybe I'll come back to this one day.

[Sarah Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review: Monsterland: A Journey Around the World’s Dark Imagination by Nicholas Jubber

Rating: 4.8/5

Reactions & Emotional Impact
Jubber’s Monsterland is a masterful blend of travelogue, cultural anthropology, and existential inquiry that left me both enthralled and unsettled. As someone fascinated by folklore, I was unprepared for how deeply this book would challenge my understanding of monsters as mere metaphors. Jubber’s visceral encounters—from sitting on Cornish giants’ thrones to paddling through Louisiana bayous with shapeshifter lore—triggered a primal thrill, as if I were peering into humanity’s collective id. The chapter on Balkan vampires, where history and myth bleed into each other, evoked a chilling awareness of how monsters legitimize societal fears (of disease, outsiders, or the unknown). Yet, Jubber’s wit and lyrical prose (calling ghosts the original influencers) offered levity, making the darkness navigable.

Strengths
-Global Tapestry: Jubber’s itinerary spans continents and epochs, revealing monsters as cultural DNA—binding communities (Japanese oni shrines) or weaponizing otherness (zombie narratives post-colonialism).
-Interdisciplinary Depth: He deftly weaves folklore, history, and psychology, arguing monsters aren’t just stories but societal thermostats (e.g., ogres as warnings against greed).
-Narrative Alchemy: The prose oscillates between poetic (shadows that outlast their casters) and punchy, balancing academic rigor with page-turning momentum.
-Reflexive Insight: Jubber interrogates his own role as a storyteller, asking why we need monsters—a meta-layer that elevates the book beyond mere cataloguing.

Constructive Criticism
-Structural Pacing: The Balkan vampire section, while brilliant, overshadows shorter chapters (e.g., Louisiana’s segment begs deeper exploration).
-Indigenous Voices: While Jubber interviews locals, some sections lean Eurocentric; more first-hand narratives from marginalized myth-keepers could enrich the analysis.
-Visual Aids: Maps or illustrations of creatures/locations would amplify the immersive quality (though the prose already paints vivid pictures).

Final Thoughts
This book is a lantern held to humanity’s shadow—a revelatory work proving monsters don’t just haunt us; they define us. Jubber doesn’t just describe creatures; he deciphers the terror and tenderness that birth them.

Gratitude:
Thank you to Scribe Publications and Edelweiss for the gifted copy—this journey through the dark was as enlightening as it was exhilarating.

Why 4.8?
Docked slightly for uneven cultural depth, but Monsterland is a near-perfect excavation of why we’ve always needed things that go bump in the night. Essential for folklorists and anyone who’s ever feared the dark—or loved it.

[Dave Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm mixed on this one. I listened to it on audio, which works for the kind of book this is. It's billed as a kind of travelogue through the monster lore of our worlds "places." It's less about the places and far more about the stories themselves. Or not even as much about the stories as telling the stories, just encased in a bit of a broader and explanatory lens and coloured with bits of commentary. I think I wanted something a bit more integrated. There is a sense in which the author wants and desires the stories to speak largely for themselves, creating a more immersive experience that allows us to feel the ways they bind us to a larger narrative rather than exploring any specific relationship to the place that is telling them.

I highly recommend, in this case, reading the final chapter/epilogue. Here it does such a great job of outlining what the authors vision is and was, and I found myself wishing that I had its insight going into the stories. It would have helped frame what he was after, as the selection of stories is not exhaustive but rather intentional, with each story connecting to a broader theme or picture regarding the ways we create and use these stories in order to understand the real world context we are experiencing or wrestling with, either as persons or as collectives (stories after all are birthed in community).

I did personally note a bit of a disconnect with the authors worldview. He sees the stories as windows into a reductionaist point of view. A way that humans give an otherwise meaningless material existence meaning. i kept questioning how and why he finds any wonder in these stories at all, given that the only "truths" he sees them unveiling are essentially necessary illusions. It becomes an interesting question to grapple with. Do these stories actually help us grapple with the kind of reality he sees as true if they are in fact writing these "truths" in terms that make them into something else? Do we create monsters only to make sense of flesh and blood things like war, or do monsters becomes the necessary language needed to explain a world that is more than this flesh and blood reality. Are we really seeking to simply tell a story that explains a materialist worldview, or do we tell these stories because we intuitively know a world that is more than its materialst shell.

That's my own interests. As a book I think its reasonably well done, even if I wanted something a little different from it. If you want something where you can just sit with some good oral storytelling, this i think has both an interesting vision and, at its heart, some good stories about the myths and monsters that these select places tell.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pros:
- listen. monsters. that is the bullet point
- the book only explores 12 monsters but the way they are interwoven and the deep dives into them makes the limited scope worth it
- not only are we looking at the origins of these monsters, we're also looking at the modern day impacts and celebrations of them and fuck I need to go to Bavaria to see the dragon that breathes fire don't I now, shit
- pleasantly, this doesn't only talk about Eastern European monsters. We have a cluster there, and then another two in Japan, but we also get to dip our fingers into the rich melting pot of Louisiana, see La Llorona in Mexico, Aicha Kandicha in Morocco, and the zombies of Haiti
- there are so many fun facts packed into here (did you know "robot" comes from "robota" a type of servitude in Czech history?) so if you, like me, like to know random bullshit *taps cover of book*
- I also gotta mention that I was a lil worried going into this because white men can be. Hm. How to say this. Shitheads. But Jubber is open-minded, appreciative, and willing to say flatly things others would shy away from, like how Haiti is still suffering under the weight of payments forced on them by Eastern European nations to "repay" slave owners for their losses. Things like that.
- obligatory bullet point for deep dive into Frankenstein
- Godzilla????
- no but seriously the modern monsters section was so cool tho seeing "otaku" without warning did almost send me into cardiac arrest

Cons:
- I don't know why but I didn't love the first chapter as much until right at the end, but after that everything was smooth sailing. Is this really a con? No, but I try to make sure I include a negative here, so you all don't think I'm lying. Because you definitely would, I know you rat bastards /j

Overall:
GOOD. I want to read again so I can memorize all the tasty little tidbits. And someday. I shall.

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that does exactly what I expected of it, and exactly as well as I'd hoped. Our author knows of monsters – and goes in search of them, whether they be terrifying giants, mighty dragons or hellish ogres – and that's just the first part of this book. Of course he doesn't literally go in search of them – he's not still there, overlooking Orkney coastlines in hope of a selkie offering herself to him; he has to insist to someone in Louisiana he's not actually hoping to spot a rougarou. But he went to find the storytellers who keep the legends of these beasties alive, and the people who see these characters in their wayside shrines and statuary – and shop windows. He knows of monsters, I declared, but we all do – these are so well-known to us, they're a part of our nature. But it could be a part we are in danger of losing touch with, and – if perhaps we're of a particular Christian mindset – they could be something we want to stamp out. Seeing what it's like to live with these monsters in the corner of our mind if not our eyes, in all different parts of the world, is the purpose of this book.

So yes, he visits a Cornwall full of dents from striding giants, and mounds where they've settled down for a very long sleep. He meets a Bavarian dragon, and in Kyoto follows mountain trails once trod by oni in all their creepy guile. Jinn turn up, as do Mexican ghosts, and vampires – and a certain monster birthed in a thunderstorm on the shores of Lake Geneva. All told it's a very clever mix of travel documentary, exploration of the world's monsters, and a look into the power of storytelling – with the help of anything from a kind of griot to Shelley and the author who gave us robots. This definitely leans towards being monstrously good.

[LL Garland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monsterland: A Journey Around the World’s Dark Imagination is a travelogue of author Nicholas Jubber’s investigation into the historical traditions behind various monsters such as giants, vampires and selkies, including the modern-day local celebrations in the areas that gave rise to such beliefs.
I had trouble getting into Monsterland, and I think that’s partly my own fault. I picked it up expecting an in-depth look at each of these monsters and how the beliefs developed in various regions. Instead, while each chapter focuses one monster, it also takes a deep dive into one particular region’s traditional association with a specific example of that monster. For example, beliefs about dragons abound worldwide, but Monsterland focused on the traditions of a Bavarian town.
If you are seeking an interesting travelogue inspired by monstrous folklore with a focus on local customs, it’s good. But if you are looking for more or deeper information about how these beliefs sprang to life in various regions and combined to form the folklore of monsters we know today, you may want to look elsewhere.
Thank you to Scribe US and Edelweiss Plus for providing the e-arc for my honest review.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected to find this book interesting, but to find something fascinating and so enjoyable was a pleasure!

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher. This is part travel, part history and explores monsters across different countries, their origin stories, how they’ve influenced popular culture and how their myths have spread.

We explore vampires, giants, dragons as well as Oni, robots, Frankenstein. Looking at not just monsters from folklore, but those created by humans. I was primed to like this as I do enjoy tales of monsters, but the author has brought this strikingly to life. This was absolutely fascinating. We see the author’s own travels as he investigates these tales in the lands they originate from. Often, not where they have become popularised, but where their roots are.

Whether you’re a fan of monsters, enjoy travel writing or just want to learn more about this subject, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Dingske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A journey through the history and origins of monsters.

In Monsterland, Nicholas Jubber explores where our fantasy about monsters comes from and how it came about. It is a journey through our world between legends and truths (or so it sometimes seems). For how do we bring myths to life in this day and age, and where does our obsession with the monstrous come from? From a giant in Cornwall to Godzilla madness to Mary Shelley's journey that inspired her to write Frankenstein.

It is mainly history that takes centre stage and nature that sparks people's imagination. It is the stories that can hold a people together and be retold time and time again.

Very occasionally, I lost myself in the long descriptions or when the facts felt a little too much like a history lesson. But Jubber succeeds in taking you on a journey and making you want to pack your rucksack and set off yourself. In search of the monsters that our world hides.

Thanks to Bookwurm Books for the arc

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has quite an interesting premise. The author, Nicholas Jubber, goes around the world in search of monsters and their history. He explores the loup-garou in New Orleans, the selkie in the Orkneys and gives the background that the vampire stories initially came from Serbia.

I really liked this book because I learned so much, and because the author was so adventurous in this travels, participating in festivals and checking out local monster landmarks. I also admired all the research he did. The chapter on Frankenstein was one of my favourites.

My low score is because this book is a bit dense and I sometimes got a little lost.

I think this would be an excellent reference book to add to a library.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was more than a list of monsters and bullet points of trivia. Jubber travels to the locale being discussed (for most stories) and experiences the culture around the monster in its "hometown". The chapter on Godzilla was particularly interesting as I have never considered it a monster outside of Hollywood fiction and therefore was did not consider its deeper, historical, cultural ties to Japan. Very well done! Would definitely listen to a 2nd volume if this were a series.

[Chelsea R.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 3.5 stars (rounded to 4), I felt it could have been more focused and a bit more detailed in some areas. It felt like it skimmed over some interesting bits and lingered too long on things that weren’t quite as interesting. But it was an easy read for after work and I enjoyed it.

[Document Of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating glance at monsters and folklore from around the world, this book is set out in themed chapters which are detailed yet concise. I enjoyed reading this book very much, and it goes wonderfully in my collection of books about monsters, folklore and cryptids.

[Ace Rooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth informative book about monsters from all over the world, how they were formed and their impact. A bit long winded and flowery words.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read from Nicholas Jubber, with the first focusing on fairy tellers (such as Anderson, the Grimms, and lesser-known names), so I was definitely intrigued by what Jubber explores in Monsterland, and curious if it would have a similar approach. It both does and doesn’t; both books examine the topics and introduce them with a story, but whereas in The Fairy Tellers it felt like Jubber was very much on his own exploration, unearthing information and conducting the odd interview about the individuals he was writing about, Monsterland feels more of a community affair.

Both books deal with folklore, but in Monsterland we take a fairly deep dive into the geographical and social context that gave rise to specific monsters, from giants to vampires to Godzilla. Jubber breaks down the history behind these monsters, then focuses in on particular areas, drawing attention to how the landscape has shaped the folklore passed on through generations. And he gets involved in the communities he’s writing about, participating in festivals or making the most of his time by talking to what seems like anyone who’ll give him the time of day.

It's an excellent combination of travel and history writing, and Jubber brings these places to life in such a way you can almost see the monster travelling through. There’s a lot of context and reasons behind the creation of these monsters, and it’s clearly an area Jubber is enthusiastic about. I love reading about the context behind horror, and considering the way society at the time influences the horror we consume. Jubber does a brilliant job here of expanding on exactly that, from the origins of giants in the south of England to the creation of Frankenstein and Godzilla, and the specific influences that gave rise to all these monsters.

If, like me, you’re always intrigued about why we’re scared of the things we’re scared of, yet drawn to them all the same, and why we celebrate the monsters who serve as antagonists in many stories, you’ll definitely enjoy Monsterland, and find it well worth checking out as I did.