Encyclopedia of the Undead: A Field Guide to Creatures That Cannot Rest in Peace

by Bob Curran

WHAT LURKS OUT THERE IN THE FOG? WHAT WAS THAT EERIE SOUND IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT? WHAT FLITTED BY AT THE END OF THE STREET, JUST BEYOND THE FARTHEST LAMP? ....From earliest times, tales of the restless dead and their fellow travellers have terrified mankind. Whether around a remote campfire or in the middle of a bustling city, the unquiet spirits and attendant creatures that have tormented men since the prehistoric darkness haven't gone away; they still have the power to strike fear in our hearts. Encyclopedia of the Undead traces those shadowy shapes that lurk just outside the range of human vision and inhabit our most potent and frightening tales - vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and monsters, every one of them the stuff of nightmares. Drawing on a wide range of belief and literature, it traces these horrors from their earliest recorded inceptions and charts their impact upon the human mind. You'll find detailed descriptions of terrors from all over the world - from the mist shrouded mountains of Eastern Europe to the sweltering jungles of the Caribbean islands; from the dark, stone-lined tombs of the uncoffined dead beneath the remote New England hills to the dark magic that lurks beneath the thriving, colourful surface of a city such as New Orleans. Encyclopedia of the Undead also details some of the things that gnaw at the edges of men's minds - Incubi and Succubi, the Mara, and the dark legends that have influenced writers such as H.P. Lovecraft. This is a book for all those who are interested in the darker side of the human mind, one that examines the beliefs and imaginings that form the basis of our worst fears. Within its pages, history and terror mix to create the things that lurk in the darkest corners of our perceptions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Horror, Vampires, Paranormal, Zombies, Occult

492 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2006

About the author

BOB CURRAN is an educational psychologist in Coleraine University. His interests are broad-ranging but are focused especially on history and story. He has written several books, including The Field Guide to Irish Fairies, The Wolfhound Guide to the Shamrock, Creatures of Celtic Myth, The Truth about the Leprechaun.

Reviews

[Tracie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly mistitled. Since when are werewolves considered undead? There was a lot of incorrect information, especially in the section on zombies and voodoo. Poorly researched and no citation. Someone with a doctorate should know not to produce this sort of drivel. I've had first year students turn in better researched and written papers. There was a lot of filler.

[Jeannine Morin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It's not an A-Z type of encyclopedia, and I think the only problem I had with it was that there wasn't much outside of the popular undead subjects like Vampires, werewolves, zombie and ghouls. There was tons of information, and really well laid out for the reader. It was very well put together and had great images to go along with information. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because like I mentioned, the popular undead were there and I was truly hoping to learn more than the things that I have already learn. I know there's so much more to the world of the undead then just the vamps and werewolves, you know? And I would really love to learn more about that, perhaps in another book.

[Alex Dove · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book had a lot of very interesting information it did not live up to its title or description. When reading an encyclopedia of anything it is expected that there will be some background information and the like, but that's all that this book is. This is never more apparent than in the section about H.P. Lovecraft. Not once are the creatures from the mythology listed out, or described, rather they are casually mentioned while the author describes the influences on Lovecraft's writing. Once again, it is interesting and informative, but it just does not fit with the title or description.
A good book to compare with is The Zombie Survival Guide. While this isn't supposed to be an encyclopedia per se, it actually does a better job of presenting a description of zombies. It starts with some history and background, explaining VooDoo, but unlike this book, the Zombie Survival Guide actually describes the different types of zombies and what a zombie actually is.
Other than the sheer misrepresentation this book is also very repetitive and full of filler. It is also highly inconsistent on what stories it includes. Sometimes it will briefly mention a myth in a paragraph or less, then it will turn around and spend a few pages describing the life of somebody who only remotely matches the topic.

[Sophie Avett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this little book, and I did use to help craft my zombies. HOWEVER, there are parts of this book that simply don't belong grouped with the rest. Frankly, vampires have no business being in this book and the information offered is broad and a little limited because of that. This is definitely a beginners book, but one I recommend none the less. It has been useful for "ghouls" and "zombie" creation. In terms of how it's set up, it is NOT set up encyclopedia style like it claims. It is more like a general reference book (without the page(s) long anecdotes)and is organized using a table of contents. You will have to read a bit a to find what you're looking for, but it is a solid purchase.

[Marlee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt like being in a B movie. Not too sure about the information given, went against quite a bit I already knew. Not to mention are Werewolves really undead? I never thought so but they have a section in the book which I didn't even want to read.

Over all it was entertaining but nothing like(?) an encyclopedia, it was about the people who did it not what much history of these "lost" arts or what it was about.

[Bikku · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but is not really a book about the undead. it's more a supernatural overview. chapters about werewolves and such had no place in a book about the undead. I personally believe that should have been omitted. A chapter on ghosts would have made more sense.
in all, I wish this book was truly what the title stated, an encyclopedia of the undead. I suggest skipping this book and finding one that is as the title advertises.

[Metagion]

I liked this book because they gave you background about things "that go bump in the night" and the different types of these creatures, like vampires, zombies, ghouls, etc. Good read if you want information on these creatures.

[Stu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun book in places, but lacks references and any kind of factual rigor. I have the feeling that there are some great "stories behind the stories" here; it's a shame Curran didn't point them out.

[Christina Widmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like an Encyclopedia of Horror Creatures, as most of them are not undead. And if you want to use any of the information in a fantasy story, do make sure to double-check with Wikipedia. Dr. Curran misspells half the names.

Full review on my blog: https://nouw.com/cwidmann/dr-bob-curr...

[D. Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, specifically the section on ghouls. It seems information on ghouls is not widespread, and entertainment has distorted the legends and not done a very good job of highlighting this being from Arabic Mythology. I enjoyed the book and will likely read more from the author should I need to research the creatures contained within.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been intrigued by the undead. I love zombie and vampire films and have quite a collection at home. This book is a great companion to those who wish to know more about the history of these mythical creatures (including vampires, zombies, ghouls, werewolves and others) and why perhaps their legends were created in the first place.

One of the most attractive things about the Encyclopedia is that it doesn't, at any point, attempt to convince the reader that these creatures are real. It lists reported events that happened involving these creatures but looks at the reports objectively.

The only reason this book didn't get five stars is that it is made quite cheaply and not very sturdily. It will not hold together well if thumbed through too often. The pictures are a bit naff too, all pencil drawn and black and white.

Aside from these points any fan of the undead should own this book, its a great reference guide.

[Jazelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really informative book on the "Undead" creatures with a specific focus on vampires, zombies, werewolves, golems, and the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

The drawings are phenomenal. The writing style however, was very objective; almost like a thesis, which sometimes makes it boring. There were also several notable grammatical/ spelling mistakes. Other than that, I like this book because of the interesting pieces of trivia that I garnered from it and the memorable stories that are worth mentioning to friends.

[Sarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I finally worked myself through this book which was very interesting. It took the basic myths surrounding vampires and broke them down into regions. THen explained why the stories were formed and how each country added to each myth. Then in the back of the book it discussed other creatures such as werewolves and demons very interesting in the historical sense. I do recommend it for a different take on vampires *g*

[Brian Callahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapter on H.P. Lovecraft was especially interesting to me.

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some accounts of supernatural events from history. The book is not much of an encyclopedia.

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it tends to drag a bit at times, the history of various spooks and monsters was pretty interesting overall. I particularly enjoyed the parts about vampires and the HP Lovecraft mythos.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about all sort of "night creatures" and I also love the artwork from this book!Worth having it among your favourite books!

[T D Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was inspired to write a flash fiction piece, The Grave.

[Mary Sullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the various kinds of creatures of the night. Coyains info not found anywhere else.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliantly written scripts on vampire folklore around the world.