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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
An illustrated novel that dives into the world of the 2010 Miramax film “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark.” The movie is a PG-13 thriller written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, starring Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes, about a young girl sent to live with her father and his girlfriend. They move into a historic New England house, which is secretly inhabited by a brood of small creatures. These creatures seem at first to be playful figments of his daughter’s imagination, but quickly turn into a deadly threat.
The book, co-written by Guillermo Del Toro and Christopher Golden, takes place a hundred years before the movie begins. It chronicles the travels and adventures of a young nature scientist who begins to understand there’s more to the world than science understands.
The book, co-written by Guillermo Del Toro and Christopher Golden, takes place a hundred years before the movie begins. It chronicles the travels and adventures of a young nature scientist who begins to understand there’s more to the world than science understands.
263 pages, Hardcover
First published August 3, 2010
50 people are currently reading
2269 people want to read
About the author
Guillermo del Toro
77 books5,017 followersGuillermo del Toro is a Mexican director mostly known for his acclaimed films Pan's Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone, Crimson Peak and the Hellboy film franchise. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy, horror, and war. In 2009, Del Toro released his debut novel, The Strain, co-authored with Chuck Hogan, as the first part of The Strain Trilogy, an apocalyptic horror series featuring vampires. The series continued with The Fall in 2010 and concluded with The Night Eternal in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 10, 2015
Should be called "Be Very Fu***ng Afraid of the Dark" --I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a man slowly descending into madness as he hunts down the elusive Tooth Fairies (otherwise known as Bloody Gums, Gnaw Bones, Bone Crunchers) and seeks to communicate with them. Unfortunately, they only want one thing---children's teeth---and they don't particularly want to wait for them to come out on their own. I wouldn't suggest having your children read this book unless you want them to suddenly prefer sleeping with you in your bed and shun their own. Best fairy book since Brian Froud's Good Faeries Bad Faeries.
August 1, 2011
An extremely creepy book. You wouldn’t think about it when you see the cover or read the summary, but it is. And if you take in account that this is the background story for the upcoming movie of the same name, and that said movie is a horror fantasy, then you can see how this book is extremely frightening…but more on that later.
Now when I looked at the cover, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. That’s right. Don’t you dare even say that you haven’t ever judged a book by its cover. After all, that’s what they’re there for, right? Here, let me explain.
Now while the summary says that it’s illustrated by Troy Nixey, I have a feeling that those illustrations that they are talking about are the illustrations inside the Catalog parts of the books. The illustrations on the cover and in between the Selections from the Journal of Emerson Blackwood parts, are definitely by Keith Thompson, the guy that did the illustrations for Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series. And I love he’s art work. The stuff by Troy Nixey is also exceedingly well done. Both of their illustrations are very creative, detailed, and wonderfully executed.
But Keith Thompson’s work was done in such a way that at times and in the right moment, they can run such a chill up your spine that you would swear something sinister and lethal was crawling up your back. Add that with the interspersed patches of handwriting that steadily get bigger and less eligible as the story progresses, getting to the point where the scratched words run together into a mess of ink and the only words that you can make out are ‘he has been taken,’ then you get an over all sense of increasing dread and terror, the kind of feelings would keep you awake at night and put your whole body into uncontrollable shivers. But more on that later…
Before I cause you to have nightmares, I want to talk about some of the other things that I noticed in this book. Like the way this book was written for example. I don’t know why, but the writing style just reminded me of Frankenstein, you know the original book. Just the formal way of saying things, and the scientific and introspective way of looking at the situations, reminded me of it. And I guess that’s a good thing because Frankenstein was written around the same time that this book was supposed to take place, so they captured the time well.
Another thing that I want to talk about is the Catalog sections listing the many different dangerous fairies of the world. It was cool seeing some of the creatures that I’ve heard about in different things from Harry Potter to Fairy Tales. The descriptions of them were a tad different in here than where I’ve heard of them elsewhere, which again I guess is a good thing because it makes it all much more original. Plus it was interesting because they were all talked about in a sort of scientific way because Blackwood is after all a naturalist.
Anyways, half of the creatures were on the light side of evil, meaning that they only went after bad people or only attacked if you were foolish enough to attack them or what they protected. The other half usually picked off the wonderers of the world, by luring them to them by some means or another.
And that leads me to the Toothbreakers, or the Tooth Fairies, or the Dente Mangiatori, or the many other names that they have around the world. They are the reason why Emerson Blackwood gave up his normal naturalist career of studying birds for the eccentric naturalist career of studying fairies. Because he was shown the skeleton of one, his whole life changed for the worse. He started to become obsessed with them, and started to think that they were the most dangerous of all the fairies. Now of course I couldn’t really see why. After all, they only eat children’s teeth and sometimes their bone marrow, not any more evil than some of the other fairy species.
But then as the story went on and we learned more and more about them, we find out why. It is because while other species feed of the people foolish enough to wonder into their path, the Toothbreakers take it upon themselves and actually go into house and take children. Their want for sweet children’s teeth and bone marrow is so strong. That’s what makes them so dangerous. It’s a no wonder why the Vikings made a deal with them to spare their children in exchange for the children of their conquered. It’s also no wonder why the Church made a deal with these creatures in 999, to give over their children’s baby teeth in exchange for a coin and the child’s safety (where the tradition steamed from).
Okay, and with that though in mind, this is where the creepiness starts to come in. It is on Blackwood’s quest to satisfy his curiosity about these creatures that they start to notice him and threaten him and his family. He makes a deal with them to give them his unborn child’s baby teeth in exchange for his family’s safety. Time goes on, he never tells his wife, and the Toothbreakers start to gather at his house. He can hear them whispering in the middle of the night, “Child’s teeth.” A few years later, his wife finds out and threatens to leave him, taking their child with her. That night her neck is snapped and her teeth are pulled out. Blackwood starts to get insanely paranoid as the Toothbreakers get even more and more restless until they get to the point where they finally steal his child. He makes another deal with them, another child in exchange for his. But Blackwood can’t do it. So on the night that they are going to make the exchange, he pulls out his own teeth for them, the blood mixing with the words on the page. But he knows that they are too old and not equal to his child’s teeth. So he plans on calling his house keeper, to take her teeth. And the last lines are, “She has lovely teeth…”
I know I don’t normally summarize the whole endings of books in reviews but I swear I was shaking with horror and fright for half an hour after I finished it, and I just had to write it down. I will NEVER be able to think of the Tooth Fairy as this cute, friendly, Tinker Bell-like creature ever again. The name will now forever bring to mind the images of empty hallways with the whisper of “child’s teeth” echoing throughout, children snatched from their beds in the middle of the night, and a mouth with empty gums, dripping with blood. I have a feeling that I might even have nightmares of creatures trying to steal my teeth… And if the book creeped me out this bad (and I rarely get freaked out), then there’s no way in hell that I’m seeing the movie.
Okay, that’s really it. If there’s anyone out there that wishes for a good book for a dark and stormy night, then this is the one for you.
Now when I looked at the cover, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. That’s right. Don’t you dare even say that you haven’t ever judged a book by its cover. After all, that’s what they’re there for, right? Here, let me explain.
Now while the summary says that it’s illustrated by Troy Nixey, I have a feeling that those illustrations that they are talking about are the illustrations inside the Catalog parts of the books. The illustrations on the cover and in between the Selections from the Journal of Emerson Blackwood parts, are definitely by Keith Thompson, the guy that did the illustrations for Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series. And I love he’s art work. The stuff by Troy Nixey is also exceedingly well done. Both of their illustrations are very creative, detailed, and wonderfully executed.
But Keith Thompson’s work was done in such a way that at times and in the right moment, they can run such a chill up your spine that you would swear something sinister and lethal was crawling up your back. Add that with the interspersed patches of handwriting that steadily get bigger and less eligible as the story progresses, getting to the point where the scratched words run together into a mess of ink and the only words that you can make out are ‘he has been taken,’ then you get an over all sense of increasing dread and terror, the kind of feelings would keep you awake at night and put your whole body into uncontrollable shivers. But more on that later…
Before I cause you to have nightmares, I want to talk about some of the other things that I noticed in this book. Like the way this book was written for example. I don’t know why, but the writing style just reminded me of Frankenstein, you know the original book. Just the formal way of saying things, and the scientific and introspective way of looking at the situations, reminded me of it. And I guess that’s a good thing because Frankenstein was written around the same time that this book was supposed to take place, so they captured the time well.
Another thing that I want to talk about is the Catalog sections listing the many different dangerous fairies of the world. It was cool seeing some of the creatures that I’ve heard about in different things from Harry Potter to Fairy Tales. The descriptions of them were a tad different in here than where I’ve heard of them elsewhere, which again I guess is a good thing because it makes it all much more original. Plus it was interesting because they were all talked about in a sort of scientific way because Blackwood is after all a naturalist.
Anyways, half of the creatures were on the light side of evil, meaning that they only went after bad people or only attacked if you were foolish enough to attack them or what they protected. The other half usually picked off the wonderers of the world, by luring them to them by some means or another.
And that leads me to the Toothbreakers, or the Tooth Fairies, or the Dente Mangiatori, or the many other names that they have around the world. They are the reason why Emerson Blackwood gave up his normal naturalist career of studying birds for the eccentric naturalist career of studying fairies. Because he was shown the skeleton of one, his whole life changed for the worse. He started to become obsessed with them, and started to think that they were the most dangerous of all the fairies. Now of course I couldn’t really see why. After all, they only eat children’s teeth and sometimes their bone marrow, not any more evil than some of the other fairy species.
But then as the story went on and we learned more and more about them, we find out why. It is because while other species feed of the people foolish enough to wonder into their path, the Toothbreakers take it upon themselves and actually go into house and take children. Their want for sweet children’s teeth and bone marrow is so strong. That’s what makes them so dangerous. It’s a no wonder why the Vikings made a deal with them to spare their children in exchange for the children of their conquered. It’s also no wonder why the Church made a deal with these creatures in 999, to give over their children’s baby teeth in exchange for a coin and the child’s safety (where the tradition steamed from).
Okay, and with that though in mind, this is where the creepiness starts to come in. It is on Blackwood’s quest to satisfy his curiosity about these creatures that they start to notice him and threaten him and his family. He makes a deal with them to give them his unborn child’s baby teeth in exchange for his family’s safety. Time goes on, he never tells his wife, and the Toothbreakers start to gather at his house. He can hear them whispering in the middle of the night, “Child’s teeth.” A few years later, his wife finds out and threatens to leave him, taking their child with her. That night her neck is snapped and her teeth are pulled out. Blackwood starts to get insanely paranoid as the Toothbreakers get even more and more restless until they get to the point where they finally steal his child. He makes another deal with them, another child in exchange for his. But Blackwood can’t do it. So on the night that they are going to make the exchange, he pulls out his own teeth for them, the blood mixing with the words on the page. But he knows that they are too old and not equal to his child’s teeth. So he plans on calling his house keeper, to take her teeth. And the last lines are, “She has lovely teeth…”
I know I don’t normally summarize the whole endings of books in reviews but I swear I was shaking with horror and fright for half an hour after I finished it, and I just had to write it down. I will NEVER be able to think of the Tooth Fairy as this cute, friendly, Tinker Bell-like creature ever again. The name will now forever bring to mind the images of empty hallways with the whisper of “child’s teeth” echoing throughout, children snatched from their beds in the middle of the night, and a mouth with empty gums, dripping with blood. I have a feeling that I might even have nightmares of creatures trying to steal my teeth… And if the book creeped me out this bad (and I rarely get freaked out), then there’s no way in hell that I’m seeing the movie.
Okay, that’s really it. If there’s anyone out there that wishes for a good book for a dark and stormy night, then this is the one for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2019
God i loved this book, loved the illustration, the narrative, the sheer amount of information about folklore that just seems to make my mind go crazy with ideas. This book i would recommend for anyone that wants to read something that feels like it could be real, it has the feeling of legitimacy that you would get from seeing someone's research, and the narrative through the journals are pretty enthralling. Highly Recommend it.
August 30, 2011
This is a great companion to the movie (it ends at almost the exact moment that the movie begins), and a great example of book-as-object. Co-written by del Toro and Christopher Golden, with illustrations by Troy Nixey and Keith Thompson (the Thompson illustrations are the ones seen in the movie, though some of them only briefly).
It is an absolutely beautiful book that combines a traditional narrative (as told through the journal entries of Emerson Blackwood) with a bestiary in the form of entries from his incomplete "Guide to Dangerous Fairies." It's also surprisingly brief. I think I read the whole thing in less than three hours, over about three sittings.
Even though it's a prequel to the movie, I'm glad I read it after I'd seen it. There's not really any spoilers, exactly, but the book gives a bigger sense of an expanded universe, so it was nice to see the more claustrophobic movie first, and then see everything open out from that.
The movie already had a kind of "it's Spiderwick except that everything wants to eat you" vibe, and this book definitely reinforces that.
It is an absolutely beautiful book that combines a traditional narrative (as told through the journal entries of Emerson Blackwood) with a bestiary in the form of entries from his incomplete "Guide to Dangerous Fairies." It's also surprisingly brief. I think I read the whole thing in less than three hours, over about three sittings.
Even though it's a prequel to the movie, I'm glad I read it after I'd seen it. There's not really any spoilers, exactly, but the book gives a bigger sense of an expanded universe, so it was nice to see the more claustrophobic movie first, and then see everything open out from that.
The movie already had a kind of "it's Spiderwick except that everything wants to eat you" vibe, and this book definitely reinforces that.
July 17, 2012
Wow--just wow. I adored this film, in particular for it's set design and cinematography and most of all for it's art. I loved the original tv movie from the 70's and it's completely different but this was for me, a truly gothic film. I know many people whined that it was not scary, the fairies are not frightening etc but I do not agree and this book backs me up. It's a combination novel/guide not unlike Froud's Faerie series but with a frightening twist. The design of the book is stunning--the dustjacket is gorgeous but when your remove it, underneath is another stunning design (something I adore in books--the double jacket). I received this book from my boyfriend for my birthday and I started reading it immediately and finished it yesterday--could literally not put it down. I found it entertaining, well written, gorgeously illustrated and absolutely creepy. For me, something does not have to be huge to be scary--I seriously got chills up my spine when a Gnaw-Bone or Toothbreaker looks at the "author" of the journal this book is "based" on and just hisses "BLACKWOOD" (his surname). Gorgeous, fun to read and best of all creepy to the bone.
April 3, 2018
I liked this book a lot it is about little girl that moves in with her dad and step mom in a new house and there are these little monsters that take children and eat them. and they target the little girl and they ripped up her step moms new dresses and other clothes so she would get in trouble and she did only because she dose not like her and he father know that. the little monster continue to get her in trouble until a horrible thing happens that changes it all.
August 25, 2013
This was fantastic. So well written it ran the gamut from fascinating to compelling, disgusting and morbid. I must say, del Toro is The Master. The format and the illustrations were a great touch as well. "A tooth placed beneath a child's pillow can be nothing less than an invitation to mutilation/murder."
September 30, 2013
Great idea, lesser execution. Combines a guide to dangerous fairies around the world with the diary of a scholar in contact with those fairies. Unfortunately the guide often reflected the authors' imaginations rather than a catalog of actual lore.
November 15, 2015
Super creepy!
May 25, 2019
The book itself looks great. The illustrations are impressive. Did it scare me even a little? No.
November 15, 2013
Conceived as a prequel to the film of the same title, this book follows a naturalist by the name of Emerson Blackwood as he begins studying various fairies from around the world during the turn of the last century in hopes of cataloguing the most dangerous and vile of species as a way of warning others to keep their distance.
His journey begins with a visit to a colleague, and the discovery of a strange skeleton found on his property. The skeleton is that of a Toothbreaker, or Tooth Fairy. As a scientist with a good reputation, Emerson risks everything by exposing the remains to his colleagues and is subsequently shunned. Undeterred, he continues to dig deeper into the origins of the mysterious creature.
His investigation takes him all across the world as he chronicles local accounts and lore for devilish creatures. Between narrative journal entries, the book contains illustrated sections that document the fairies of different regions. The descriptions also include the accounts related to Blackwood during his travels. But through it all, his obsession remains the Toothbreaker, a creature whose documented history reaches far and wide. These creatures, who crave children's teeth above all else, have been terrorizing villages since ancient times, stealing children from their beds. In response, the modern Tooth Fairy customs were created as a way to appease these vicious creatures and protect children from their murderous habits.
After a particularly gruesome discovery in Italy, Blackwood becomes a person of interest to the hidden Toothbreaker tribes who don't appreciate his curiosity. Fearing their retribution, Blackwood retreats to Rhode Island with his wife and settles down, giving up his quest to chronicle fairies. However, like anyone with an obsession, he doesn't abandon it completely, and chooses to build his house on the site of a dormant Toothbreaker hole. It doesn't stay dormant for long. Once the creatures learn who is living there, they begin to torment him worse than ever, until finally their is no appeasing them and eventually it drives him to madness.
The story is incredibly gripping, as is the unique way in which it is told. It reminded me of The Spiderwick Chronicles, only much more sinister and dangerous. The story of a character fueled by curiosity that sets a path for his own misery, the book is hard to put down. Not to mention that it's basically a piece of art, filled with amazing illustrations by Troy Nixey, who also directed the film version.
August 13, 2015
Since I was supposed to take a night bus from Shinjuku to Aomori for the trip to Aomori a few weeks back, I figured I should bring a book. So I brought this - I have no idea why, perhaps I didn't think I needed to sleep before a presentation. But thankfully, I finished this book on the train to Shinjuku, so I didn't have to creep myself out reading in the dark.
Don't be afraid of the dark is basically a collection of scary fairies from around the world, sandwiched between an increasingly dark story staring Lord Blackwood, as he turns into a fairy-hunter, convinced that there are other beings. And not only that, these beings (or "fairies") are dangerous.
Having read the book, I can safely say that I don't think I want to watch the film that this was based on. I'm not that brave. The story started off fine, but it got scarier slowly. The ending is, as I understand based on Wikipedia, where the movie starts off, so yeah. I don't really want to see what happens next.
What I liked about the collection of fairy-types was that there was a varied collection of fairies from around the world. I was expecting it to be very European-based, but there was a section dedicated to Japanese and Chinese fairies/ghosts. There are Kappa, Yuki Onna, Huli Jing, etc.
By the way, this is a very eye-catching book (I got the hardcover). Most of my friends asked me about this, since the pages are either black (The fairy encyclopedia bit) or are edged in black (Lord Blackwood's Journal). I really like the illustrations in it too, although I won't want it hanging on a wall in my house.
I totally don't regret getting this book. I bought it on a whim, but despite my weak stomach for scary stuff, I enjoyed reading it.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
Don't be afraid of the dark is basically a collection of scary fairies from around the world, sandwiched between an increasingly dark story staring Lord Blackwood, as he turns into a fairy-hunter, convinced that there are other beings. And not only that, these beings (or "fairies") are dangerous.
Having read the book, I can safely say that I don't think I want to watch the film that this was based on. I'm not that brave. The story started off fine, but it got scarier slowly. The ending is, as I understand based on Wikipedia, where the movie starts off, so yeah. I don't really want to see what happens next.
What I liked about the collection of fairy-types was that there was a varied collection of fairies from around the world. I was expecting it to be very European-based, but there was a section dedicated to Japanese and Chinese fairies/ghosts. There are Kappa, Yuki Onna, Huli Jing, etc.
By the way, this is a very eye-catching book (I got the hardcover). Most of my friends asked me about this, since the pages are either black (The fairy encyclopedia bit) or are edged in black (Lord Blackwood's Journal). I really like the illustrations in it too, although I won't want it hanging on a wall in my house.
I totally don't regret getting this book. I bought it on a whim, but despite my weak stomach for scary stuff, I enjoyed reading it.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
September 22, 2015
Had no idea what I was really in for when I checked out this book. Matter of fact it started with The Strain. I've been watching that show on FX and enjoying it immensely and I know there's a book series out based on it that del Toro wrote. I was considering checking it out but I'm one of those guys that if it's already a movie or show I'll never go back and read it. So I decided to see what other books he had out. I found Trollhunters and checked that out. It was fun but nothing great! Then I saw this book and thought that it might more closely resemble his vision from Pans Labyrinth or Hellboy and so I eagerly checked it out.
Turns out it's actually a book about evil faeries from all around the world-a sort of Monsters Manual if you will and that immediately made me happy and appealed to the inner Geek in me. I did prefer the story to the manual and the story was brief but it was intense and became a trip into madness that I relished undertaking! As a Geek and Cryptozoology lover I not only enjoyed it but actually learned a few things, though many of the entries were much too brief.
I learned there was a movie out and this book was a prequel so I ordered the movie from the library while I was reading this and had it by the time I was done. The movie was good but combining the two, both the book and the movie made for a very immersive experience that I quite enjoyed!
If you share del Toro's vision, enjoy dark creatures, love Cryptozoology, or you're just a Geek then you will hopefully enjoy this book...and it helps to read it later at night preferably before bed...mwahahaha!
Turns out it's actually a book about evil faeries from all around the world-a sort of Monsters Manual if you will and that immediately made me happy and appealed to the inner Geek in me. I did prefer the story to the manual and the story was brief but it was intense and became a trip into madness that I relished undertaking! As a Geek and Cryptozoology lover I not only enjoyed it but actually learned a few things, though many of the entries were much too brief.
I learned there was a movie out and this book was a prequel so I ordered the movie from the library while I was reading this and had it by the time I was done. The movie was good but combining the two, both the book and the movie made for a very immersive experience that I quite enjoyed!
If you share del Toro's vision, enjoy dark creatures, love Cryptozoology, or you're just a Geek then you will hopefully enjoy this book...and it helps to read it later at night preferably before bed...mwahahaha!
February 20, 2018
This book is the companion to a movie of the same name, and in and of itself it is a fairly splendid little novel about (and/or catalog of) dangerous fairies. The narrative is simple and easy to follow, although the main character's choices are hard to bear at times. It's basically the story that asks "Is the world we live in a little crazier than we would like to think or is it just the main character?" Overall, the book was scarier than I expected, but I tend to let things get into my head, which makes it much more fun as a reader. If you are more literal, then just read it for the fun fairy tidbits.
The movie is another story altogether, and that's not supposed to be a pun. Set in a more modern world, the movie picks up right where the book leaves off. An assortment of people face off against a specific set of dangerous fairies, but the acting is sub-par at best. Plus, with a solid "lead in" like the book, I was expecting a few more species to make an appearance during the story, but that was not the case. Sad really. It had a lot of potential.
My opinion: read the book for the story and for kicks. Watch the movie if you want, but you don't have to.
The movie is another story altogether, and that's not supposed to be a pun. Set in a more modern world, the movie picks up right where the book leaves off. An assortment of people face off against a specific set of dangerous fairies, but the acting is sub-par at best. Plus, with a solid "lead in" like the book, I was expecting a few more species to make an appearance during the story, but that was not the case. Sad really. It had a lot of potential.
My opinion: read the book for the story and for kicks. Watch the movie if you want, but you don't have to.
August 19, 2017
WHY DID I READ THIS AT NIGHT? BECAUSE IT IS A PAGE TURNER AND I NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!!! EVEN IF I HATE HORROR STORIES AHHH!!!
Been meaning to read this book for years, but kept leaving it for later because it just seemed like another fairy bestiary or catalogue. I love those, but feel reluctant to just find the same information again and again.
However, this catalogue is different from the rest, because all of the creatures are the evil mean kind, and none of them are benevolent nor mildly redeemable.
Also, there's a story in here! It's a diary interspersed between the catalogue entries, and you DO NOT want to be reading it at night.
The only improvement I'd suggest for this book is the language. I've read other books from the time, and this character's voice didn't come out quite fancy enough to seem authentic. They also included a document from the year 999 and it also didn't seem to include the appropriate level of wordiness for the year. Either way, the story was immersive enough to finish reading this in a single day.
Been meaning to read this book for years, but kept leaving it for later because it just seemed like another fairy bestiary or catalogue. I love those, but feel reluctant to just find the same information again and again.
However, this catalogue is different from the rest, because all of the creatures are the evil mean kind, and none of them are benevolent nor mildly redeemable.
Also, there's a story in here! It's a diary interspersed between the catalogue entries, and you DO NOT want to be reading it at night.
The only improvement I'd suggest for this book is the language. I've read other books from the time, and this character's voice didn't come out quite fancy enough to seem authentic. They also included a document from the year 999 and it also didn't seem to include the appropriate level of wordiness for the year. Either way, the story was immersive enough to finish reading this in a single day.
September 15, 2012
Read on Kindle
A book that would be better read as a hard copy
This book didn't grab me. I was definitely ready for a change of genre and probably shouldn't have even started it when I did.
Given the diary style narrative interspersed with the reference catalogue of fairy research, I think I would prefer a hard copy where you could flip through and have a better display of graphics ... the book lends itself to being visual and this was lost on the Kindle.
In the end, I skimmed the catalogue sections and just read the diary extracts. The catalogue covered the research into fairy gentry across the world, much of which I was already familiar with, ie folklore. (And besides ... where were all the nice little fairies???).
The narrative was about the researchers obsession which all came to no good and a grisly end. And it was only the thin mortar between the bricks. Ho Hum as a read but could have been good as a coffee table style illustrated book.
A book that would be better read as a hard copy
This book didn't grab me. I was definitely ready for a change of genre and probably shouldn't have even started it when I did.
Given the diary style narrative interspersed with the reference catalogue of fairy research, I think I would prefer a hard copy where you could flip through and have a better display of graphics ... the book lends itself to being visual and this was lost on the Kindle.
In the end, I skimmed the catalogue sections and just read the diary extracts. The catalogue covered the research into fairy gentry across the world, much of which I was already familiar with, ie folklore. (And besides ... where were all the nice little fairies???).
The narrative was about the researchers obsession which all came to no good and a grisly end. And it was only the thin mortar between the bricks. Ho Hum as a read but could have been good as a coffee table style illustrated book.
August 25, 2011
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a cool little book. It is more concentrated on presentation than story. The book is very handsome, black pages, great dark illustrations, which really add to the tone. The story comes in the form of journal enteries, which are broken up by naturalist descriptions of "dangerous fairies". The story is there, the tension develops, but the real meat of the book, for me at least, were the information about creatures of myth and folklore. I was disappointed that the illustrator did a picture of a "Wildman" aka Bigfoot because the creature is so ubiquitous. I also didn't like the illustration for "Cyote" because of the creature's cowboy/bowler hat because it robs the Native American myth of its culture. This book has made me extra excited to the the movie coming out this weekened.
May 13, 2015
I am a big fan of Guillermo Del Toro. The movie "Don't be afraid of the dark" was a remake of an old made for TV film I saw as a kid that scared the $&%^ out of me. I was anxious to see the remake and did enjoy the new movie.
Fast forward 6 months after the movie was made I saw this book and had to purchase it. This, to me, was a big let down. Read more like a high school text book, hardly any story line just facts and "documented cases" of different types of fairies/trolls. Very long and just ok for passing the time. In between the book was a light story that it touches on here and there supposedly leading up to the beginning part of the movie. To me it seemed this was just a way to suck a few extra bucks out of the fans and was unhappy about that. Still a fan but will be more selective of future books with his name attached.
Fast forward 6 months after the movie was made I saw this book and had to purchase it. This, to me, was a big let down. Read more like a high school text book, hardly any story line just facts and "documented cases" of different types of fairies/trolls. Very long and just ok for passing the time. In between the book was a light story that it touches on here and there supposedly leading up to the beginning part of the movie. To me it seemed this was just a way to suck a few extra bucks out of the fans and was unhappy about that. Still a fan but will be more selective of future books with his name attached.
August 29, 2011
This is a beautiful book, but I don't think I would ever pay the $25 sticker price for it. I was very glad the local Borders had it for half off.
It's a quick read with Blackwood's journal entries dispersed among his first (and probably only) book, 'Blackwood's Guide to Dangerous Fairies.' While the guide doesn't advance the plot, it is a fun read and has the illustrations. It's also a fun way to show how Blackwood is traveling the world since his journal entries will resume on the continent the guide left off on.
I was a little disappointed this book didn't further explain the 'one life' mantra they said Blackwood was obsessed with in the movie. It otherwise does a great job of filling out the world they use in 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.'
It's a quick read with Blackwood's journal entries dispersed among his first (and probably only) book, 'Blackwood's Guide to Dangerous Fairies.' While the guide doesn't advance the plot, it is a fun read and has the illustrations. It's also a fun way to show how Blackwood is traveling the world since his journal entries will resume on the continent the guide left off on.
I was a little disappointed this book didn't further explain the 'one life' mantra they said Blackwood was obsessed with in the movie. It otherwise does a great job of filling out the world they use in 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.'
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2011
Enjoyed the book and did really enjoy the progression of the story to obviously the lead in for the movie (which I have not seen). Being an avid reader and viewer of scifi/horror media of all sorts the "study" material provided was mostly rehash of things I have already come across at one point or another and may be unfairly impacting my overall rating for the book. I was a little curious about where the idea came from and I wonder if Guillermo del Toro's involvement with the Hellboy II and the toothfairy creatures was the spark that got this started. It is a real quick read so it may not be worth the price tag to some but for anyone with even an ounce of interest in the fairies of the vilest nature it is entertaining.
May 26, 2017
This lovely work has been on my radar since it's publication and was it ever worth the wait. I do wish the sections on each regions fairies had been a little more in depth at times. I wanted to hear a tale involving the Scottish Bloodygums and other variants. A desire that only intensified when I looked for several of them online I found little to nothing.
Aside from that this book is perfection with its eye catching illustrations and creeping dread for the characters involved. For those who have seen the film the ending wont come as a surprise but damn does it manage to stick with you anyway.
Aside from that this book is perfection with its eye catching illustrations and creeping dread for the characters involved. For those who have seen the film the ending wont come as a surprise but damn does it manage to stick with you anyway.
April 14, 2016
This book is actually a prequel to Guillermo del Toro's movie, 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.' It follows the career of a man who seeks out knowledge about bad fairies, and is then destroyed by the bad fairies. He dies in the house that is featured in the movie, leaving his notes behind. Del Toro's movies and books are controversial, but I he works with fantasies and themes that I really love. Since I have a thing for faerie stories, this is probably my favorite del Toro book. It is definitely a horror novel, so beware if you don't like horror novels.
October 28, 2011
"Blackwood's Guide to Dangerous Fairies" is the actual title of the book. It is part journal into madness as Victorian naturalist begins to uncover the reality of fairies in the world around him and this slowly becomes his downfall and part guidebook to dangerous fairies. Perhaps Blackwood was seeing fairies; perhaps he was actually just going slowly insane. We will never know. But this book was a surprisingly fun read--especially a week before Halloween.
April 3, 2012
The story began beautifully, and I really enjoyed where the upcoming plot was going with the story. It was almost as though the story changed hands and grew into a different style of imagination. Although, It was well written, just not what I was hoping for. The plot would be better for the strange creatures staying part of your imagination, when they showed their ugly faces, it seemed as though they didn't fit the plot.
All in all, I did enjoy the story, just not one of my favorites.
All in all, I did enjoy the story, just not one of my favorites.
February 20, 2018
This book was really creepy but held me spellbound. I have read about all these different types of elves, dwarves, etc., in many library books but no book has ever really described their personalities like this one. I would not be surprised if the Hidden People really do exist. Maybe it's true, that over the thousands of years the world has existed, the Hidden People have either become extinct or really know how to hide well. Don't read it in the dark.
November 15, 2013
The book is written as pieces from Blackwood's journal and it also includes his catalog of dangerous fairies. The journal parts were good. The only bad part was they put parts of the catalog between the journal entries. It kind of interrupted the flow of the story for me. I wish they had added the catalog as an appendix.
The pictures are good and creepy. And I like how they made the pages are splattered and edged in black and the catalog pages are completely black.
The pictures are good and creepy. And I like how they made the pages are splattered and edged in black and the catalog pages are completely black.
November 14, 2015
Of course I found this book after I had already seen the movie, but I have to say the first half of the book for myself was rather boring, listing of different kinds of Hidden People and a little bit about his life, the second half of the book was better, I enjoyed the leading up to right where the movie began, it gave me a better insight into how it came to happen. I would suggest if you loved the movie to read this book.
December 19, 2011
I have to say...I LOVED this little book. The cover art was so amazing...the story sucked me in and I have to say this was so much better than the movie it lead up too. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the discriptions of the types of Fae were a little libg for me. I noticed myself skimming a few.
February 4, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book a lot. There is not much text in it, since a lot is just pictures of gruesome fairies which for some reason are all BAD!
It was really fun reading and looking at the pictures as I do feel like it completed the book so much better then if it'd been just a story.
A fun, although a bit of a horror book this one is.
Definitely not for children.
It was really fun reading and looking at the pictures as I do feel like it completed the book so much better then if it'd been just a story.
A fun, although a bit of a horror book this one is.
Definitely not for children.
February 9, 2017
This is a sort of prequel to the movie of the same name which came out around a decade ago. I did enjoy the movie, but I enjoyed this half fairy reference book and half fictional journal much more. If you like your horror stories to be teaming with fairies that aren't kind and cute give this book a read.
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