Whether or not you believe in Bigfoot, Sasquatch or Yeti, you will be drawn in by the narrative that is both image and history driven. The author has been obsessed by Bigfoot and decided to meet with those who have had encounters with Bigfoot. This book was primarily written when the author visited those who lives in different parts of British Columbia. If you have never been there, after reading this, you will feel like you have been.
I would recommend this to anyone who has had an interest in the unknown.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings on the 'Quatch. On one hand, I'm a natural skeptic, usually unable to accept the veracity of anything without seeing it. On the other, cryptozoology has always been a fringe interest of mine, and I'm somewhat willing to lay down my skepticism in light of a good and convincing story. John Zada spends his time in the Noble Beyond collecting these stories in an attempt to both find answers to the previously unanswerable and to discover what it says about us.

Sasquatch/Bigfoot fans looking for staged reenactments with cutting edge technology and cameras a la Finding Bigfoot may want to look elsewhere: Zada's focus is in the Pacific Northwest, spending time with the indigenous people to find where Sasquatch fits in with our collective human experience. This is, above everything else, a story of humanity and their place in nature. Zada, as he speaks to people and spends more time in the quiet of the woods, ruminates about the destructive power of humanity's disconnection with nature, and postulates that our fascination with Sasquatch is an attempt to return to this connection. Zada's travels lead to incredible scenes beyond just his discussions with the locals and their experiences with Bigfoot: pristine lakes, wild forests, bear sows and cubs, wolves, dangerous hikes, salmon runs, and fog covered valleys untouched by industry. Zada's rediscovery of the natural world beyond the "noise" of the big city becomes far more essential a quest than his search for mythical ape.

So, does Sasquatch exist? Does it not exist?
Perhaps the best question is:
Does it matter?

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Grove Atlantic.**

Tales of a giant North American ape-like creature have been told for hundreds of years. Native peoples, explorers, pioneers, travelers, hunters, farmers, fisherman, campers, vacationing families....there are many legends and stories of this elusive giant cryptid creature. There are many names as well....Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Skunk Ape, Wild Man, and more. Here in Western NC, the local legend calls the creature Knobby. Does Bigfoot exist? No clue. But I have an open mind and this book caught my eye. Author John Zada travelled to British Columbia, Canada to talk to area residents and to see if he could catch a glimpse of the creature himself. He talked to all sorts of people scientists, experts, members of the First Nations, hunters, trappers, farmers and gathered up tales about the Sasquatch.

I enjoyed reading this book. Zada talks about British Columbia, the forest, wildlife, the local people, and all of the stories. He weaves a rich narrative that ends up not being just about a legendary creature, but more about the rich culture, people and beautiful landscape that keeps the legend alive.

I'm pretty much still a skeptic that Bigfoot is an actual creature. Some sort of factual evidence (scientifically verifiable evidence not things like blurry video and bad concrete casts of footprints) would have been discovered by now, even with the remote and densely forested areas where the creatures reportedly hang out. But....I could be wrong. Up until a few years ago, most people thought giant squid were just tales told by superstitious sailors....until an actual dead giant squid was found. It was a real creature all along...not just a myth. So while I tend to be skeptical....in the event of provable fact, I would immediately change my mind. I feel the same way about any mythical creature or entity....ghosts, demons, mermaids, Mokele-Mbembe....so many tales of really awesome creatures. If giant squid were proven to be real, maybe some....or even just one....of the legendary creatures people tell stories about might also be real. And that would be awesome!

Very enjoyable read! Zada is a very talented story teller!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Grove Atlantic via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Absolutely enthralling, well-written, entertaining and thorough.

I picked this up as a curiosity (not my typical choice of read) and read it straight through, grateful that it wasn't a simpering, new age quackery of a read. Trust me when I say the author did a great job at presenting as objectively as possible on a topic such as this.

Initially, I had my doubts, given the topic itself, but was far too curious not to request this (thank you, NetGalley!) My wife is from Vancouver Island and we live in Sasquatch territory here in far northern California, and footprints have been seen. What we call the Sasquatch has existed in indigenous stories for thousands of years, here and in the unceded land many refer to as British Columbia. Many of these stories are very similar (one local tribe here says that back in the day, their ceremonies were not considered complete without an appearance). I'm not saying I fully believe just yet, but... I'm inspired to further thought by this well-written telling of yet another quest to find the big guy.

It most certainly doesn't solve the mystery (what fun would that be? Quite honestly, despite it all, I hope Bigfoot continues to evade this mess of a human race) but if even if you've never questioned the existence of Bigfoot, you'll enjoy a ride through some incredible territory and some very interesting parts of history and geography.

thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
What a beautifully descriptive book. It's one of the first books about sasquatch that I've read, but it kept me interested the whole time.
The scenery in this book is just wonderful.
4 stars for sure.

This was a beautiful book. The descriptions of British Columbia and the Native people were fascinating. Zara made me feel like I was along the journey with him. I appreciate the fact that the author is unbiased. He is there to investigate, any decisions on what exists are yours alone. I thought the book was well laid out and easy to follow. I think travelers, crypto fans, history buffs and wildlife lovers, will all enjoy this book. I look forward to seeing what John Zara goes in search of next time!

I started this book with no real idea what it was about, was it fact, fiction, or hopeful supposition.
What I found was beautiful descriptions of the Canadian wilderness and Pacific Northwest. Zada did a good job with researching all form of the Sasquatch legend; bringing in the Yeti, Abominable Snowman, forest devil, bush Indians, etc.
I greatly enjoyed travelling through Canada in this book. The scenery depicted was breathtaking, I only wish that there were photos to go along with the writing. The well-researched and reasoned facts about Sasquatch were fantastic to read through. Zada did a good job of bringing in all types of witnesses, from back woods guides to Teddy Roosevelt and a local teacher, John Burns. Adding in his own personal accounts and stories really helped the narrative as well.
I enjoyed that he did not come out and say that “yes, there is such thing as Sasquatch”; instead he gives plenty of well-reasoned examples and ideas that could lead people to believe. Great book overall.
Thank you Netgalley and John Zada for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This book, in many ways, was not what I expected. I did appreciate the forays into the legends, psychology, and metaphysical theories, but I wished more of a conclusion was drawn at the end. However, it was still a very enjoyable read and more thought-provoking than I imagined a book about a Bigfoot could be.

I remember being fascinated as a child about "Bigfoot" and worrying about spying him in the woods (even though we didn't live anywhere that one had ever been 'sighted'). This book renews that fascination and I found myself ever hopeful throughout that the author, John Zada, would find ultimate proof of their existence. There is certainly enough history through thousands of years of indigenous storytelling to indicate that this is not a new phenomenon. And recent discoveries of species long-believed to be extinct does give one a greater sense of the possibilities! Well written and drawing a beautiful picture not only of the environments that Mr. Zada explored, but the indigenous people with whom he interacted.

I really enjoyed this book I found it very balanced in presenting the evidence for and against the sausquatch being a real creature. This is a must read book for any fan of cryptozoology

I've never read a book pertaining to Sasquatch, so I decided to give it a good. The story is informative, and I'm glad for that. I learned some things from the story. Really, it's a type of research journal narrative. The main character is unbiased and engaging. It's an interesting field of work about all things Sasquatch. Definitely an educational read about things I knew nothing about. A solid read overall.

This was an interesting read and a step outside my comfort zone. I had never read anything about Sasquatch. It was an interesting book discussing its history and encounters, and I definitely learned a lot.

This journal attempts to discuss myth of Sasquatch ( Big foot, Yeti) in British Columbia area by author.
Book is wide in its coverage and covers all aspects of history, present events and hotspots related to sasquatch encounters.
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It throws light on epic yeti researcher John Brindenagel and various books and testimonials about encounters with bigfoot.
Book covers beauty of the great bear rainforest, koeye, hoodoovalley, kitasoo valley, oceanaa falls and solitude ridden wuiknuxv village.
Author is unbiased and discusses various psychological baises which may lead to erroneous descriptions of encounters.
Problems of global warming, oil spillage and reckless bear hunting is underlined and incidence showing author's encounter with bear is interesting.
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Part describing his feelings when when fires gunshot for first time is very nice.

Writing is engaging and enjoyable. Description of natural beauty is awesome.
Interspersed quotes are very nice.
Authir has captured feelings of characters at various points in a expert manner.
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When author returns home after spending days in natural solace and beauty, he has clearer vision about meaning of life and futility of modern pacy life.
Book is recommended as a scientific exploration of human longing to decipher mysteries even at personal risk.

Alright. So as a person who was raised in New Mexico, and Eastern California, I had never heard of this Bigfoot hoopla. Although I was born in Anchorage,Alaska,.it was just a place I was born. New Mexico, and California was.home to me. The desert and the mountains! When my parent's moved us to Northern Washington state in the 7th grade, I discovered snow, and season's! Love them! Unfortunately, I also discovered some strange arsed people who believed in Bigfoot! Sorry, but laying here in bed, just typing this on my kindle makes me laugh! I'm not talking about that fake lol crap. I'm seriously laughing my flannel pajamas off! I understand the need to believe in a Bigfeet "huh, huh" community. I really do. I totally believe in 👻 ghosts. I almost, "but not really" believe in Vampires. Why not? Sure, it's crazy. But, so is a lot of other shit too! Hello, bible! I'll pick my cray, cray, and you pick yours! Do I hunt for the existence of vampires? No. I'm not that nuts. I, like others dare to believe, but don't really. That's why I love books about people who waste their time hunting for the Quatch. The fact that someone would spend so much time looking for something they believe in is fascinating to me. That's a commitment! Can't hate on that! My thanks to Netgalley and John Zada.

This book had me at a mere mention of Sasquatch. Yeah, I’ll read about a guy going Sasquatch hunting. Certainly read enough about fictional versions of this story. But this book actually turned out to be so much more. A very pleasant surprise. Not a mere quest, but also a travelogue of the British Columbia coastal region and First Nation settlements there and also a meditation of why we look for mythical creatures and what it says about us as a society. The author in a very precise journalistic fashion takes no sides, despite his childhood passion for Sasquatch and the like. This isn’t a passionate cryptozoology account meant to convince the disbelievers. No, this is very much a level unbiased look at the peculiar obsession with the great hairy (ape)man of the woods that has persevered throughout generations and across the world. Are they out there and are just really good at hiding? Is everyone just seeing things overwhelmed by the majestic greatness of nature? Are they an evolutionary offshoot? A legend? A fairy tale? For peoples of British Columbia’s great forested coast they are sort of an accepted fact of life. Seen or at least glimpsed with something of a frequency. John Zada visited many of these settlements (too small to qualify for any other assignation) and interviewed many of the locals. But also he observed their way of life, such distinguished historical past and such severe modern privation, where living as one with nature is no longer possible and present day commercialism, so often lacking respect for tradition and environment, threatens their very existence. It’s a very interesting representation of the inconsiderate brutality of economic progress, especially relevant for anyone living in a country like USA where as of late such things have become rampant. Apparently Canada is trying to do the right thing, but, politics being as they are, who knows for how long. If they are out there, hiding out in the great unbridled wilderness, Sasquatches are exactly right to stay away from civilization. Certainly their way of life wouldn’t be preserved either. Are they out there? John Zada isn’t saying yes and the man spent a lot of time looking in a lot of places, he does, however, gives some very clever psychological explanations for why and how someone might think they saw one. And why not, there are far less exciting things to hallucinate out there. So it’s down to what you believe or what you want to believe. Frankly, Sasquatch and co. are very easy to debunk and explain away as this book amply demonstrates. But…they are much more fun to believe in. Given the opportunity, why not choose a world with such magic in it. And as for the book, it’s a well written account, it’s interesting and dynamic. One might wish for some photos, but the author makes due with vivid descriptions, so there’s that and it was a very enjoyable read. Thanks Netgalley.