An enjoyable read, whether or not you ever outgrew the monster phase. Organised state-by-state, this is an unexpectedly interesting and engaging book.

As a lover of mythology, folklore, and the like, this book immediately caught my eye. That being said, it was both interesting and a let down. There was a variety of stories separated by state. Overall, they were interesting but could be repetitive or inconsequential. In the end, I would say it’s a fun read but not one to take much stock in.

I would like to thank Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for providing me with a free – temporary – electronic ARC of this book, via Netgalley. Although I required their approval, the decision to read this book is my choice and any reviews given are obligation free.

Okay, so I had a bit of a love hate journey with this book. As a child and teen I absolutely ADORED books on the unknown, monsters, mysteries and the like. I feel, from the introduction from the author, we share a similar passion. And so that is why I asked to read it. I then lost my copy, found my copy, had to read it quickly before my temporary access died… So there was a lot of anticipation for me in the lead up to reading ‘Chasing American Monsters’.

And, in a lot of ways, I really wasn’t disappointed. Yes it included some of the old stories from other books that I remember from my childhood, but there were also new (to me) tales of monster sightings, as well as updates to some I had read growing up.

I also loved the narrative of Mr Offutt, his humour and passion for this subject shines through and helped make the book enjoyable. I was even going to give the book a 4 out of 5 star rating… when I started reading it. But as the book unfolded and stories blurred together and were repeated in some ways… I started to get bored.

‘Chasing American Monsters’ was set out state by state alphabetically… and in doing so the reader got stuck with multiple explanations and tales of the same monsters… Like Bigfoot. I honestly feel this book would have worked better if the chapters were either broken down into regions of America (mid-west, east coast, etc.) or broken down into different categories of cryptids (aquatic, flying creatures, Bigfoot, etc.) In fact my inner copyeditor was, by the end, screaming to be given a raw copy to re-edit into what I saw would be a better lay-out of the data. To me, this shows I really liked the book, as I don’t tend to want to fiddle with ones I don’t like. ;-)

So, yes, it was an enjoyable read, very refreshing to see that such books are still being made in this era of the internet swamping us with so much cryptid information. It reminded me of my youth, my love for the unknown and “real” monster tales. Though, I will admit now that I loved having google to go to when reading ‘Chasing American Monsters’. This is the first book in this genre I’ve read electronically, and therefore had google easily accessible. And google I did, looking up certain monsters, people, places, etc. I feel it helped add to the excitement of reading a book of monsters. It brought out my inner child book nerd. :-D

I also would have liked a reference list in the back of the book that listed all the other books mentioned within ‘Chasing American Monsters’, just so I had a list I could chase up for further reading. It’s not a biggie that there isn’t a list, but nerd girl me would have loved one.

And, speaking of nerd girl me, the formatting of ‘Chasing American Monsters’ was okay… but not great. There are typos and a few clangers that gave the book a bit of an unprofessional look and not at the level I have come to expect from this publisher. Plus the chapters being for each state, rather than the monsters grouped in a way, did end up making it sound like a broken record. Especially every time something like Bigfoot was mentioned. Also, it would have been nice to either see a few more monster pictures, or at least have the ones shown appear in the book next to the actual page that describes said monster.

Would I recommend this book to other?

I would, but I would mention the reasons my rating of this book dropped as I read it. But I would also explain my love of books on this subject and say how happy I was to see such books were still being made for we die hard “real life” monster encounters.

Would I buy this book for myself?

Maybe, but not in its current layout. As much as I enjoyed reading it, ‘Chasing American Monsters’ could really use an overhaul as to how it is set out. For now it comes across more as a series of blog posts stapled into a book… It needs to flow better, not repeat itself so much, and at the same time not lose any of the lyrical narrative that makes it so entertaining.

In summary: An interesting modern look at “real life” monster encounters throughout the USA.

Growing up, everyone in my area had local stories about the "monsters" the older kids used to scare the younger ones. This book looks at those stories from a grown up "fact or fiction" angle. I found many of my favorite stories plus many, many more that were the subject of conversations at work and home. One of the best signs of a good book is how many people talk about it. This one caused a lot of conversations!

I wish I could give this a better review. I was a bit disappointed that there was so much repetition throughout states. I also wish that each individual creature had more details. I almost felt this was aimed at a younger crowd. It is filled with good starting points, but would require extra research on your own.

Organized by state, Chasing American Monsters is a fine introduction to monsters found next door and across the United States.

With more than 250 monsters listed, this book is sure to have something to interest every monster fan. I didn’t know that the state I live in, California, has both evil gnomes and giant (six and a half feet long) cockroaches so expect some surprises.

While I liked the brief stories about the monsters, I didn’t see the value of the state overviews. Do I really need to know which state was the last to join the union or has the largest population? Also, I wish there were drawings of each monster rather than just one per state. Overall, Chasing American Monsters delivers on its promise to provide a brief overview of the most famous or unusual monsters in each state. However, fans of particular monsters will want to pick up more detailed books. 3 stars!

Thanks to Llewellyn Publications and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jason Offutt’s Chasing American Monsters is an entertaining and interesting book cataloguing the spooky creatures inhabiting the United States. There’s everything from the well-known Bigfoot who is sighted in nearly every state to Maryland’s lesser-known Snallygaster and California’s horrifying giant talking cockroaches. Although I wish the book was better edited and that there were more details regarding some of these mysterious creatures, this book is a fun and interesting read!

I had no idea that there are so many fascinating creatures lurking in the United States! The book includes lots of stories about the popular Mothman, gigantic sea creatures, and werewolves. However, I didn’t know anything about half of the strange creatures in here and I loved reading about the sightings of Hawaii’s menacing Menehune, Indiana’s creepy Crosley Monster and Pennsylvania’s sad Squonk.

The book is well-organized and each state has its own concise chapter. Offutt begins each chapter with a brief and sometimes lightly humorous history on the state. I don’t know much about American geography and history so I really appreciate this information. It’s also a nice touch to immerse readers in the environment. While I would have liked pictures of all the monsters mentioned in the book, I do like that there is an artistic depiction of just one of the monsters in each chapter.

Offutt’s writing style is light, witty, and approachable. However, the book could have been better edited. Some of the sections are very sparse with information and stories. I would have liked to see a lot more details. Also, I am not sure why stories like the drunken bears and the man in the bunny suit are included because they don’t fit with the rest of the book. These sections could have been cut in favour of Offutt paying much more attention to the lesser-known monsters.

Chasing American Monsters is a great introduction to the mysterious creatures of America. While I would have liked more pictures and much more details on some of the monsters, the book is a quick and entertaining read. If you love cryptozoology and the paranormal, this book is a good place to start. I will definitely read more of Offutt’s work!

Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for this book in exchange for an honest review.

🐲 🐲 🐲 ½ spooky dragons out of 5!

This might have been a better read for me had the cryptids been separated by creature type, rather than by state. While many states do have their own unique cryptids, there were many instances of similar/the same creatures occurring in a multitude of states (the "over 250 creatures" in the subtitle is a stretch). I felt it would have been more cohesive and much less repetitive to have these “common” monsters in their own section, while allowing more opportunity to focus on the state-unique creatures.

I found that I was more interested in the historical cryptids–ones that had been seen pre-1930s or so–as well as the ones that had more native mythology to them. More modern sightings of any creature I wasn’t interested in, so I tended to skim these bits. And given that many of the cryptid sightings are from after this, that was quite a lot of the book.

While many cryptids are a one-and-done sort of sighting or have very little written about them in general, I was still hoping for something more out of the entries, especially those about state-unique monsters. Rather than expanding upon some of these (which is what I originally thought the book would do), Offutt seemed to opt for quantity of quality, and included very brief entries about fleeting instances of weirdness instead. It just ended up feeling quite repetitive.

Overall, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book, but at the same time, it does cover a wide variety of cryptids and mysterious creatures throughout the US. Just not as extensively and in-depth as I was hoping it would.

Interesting treatment of the subject, going alphabetically through the country with very brief, tongue-in-cheek treatments of all the ‘monsters’ — actually myths, legends, mistaken identitifications, and hallucinations — in each state. Lightweight but amusing.

Interesting read but it just needs a little more detail for each entry. All the states are covered, very vaguely. I guess this could serve as a starting point rather than as a strong source for information. On the positive, I did like that the book was divided by state, making it easy to look for specific areas versus having to search this book.

When I read the description for this book, I was originally really excited to read this. Chasing American Monsters is a cross-country journey through each American state covering said state’s particular monsters, mysterious animals and strange creatures. I have a weak spot for cryptozoology, no matter how silly, I love reading cryptid encounters and learning the local folklore about different mysterious creatures. Chasing American Monsters seemed right up my alley at first, but I quickly realized this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

I think the biggest issue I had while reading this book was the lack of detail. Even though each American state is covered, the different creatures within each state are barely touched upon, sometimes even with only one brief paragraph. While I understand that American is vast and we certainly have no shortage of crazy cryptids and local legends, some of these topics could have been delved into way more. There is an absolute wealth of information about this kind of stuff out there but for some topics that are genuinely really popular, the author would only give one eyewitness account and then move on. Or he would sometimes make a blanket statement about there being “numerous” accounts over the years since then.

I also occasionally had a bit of trouble with the author’s way of phrasing things. There would be sentences that I assume were meant to be humorous, but really just came off in a flippant manner.

If you are looking for something that will just give you a very brief rundown of some of the “monsters” said to live in American states, then this book might be for you. The idea was certainly a good one and I think would’ve worked well if it had just been executed a bit differently, with WAY more detail.

That was an interesting book to read. I really like author seperate them into states. I think some of the creatures are fascinating and some of them are scary. But this book was really enjoyable. Learning new informations and reading stories were amazing.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I believe in Bigfoot, and that I would love to catch a glimpse of him (or her) someday. As for other legendary cryptids – such as the Jersey Devil, Chupacabras, and werewolves (just to name a few) – I’d like to believe they exist as well. My interest in cryptozoology has led me to read various books, watch numerous TV shows (no matter how scripted and implausible they may be), and even visit Loren Coleman’s International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine. So, when I saw CHASING AMERICAN MONSTERS: 251 CREATURES, CRYPTIDS, AND HAIRY BEASTS on NetGalley, it was a given that I had to request it.

CHASING AMERICAN MONSTERS: 251 CREATURES, CRYPTIDS, AND HAIRY BEASTS is a quick, fun read for anyone interested in cryptozoology, monsters, myths, urban legends, or anything weird. It is not an in-depth book, but it does cover a lot of cryptids. Offutt breaks down the book in state-by-state chapters, and he gives brief examples of cryptids and legendary creatures that have been spotted in every state. Everything from Bigfoot to dwarves, and living dinosaurs to aliens have been spotted across the United States. Some of the creatures have been seen by many – such as Bigfoot, who has been seen in every state except Hawaii. Other creatures were only seen one time by one person under sketchy circumstances, which led to question why the stories were included when those pages could have gone towards providing more details on the more interesting creatures. And there were a few “creatures” that, while interesting, didn’t quite seem to fit – such as a bear that broke into a camper’s cooler and drank all the beer. We all know bears exist, so while it was funny to read about a drunk bear with a preference for Rainer beer, it didn’t quite seem to fit in with the rest of the creatures in the book. Neither did the man who would dress in a bunny costume and terrorize people…Though I would love to know more about that guy!

Overall, CHASING AMERICAN MONSTERS: 251 CREATURES, CRYPTIDS, AND HAIRY BEASTS is an interesting, enjoyable read.

I love reading about the paranormal and anything that makes you ask questions about what we think we know. This book isn't a deep dive into mythical creatures, if you are looking for a detailed dive into each creature then this really isn't for you. It is however an overview of creatures and reported sightings in each state, a perfect light read for those starting out or interested in the mythical.
The book is split into chapters, each state is a chapter, this format works well. Within each chapter is one illustration of one of the creatures reported in that state.
It's a well written book, it's clear that the author is passionate about the subject.

I really like how it's split up into states, this makes it easy to keep track of each report per location. Ideal if you plan to visit certain states to see what creatures they've got to offer.

I enjoyed the little facts at the start of each state, although I'd like to see more descriptions of the states habitat as someone that isn't from the USA.

I'd really have loved to see illustrations of each creature, rather than just one from each state.

I'm not entirely certain all of these creatures should be included in the book as some are based on a single sighting from one person. I also noticed the mention of sightings/recordings that have been proven to be fake, i.e the 1940's wooly mammoth Russian video which is now known to be fake using footage from another documentary. Maybe these will be changed in future editions.

Overall I really enjoyed the book, it's very well-written and structured perfectly. I found myself having a good chuckle at the "fear of urine and Charlie Sheen" part and discovering sightings of creatures that I had no idea about, this has grown my interest in mythical creatures even more.
This book is a great starting point for those just getting into creatures and I'd certainly recommend it.

I obviously expected to see SEVERAL Monsters, and I had a basic previous knowledge about some of them, but never expected that the USA would be so full of creatures and beasts and legendary beings. The author has done an incredible job recollecting all this information, and contrary to what you may think at first, it doesn't get bored at any point. This is a treasury for cryptozoologist, no doubt. We need more books on the subject!

Chasing American Monsters was a fun book to read and I quickly devoured my copy. I loved how the book is broken up state by state in alphabetical order (Although, I did have to resist the urge to flip to my home state and read about the monsters in my neck of the woods). The monsters did become some what repetitive toward the end of the book, with so many sea serpents and bigfoot monsters appearing in so many states. I feel the author did a good job of giving eye witness accounts of each case though, which help hold my attention and I have to say I was never bored while reading this book.

Chasing American Monsters is extensive in its scope, but lacking in true detail. Don't get me wrong, it is a highly enjoyable book that is truly diverse, but one cannot help but wish that the author took extra time with each monster. Despite that, I would highly recommend the book to those who are interested, if you need more information it is still a good starting point.

Are you interested in what might be going bump in the night near you? Or are you just curious about what folks around the United States claim to have spotted? Or maybe you just need something to keep you entertained while it is dark and stormy outside. Jason Offutt has you covered in Chasing American Monsters no matter what your reason may be.

Jason Offutt is providing a monster gazetteer of the 50 United States, opening with Alabama and meandering down to Wyoming. The format is simple - a brief introduction of the state with geographical features and famous people from the state followed by monster sightings from that state. Also included in each chapter is an illustration of one or more of the monsters found in the state.

Do not read Chasing American Monsters expecting to be convinced by mountains of evidence that monsters are real as that is not provided. Instead, Jason Offutt writes entertainingly about the accounts he has uncovered from around the country. So enjoy each brief chapter and wonder what you might see in your neck of the woods, or swamp, or city block.

Every chapter of this book tells about a different state and the cryptoid famous for that state, while I did enjoy the book I wish it had more information about the various monsters but it was a good overview great for any fan of cryptozoology

I enjoyed Chasing American Monsters: Over 250 Creatures, Cryptids & Hairy Beasts. It was a quick read and, of course, I started in my home state where I am familiar with our “monsters”; and, I had just told the story of the Bunny Man earlier that day. Of course, my story was a bit different but that happens with folklore. What was missing for me were the citations. For example, in the Virginia section under “Giant Birds” I was excited to see my hometown of New Kent mentioned. “A witness reported seeing an enormous bird standing in the middle of the highway.” But that’s all that I receive? Not a mention of sources or even which highway? I want something a bit more in-depth. It was an interesting read but it left me with more questions than a resource book of this kind should. If it were marketed to younger readers, I might be able to overlook this but probably not.