Monsters of the Gods (Mythical Beasts)

"How gory and repulsive are the beastly creatures of the world's mythology? The 10 bloodthirsty giants in each of these slim sets appear in a ranked scheme and ascending order. They're scored 'from 1 to 10 for each of five categories: Strength, Repulsiveness, Special Powers, Ferocity and Invincibility.' Two-page entries on each creature, which lead up to the score, include a short anecdotal story, suggested ways to defeat the beast, and an orange inset describing origins of the myth. Bold, digitally created visuals feature plenty of fangs and claws, blood and guts, and horrific mixes of human/animal figures. Sixteen of the 40 monsters are from Greek mythology, and another eight are of Norse origin. Others span the world widely. These titles lack some of the customary nonfiction features. Sources aren't listed, and there are no bibliographies or websites recommended. Each book ends with a 'Rogue's Gallery' that depicts and briefly describes each of the characters, arranged in reverse order from top to lowest score on the beastly scale. Three bits of added discussion on related topics appear on the final two pages. VERDICT: Probably most interesting to readers of horror, these might occasionally spark interest in mythology."--School Library Journal, Series Made Simple

In ancient mythologies, many of the gods created all-powerful predators that unleashed panic on the human world. These horrors could be either beast or human—or even both. But who would come out on top in a fight? Which one is the most powerful of all?

Meet the ten weirdest, strongest, and nastiest of these mythical beasts, including:

? Charybdis, who swallowed ships in one easy gulp
? Ammut, devourer of the dead
? the elephant-snake Grootslang
? the nine-headed Hydra

Find out about each monster's features and skills, where in the world they come from, how they rank compared to one another, and how you might defeat them if you ever strayed into their remote realms.