The tale of Noah's Ark and a book review

This is about a book called the Bestiary by Nicholas Christoper

- I read somewhere that every culture on the Earth has its own version of the Tale of the Flood and Noah's Ark. While I don't know if that is true it is undeniable that the tale is widespread across many cultures.

This book is scheduled for release in July 07

Resources

Short Review - In Depth Review & Analysis - Author's Essay on the origins of the book - Author's Bio

The Bestiary by Nicholas Christopher takes a unique look at this tale. Did you ever wonder what happened to the creatures that didn't make it onto the Ark? And is it possible that the creatures we now think of as mythical were actually real creatures? They are mythical and extinct now because they didn't make it onto the Ark.

Here is my short review on this book:

This is a book review of a new novel called The Bestiary. It is a fantasy tale about the pursuit of a secret book called The Caravan Bestiary, which catalogued the mythical creatures that were denied access to Noah's Ark.

The movie Evan Almighty has spurred a lot of interest in the story of Noah's Ark. We all know the story, and The Bestiary , written by Nicholas Christopher, tells a different side of this story. Did you ever wonder what happened to the unicorn or the or the dragon?

The Bestiary tells us that these creatures are not mythical, they really existed and their extinction was due to the fact that they were denied access to Noah's ark. But we still know of them because they were all carefully catalogued in a mysterious book called The Caravan Bestiary.

This book is a tale of one man's pursuit of this mysterious book. It is a scholarly sleuth that is reminiscent of the DaVinci code. We travel the world and haunt some very old places in our pursuit of the book but this novel goes beyond the normal fantasy sleuth tale and takes you on a trip somewhere else.

There is a message in this book. It is a reverent look at the creatures of our world, both mythical and real. And it is a warning message about the path of extinction that is currently being taken by many of the special creatures that now inhabit the earth. It asks the question: Shouldn't we do something? Before too many more beautiful creatures are added to the list of mythical creatures that once maybe existed? This is a thinking persons fantasy novel that, even though is fantasy, it is very relevant and important to the world we live in today. It is currently available by pre-order only and scheduled to be released in July 2007.

My more in-depth review

The Bestiary by Nicholas Christoper : Book Review 

This is a Chimera of a book - Read on to understand what I mean

For me there are two kinds of fantasy books. The first kind is the book you read because its just a lot of fun. You know, there is a grand adventure, damsels in distress, knights and dragons and of course a big and exciting new world to explore. Big, in this type of novel, means epic on a grand scale.

The second type of fantasy book, for me, is the meaning of life type. This is the kind of book that is really big in a different way. You travel along with the main character in his or her quest to figure out the meaning of things. His is a strange world with strange creatures (very  Kafkaesque) and of course, he can never really figure any ultimate answers to the big questions (classic Kafka), he can only come up with his solutions. The real joy is in the questing. So big, in this type of novel, means big questions and a big search to answer them.

Upon first impression this book fits into neither one of these categories. Let me explain. It is a book about a man who develops an obsession with finding a book that may or may not exist. It's called the Caravan Bestiary. It is said to be an encyclopedia of the beasts that were denied entry onto Noah's Ark.

There are no massive battles and there is no grand search for the meaning of life. It is just one man trying to figure out something about himself. And well, when you stop to think about it, you have to admit that it really doesn't get much bigger than that. When it comes down to it this is all we really can do; try to figure out our little place. So this book fits very well into my second category of fantasy.

And this obsession does get even bigger because it is wrapped in a deeper meaning.

The main character has a real love for the creatures of the earth both past, present, mythical or not. It adds a really nice dimension to this book. His quest becomes a “If I could just accomplish one little thing that really means something” quality.

And this reverence and love for the beasts of the earth makes a transition to you the reader. You start to really get a sense of the beauty of the creatures of the earth and you feel it.

While reading you are going to realize that this book itself creates a new entry into the Bestiary. It is a Chimera of sorts. The front of this new Chimera is a lamb and the back is a lion. - The lamb is a fun fantasy story about the chase for a mythical book. The Lion is the passion for the mystery and the beauty of all the creatures on this earth whether they be mythical or not.

It is an enjoyable and thought provoking book and I recommend you give it a try if you are looking for something more than just fantasy. And it comes with an extra little bonus. It has a glossary of Mythical creatures appended to it which is just wonderful.

• The Authors Official Webpage
• The Bestiary @ Amazon.com
• Author Bio
• Essay by the Author on the Origins of the book