Mini Review: Shapeshifters by John B. Kachuba

Shapeshifters by John B. Kachuba

There is something about a shapeshifter—a person who can transform into an animal—that captures our imagination; that causes us to want to howl at the moon, or flit through the night like a bat. Werewolves, vampires, demons, and other weird creatures appeal to our animal nature, our “dark side,” our desire to break free of the bonds of society and proper behavior. Real or imaginary, shapeshifters lurk deep in our psyches and remain formidable cultural icons.

The myths, magic, and meaning surrounding shapeshifters are brought vividly to life in John B. Kachuba’s compelling and original cultural history. Rituals in early cultures worldwide seemingly allowed shamans, sorcerers, witches, and wizards to transform at will into animals and back again. Today, there are millions of people who believe that shapeshifters walk among us and may even be world leaders. Featuring a fantastic and ghoulish array of examples from history, literature, film, TV, and computer games, Shapeshifters explores our secret desire to become something other than human.

Pages: 208

Format: E-Book

Published By: Reaktion Books

Genre: Nonfiction, Horror, Historical

Rating:
✮✮✮✮

Review:
Shapeshifters gives you an insight in how influential shapeshifters have been on humans throughout the humanity's history. From the beginning of time, shapeshifting has been rejected or accepted in different cultures to mean different things. Shapeshifting has been used as scapegoats for the unexplainable and for something people long for in different ways.

If you are interested in a historical take on something that plays a huge role in our horror, fantasy, and other elements of our life today, this book might be interesting for you. Kachuba goes over shapeshifters in ancient times, in medieval times, and in modern times; looking at shapeshifters all around the world. I would highly recommend.