Review and Commentary on The Bestiarum Vocabulum: 2 (TRES LIBORUM PEOHIBITORUM)

Get It Right
HERE

I'm a Fango kid ( someone who grew up in the 70's on Famous Monsters of Filmland, Fangoria magazine and Starlog) and small press efforts have only really in the last thirty years come into their own. Really the connection between small hoorr press and those publications are  pretty closely related.  Its through those publications as well as friends that my admiration & knowledge of these pioneers of the cutting edge of horror has really come into its own.John Palisano  is the man behind Western Legends Publishing and has wrought some really top talent in the horror field to the public.
 More about Western Legends Publishing Right HERE

I just got my copy of this book right before the storm hit from a friend whose a part of the Avon Lovecraft reading circle. So a big shout out to Clare! Thanks for the lend and you'll be getting your copy back tomorrow.
Anthologies are tricky business and this one is interesting. The premise is simple each of the authors take a letter of the alphabet and creates a creature as well as story to go with it. And what stories they are!
You see there's more to background then that! This anthology features a bit of history to go along with the stories and top talent. A catalog of mythic beasts and demons that were summoned by esoteric means. Once owned by Count Allesandro Di Cagliostro, it was thought forever lost in a fire at the Chateau de Versailles. Two hundred years later, twenty-six modern day masters of the macabre bring The Bestiarum Vocabulum back from the ashes. Authors include: Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet, Jan Edwards, Martin Roberts, Lisa Jenkins, Peter Mark May, Raven Dane, Joe Mynhardt, Rakie Keig, D.T. Griffith, Mark West, John Palisano, Amelia Mangan, Robert Walker, Christine Dougherty, Tim Dry, Nerine Dorman, Dean M. Drinkel, Christine Morgan, Tej Turner, D.M. Youngquist, Jason D. Brawn, Lily Childs, Andy Taylor, Sandra Norval, Adrian Chamberlin, and Barbie Wilde.

 The book's premise is rife for plundering for gaming. The idea of a catalog of beasts and damned things from beyond the pale of man is at once orginal and entertaining as well as engaging. The stories are violent literature and a masacre on the senses. These don't pull punches but they do entertain and flipping through the book I was entertained as the world froze outside my window last night. I have to say that there are more then a few ideas that as a Call of Cthlulu or Dungeon Master I filed away for later use.
 There are a lot of wonderfully wicked monsters and demons here.
I loved D.T. Griffith's efforts, Barbie Wilde's story of revlusion,Tim Dry's really nasty little piece and Lily Child's wonderful beastie. On average the book really was a great read. Because I was pressed for time I didn't get enough downtime to do as much investigating of the tales as I'd like. I'd really like to look more into the legends and mythlogy behind some of the entries here. There might be more to mine and use for table gaming.
  The anothlogy is  well written, nicely edited, and about as entertaining as it gets. The book is on sale just in time for Christmas and very nicely priced for the page count. I'm now in the process of aquiring more of Western Legends publications.
I highly recommend this wonderful book and its damned contents for any horror fan or gamer!