The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures (by Aaron Mahnke)
Admittedly, I am late to The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke. I really don’t even have a good excuse, especially since I love stories about unexplained things that go bump in the night. Well, at least I finally entered this strange world of creepy creatures, objects, and events. And I’m so glad I made it.
This book helps me embark on the upcoming Halloween season, which is my favorite holiday. This book was perfectly timed, as I observe the seasonal changes of fluctuating temperatures, early morning fog, and the leaves on the trees ever so slightly beginning to change their color. There are an enormous number of stories in this collection about vampires, werewolves, sea creatures, haunted houses, and shipwrecks. Each story was engaging and satisfied my interest in scary stories. Three stories in particular resonated with me; The Donner Party, Robert the Doll, and Annabelle.
I enjoy watching Josh Gates, adventurer, explorer, and archaeologist, as he wanders the globe on his TV series, Expedition Unknown, on the Discovery Channel. I recently saw an episode in which he uncovers fascinating new details and information about what truly happened to the Donner family. Information I had never heard before. Cannibalism is definitely one shocking behavior that I certainly have difficulty coming to grips with. The stories offered by Aaron Mahnke are interesting and had me reflecting on that Expedition Unknown episode.
Reading about Robert the Doll and the Otto family when they lived in Key West, Florida, certainly piqued my interest. The Otto house is currently a Bed and Breakfast called, The Artist House. My husband and I stayed there in February 2020 while vacationing in Key West. It’s a beautiful home and excellent B&B. We did not experience any ghosts or strange occurrences during our stay. I had read a little bit about the history of the home and the Otto family prior to our stay, but The World of Lore provides a lot more information than I was previously aware. We didn’t choose to stay at The Artist House because of it’s ghostly history, although that is totally something I would do. We actually chose this B&B for the artist connection and victorian style. Previous owner, Eugene Otto, was an artist and my husband is an artist. We vacationed in Key West to celebrate his career change into a full-time artist and I thought staying at The Artist House was a perfect place. You can check out my husband’s art here. During our exploration of Key West, we visited the Historic Key West City Cemetery where the Otto family is buried. Personally, I think it’s awesome that they buried their beloved pets in the family plot.
I’ve already mentioned that Halloween is my favorite holiday, so of course I love watching scary movies. Aaron Mahnke tells the story of Annabelle the doll and he tells the story quite well. Even if you’re like me, and you’ve seen all of the Conjuring movies, you will still learn more about Annabelle from this book.
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