Matt Kaplan shines the light of modern science on all things mythological and monstrous in Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite, using everything from anthropology to zoology in the quest to uncover the origin of monsters. He moves beyond the simplistic idea that ancient people just wanted to tell stories--instead, he searches archeological and fossil records for the physical origins of those stories. Some of his conclusions are far-fetched, such as the theory that ancient people "discovered" the chimera (a goat, lion and snake hybrid) in a comically complex tar pit accident. Other explanations, however, are both fascinating and seemingly plausible: Charybdis, an enormous living whirlpool from the Odyssey, can be traced to tidal forces in the Strait of Messina that existed in Homer's time.
Kaplan especially excels as he moves from ancient mythology to more modern inventions. He explores why certain beasts have endured in the popular imagination while others have faded into legend (world exploration has killed the European-style dragon, for example, but fear of contagious disease lives on through the infectious undead). Chapters on dinosaur cloning and other man-made monsters bring the book full circle: from stories inspired by unknown wilds in the distant past to a future where science and imagination might bring real horrors to life.
Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite contains a lot of hard science, though Kaplan is careful to explain the essentials of each discussion--in part through frequent (and frequently witty) footnotes. Readers seeking the facts behind spooky fiction will find this book entertaining and informative. --Tobias Mutter, freelance reviewer