Now a major online streaming series - The World of Lore

I love this! It took my favorite episodes and put them in a book format, plus adding new stories!
Aaron Mahnke's writing has a classic storytelling feel. I would highly recommend this book and is a great read for those who enjoy a chilling tale!

When I bought the book I expected some new stories but it turned out to be recycled content, just the manuscripts of previous Lore podcast episodes. Don't get me wrong, I'm in love with all things Lore but I was a little disappointed. That's why it's getting 4 stars instead of 5

A well done collection of some of the greatest hits of the podcast. While it's mainly just transcripts of the episodes, it's a good way to enjoy Lore when you can't listen or a great introduction to new fans. Art and cover are also well done, just a beautiful book to read in the cool October air.

The stories are great and Aaron has a special voice and one of the best deliveries around, but the stories in this book are mostly from the podcast. Nothing really new. I honestly didn't hear anything I hadn't heard through the podcast before, but I was listening through audible at work so I can't 100% confirm. Still, kind of a bummer.

You could just listen to the podcast for free...
Most of this book is just transcripts of that.
The illustrations are a nice touch but listeners of the podcast will not get any new information.

I was really hoping for a deeper dive into the stories of lore but sadly this book does not deliver that.

While I love supporting and listening to the Lore podcast, I am greatly disappointed that the book is literally a transcript of the podcast. I thought new material would have been published. I’m curious to see if his tour will be the same way. Love you Aaron, but I’m completely disappointed by this. I guess I’ll be gifting this book.

I purchased this book as a longtime fan and someone wanting to help support the future of Lore. That being said, the author Aaron Mahnke failed to disclose the extent of which this book is mostly transcripts of the podcast. While the description does say that the book contains "both rare and best-loved stories from the hit podcast Lore" the extent is not "made *crystal* clear in the book description".

1 star update. It seems as though ego is a ravenous force. Success can expose.

Love, LOve, LOVE seeing these creatures through Aaron's (The LORE Lord) eyes! I am a huge fan of the podcast and am ANXIOUSLY awaiting Friday, October 13, 2017, (woooooo) when LORE TV Series will air on the store Prime. I can't decide if the hardcover version of World of LORE will go on the shelf next to my Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual or Grimm's Fairytales. Maybe right in between! I guess I should rearrange my bookshelf......

This book is a perfect gift for anyone who loves history, folklore, scary stories and things that go BUMP in the night! Prepare for Halloween LORE Fans.. I'm getting my costume ready!

"Because sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction". I plan on telling these tales around the campfire for years to come.

Add this to your Christmas Shopping list!!

This was published as a book to collect. Every little detail was done to perfection and the illustrations by M.S. Corley are amazing.

I haven't gotten to far into the book yet, and yes there is overlap with the podcast (how can't there be). I am so happy I have a copy and have already pre ordered Wicked Mortals.

Buy this book as a book lover or just to support the podcast

Firstly I did receive this book in a Giveaway.

That being said I do still think that this book deserves the 4 star review. Most of the stories/folklore in the book are pretty common, but they are written in such a way that they still keep a readers attention. Mixed in with these stories though are stories about people and creatures that I had not heard of before, and I have done extensive reading on creatures, mythology and folklore. I do feel like there could have been a little bit more research done, and few more interesting and unusual stories represented, but I was more than happy with the way that the book was written and and how the author kept their audience involved despite the common content.

Do you ever wonder where our legends that inspire some of our favorite fictional tales truly come from? Well...THE WORLD OF LORE: MONSTROUS CREATURES will give you the backstories of all the ghosts, vampires, witches, and monsters that go bump in the night.

Mahnke digs into the folklore and history of the monstrous creatures we know all too well. In many ways, the narration takes what could be a very boring retelling of the facts and presents them to the reader in a manner reminiscent of the spooky stories we all tell at a sleepover or around a campfire.

Also, I have to mention the illustrations in this book. Sprinkled through the pages are sketch-like drawings highlighting the sections of the books as well as the chapters. They are a really wonderful addition. I flipped through the book numerous times to revisit them,

For those that don't normally read non-fiction but enjoy a bit of a haunting tale, I strongly suggest reading this book. It is illuminating and entertaining...a combination that I don't always find in a book.

I started out here on the store listening and watching Lore, and then moved to the podcast. The the store show intrigued me enough to start on the podcast. It's okay. His voice is soothing, the cinematography is beautiful, the music is lovely, and the content is interesting - at first. Other reviewers are correct in that it repeats podcast content. His podcast quickly turns into a multitude of stories about witches and New England hauntings. His work is pretty Eurocentric with only 1 story regarding Vodoo culture in New Orleans. So it is somewhat redundant. On the one hand, it would be nice if Mahnke extended his stories to other, "minority" cultures but I am not sure if i trust his narration to be as sympathetic to other cultures as he is to Anglo-European cultures (in an older podcast episode he describes Vlad Tepe's infamous torture as justifiable defense of his homeland against Ottomans...yeah...sure, okay...).
So overall I give it 3 stars: it's good to pass the time while I'm cooking or washing dishes etc. while I wait for the new season of my preferred podcasts to return, but if you are interested in multicultural lore then this is not the podcast for it.
Note to Mahnke if he ever gets to read this: American lore is more diverse than New England witches and "old world" superstition. It's so disappointing there is nothing on Native American cultures, black American cultures, etc.

The stories are creepy and well written.

There are only one real problem, but it is annoying.

In most of these sections, there are a few paragraphs where the author talks about the philosophical significance of each story. These are typically tedious and silly. Most absurdly, in the final story about the possession of Elizabeth Knapp, the author holds that crazed "demon possessed" woman is a model for us to emulate!

I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book! It was such an awesome experience, and I was hooked almost immediately. I first took notice to "The World of Lore" as the show, but I am so glad I found the book. If you enjoy history, spooky stories, unsolved occurrences, paranormal sightings, and legends and tales from old and new, you're going to love this book! One thing I feel I should mention for Audible users: the author's narration seemed almost... odd at first, but it grew on me the more I listened to the book; the way the author speaks seemed to fit into my mental image of him. I've already started on the second book, and will be pre-ordering the third!

Look at this gorgeous book! LOOK AT IT! The cover, the jacket, the END PAPERS! If that's not enough to get you to buy this then I invite you to feast your eyes upon the table of contents!
Do you enjoy creepy stories based in fact? Do you delight in the macabre? Do you want a freaking bibliography so you can research even more about these ghoulish tales?! Answer to the affirmative my sisters and brothers and buy this book!

To begin, this book is visually stunning. As the author mentioned, after you have finished admiring the dust jacket, take it off. The actual book cover itself is equally beautiful. There are gorgeous illustrations throughout the book that serve to enhance the written content.

And speaking of the written content, it is amazing. The way in which the author structures the stories in the book allows for full enjoyment of not just each story as a stand alone but as a collection of stories in which one enhances the next. If you are a fan of the Lore podcast, some of these stories may sound familiar. Think of these as a written transcript for some of the more popular episodes. This is something that long-time listeners (myself included) have been clamoring for for years. But there is also plenty of new content for even avid listeners of the podcast to enjoy. And, even if you are not familiar with the author's podcast, you will be able to get just as much enjoyment out of these stories as a day one podcast listener.

Fellow readers, I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This book is a perfect companion to the Lore podcast. Mahnke's tone is exactly what you expect if you listen to the podcast, and is great for print as well. Listeners of the podcast will note there's a lot of the same material in the book, but there's plenty of added stories to make it fresh and new.

Beautiful book, everything about it is great! Aaron is a magnificent writer and story teller, and it is awesome to have some of my favorite episodes in print, to be able to read and tell and join the story myself, and a few things that were new to me as well! So glad I have this on my shelf, or on my nightstand rather. A must have for Lore fans.

I love this book. The cover and artwork are gorgeous. Although I'm a fan of the podcast, reading the stories felt like a different experience. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys creepy stories and folklore. My one "complaint" is that now I'm probably going to have more nightmares about Robert the doll. That doll....

Aaron Mahnke's writing is terrible in substance and style. At least if you read it, you don't have to listen to his annoying elocution. But the prose is so bad, it boggles the mind that this is considered worthy of publishing.

My son just turned twelve - this means, as a father, that I have the obligation to begin getting him into horror and other "edgy" stuff, so that he won't spend his adolescence getting beat up like I was. He's already gotten past his Roald Dahl phase (DAMN IT!) but now 'Lore,' based on a popular podcast of the same name, has given him an opportunity to move into new directions regarding monsters and ghosts and other assorted supernatural creatures. What I wasn't expecting was to like it myself, but what do you know? I did.

The book contains transcripts from the podcast, which are given Edward Gorey-style illustrations and cover discussions about universal monster archetypes in a half-serious, half-jokey tone. It never really covers any new territory, but it has enough quirky appeal to pull in any wayward geek looking for informative reading. My son loved it a lot more than I did, so I can say I'm very happy with the purchase; no respectable horror fan can ever go a few years without brushing up on the origins of the beloved monsters that fill so much of our daydreams and nightmares.

Whether you're a fan of the podcast (I wasn't when I bought this) or a newbie (as I was until I found out there was a podcast), Lore provides a fun little tour through monsters in history, science and folklore. As I found out, it's great for getting a kid into horror as well. There's really no way to go wrong with this, even if it isn't a groundbreaking evaluation of strange creatures in folklore. Check it out, and see how well-versed you are in the lore (no pun intended).