Dungeons and Drawings: An Illustrated Compendium of Creatures

by Blanca MartA nez de Rituerto and Joe Sparrow

Who hasn’t been fascinated by monsters? This book collects some of the best creatures from Dungeons & Dragons, setting them out in an informative illustrated bestiary for beginners and enthusiasts alike.
 
Whether they’re beasts, spirits, demons, or even aliens, most fantasy worlds are filled with monsters. Some are harmless—many more are deadly. Luckily for the discerning adventurer, this book is here to help distinguish between the two. As a popular series sold at conventions and on Etsy, animators Blanca Martinez de Riuerro and Joe Sparrow have compiled three volumes into one deluxe edition. Each creature comes with a full-color illustration, a set of simplified statistics, a description, and a history section indicating its folkloric history and the scientific phenomena that may have influenced its creation. With creatures like the Archdevil, Dryad, Fire Bat, Gold Dragon, Smoke Devil, Bomb Plant, Ettin, and Spirit Fox, any tabletop player will find the perfect creature for their next campaign.
 

• ISBN10: 1524852015
• ISBN13: 9781524852016
• Publish Date: 12 December 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 280
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Dungeons and Drawings is a gallery bestiary with annotations for magical beasts and creatures. Due out 12th Nov 2019 from Andrews McMeel, it's 280 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

I was (and am) a fan of tabletop RPGs. I remember poring over the D&D rulebooks, mapping out campaigns, and spending hundreds of hours painting miniatures. This book brings back a lot of fun nostalgic memories for me.

The short introduction and author statement provide some background for the genesis of this project as well as some context which will be mostly familiar to readers familiar with gaming in general. I liked the stylized alignment, elemental, and type (humanoid etc) markings as well as the characteristics such as combat, magic, and other abilities.The book progresses directly from the introduction into the bestiary/compendium starting with ahuizotl and ending with zombie (because Z is -always- for zombie! :) ). Each of the entries includes a short description with ratings for combat, magic, smarts, loot, and dangers.

The art itself is stylized and cartoonish in a good way. It's simple, colorful, direct, and bold.The book also includes a comprehensive links and further list of resources including films, books, and games.

This would be a good selection for younger readers up through adults who are fantasy game enthusiasts. It would also likely be enjoyed as a source of inspiration by readers who are interested in drawing fantasy and monster subjects. There are a lot of sources here to practice drawing.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.