THE BEASTS BENEATH THE WINDS

Beyond Bigfoot, there exists a host of intriguing cryptids to frighten and fascinate—and readers will meet them in this anthology of stories centering on Southeast Asia.

Could a hairy kapre or an elegant karaweik be lurking close by? Even if readers aren’t living in one of the “Lands Beneath the Winds”—the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia—they’ll enjoy imagining that the Asian cryptids from the 17 stories collected here might be hiding nearby. As editor Hanna Alkaf reminds us, “All it takes for something to be real is for you to believe that it’s real. And as long as nobody can prove otherwise, there’s always hope.” Ranging from fierce to friendly, aggressive to protective, the mythological creatures in this volume come face to face with the young human protagonists in stories written by a diverse range of authors, including Erin Entrada Kelly, Shing Yin Khor, Dow Phumiruk, Jesse Q. Sutanto, June CL Tan, and Gail D. Villanueva. These fast-paced, engaging vignettes stand out for the personal growth they inspire, since the young people who encounter these fantastical beasts also confront and make peace with the inner “monsters” they carry. Each story is prefaced by a two-page, field guide–style spread featuring appealing, frequently humorous illustrations of the cryptid in question by the Wibowos and information about each creature’s temperament, habitat, and other characteristics.

A fresh, appealing collection with evergreen appeal.