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Beast: Werewolves, Serial Killers, and Man-Eaters: The Mystery of the Monsters of the Gevaudan
Beast: Werewolves, Serial Killers, and Man-Eaters: The Mystery of the Monsters of the Gevaudan | S R Schwalb, Gustavo S Romero, Gustavo Saanchez Romero
6 posts | 2 read | 35 to read
Using modern biology and history to investigate a series of grisly deaths in the countryside of 18th-century France. Something unimaginable occurred from 1764 to 1767 in the remote highlands of south-central France. For three years, a real-life monster, or monsters, ravaged the region, slaughtering by some accounts more than 100 people, mostly women and children, and inflicting severe injuries upon many others. Alarmed rural communitiesand their economieswere virtually held hostage by the marauder, and local officials and Louis XV deployed dragoons and crack wolf hunters from far-off Normandy and the King s own court to destroy the menace. And with the creature s reign of terror occurring at the advent of the modern newspaper, it can be said the ferocious attacks in the Gevaudan region were one of the world's first media sensations. Despite extensive historical documentation about this awesome predator, no one seemed to know exactly what it was. Theories abounded: Was it an exotic animal, such as a hyena, that had escaped from a menagerie? A werewolf? A wolf-dog hybrid? A new species? Some kind of conspiracy? Or, as was proposed by the local bishop, was it a scourge of God? To this day, debates on the true nature of "La Bete," The Beast, continue. With historical illustrations, composite sketches by the author, on-the-scene modern-day photographs, autopsy analysis, and fictionalized accounts, "Beast" takes a fascinating look at all the evidence, using a mix of history and modern biology to advance a theory that could solve one of the most bizarre and unexplained killing sprees of all time: France s infamous Beast of the Gevaudan."
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review
Bookworm54
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Mehso-so

This was just okay for me.
Parts were interesting, but I feel like a lot of the theories were repeated and we just kept circling the same stuff and not really getting anywhere!

It certainly is an interesting topic though, since it is still unknown what/who the beast was.

#BookSpin

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 13mo
42 likes1 comment
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Bookworm54
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This has been pretty interesting so far. At the minute it is going through some of the events, such as victims, timings, hunts, times that people got away etc. but I am most looking forward to the theories section 😂

I am also looking forward to finding out more about the Serbian vampire and German Werewolf mentioned above!

34 likes2 stack adds
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irregularreader
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This book is at the top of my TBR for July! What book are you looking forward to reading this month?

11 likes1 stack add
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SGJ
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The new one. Looks to be cool. I still kind of think I'm going to be the one to figure Gevaudan out.

MichelleRoss I listened to an episode about this on Stuff You Missed in History Class. I had no idea there was a new book about it. Thanks! It's now added to my ever growing TBR list! 7y
Nuwanda Thanks for posting this. I downloaded a sample based on the description. It sounds like it will be up my alley! 7y
BookNotes Whoa. 7y
67 likes28 stack adds4 comments
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passingfair
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I like you, book.

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passingfair
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This book has given me a newfound respect for cows.