Tucson, Arizona, fantasy artist Jessica Feinberg’s little “guide to hybrid creatures” is a visual delight. Each of the over five dozen beings—mostly hybrids of dragons with one or more other life forms—is beautifully and dramatically rendered in vibrant watercolors. OK, maybe the illustrations don’t quite live up to the standards of a John James Audubon, but I doubt that was ever the artist’s intent!
And I don’t care.
Each painting is accompanied by a brief note on the creature’s composition, history, habitat, preferred diet, size, and level of danger to curious humans. Good things to know, should you wish to have one as a pet—or avoid them. The habitat information is especially valuable since, while some live in the usual locations—remote caves, deserts, or forests—and some in deep lakes, rivers, or seas, some hang out in more accessible locations. One is particularly dangerous to readers. The Library Sphinx, lurks in—you guessed it—libraries, although fortunately only in occult and mystical ones. Your favorite public library is probably sphinx-free (but be careful in the rare books section).
Who knew there were so many such hybrids? We can thank Feinberg for revealing them. A must-read for any would-be dragon-rider or -hunter.
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