Matt Kaplan employs an entertaining mix of research and a love of lore to explore the history behind monsters and our hardwired obsession with things that go bump in the night. Ranging across history, Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite tackles the enduring questions that arise on the frontier between fantasy and reality. What caused ancient Minoans to create the tale of the Minotaur and its subterranean maze? Did dragons really exist? What inspired the creation of vampires and werewolves, and why are we so drawn to them? Does the legendary Kraken, a squid of epic proportions, really roam the deep? Are we close to making Jurassic Park a reality by replicating a dinosaur from fossilized DNA? As our fears evolve, so do our monsters, and Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite charts the rise of the ultimate beasts, humans themselves.

Giant animals: Nemean lion, Calydonian boar, Rukh, King Kong -- Beastly blends: chimera, griffon, cockatrice, Sphinx -- It came from the earth: Minotaur, Medusa -- The mysterious fathoms: Charybdis, Leviathan, giant squid, Jaws -- Of flame and claw: dragons -- Hauntings: demons, ghosts, spirits -- Cursed by a bite: vampires, zombies, werewolves -- The created: The Golem, Frankenstein, HAL 9000, Terminator -- Terror resurrected: dinosaurs -- Extraterrestrial threat: aliens.