The Ology books and the impact they had on me

My favorite genre of books is something I like to call fantastical non-fiction. It's a term I use to describe books written in a style of an encyclopedia, a manual, a handbook or a research journal that cover topics which are (or could be) fictional. Works of authors like Stella Caldwell, Brian Fraud and Will Huygen enriched my childhood and have put me on the writing path I'm still on today. But no series I read quite so captured my imagination like The Ology series.

Whilst, I sadly , haven't read every book in the series (most haven't been translated into Croatian and aren't available here to begin with). I'll be reviewing the books in the series I read and will briefly talk about it's many planned and existing spin offs throught the course of this review.

Dragonology: The complete book of dragons (2003)

This was not only the start of the series, but it's also it's most popular title, having produced dozens of spin off handbooks, field guides, novels and even a few video games. It's presented in style of brief a field guide to dragon species around the world, from the winged ones of Europe to the serpentine ones of the East, to the oddities of Australia, Africa and the Americas. This one is a true exercise in imagination, giving scientific explanations for how dragons can fly and breathe fire, as well describing the complicated history between them and mankind. It's a great entry that establishes the formula of their books quite frequently, so much so that the figure of Dr. Ernest Drake, it's supposed atuhor, will pop up in other books in the series as a fun cameo.

This is one of the few I have read, but don't own, however, I do own the spin off book Dragonology; a field guide to dragons (2007), which is a guide to all of the species which inhabit the world of the first book, and remains the only Ology spin off translated into Croatian.

Egyptology: Search for the tomb of Osiris (2004)

Presented as a journal of one Emily Sands, a young Egyptologyst who, following a trail of the beliefs of ancient Egyptians, wants to uncover the reminents of the Egyptian gods, whom she believs were, at some point, humans who ruled over the land of Egypt. But other than the fascinating story and the breathtaking illustrations, the book is a quick, yet informative glance into the religion and practices of one of the greatest civilisations known to man, showing us the hows and the whys of the mummification process, the ancient Egyptian pantheon and their view of the afterlife.

This is yet another one I have read, but don't own. It's a fantastic read yet again. Whilst I love the first book for the variety of creature designs and species it presents, I love this one for it's captivating story of a young Egyptologyst searching for something that was thought to be a myth. The visuals are, once again, a striking view and the main draw in. If you're a fan of Egyptian culture and history, be sure to give this one a read.

PS: Sands' crew dissappear on January 5th, which is my birthday, so it makes that ending feel a tad bit more special.

Wizardology: The book of the secrets of Merlin (2005)

Finally, we reach one I actually do own, sadly in delapitated shape as I got it from a library giveaway, so a lot of the details which make these books quite special are missing.

This one is presented as a book that manifested from the oak tree Merlin was trapped into by his fey aquaintance Nim after he refused to make her his apprentice.

My earliest memories of it are of lending this one from the library numerous times as a child. I was quite a solid fan of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and their, at the time recent prequel series, Fantastic beasts and always wished to learn some real magic. This book served as an instruction manual for various spells, potions and rituals which could do everything from summoning the winds to earning the love of your crush. Whilst most of the book is, obviously, fictional, there is some geniuene information taken from real world folklore and history regarding the magical arts and their practitioners. They're accompanied by detailed, and often quite humorous, illustrations, a lot of which I wish were available as posters. I think my favorite part of the book might actually be the map showing various wizards and witches from all around the globe, where the shamans of Laponia are described as this universe's version of Santa Claus, appropriatley wimsy and charming as the rest of it is.

Pirateology: A pirate hunter's companion (2006)

Another one I both own and have read, with all of the neat little additional details which make these books famous.

Most kids like pirates, and everyone has a book, movie or a tv show that made these soldiers of the seas cool in their eyes. For some it was J. M. Barry's Peter Pan or any of it's numerous adaptations, for some it was the Pirates of the Carribean franchise, for others it was Robert Louis Stephenson's Treasure island. Whilst I was familiar with all of the afframentioned books and movies, this book is what made pirates interesting to me. Whilst some of it's aspects are clearly overly simplyfied and fictionalized (like the whole X marks the spot myth perpetuated by modern day children's pirate fiction). This book's visuals are probably the most grounded. Now, let's be honest here, that doesn't make them any less stunning. As with Wizardology I really wish I could hang some on the wall as posters.

It's an action packed and exciting journal of William Lubber, a captain of the ship The Sea Cat, who sailed the seven seas attempting to track down and bring to justice the vicious female pirate Arabella Drummond, getting into all sorts of violent brawls and tropical exploits across all seven seas. This is a really fun book if you're interested in naval history of 1700's and whilst it isn't entirely factually accurate, it's a pretty adrenaline inducing read nonetheless, guaranteed to interest pirate fans everywhere. It also features some brief clever nods to previous books in the series, bringing a smile to the face to any and all long-time fans.

Mythology: Greek gods, heroes and monsters (2007)

And we're back to books in the series I have read, but don't own.

This book started doing something which was a little unique for the series. The main book itself was an eductional account/field guide to the topic, however, supplementary material was added which told a story about a protagonist who recieved a copy of the said book in-universe. It makes the book twice as exiting as an interesting narrative is formed, tying into itself the information presented to us in the real book.

In this case the book itself is an illustrated guide through gods, heroes and monsters of Greek mythology, from the almighty Zeus to the creeping gorgons, with a plethora of fun retellings of famous myths with fun twists the series is known for. The side story recored on it's margins, however, is a cautionary tale of an archeologist who recieved a copy from the book's in-universe author Lady Hestia Ewans to serve as a field guide on his voyage through Greece collecting artifacts for a newly established archeological museum. He's driven mad with suspicion and indeed starts to believe in the stories of Greek mythology, ending in a tragic manner.

If you're fascinated by archeology, Greek history, culture and mythology, this book will certainly provide some neat insights into these topics. It's not a particularly detaild read, but as someone who reads everything and anything mythology related, I was ok with information provided, and even learned some new things upon first reading them. It reminded me quite a lot of Egyptology, with it's combination of supernatural, mythologycal and historical educational elements, tied together with a narrative story.

Monsterology: The complete book of monstrous/fabolous beasts (2008)

This was actually the very first book from the series I owned (and still do), having bought a copy on the library giveaway some years back (along with Wizardology).

This book immediatley ditches the whole field guide with an overarching tie-in plot in the background element, but it brings back something else. We see a return of Dr. Ernest Drake from the world of Dragonology, now introducing us to the world of non-draconic supernatural creatures. From the unicorns of Arabia to Cockatrices of England this book is a real gem for anyone who was a fan of the first book's more field guide-esque format, as well as mythology nerds like myself. It was, in my opinion, the most visually spectacular and diverse book in the series and a true treasury to me as a monster lover. The book also introduces a concept of more humanoid monsters like vampires, werewolves and zombies, which will recieve their own expanded mythos as the series continues. I'm not sure if it was planned or not, however, it did bring a smile to my face.

It's also the first book in the series to feature photographs, albeit very briefly, however, it's quite a neat aspect.

Oceanology: A true account of the voyage of the Nautilus (2009)

Yet anotherone I have both read and still own.

One of my favorite books growing up was Jules Verne's 20 000 leagues under the sea. It's a wonderful piece of science fiction literature and a timeless classic which resulted in many adaptations across all mediums, from movies to TV to comics.

This book takes the novel's concept and throughly expands on it with additional details (both story wise, but also scientific ones, for example marine biology and geology). It's presented as a journal of proffesor Arronax's student Zotticus De Lesspes (a stand-in for the original novel's servant character of Conseil) detailing remarkable discoveries they make about the mysterious world below the ocean's surface. It includes characters and story beats from the novel with some added new ones to keep new readers hooked. For someone who has read the novel though, this won't offer up anything new.

This was the case for me, however, the striking illustrations and the always fun additional inserts (like the antique golden coin from a sunken French ship or a dice made from whale bone) more than make up for it.

If you're a fan of the Jules Verne classic or have even the slightest hint of interest regarding the ocean and it's inhabitants, you will certainly be a fan of this read.

Vampireology: The true history of the Fallen (2010)

I only aquiered a copy of this one two years ago. Why you might ask? Well, for a good long while, my mom was not a fan of me enjoying anything related to werewolves, zombies and vampires. Her justification was that they glorified death and murder. And as a young lad I obliged, having no other choice in the matter. However, I would still secretly read it in the halls of the library which owned a copy up until they put it on their giveaway list (and of course she didn't allow me to buy it).

It wasn't until her ban was finally lifted and several more years passed that I was allowed to buy a copy on Interliber (basically the Croatian equivalent of Comic-Con, but for books and publishing companies).

This book returns to the format started by Mythology, with the main book being a textbook and it having an additional story, this time presented in the form of letters and journal entries.

We follow private investigator Joshua T. Kraik, as he recievs a case from his good friend Archibald Brooks who went missing and is presumed dead. However, Kraik finds out that his friend's dissappearence might have something to do with the demonic bloodsuckers described on the pages, and now he must take on his role as a vampire/demon hunter known as The Protector, all the while being messaged by a mysterious woman named Magdalena who he feels supernaturaly drawn to.

This book has all of the hallmarks that make this series so great. Beautiful and alluring artwork brimming with mystique (probably my favorite pieces in the entire series), a captivating narrative and impressive worldbuilding. It's also the one of the few times the series ventured into horror, which is a genre I believe they should have come back to more often.

Overall this is one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, book in the whole series, and is certainly the one I come back to most often. If you're a fan of vampires, then this is certainly a must read for you.

Alienology: The complete book of extraterrestrials (2010)

This was actually the very first book in the series I got. At the time I was quite a scifi nerd, so when I saw this in a bookstore I absolutely flipped.

The book harkens back to the good old days of Dragonology and Monsterology, being a guidebook through various alien species and planets, from peaceful explorers to monstrous conquerers, and serving as the field guide/textbook for the operatives of S.P.A.C.E. (Society for the Promotion of Alien Contact with Earth), or, as I like to call them, the MIB of the Ology universe.

This is probably the most colorful and visually diverse book in the series, however, it can certainly come off as a little too cartoony and childish in my opinion. However, that certainly doesn't detract from it's charm, as it still builds up some great worldbuilding (which feels like something invented by Ancient Aliens' Giorgio Tsukalos, a.k.a. the Aliens meme guy) and provides information about well known real-life alien encounters (often with a humorous backing).

Overall, this isn't my favorite book in the series, but I cherish it quite a lot, since it led to to the creation of one of my earliest written stories, and it's one of the most creative ones so far. Also, it's pretty cool to see the whole bestiary/field-guide format return once more.

Illusionology: The secret science of magic (2012)

Illusions are one off my biggest passions and I never miss an opportunity to wow people with my skill. Or lack there off. And this book is exactly the reason why.

This book is a great look into the wonderfully complex, and yet at the same time simple, world of optical illusions and stage magic, from ancient Egypt to the escape artistry of Harry Houdini. It's also probably the most practical book out of all of them, as it includes several tricks you can pull off yourself and impress your friends (or crushes, like I tried). It's topped off by yet another narrative, this time the mysterious tale of one Albert Schaffer, an illusionist who, keeping in trends with the latest scientific advancements, decided to produce geniuene magic which can't be debunked or explained and paid a horrid price for it. At the same time it's again, stunningly illustrated, with probably my second favorite pieces in the whole series after Vampireology.

If you have even a passing interest in the arts of stage magic, this one will certainly knock your socks off and make them dissappear.

Now there were books in the series I (sadly) haven't read, these include: Spyology: The complete book of spycraft (2008)

Dinosaurology: The search for the Lost World (2013) Dungeonology: an official D&D tie-in (2016) Knightology: A true account of the most valiant knights (2017)

Ghostology: A true revelation of spirits, ghouls and hauntings (2020)

I really hope I'm gonna be able to get my hands on them some day.

Now, this series didn't end there. There is a pretty sizeable amount of spin offs, incuding tie-in novels and video games, however, the most notable in my opinion, are the other tie-in books:

The Handbook series:

The Dragonology Handbook: A practical course in dragons

The Egyptology Handbook: A course in the wonders of Egypt

The Wizardology Handbok: A course for apprentices

Captain William Lubber's Pirateology Handbook

The Pirateology Handbook: A course in pirate hunting

The Mythology Handbook

The Monsterology Handbook: A practical course in monsters

The Oceanology Handbook: A course for underwater explorers

The Code-Writing kit duology

An Egyptologyst's code-writing kit

A Wizard's code-writing kit

The Guides duology

Dragonology: A field guide to dragons

Wizardology: A guide to wizards of the world

Working with duology

Working with Dragons: A course in Dragonology

Working with monsters

Additional books that don't belong under any of the afframentioned taglines:

Drake's comprehensive compendium of Dragonology

A pirate's guide and a model ship

Dr. Ernest Drake's Collector's library

Sadly these spin offs didn't find nearly as much succes with the book market as the main series did, so Templar Publishing very quickly stopped putting them out.

Adaptations

As with any succesful property, adaptations were bound to happen.

Dragonology was the only book in the series to recieve any tie-in novel adaptations. I assume plans for future adaptations

A few of the books were adapted into video games and board games, however, neither format found succes and was heavily criticscized for being unplayable and not being entertaining.

A few toylines were released, however, the sales didn't pull in big numbers.

A lot of film adaptations, both animated and live-action, were planned by several studios and directors in mind, however, all of the concepts never made it pass the proposition stage. The last known news of the project were that Paramount is planning a shared cinematic universe take (which doesn't feel too unnatural, given that this is the case with the actual books themselves) with Akiva Goldsman attached as producer. Sadly that project seems to be very much dead or atleast stuck in development Tartarus as there had been no news about it ever since.

All and all, it looks like this colorful world will stay on the pages providing escape into a world of endless possibilites for readers of all ages everywhere.

Do I reccomend them?

Absolutely!!! If you're a writer or an artist and are looking fore some great pieces of inspiration look no further than these books. If you're an average reader they open a portal into the endless world of childhood whimsy and adventure that makes the adults and the children equally happy with the outcomes. If you haven't read any of them, just do it, you won't regret it.