I need to state right off the bat that I do not DM, nor would I ever DM, steampunk--and that's only because I don't think I could ever do that genre justice. With this suppliment (and Privateer Press' other fantastic high-fantasy/steampunk setting material) I think that I could.

As with many hardback d20 releases, this suppliment is designed with the look of a book or tome, displaying hinges on the side in addition to nuts, bolts, rust, and claw marks. The cover also features an excellent depiction of a skeleton-type creature bursting from the cover, complete with hinged mouth, metal eye-piece, and gauntleted arm.

The inside of this book has a layout out much like an ancient tome, complete with stained pages, curled corners, wear-and-tear on the edges, intricate border designs, and script-like handwriting. None of the frills detract or take away from usuablity or ease of reading. The pages are layed out concisly, with wide margins and small print.

Most of the Monsternomicon is devoted to monsters; close to a hundred beasts are detailed in Monster Manual format, with some interesting additions. Each creature recieves at least a two-page spread, with a bit more space devoted to some, and is accompanied by fantastic ink drawings of the creature in different positions. In fact, most creatures have not one, but TWO illistrations. Not only that, but probably the book's BEST feature is the silhoutte size comparison between the beast in question and an average human at the top of each entry.

In place of generic descriptions, each entry is introduced with an anecdote by Professor Viktor Pendrake, Adventuring Scholar--an NPC from the Iron Kingdoms Campaign Setting.

After the description and combat sections, each entry features a "Legends & Lore" section offering knowledge in various catergories, as well as a "Treasure" section that shows what type of booty each creature relinquishes upon defeating it. Most of the treasure is related to it's body parts, hair, blood, and innards, and how much those objects are worth to the right buyer. This feature is really only helpfull to parties that often sell body parts or use body parts for spell components. It would have been nice for them to include the standard treasure format from the Monster Manual, but this is a small complaint as I do not use the Dungeon Master's Guide treasure tables! In addition, there is a "Hooks" section that give one or two adventure hooks designed to introduce PCs to the monster.

Most of the monsters are standard fair, with a few exotics thrown in for good measure. You will find a very good balance between different types of creatures (undead, beasts, humaoids, etc). Most of the monsters are interesting and well-thought-out, but a few are too setting specific to be of use without a little work. A lot of them combine steampunk with flesh, creating a unique monster for settings that feature technology. However, some monster's special abilities may not mesh well with strictly fantasy settings. Again--a small complaint compared to the amount of quality monsters presented.

The passages by the Professor Viktor Pendrake were interesting, but I after a while, I just ignored them. After all, you can only have your assistant slaughtered so many times before it becomes trite and boring. The hooks were also pretty dull and not as varied as I had hoped. They consisted mostly of, "This monster has something I need, you must get it, and I'll pay you." This, to me, is about as interesting as, "You all meet in a tavern."

All Challange Ratings are represnted, though I am disapointed that there is no index catergorizing the creatures by CR. As an example, if you want a CR 15 creature, you have to do quite a bit of seraching. I'm also a little bothered by the lack of providing a list of creatures by subtype. These are features that were most likley overlooked, and it would be a good idea to include them in future publications.

The Monsternomicon also includes almost 40 pages of "extras," from 3 unique prestige classes to new feats, skills, and new uses for old skills. It also includes a new idea called a "Quickplate"--a faster version of templates for DMs who need a templated creature in a hurry. I used this for the last game I DMed, and I must say it was great for my style of DMing--a DM on the go. Lastly, the book wraps up with some new takes on old PC races and few new PC races for your players to tackle.

The rules within this book are sound with only a few "oddities". The great thing is, the only problems with any rules in the book are ALREADY covered by errata on the Privateer Press website. Errata does not bother in the least, as long as the company has a quick turnaround, and Privateer Press fits that bill perfectly.

Although this book suppliments their Iron Kingdoms Campaign Setting, a world of steampunk and magic, don't let that stop you from picking up this fantastic book. It is full of wonderful monster ideas, campaign hooks, and it's usuability for any campaign setting is outstanding. In fact, my players may get a few suprises from this outstanding tome. I strongly recommend this book for any DM who loves unique monsters, great artwork, and of course, those great silhouttes!