Review by Ian Keogh

Lyndsay Grockle has only been working in the Lakeside Hotel for three weeks when the remainder of the staff are unusually keen to vacate, leaving her in sole charge of a forthcoming weekend event. She’s just split with her boyfriend who saw her as too rational and unable to accept anything that’s not grounded, but that’s put to the test when the convention guests begin to arrive. As seen on the sample art, they’re anything but rational, yet Lyndsay’s mind redefines them as cosplayers. However, her commitment to reality takes a severe jolt when she’s awakened by the Beast of Bodmin Moor and informed the Loch Ness Monster is dead. The convention she’s staffing is for the world’s mysterious creatures.

It’s an intriguing concept from Paul Cornell, placing Lyndsay into the role of detective as the only irrefutably innocent being in the hotel. Cornell finds a way to incorporate multiple mythical creatures, and Lyndsay’s job is made more difficult by few of those creatures having human vulnerabilities, and quite a few more able to change their shape. They’re all well designed by Rachael Smith, some as goofy looking and others humanoid versions of familiar animals. As Cornell’s plot is as much comedy as whodunnit mystery the simple, funny designs work well.

Cornell pastiches standard genre scenes, such as interviews with suspects, and supplies the Beast of Bodmin as a willing informant on the capabilities and foibles of his mythical colleagues. These are well exploited, especially a visit to the Underworld, the three-headed dog guardian Cerberus conveniently distracted by a squeaky toy.

Light-hearted and charming, the progression of Lyndsay coming to terms with herself changing and the succession of comedy scenes makes for a lot of fun from start to finish.