The easy complaint here is ... "Haven't I seen most of these monsters somewhere else before?" The answer is ... "Yes, but not like this!"

As always, Paizo hits it out of the park with their art direction and production value. The book is a visual stunner. Each illustration is familiar, but uniquely Pathfinder/Paizo. Information design is excellent, which is one of my major quibbles with other creature collections.

But what about game play? Isn't this just a collection of mildly changed stat blocks? Nope.

Like the Pathfinder RPG itself, each monster is reworked to fit the improved OGL d20 ruleset. Broken monsters get fixed and monster creation & advancement are greatly improved.

I am already looking forward to Bestiary 2!

This book is what helped me decide to subscribe. All the pictures are in color and invoke awe. I would recommend getting this.

The artwork is top notch for most of the book, with a few exceptions. It seems that in a few of the entries Paizo was cramped for space. I know it would have been pricier but it would've been nice if they devoted some more pages for some of the creatures. I still wish they had more stats for monster PCs as they did in the old 3.5 Monster Manual.

Regardless, the Bestiary is a great addition to the Pathfinder RPG. I was pleased with the final product.

What strikes me after flipping through the Beastiary...

1) I was hoping to see a few of the "monster races" portrayed in a playable format, without the extra racial Hit Dice and Paizo delivered! Want to play a ______ without the extra +1 ECL? You can. Paizo definitely balanced things, expanding options and playability in a unique and constructive way.

2) The art is, for the most part, top notch. Only a few monsters (Ankheg, Troll) left me wanting more. The majority of them were brilliantly drawn and colored. The Angels, Devils, and Genies really stood out!

3) The entire format is easy to use, with the pdf linked so that I can reference things quickly, at the table, when I need to. It's clear they aimed to simplify game play.

Good job Paizo!!

Wow, wow! I was speechless when I saw it, I was speechless as I was reading it.

The quality is great, the monsters are great, the writing is great. The appendixes organize monsters in with different types of characterizations. Best Bestiary ever. Wow!

Well worth the wait, the Pathfinder Bestiary is an incredible tome which scratches all of my deep-seated creature based needs. The illustrations are superlative. The proofreading rocks! (What can I say, I'm a pedant) And best of all, it's 100% PFRPG compatible.

With this, most of my favorite creatures are brought into this Brave New World of gaming. From the humble, yet deadly Goblin to the championing Solar every creature contained herein is given its due.

Bravo Paizo!