Salem's Lot
Stephen King

The Moon is a Balloon David Niven

I have read some stonking true tales of survival in the face of insurmountable odds, but there is always a skeptical part of my brain that wonders if these accounts are true or somewhat embellished for the sake of entertainment and acclaim. I mean, if I crash a plane on a remote island and only get rescued months later will I really tell everyone that I landed in a grove filled with delicious tropical fruit, while a stream of fresh water flowed through it and a cozy cave was there to shelter me from the elements. Or will I write a tale about how I had to fashion my own toenails into a shiv in order to fend off the wild hyenas that stalked me every night while trying to grow potatoes on the only patch of dirt on the island that wasn't infested with poison ivy and killer bees? Call me cynical, but after discovering the truth behind a certain Mr Bear Grylls and his so called survival tactics, I'm a little less gullible when it comes to these matters.

I don't know if this is the type of answer that you are looking for, but The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia by Patrick Thorpe is an incredible book if you are a fan of this popular Nintendo franchise. It has got a ton of information about The Legend of Zelda franchise and a lot of it comes straight from the creators of the various games in the series. There is also a bunch of beautiful artwork and concept art in the book, so it is similar to Fantastic Beasts. It is not something for people who don't like the games, but I can't think of anyone who don't love these classics.

I only recently discovered that Mark Z. Danielewski, the guy who wrote House of Leaves appears to not have had that much luck afterwards. House of Leaves has rightfully gained quite a cult following amongst readers, but then he attempted something different with "The Familar." It was supposed to be a 27-volume serial novel, but Danielewski got up to volume 5 before his publisher pulled the plug on the project. Apparently there were not enough readers into these books to justify the continuation of the series. Someone who has actually read any of the books might be able to shed more information on why they were not that good, but personally I don't like starting on things before they are completed. This is also why I haven't read the Song of Ice and Fire series yet, although I did cave in and binge watched the entire television show after it concluded.