These events marked a turning point in the scientific understanding of the giant squid's life history and biology, which Ellis himself discussed in a TV interview, commenting: "now my book is a little obsolete".

[2] The book consists of ten chapters covering the biology, mythology and history of the giant squid, as well as popular culture depictions and notable models thereof.

[24] Clyde Roper, considered the world's foremost expert on Architeuthis at the time, commented:[25] Ellis [has] the freedom and luxury to dredge into the depths of mythology, fantasy, fiction, and undocumented 'eyewitness' accounts, as well as into the scientific literature, itself not entirely free from imagination.

[25] While giving an overall positive appraisal, Michael Dirda, writing for The Washington Post, commented that "Ellis's easygoing prose suffers from needless repetitions [...] The Search for the Giant Squid could have been more tightly edited and [...] just a bit flashier".

[18] But he concluded that "Ellis is fun to read, knowledgeable and enthusiastic" and praised Lyons Press for producing "a beautiful book, starting with its striking dust jacket (the author's own painting of a reddish giant squid with an enormous staring eye) and continuing with generous margins, thick paper and lots of drawings and photographs".

[16] In a review for Whole Earth magazine, Jaron Lanier wrote: "Richard Ellis has written the definitive giant squid book, achieving a superb blend of scientific reporting and cultural history.

[16] Neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks likewise thought that Ellis had done a "splendid job bringing together virtually every known account (mythical, fictional, and factual), and producing a narrative at once gripping and meticulously balanced".

[25] David K. Bulloch, author of Underwater Naturalist and The Wasted Ocean, wrote: "Ellis has assembled a potpourri of ancient myth, rare sightings, and occasional bodily remains into a mosaic on Architeuthis, the Kraken, cryptic squids of the abyssal depths".