From Powells.com
Nick Bantock spent over 100 weeks on the bestseller list with the original Griffin and Sabine trilogy, a captivating and heartfelt correspondence between two unusual souls. The enormous popularity of this epistolary series is easy to fathom. Dazzling and haunting illustrations by Bancock adorn postcards, envelopes and letters (encased in the envelopes to take out and peruse) and propel a tale that is as otherworldly as it is romantic. Along with the beautiful and haunting story, readers return repeatedly to the baroque, sumptuous, and cryptic illustrations which contain clues to the character's fates.
Bantock began his second trilogy with The Gryphon, by introducing readers to a pair of separated lovers, Matthew and Isabella, whose affecting letters and long-distance love affair parallels that of Griffin and Sabine. Like the first trilogy, mystery and intrigue abound, and as the pair's adventure intensifies they are guided by the sage and enigmatic voices of Griffin and Sabine themselves. Alexandria follows The Gryphon and expands upon Matthew and Isabella's bewitching puzzle. By the end of Alexandria readers will be desperate to possess the final installment, The Morning Star. Bantock's second trio is as satisfying as the much-loved first a gorgeous and unique series that compels much rereading and examination.
Veronica, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Griffin & Sabine, Sabine's Notebook, and
The Golden Mean have sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and spent over 100 weeks on
The New York Times best-seller list. At long last, Nick Bantock brings us a new volume in the Griffin and Sabine story.
The Gryphon is a tale rich in the artistry, mystery, and surprise that make the original saga so beloved. Although readers will be drawn into the book without ever having read the trilogy, The Gryphon begins to answer the question that fans have been waiting eight years to answer: "What happened to Griffin and Sabine?" As their remarkable fates are gradually revealed, we are introduced to Matthew and Isabella, long-distance lovers who find themselves entwined not only in each other's lives, but also in a perilous and alluring intrigue. The drama literally unfolds from postcard to richly decorated postcard and as provocative letters are pulled from real envelopes.
The Gryphon features stunning new imagery, offering glimpses of mythic dreamscapes and surreal creatures as only Nick Bantock could have imagined. For those meeting Griffin and Sabine for the first time, here's an introduction that will have them yearning to explore the earlier volumes. And for those who have already entered the enchanting world of Griffin and Sabine, The Gryphon is a delightful rediscovery of a truly extraordinary correspondence.
Review
"Through a series of postcards and letters, the four characters communicate across oceans and realms to describe a world of beauty, fantasy, love, and mystery. Bantock's drawings, collages, and paintings are captivating and original, depicting the places and events that the characters write about and re-creating the haunting visions that plague Isabelle. The letters and notes, many of which are removable, will give readers the sense that they are experiencing the story with the characters..." Library Journal
Review
"Extremely original...classical myth, reality, and fantasy are blended artfully in this modern allegory." Los Angeles Times
Synopsis
A new volume in the Griffith and Sabine story, this is a tale rich in the artistry, mystery, and surprise that made the original saga so beloved. Illustrations.
About the Author
Nick Bantock was born in England and now lives with his wife and four children on an island off Vancouver. He is the author/ illustrator of the best-selling There Was an Old Lady and is currently working on several other illustrated books. He first got the idea for Griffin & Sabine while jealously watching his island neighbors gather at their mailboxes and pull out thick letters covered with foreign stamps. He now receives elaborately decorated mail every day.