20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A journey deeper into Dinotopia, January 22, 2008
This review is from: Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (Hardcover)
Journey to Chandara is, in my opinion, the best Dinotopia book written so far. It maintains the journalistic feeling of the first two books (A Land Apart From Time and World Beneath) while exploring new territory and characters. We travel to new cities, such as Bilgewater (built entirely out of ships), the nomadic Jorotongo, Thermana (mentioned, but not visited before), and the extremely exotic Chandara.
We get new characters to intrigue us, such as the Liners and Spotters of Sauropolis and their eternal debate on life. The emperor of Chandara is quite a surprise too; he's certainly not what you would expect!
One of the best things about Journey to Chandara is that James Gurney allowed fans to help. Fans were allowed to compile a list of cities and their locations, and their information was added to the updated map. Fans from the Official Message Board who visited James Gurney are also painted throughout the book.
The art is as astounding as ever. The Hudson River Valley School art style has certainly crept into many of Jim's paintings (Bilgewater, Ruhmsburg, and other landscapes), as well as some distinct Norman Rockwell (mostly in Jorotongo). Many of the paintings are near photorealistic while others maintain the National Geographic diagram style that has worked so well for Gurney.
My one problem with the book was the pacing. I sometimes felt that characters and places were introduced and left too quickly. True, this is what would happen on a journey across the island, but I wanted to stay with the characters longer and explore their cities just a little bit more.
All in all, this book is a great addition to the saga of Arthur Denison in his explorations of the island. I would highly recommend this book to anyone of any age.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very good addition to the Dinotopia family, October 12, 2007
This review is from: Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (Hardcover)
Richly illustrated (one of the reasons I grabbed the book) and continues the theme of Arthur Denisons "found journals". Having grabbed the original Dinotopia and First flight, decided I wanted to add this to my collection.
Id give it 5 stars, except there seems to be the occasional odd "jump" in the narration, where I felt a bit left behind. Only happened in two spots though.
Overall, the rich images,some nearly photo standard, really carry the book, with the text linking it all together. Another visual treat from the imagination of James Gurney, I would recommend it for childeren from about 6 years old to those of us who have kept the child within us (no matter how old you actually are!). I intend to keep these copies not only for my children, but hopefully for their children also.
Highly recommended
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!!, October 19, 2007
This review is from: Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (Hardcover)
I've followed James Gurney's career throughout my own (Matt Gaser) and each book he creates just keeps getting better. The details in every illustration take you to a magical place. For me it's inspiring to dive into his books travel into the mind of Gurney through the world of Dinotopia and then sketch/paint and create worlds of my own. A wonderful addition for any one period. Looking forward to his next project???
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No