Last Ship Home [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Rodney Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2000

His artwork has graced the timeless novels of Jules Verne (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), H.G. Wells (War of the Worlds), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Lost World), J.R.R. Tolkien (The Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings), and Frank Herbert (Dune). But whether he's illustrating a children's classic like Alice in Wonderland, a magazine, an album sleeve, or a poster, Rodney Matthews' images explode with fantasy and even joy. Few dark visions appear here; instead there are color, movement, and a host of eccentric, whimsical, and personality-filled figures to please the eye. The richly detailed paintings and preliminary sketches gathered here include The Hop, featuring an irresistible group of jazzy musical insects; the subtly glowing book cover for C.S. Lewis's The Silver Chair; and the fanciful, slightly disturbing The Spud Snuzzler--which pictures a bizarre creature who shoots high-velocity potatoes through his trumpetlike nose. 136 pages (all in color), 10 3/4 x 11. REISSUE

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Sterling; illustrated edition edition (June 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1850280959
• ISBN-13: 978-1850280958
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 10.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #568,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Illustrative Book, November 2, 2006

By 

Suvit Singhsachakul "Science Fiction Enthusiast" (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Ship Home (Paperback)

The first time I was introduced to the art of Rodney Matthew's was in 1994 with the book, "Last Ship Home". It didn't take long for me to rush and pick up "In Search of Forever", "Countdown to Millennium", his portfolio collections and a host of other books featuring him!

What becomes apparent upon "feasting" our eyes on his captivating illustrations is the creative genius behind them. The surreal and fantasy-like nuances that he infuses the most mundane objects with transport us into a magical realm. Here, common animals are inspiration for exotic beasts (a 4 winged eagle, a 4 eyed elephant or even a saxophone toting grasshopper!) and classic fantasy novel settings ("Alice in Wonderland", "Middle Earth" or "Camelot") are imbued with epic breathtaking qualities that invite you to go on an adventure as you flip through the pages. His employment of color is superb and the level of intricacy is simply mind boggling.

Rodney Matthews has done for the art world what Peter Packson's "Lord of The Rings" did for Hollywood; to bring the fantasy genre into the forefront of people's minds, young and adult alike. He, along with a select few panel of artists (Patrick Woodroffe, Boris Vallejo, etc.) form the core of the movement to bring the psychadellic inspirations of the 70's into the 21st century's mainstream creative consciousness.

If you are someone who likes all things fantasy-related, this book is definitely a keeper. When I feel bored and uninspired, I just have to open one of his books and feel immediately transported away into another world! My wish is for him to collaborate with J.K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series sometime in the near future; that would be the day!

5 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is exceptional, November 21, 1999

By 

Erik Owen (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Ship Home (Paperback)

I bought this book a long time ago. I have yet to tire from it. Rodney Matthews is one of the best Fantasy artists around, and has also done work for musicians as well as magazenes and books. The work this book hold vary from people like Sir Arthur Conan Doile, H.G. Wells, J.R.R. Tolken, and many many more. It's too bad it's out of print, or I would recomend it to anyone vaguly intrested in Fantasy art.