Lorien Lost [Hardcover]

Michael King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1996

This magical "New Victorian" novel is the tale of a man with a curious gift: the ability to "step inside" paintings. Escaping from repressive 1870s London into a lush summer landscape, he meets a beautiful woman named Lorien. But when a gallery fire destroys the painting--and Milton learns a sculpture of Lorien exists in Devonshire--he sets out on a luminous journey to find it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in London of 1871, this beguiling if uneven debut, a parable on the dangers and powers of the artistic imagination, fuses fantasy and romance in a recreation of the style and spirit of Victorian adventure novels. Eccentric recluse Milton Radcliffe, an art collector gifted with the ability to step inside the world of his paintings, becomes obsessed with a portrait of Lorien, wife and model of the famous but publicity-shy artist Jonathan Larking. After a fire destroys his painting of Lorien, Milton launches an expedition to locate Larking's cottage hideaway in Devonshire, where a life-sized statue of Lorien is stashed away. In Milton's journey through Larking Land-both a protean realm of the imagination and a challenging concrete reality-the recluse-turned-adventurer is accompanied by Heather Feur-De-Lys, an opera soprano who knew Lorien as a little girl. Thulemander, a 14th-century Wessex cartographer, periodically materializes to taunt Milton, who encounters dragons, other bizarre creatures and apparitions on a quest that extends from Madam Tussaud's waxworks to a secret tunnel where he, Heather and a police inspector discover an enormous, serenely smiling head, the Golden Child. Although King, a California graphics designer, resorts to half-baked symbolism, dead-end subplots and two-dimensional characters, his yarn-charmingly illustrated with 50 Victorian engravings and ornamental designs-captivates with its imaginative vision and lyrical prose.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Eccentric Milton Radcliffe never strays far from his London home until the secret wing of his house, which contains his prized possession, a Jonathan Larkin painting of a woman named Lorien, burns to the ground. Possessing the surreal ability to become part of a painting, Milton often transports himself into Larkin land to be with Lorien. After the painting is destroyed, Milton is obsessed with finding a sculpture of her in Devonshire. His tour guide is Heather, an opera singer, who as a girl stayed with Larkin and Lorien in the country. Throughout his quest, a bedeviled Milton faces many imaginary demons and dragons and a ruthless knave who also is searching for the Lorien sculpture. First novelist King works diligently to create a 19th-century fantasy novel, lavishly illustrated with Victorian engravings. Unfortunately, the plot stumbles midway and leaves the reader longing for more substance. Recommended for larger collections only.
Mary Ellen Rutledge Elsbernd, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 195 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312143494
• ISBN-13: 978-0312143497
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,072,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the most beautiful novel I've ever read., November 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Lorien Lost (Hardcover)

If you ever read C.S. Lewis when you were a child, this is for you. If you ever wished that you could find a wardrobe and step inside and find yourself in Narnia, this is definitely for you. In my life of reading and exploring, I've never read a more exquisite and beautiful work; Michael King is to be commended and thanked for sharing his wonderful imagination with the rest of us. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Old Friendship Found in Lorien Lost, January 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Lorien Lost (Hardcover)

Michael and I were childhood friends and we were practically
inseperable from kindergarten up until junior high school.
Sadly, Mike moved away, and his life was no longer the
idyllic one that we shared as kids. I was most pleased to
receive a letter from him proclaiming the completion of
his first novel. I feel that in the trials of his life
he has really prevailed in finding his niche in writing.
It has been a long time since I have read a book imbued
with so much imagination and written with such a mastery
of the English language. As Mike describes it, it is the
perfect book to read on a rainy day with a cup of tea.
It's a book meant to be treasured for years and by
succeeding generations. I know how much pride and work
Mike has embedded in this novel and I give it my
highest recommendation to anyone wanting to escape from
reality with a good yarn.

4.0 out of 5 stars Original, August 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Lorien Lost (Hardcover)

This book is like a mix of "A Beautiful Mind," "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen," and "Alice in Wonderland." It's definitely original and creative. I just wish there'd been more physical description of the main characters.