Customer Reviews

Sirens: The Second Book of Illustrations by Chris Achilleos

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My favorite collection of Chris Achilleos' work borrows the title from the painting on the cover titled "A siren's remorse". This image of a siren (mythological creature similar to a mermaid that uses it's voice to lure sailors to their death) cradling the bloated body of dead sailor depicts the agony and frustration of this beautiful creature as it struggles to fight back the tears. This book depicts fantastic struggles and quiet moments of beauty with such artistry and flair, that it leaves the viewer spellbound. I heartily recommend it.

"[Achilleos] was suspicious of Fine Art from the beginning, and still is." I can appreciate that. As an illustrator rather than artist (or Artiste), Achilleos is free to tell an exciting story, capture a dramatic moment, revel in a woman's bare beauty, or even get a little silly - sometimes all at once. These works, largely from the late 70s and early 80s, present a variety of Achilleos's commissions and portfolio pieces, along with comments that narrate his life during this time.

It's wonderful and varied work, including Star Trek, Dr. Who, Bladerunner, and other well-known cultural icons. The best work melds Achilleos's strong pinup style with fantasy and science fiction elements, in varying proportions. I was especially interested in Achilleos's notes on technique. He trained as a commercial illustrator with deadlines to meet, so feels free to use anything that does the job and does it on time: gouache, oils, airbrush, ink, even fabric dye. Well, a picture done for reproduction has different goals that one meant as an end product in itself - if it looks good in print, it must have been right.

Although Achilleos might not be well known to most people, he commands respect within the world of fantasy imagery. A glowing intro by Ray Harryhausen compares Achilleos to Boris and Frazetta - I might not elevate Achilleos to those ranks, but his art is easy to enjoy anyway. This book fits comfortably into any collection of fantasy art.

-- wiredweird

I have a few favorite artists who do amazing illustrations and Achilleos is one of them.

This book is a huge collection, most of beautiful women, and its their costumes and surroundings that make them exotic. Achilleos is one of those kind and fatastic people who inspire other people do follow up with their art. I have written him a fan letter and he personally wrote back. It makes it so much more wonderful to appreciate his art when he is so warm and gracious.

This album covers many genres and interests. There are dragons, warriors, horses, mermaids, zombies, superheros, lizards, animals, robots, evil creatures and just about everything else you can think of, captured on a glossy page.

This book gives me tons of pleasure simply by sitting on my shelf. I know I have a piece of his art, and at hands reach I am transported to his insanely beautiful world.

Tremendous collectible for ANYONE!

From a past master of fantasy we turn our attentions to one of the modern masters, Chris Achilleos. Originally published in 1986, Sirens is back in print courtesy of Titan Books and features 128 pages in full-color. Achilleos has produced work for many different venues over the years from covers to books and gaming materials to film posters and album covers.
As the title suggests, Sirens includes many examples of Achilleos' ladies, including Miss America, Birth of a Vampire, and the warrior-queen Boadicea. It was Achilleos' who provided the legendary painting of Taarna for the animated film, Heavy Metal. He also did posters for Grease Two, Supergirl, and Blade Runner. He also is a noted pin-up artist and many examples of his sexy and erotic art are included as well.

I always like when an art collection book provides the medium in which the artist worked for each piece of art included and thankfully, Titan doesn't disappoint with details provided for each illustration. About the only negative I can find is that it would have been nice to include some revised and current info rather than a straight re-printing of Sirens, but it's still a great collection and great to have in print again.

Art books are always a challenge to both produce, and write about. Having produced a volume on Joe Sinnott, I am keenly aware of the fine line between bragging and biography, hopefully having biographed instead. Fine art books can either be a collection of standout art pieces with a little narrative, or more narrative, and less art. "Sirens" walks the fine line and is well balanced.

If you want insight into Mr Achilleos, there is insight. If you want to see the beautiful pieces of work that his pencil, pen and brush have created, there is that too. Many pieces stand out as you peruse the high quality production. This book highlights his science fiction/fantasy pieces with particular focus on Dr Who, and his Star Trek renditions (for me at least). There are many excellent Viking pieces too for the Norse art lover in all of us. He really shines, where his sister states he could not draw well at all, in his renditions of female figures. Boadicia adorns the cover spectacularly, while Elric completes the dust jacket. Inside, his commission pieces depict stunningly beautiful women in a variety of genres. Two of his pieces top my list as favourites, Miss America, and Cheyenne. Just so we are clear, the rest of the book is packed with amazing art no matter where you look.

Chapterwise, the book covers the following: A Biographical Introduction, Dr Who and Star Trek, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Amazons, film work, fighting fantasy and pin ups. The text by Nigel Suckling is intriguing, like a tour guide taking you through a montage of Achilleos artwork. Just to nitpick a little, Startrek, should be Star Trek.

Wander a while through the Imaginative worlds of Chris Achilleos, and marvel at the 2nd edition of Titan Books landmark presentation. Hold your applause.

Tim Lasiuta

What an artist, what work!! Really if you are into fantasy/sci-fi illustrations, this book is highly recommended.