The Morning Star [Hardcover]

Book Description

Artist and fabulist Bantock concludes the cosmic romance of his internationally adored creations, Griffin and Sabine, and their young disciples, Matthew and Isabella, in the final installment in a series that includes The Gryphon (2001) and Alexandria (2002). Elevating his exquisite and unique form of illustrated epistolary novels (beware: as before, some letters are not bound into the book) to new heights, Bantock's art has never been finer, the sweet sensuality has never been more poetic, and the drama of their spiritual mission has never been so exalted. As Griffin and Sabine encourage the intrepid Isabella on her urgent and risky journey from France to Egypt and instruct Matthew in ways to subvert the dark force that stalks him, Bantock orchestrates a fantastic battle between good and evil. Sabine writes that Matthew and Isabella are part of "an elite of the sensitive, the considerate and the tenacious" engaged in a "struggle against cruelty and unrelenting chaos," and, at the very least, best-selling Bantock's dreamy creations do good by adding beauty to the world.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Raincoast Books; First CDN Edition edition
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551926210
• ISBN-13: 978-1551926216
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The End?, October 12, 2003

By 

Michael Mapa (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated (Hardcover)

This book (and the second trilogy, for that matter) is neither as visually arresting nor as emotionally involving as the first one. Of course, it could be that the novelty of the gimmick (reading someone else's mail) is wearing off, but I think it is also because Matthew and Isabella are simply not as interesting as Griffin and Sabine. As for the art, it's still lavish, but it lacks the sort of dream-/nightmare-like quality that made the first series so compelling. In other words, there doesn't seem to be much spirit in this series.

And unless Nick Bantock has plans of coming up with a 3rd trilogy, I'm afraid the question will linger in my mind is: "What was THAT all about?" I wish he'd stopped at The Golden Mean--at least there were so many interesting theories about the series at that point (my personal favorite is that Sabine was a malevolent force that drove Griffin to madness). But now, there are no good theories.

Hardcore fans of Bantock's art will no doubt enjoy this series. But those hoping for a story worthy of the first series may be disappointed, as I was.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The un-story, May 17, 2004

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated (Hardcover)

Frankly, I'm disappointed. The original Griffin and Sabine series had a wonderful spark of originality. This series is just too derivative.

I wanted to like this new trilogy. I like Bantock's art. There is so much in each picture that I can barely pull myself away for the text. I like the new plot elements that Bantock introduced. The cat with a name, Isabella's roar - these could have been rich new elements in the G&S mythology. They never went anywhere though, and left us re-reading the G&S story in somewhat different words.

If you're new to Bantock, the first G&S trilogy is your best bet. It's fresh, mysterious, and exciting. I just wish that this series could have deepened the mystery or sustained the excitement.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Illuminated?? I'm still in the dark..., July 12, 2004

By 

Mike (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated (Hardcover)

...either that or Bantock just forgot to hit the light switch. I must admit, despite the enigmatic characters, intriguing plot twists and refreshingly exotic artwork I've come to love from this series, what I was really holding my breath for with this final installment was clarification. Alas, it didn't deliver.

I have no gripes with the story, or the whole second series for that matter, up until the final two postcards. After six books and twelve years, did Bantock just write himself into a trap? Could it be that he lost direction in the end and saw no way out but to flash-cook up a conclusion in the guise of another puzzle for us to figure out? I doubt it, but I can't help feeling shortchanged. What exactly was Frolatti, and why was he so intent on keeping Griffin and Sabine subdued (wherever the heck they were)? After so much time, why was Matthew and Isabella's reunion so vague?

I love cliffhangers as much as the next person, but not when there's nothing more to look forward to. Disappointing.