Sunday, January 2, 2011

Combining Art with Story: Books by Nick Bantock

Recently, I re-read my copies of the Griffin and Sabine trilogy by Nick Bantock. The trilogy includes Griffin and Sabine, Sabine's Notebook and The Golden Mean. A mysterious woman named Sabine writes a letter to British artist Griffin, and the two continue to exchange letters and postcards. As the story continues, it becomes clear that Sabine and Griffin are both in danger from outside forces. They arrange to meet, but are unsuccessful the first time. Eventually, they unravel the mystery of why they keep missing each other. They do meet at the end...and the story continues with a second "trilogy": The Gryphon, Alexandria and The Morning Star.

I love the mystery, the intrigue and the characters...you definitely sympathize with Griffin and Sabine as their situation becomes desperate. Two lovers, perhaps fated never to meet, unless they take a great risk. In the second trilogy, archeologist Matthew Sedon and his beloved Isabelle de Rheims deal with the forces of darkness with Griffin and Sabine's help. The tension builds until the very end of the second trilogy. Will both couples be successful?

Mr. Bantock illustrates all six books with beautiful drawings and paintings, and includes actual envelopes with letters in them. It's a thrill to pull out a smooth piece of paper and read the writing on it. In this age of e-mails, instant messaging, Skype and Twitter, receiving a letter through the post becomes a welcome treat. The correspondence reveals the personality of each letter writer as they tell their stories. The detail of each piece of mail is amazing, down to the postage and the cancellation stamps!

Other books by the same author: The Forgetting Room, The Venetian's Wife, The Artful Dodger, The Egyptian Jukebox and The Museum at Purgatory.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

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