Faeries
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Book Reviews of Faeries
Book Review: A wonderous journey . . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
As you progress through the pages of this peek into the lore of this mystical land, let your imagination run free while you allow Brian Froud and Alan Lee to weave a mystical spell of enchanted wonder, enveloping you with a sense of surreal, fantastical imaginings. This is the most fun I've had between the pages of a book in a long time!
A word to the wise for anyone expecting a sketch book full of dainty little girls with gossamer wings: the nightmares are not relegated to the back of a dusty shelf here. From Faerie Flora to the hideous Jenny Greenteeth, all the fey folk are portrayed, both good and bad, pretty and ugly, helpful and mischievous. The stunning artwork is visionary in capturing the intrinsic mystery of this egnimatic, unseen world and its phantasmic population. The handwritten notes add to the captivating essence of the stories in an informal and comfortable way.
If I could change anything at all, I would wish that the pages were numbered and included a table of contents, so I could more easily flip to my favorites.
I would recommend this book to anyone who still wants to believe in magic, and to anyone who wants to reconnect with their childlike sense of wonder. You may be left with the belief that anything is possible . . . .
Book Review: Faeries Forever
Summary: 5 Stars
If I could give this book 10 stars I would! Brian Frouds'"Faeries" is the most amazing book I have ever read. I found this book when I was young and fell in love with faeries instantly. The illustrations are astonishing for a lack of better word. Alan Lee and Brian Froud not only draw the most realistic and imaginitive faeries, but the stories included in the pagess really makes you believe that faeries are real. Brian Froud is the original faerie author and has influenced an whole new genre with his artwork.Book Review: Fair Faeries
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a gift for a dear friend who is quite Faery-like herself. I've given several of Mr. Froud's faery books to people, and they are inevitably very pleased. Mr. Froud is a sensitive artist and captures the "Shining Folk" or "Lords and Ladies" very impressively, almost as though he were in touch with the Elemental Kingdoms himself, consciously or unconciously. These are splendid gifts for the imaginative, whether child or adult, and I recommend them very highly. Book Review: A World In A Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Faeries is the absolute greatest art book when it comes to fantasy, and that is because of the content, and the artists involved, as well as the quality in which it was printed and published in this, the 25th Anniversary Edition.
The book itself is compiled like a visual atlas of the world of Faery, exploring all of the separate regions and, more importantly, the inhabitants living there. In this book, you are taught how to protect yourself during your travels through the lands in this book. It details some of the most majestic of faeries, including the watery Asrai--faeries who melt into a puddle of water when exposed--some of the more horrifying creatures, like the faeries of the Unseelie Court, and beastly goblins like the phooka, a creature that takes many animal forms but is mostly generous in spirit. There are many more, all highly detailed with both pictures and handwritten captions, and often depicted in the environments they call home.
This is a keystone book in the world of fantasy art, and the authors and illustrators, Alan Lee, who made the concept art for the Lord of the Rings movies, and Brian Fround, who continues today to create more and more faery related art, have since gone on to flourish in their careers. If you have an interest in fantasy art, or are a lover of fantastical worlds or a believer in faeries, then pick this book up. If you just enjoy high quality art, like myself, then I'd also recommend this book.
Book Review: One of the most beautiful books I own
Summary: 5 Stars
My parents gave this to me for my fifth birthday and it is one of the most cherished and beautiful books that I own. It's a compilation of gorgeous watercolors, sketches, and a systematic like grouping of faeries and their mythical kin. I can't imagine a better book for a young artist or creative reader. I spent hours and hours poring over each illustration and reading about the origins of all the creatures. It has a Jim Henson-like quality in its imaginative spirit (echoed by one of the jacket covers which features Froud with a little puppet faery mannikin posed in a tree). Alan Lee is responsible for those gorgeous watercolors, while Brian Froud does the kinetic sketches (Froud was also the illustrator of Lady Cottingtons Book of Pressed Faeries--a funny and darkly humored picture book). Sidenote: Brian Froud's wife, Wendy, was one of the artists responsible for the very beautiful (if slightly dated) Dark Crystal and, I did not know this--YODA!! Who knew?! Wonderful news, too, the 25th edition of this book contains 20 new pieces by Froud and Lee.
As for the nakedness: When I was six I thought everyone's body was beautiful and nakedness definitely didn't put me off. The only times it was disturbing was when adults made a big deal of it. That and finding a discarded copy of Penthouse behind an abandoned building both fascinated and freaked me out. But Froud's book is nothing like that. I'd no more be upset by the nudity in this then I would by the nudity in Renaissance paintings. I'm guessing adults must read more eroticism into it than any child would. If you're really worried, check out Brian Froud's website--it has some of the illustrations from Faeries and will give you a better sense of it. Personally, I think it's a wonderful book for children. Not to harp on, but I don't think un-erotic and un-sensationalized exposure to nudity is a bad thing (and I don't mean that in a let's all be nudists manner...just a hey, we all got skin underneath our clothes recognition).
If there's someone in your life who has a fly-away imagination and appreciation for art or myth, this is a terrific choice.