MoonglotexasI grew up with a mother who loves dragons and a passion for art so when I saw this book I picked up out of curiosity and with scepticism that there was much more to see. What a visual treat I received! Filled with beautiful, colourful, multi-cultural dragons, it is a feast for the eyes. Alongside the artworks are folktales and histories told in a way that allows the reader to believe dragons actually exist.
Dragons are one of those mythical creatures who can be painted as dark and evil or good and protective and all the permutations in between. As such a section (which I read with my eyes closed) is dedicated to the stories about hunting dragons but the majority of the book focused of the more positive elements and those other mythical creatures often included alongside them.
If you love fantasy art, dragons or both…be sure to pick this one up! Its a five out of five on the enJOYment scale!
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Diamond Books Distributors through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
From the back cover:
Dragons. They reign above the eternal snows or in the depths of the abyss… They are marvelous, magical, malicious creatures… But, where do these winged creatures with sparkling scales and fearsome claws come from?
This collection of illustrations on the theme of dragons brings together the best illustrators and comic book authors from around the world: French, English, Danish, Spanish, Italian, American, Canadian… From John Howe, designer of The Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia, to Todd Lockwood, illustrator of Dungeons & Dragons, and Olivier Ledroit, creator of the Chronicles of the Black Moon and Adrian Smith, one of the authors of Warhammer, and more… They’ve pooled their talents in a Tolkien-style universe where dragons coexist or fight Dwarves, Orcs, Elves and Humans…
The result is this illustrated encyclopedia, which combines extraordinary texts on the history of dragons, with drawings of remarkable quality, realism of line and thoroughness of detail.
