0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
pleasing gift, 2007-01-18
Purchased the book as a gift to complete my husband's set. He was excited to get it and enjoyed reading and rereading it.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Perplexing, 2006-07-05
I could not resist getting the 2nd trilogy by Bantock but found it somewhat perplexing and or underwhelming. Maybe a book discussion group would help me understand this 2nd pairing better.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
What happened?, 2004-09-28
As always, the artistic value is great, but what happened to the story? Although I did not find The Gryphon & Alexandria as compelling as the original trilogy, it still had a decent story line to follow.
I have to say that I was deeply disappointed with how the story concluded. There was no real closure, and it seemed that the ending was rushed and not really well planned out. I basically felt like this book was strictly to showcase the art rather than the text content. Such a sad thing.
It had the making of being something so classical and great, but fell flat on its face. I would recommend that readers stick with the original Griffin & Sabine trilogy and stop there.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Illuminated?? I'm still in the dark..., 2004-07-12
...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.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
The un-story, 2004-05-17
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.