Published: December 2014 by Dynamite Entertainment
Format reviewed: E-book (.acsm)
Series: Black’Mor Chronicles
Genres: Fantasy, art book
Source: From the publisher via NetGalley
In Search of Lost Dragons presents itself as the diary of Elian Black’Mor, an intrepid explorer and naturalist with a dragon obsession. This obsession leads him to travel all over Europe and into Asia, with the story being told in diary entries, letters, maps, photos, ticket stubs and various ephemera. The format makes for a story that is jerky and incomplete in parts. Sometimes this was appropriate and at other times it seemed more a way to avoid describing how Black’Mor escaped whatever danger he was currently facing. The font didn’t help, for, while gorgeous, it was small and hard to read in places on the electronic version.
However, you don’t want the electronic version. This is the kind of book that demands gloriously full-sized colour pages in hardcover. It is the artwork that takes centre stage and the story is merely a pretext. The pages are predominately double-page spreads, many crammed with sketches, others with single, full-colour paintings. You can see a sample of the artwork in the book trailer, which I highly recommend checking out. It is truly breathtaking.
One area where the artwork disappointed me somewhat was in the design of the dragons. There are some wonderfully creative designs, particularly among the aquatic dragons. However, the dragons unfailingly had a strong European influence. I would have liked to see a stronger Asian influence in the dragons residing on that continent.
This is definitely a book fans of fantasy art won’t want to miss.
