Charles Vess

Considering that I jumped at the opportunity to buy my own copy of this book when I spotted it in a comic store in Saskatoon when I first moved to the Prairies (showing my true nerd colours to my coworkers, who were less than surprised) it makes me incredibly annoyed that I then allowed it to languish unread on my bookshelf for approximately 3 years… Not that there aren’t books that have been waiting longer, but none could possibly be as much of a delight as the definitive collection show more (incomplete as it is, due to the impossibility of collecting the full range of Vess’ work) of one of my favourite artists. I first became familiar with Charles Vess through his collaborations with Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint (my pair of favourite authors), and I was well aware that he had worked as a cover illustrator and a fine fantasy artist, but his work in traditional superhero comics came as a complete surprise. If anything, this collection of art widened my perspective and makes me want to seek out more of his less mainstream work so that I can see the full range! show less

Vital information if you’re going on a quest, whatever it may be. Short and sweet.

The quester is an anthropomorphic cat and as she travels, she makes friends with a tabby cat who follows her on her quest. I kept thinking 'I know that story ... and that fairy tale ...' but I can't quite remember them.

Instructions opens with

Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never saw before,

There are other instructions which would apply equally well to Life as to a quest, such as

Remember your

show more

name.
Trust your heart
Do not forget your manners.

Richly illustrated by [[Charles Vess]].

4 stars show less

The more I read of Gaiman, the more convinced I am that he is the logical successor to Ray Bradbury.

Both Bradbury and Gaiman have such a loving touch with their characters, that it just shines through the marks on the page to become something real, something you know and understand intuitively in your own mind.

And like Bradbury, there are times when the reader can tell when they fell a bit too much in love with certain characters or story elements and stay with them a touch too long, as show more Gaiman did here.

Regardless, like the Sandman series, like [b:The Ocean at the End of the Lane|15783514|The Ocean at the End of the Lane|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497098563l/15783514._SY75_.jpg|21500681], like [b:The Graveyard Book|2213661|The Graveyard Book|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531295292l/2213661._SY75_.jpg|2219449], and like so much of Gaiman's other work, this is simply magical, endearing, and an absolute pleasure to read.

Nobody else is doing what Gaiman does. show less

There’s a very cinematic quality this book. That might not be the right word; reading it, I find myself wishing there were visuals to go along with the intricate descriptions the author has given. The luminous quality of Janet’s skin, the gleam of the motorbike, the prismatic colors. I wish I could see what’s being described (I’d love to see a graphic novel of this).

It took me a bit to warm up to Janet, she’s angry and lashing out at the beginning, with good reason, but once we show more learned more about her, I really identified with her. Thomas is delightful from page one. :) I loved the bit at the end, which I won’t reveal here so as not to spoil anyone, but it was delightful to return to some familiar scamps.

(Okay, I wrote all of that before I read the authors note at the end and discovered that the author, Charles Vess, is the artist, Charles Vess, of Sandman and many other works. Well. It SHOWS in the writing. Mea culpa for not recognizing the name! I’ve actually always loved your covers!) show less