Nimue Brown

Hopeless, Maine is a dreary and desolate island off the coast of Maine The nights are full of demons, monsters, and all kinds of things that go bump and the days are just a slightly lighter shade of night.

The population of Hopeless is small and dwindling and the only thing it produces is orphans. Salamandra is one such orphan. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself and hates being forced to go to the orphanage. She doesn't like the other kids and they don't like her so she show more decides to run away. As she is leaving, she meets a beautiful but frightened little girl who begs Salamandra to take her with her.

At first, Salamandra is thrilled to have a friend but soon she notices that no one else can see this girl and her new 'friend' seems to constantly try to make Salamandra feel bad about herself. Salamandra also notices that she is not the only one with an invisible and nasty 'friend'. With the aid of the Orphanage master's son, she sets out to discover who this girl really is. Turns out that not all demons are ugly; some, perhaps the worst, are small and blonde and beautiful and very, very personal.

I loved this graphic novel of Hopeless, Maine. The story is deeply and wonderfully disturbing and the illustrations are amazing. They are mostly in shades of brown and blue and match perfectly the sense and feel of Hopeless. They reminded me of the beautiful anime of Spirited Away with just the right split between beauty and creepy.

Like all graphic novels, Hopeless Maine is a quick read. However, you should really take your time and absorb the atmosphere. After all, Hopeless isn't just a place to lay your head and horns; it is also a state of mind. show less

This is my fifth time reading this book in five months. Its quite odd, every time I read it - I get something new from the pages - as if I missed a little snippet here or there when reading it because I was too focused on this or that aspect. I have been a Pagan since 1986, when I happened across a Wiccan Priestess on a local Bulletin Board Service (BBS). In all the time I have studied and read about Pagans and Paganism, never once have I considered how prayer would enter into the equation. show more Seriously. Its never been a top priority in my studies, and not even an after thought. Its been propped up on a shelf, and left there for the dust to collect. And then along comes Nimue's book, and I blow the dust off of the concept - and am introduced to a side of Paganism I had never contemplated before. And like I said before, I am finding new points about prayer and Paganism that I had never considered with each successive reading. Her approach is to first let you know where she is coming from, as well as to define some of the concepts from her perspective. In my opinion, this is an excellent start as it lays out the groundwork for how to approach the topic - as well as providing a sounding board for your own personal differences. From there, Nimue walks you around the topic, and around and around and around - each time you think she is going to make the same point as before when the circuit ends - and she merely builds from there. The topic begins to climb, one bit at a time. In the end, you find yourself at a great pinnacle - looking back and discovering how little you really thought about the concept of prayer and how it integrates into Paganism. Or at least that's what I got from it. I will make one recommendation: take your time. Make notes. Keep a little journal of your thoughts. And when you are finished reading - go back over what you wrote, and see if you are still looking for clues and information. If so, do the same process for a second reading - I was surprised at how much I had missed through my first reading. And my second. And my third. Do I recommend this book? Nine Hells, yes! Its definitely something that will make you think and postulate your position. As she notes in the beginning of the book - if you are looking for a How-To book on Druidry - this is not the place for that. What you will find is a lot of food for thought... show less

Slightly tougher to review than the first one, the over all story is a bit stronger and does a decent job advancing the overall plot but overall it felt rather choppy. Literately in some cases, the first six or so pages had me double checking that I didn't accidentally skip a page or so as the story skipped forward so quickly.
The Lovecraftian influence is getting stronger as is the sense of mystery and I did enjoy that. And as before the art is gorgeous and fascinating, definitely the show more strongest part of the book.
While a bit ore uneven I am still enjoying this series and I still look forward to reading more. show less

A generally excellent but brief book on various forms of meditation, whether focused on the body, the mind, or spirituality. Brown focuses on meditation within Druidry, but I think that most of the exercises would be suitable for any modern Pagans or others practicing a nature-based spirituality. The instructions are simply and clearly written and easy to follow. And although the book is short, there's a lot of material. It would likely take months, possibly even years to work through every show more single exercise in here. The only downside, for me, is that the last third of the book focuses on group meditation and ritual, which I have little interest in. show less