| Title | : | The Queen of Summer's Twilight |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781914953279 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 262 |
| Publication | : | Published September 20, 2022 |
How could she know that this man holds the key to the mysteries that have plagued her life: her mixed heritage, her father’s casual cruelty, her mother’s absence, her sense that she’s never belonged? How could she know that her search for answers would lead her from the familiar environs of contemporary Scotland to the realm of faerie and that her life, her very soul, would be in jeopardy?
World renowned artist Charles Vess has worked with some of the greatest writers in fantastical fiction, including Neil Gaiman, Ursula Le Guin, and Charles de Lint, co-creating iconic works for which he has won numerous awards. He now unveils his remarkable debut novel. Born of a vision of two people racing across a field on a motorbike with a trail of burning grass in their wake, and inspired by the Ballad of Tam Lyn, Vess has produced a book of true wonder.
The Queen of Summer's Twilight Reviews
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Ну а что, и недурно
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Rebellious teenager Janet is rescued from harm by a man riding a Vincent Black Lightning motorcycle, and then it turns out that her knight in shining armor is actually a knight in the Otherworld, at the court of the Faerie Queen. Alas for him, the Queen has gone mad, and it is the knight’s quest to find her and heal her, with the help of the mortal Janet and her family…. Charles Vess is well-known to fantasy readers as one of the premier artists of that genre, gracing the works of modern masters with his amazing art; this is his first foray into writing in the field. The story is a modern retelling of the folk tale Tam Lin, with a few sly nods to that story’s history (I particularly liked his hommage to Richard Thompson, who as a member of Fairport Convention recorded a version of “Tam Lin” and who in his solo career had a lovely song about a motorcycle called “Vincent Black Lightning” - I was proud of catching that reference until I saw that Mr. Vess mentioned it specifically in his acknowledgements). There is some repetition in the book, particularly with respect to Janet’s poor vocabulary and her relationship to her father, but those are minor quibbles in a generally enchanting book. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Vess’s work in the future, although I would hope that he would also illustrate his own writing (not done in the e-book version here); recommended!
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This is a lovely tale. I nearly couldn't get into it, because the young boys in the first chapter didn't grab me. But when we met the heroine Janet in chapter 2 I was all in, and Janet alone makes the book worthwhile. The other characters from myth and faerie tale add delightful flavour. The only dissapointment for me was that I was expecting more illustration (it being a Charles Vess book) than just the chapter headers. However, Vess tells the story so well, and I'm so familiar with his art, that my mind drew scenes for me, illustrated in the inimitable Charles Vess style.
This really is a 4.5 star review. If the first and second chapters were switched, it would be 5 stars. -
It started not bad, but i just couldn't go on after chapter eighteen and i really should have stopped sooner but thought it was a novella and it's going to end soon. I didn't like anyone in the story, the story that i like, and didn't much like the style of writing either. Would not really recommned it
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9/3/2022 received my pre-order, HC numbered/signed 46/250
