From Publishers Weekly
The subtitle of this oversized, lavishly illustrated volume confirms that we are once again in the kind of quasi-mythical kingdom that provided the setting for writer and illustrator Bantok's bestselling Griffin and Sabine series. Phrased thusly: "A Strangely Sensual Tale of a Renaissance Explorer, a Computer, and a Metamorphosis," the subtitle also suggests a major difference in this work: the traditional epistolary tools (letters and postcards) that were the vehicles of communication in the trilogy are here replaced by e-mail messages exchanged by the two protagonists. Fans of the trilogy may not be disappointed that Bantok repeats himself in another respect, however. The situation that bridges time and place is nearly identical to that of the previous books; that is, one of the protagonists is contacted by the other, whom she does not know, but who seems to be able to read her mind. In this case, San Francisco art conservator Sara Wolfe, who is fascinated by a drawing of the Indian god Shiva hanging on the walls of the museum where she works, receives an e-mail message from one N. Conti, who somehow is aware of her obsession and offers her a job traveling around the world assembling Indian art for his collection. The narrative proceeds via these e-mail messages and through the protagonists' entries into their computer journals. In this story, however, Sara and Conti are not fated to be lovers. The latter, in fact, is the ghost of a real-life figure, wealthy Renaissance merchant and indefatigable traveler Niccolo Dei Conti, who died in 1469 and needs Sara's help in order to be reunited with his wife, Yasod, in the afterlife. And Sara, with Conti's help, discovers her own destined mate, a colleague called Marco (surely Bantok's humorous reference to another fabled traveler). The mysteries around which the plot hinge?Conti's identity and his ultimate purpose in reassembling his collection?are suspensefully maintained, augmented by Bantok's intensely colorful and often sensual illustrations. If Bantok has essentially chosen to repeat his winning formula, he has again produced another handsome volume that readers can enjoy. Author tour. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Art restorer Sara Wolfe is languishing in her boring museum job when a mysterious mentor, who communicates only by computer, invites her to embark on a search for the remaining pieces of a 15th-century collection of Indian sculptures. Soon Sara is caught up in an exciting adventure involving an ancient illuminated manuscript. As she eagerly pursues each clue, she becomes increasingly aware of astrange, sensual transformation that seems to be overtaking her. In the tradition of his bestselling "illustrated correspondence," Griffin & Sabine, author/artist Nick Bantock presents the tantalizing details of Sara's compelling quest in the form of computerized diary entries, e-mail exchanges, and excerpts from catalogues and notebooks that illuminate a strange artistic legacy and explore the enigmatic power of love. 8" x 9 1/2". Color illus.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Sara Wolfe is about to fall backwards. The thick walls that separate the past from the present are crumbling, but she doesn't know it yet. She's just working at the museum, retouching yet another canvas, trying not to go out of her mind with boredom. Putting down her brush - just a short break, she thinks - she heads to the gallery to take another look at that new drawing, the one she can't stop thinking about, the one of the Hindu god Shiva, who dances... That's when it all begins. The next day, an E-mail message brings her a job offer: to find the few remaining pieces of a fifteenth-century adventurer's renowned collection of Indian sculptures. Her employer, curiously, wishes to communicate only by computer. She has no idea who he is or why he wants her, but other mysteries soon preoccupy her, such as the meaning of an enigmatic illuminated manuscript - and the sensual transformation that seems to be overtaking her.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly