With a fanciful combination of postcards and letters, author Nick Bantock takes you on a romantic and suspenseful tour of an imagined world. The Gryphon is the delightful follow-up to the wildly popular Griffin & Sabine trilogy. This sequel doesn't disappoint; it's as quixotic and cloaked in mystery as the trilogy, replete with similarly captivating foldouts and handwritten letters. Each illustration is intricately drawn with special attention paid to the tiniest details, like the faded postmarks on exotic stamps. Old-fashioned letters create an atmosphere of adventure, surrounding you with colorful images of ancient symbols. The correspondence between the four players flies off to real and mythical lands conjuring up dark forces and love affairs. It is impossible not to want to know what happens next. If you were charmed by Griffin and Sabine, then it's absolutely unthinkable to miss The Gryphon. --J.P. Cohen


From Library Journal
Bantock re-creates the intrigue of "Griffin & Sabine," his hugely popular first trilogy, in the first of his next trilogy, "The Gryphon." Here we are introduced to two new characters, Matthew and Isabelle, whose love and correspondence mirror that of Griffin and Sabine. Through a series of postcards and letters, the four characters communicate across oceans and realms to describe a world of beauty, fantasy, love, and mystery. Bantock's drawings, collages, and paintings are captivating and original, depicting the places and events that the characters write about and re-creating the haunting visions that plague Isabelle. The letters and notes, many of which are removable, will give readers the sense that they are experiencing the story with the characters, although the small and separate pieces could get lost or stolen. Recommended as a gift rather than a circulating item. Rachel Collins, "Library Journal" Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
After a delightful foray into lavishly illustrated autobiography in The Artful Dodger [BKL Jl 00], the fluently inventive illustrator and teller of clever, romantic, and otherworldly tales returns to the characters who kept him on the best-seller lists for so long, Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem. "For some years nothing is heard from either," the reader is told, and then a cryptic postcard from Sabine finds its way to a young archaeologist on a dig in Egypt. Matthew Sedon writes back, admitting that he hasn't a clue as to who she is. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Isabelle de Reims, also writes to Matthew, describing her strange visions; then she receives a postcard from Griffin. So begins Bantock's witty and bewitching epistolary fantasy, in which each intriguing missive, including letters that must be removed from their envelopes, is a baroque and lovingly produced work of art. Although the book's delicacy makes it problematic for circulating collections, Bantock's popularity and the book's considerable charm make it worthy of special consideration. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Los Angeles Times
Extremely original...classical myth, reality, and fantasy are blended artfully in this modern allegory.


Book Description
Griffin & Sabine, Sabine's Notebook, and The Golden Mean have sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and spent over 100 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. At long last, Nick Bantock brings us a new volume in the Griffin and Sabine story. The Gryphon is a tale rich in the artistry, mystery, and surprise that make the original saga so beloved. Although readers will be drawn into the book without ever having read the trilogy, The Gryphon begins to answer the question that fans have been waiting eight years to answer: "What happened to Griffin and Sabine?" As their remarkable fates are gradually revealed, we are introduced to Matthew and Isabella, long-distance lovers who find themselves entwined not only in each other's lives, but also in a perilous and alluring intrigue. The drama literally unfolds from postcard to richly decorated postcard and as provocative letters are pulled from real envelopes. The Gryphon features stunning new imagery, offering glimpses of mythic dreamscapes and surreal creatures as only Nick Bantock could have imagined. For those meeting Griffin and Sabine for the first time, here's an introduction that will have them yearning to explore the earlier volumes. And for those who have already entered the enchanting world of Griffin and Sabine, The Gryphon is a delightful rediscovery of a truly extraordinary correspondence


About the Author
Nick Bantock is the author of numerous illustrated novels, most recently The Artful Dodger and the tenth anniversary, limited edition of Griffin & Sabine. Born in England, he now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Griffin & Sabine, Sabine's Notebook, and The Golden Mean have sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and spent over 100 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. At long last, Nick Bantock brings us a new volume in the Griffin and Sabine story. The Gryphon is a tale rich in the artistry, mystery, and surprise that make the original saga so beloved. Although readers will be drawn into the book without ever having read the trilogy, The Gryphon begins to answer the question that fans have been waiting eight years to answer: "What happened to Griffin and Sabine?" As their remarkable fates are gradually revealed, we are introduced to Matthew and Isabella, long-distance lovers who find themselves entwined not only in each other's lives, but also in a perilous and alluring intrigue. The drama literally unfolds from postcard to richly decorated postcard and as provocative letters are pulled from real envelopes. The Gryphon features stunning new imagery, offering glimpses of mythic dreamscapes and surreal creatures as only Nick Bantock could have imagined. For those meeting Griffin and Sabine for the first time, here's an introduction that will have them yearning to explore the earlier volumes. And for those who have already entered the enchanting world of Griffin and Sabine, The Gryphon is a delightful rediscovery of a truly extraordinary correspondence

Author Biography: Nick Bantock is the author of numerous illustrated novels, most recently The Artful Dodger and the tenth anniversary, limited edition of Griffin & Sabine. Born in England, he now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal