The Way of Wizards
Tom Cross
Andrews McMeel
Fiction, MG? Fantasy
Themes: Encyclopedias, Wizards
****
Description
Wizard. The word conjures images of mysterious, bearded figures in flowing robes, wielding crooked staffs as they trek into strange caverns, pore over ancient tomes, or summon unworldly spirits. But what, exactly, is a wizard? Where do they come from, and what do they do? This book attempts to answer those questions, offering the reader insights into wizardly ways that have never before been seen by mortals.
Review
The first thing that struck me about this was the many beautiful illustrations. Some were sketches, some photographs, and others somewhere in between, but all glowed with color and imagination. They were the sort of bright, captivating images one might chance upon in a dream, but never be able to capture again in waking hours. Of course, I've seen more than one illustrated book where the illustrations were the only thing worth looking at. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the writing matched the mysterious, imaginative, sometimes cryptic and sometimes whimsical nature of the pictures. I rated it for the overall inspiration factor, as the narrative itself began to bog down toward the end when it tried introducing a wizardly calamity for little discernable reason, except perhaps to justify any sequels. This book seems to be hard to find, but well worth the effort to track down.