by Ben Boos
Candlewick Press, $19.99, 85 pages
An ornate, mystical set of doors greets readers and warns them “Beware All Ye Who Enter Here.” Unfold the doors and a four page map of New Perigord is revealed. Grab your walking stick and your traveling cloak and be prepared to meet fairies, soldiers, dwarves, and dragons! Author and illustrator Ben Boos has created the magical world of New Perigord that can be found in his book Fantasy: An Artist’s Realm. It features detailed artwork created entirely of digital media. Several pages have intricate depictions of relic swords from the armory of Northburren.
Learn the common spells of utility, defense, and combat used by magicians found in the realm. Wander through pages filled with beautiful illustrations and descriptions of primeval forests, wild moors and bogs, castles and forts, and all sorts of creatures. Have a sharpened sword ready in case you run into demons, rogues, thieves, hobgoblins, or even the undead. Readers will surely escape in Boos’ imagined world. Especially fun to study are the floorplans of a dwarf mine and a labyrinth, home of a Minotaur herd. It is clear that he has done his research into weaponry, armor, and mythology.
Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin