Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds

After having read and reread all six of these very creative, interesting and unusual books, I still have yet to sort it all out. I have to report they are very "out there" for the person looking for a light read. Please read them, you will be left wanting more.

These books are themselves, works of art. Not for the obvious reason of a tale well told, but for the delivery of that story as well.By way of personal corresponence, the reader is immediately drawn into the story of Griffin and Sabine, and later, Matthew and Isabella. Each postcard, stamp and letter add a graphic element that ties to the story at one point or another. Reading other's mail is unmistakably fun, but one cannot help but feel protective of these two couples; are they crazy or is someone really trying to bring them harm? My teenaged daughter introduced them to her fellow bookloving friends at sleepaway camp and they were passed around the cabin,9 girls in all, with nothing harmed or torn when they came back home with her! That's a miracle, but they knew they weren't just reading a book,too. I recommend the entire series whole-heartedly!

After reading The Gryphon last year, I was instantly frustrated that I was going to have to wait a year for the next installment. About two days into the agony, I realized that the true bummer was that this new story line seemed to be preplanned to leave off in order to pre-sell the next book. After reading Alexandria, I feel that my conclusion has more basis. Alexandria IS an amazingly beautiful book, and some of the letters are absolutely inspired, but it lacks the storytelling power of the original trilogy. Instead of the letters slowly revealing a relationship, they are starting to resemble gimmicky plot devices. The revelations seemed more trite and some of the more interesting occurances are glossed over in a single postcard. Part of the wonder of the first three books is that each could stand nearly alone. The end of each book did not instantly suggest a followup. Alexandria, like The Gryphon before it, kind of stops that narrative because there are no more pages in the binding. Grrr. If you are considering this book as your introduction to Nick Bantock, please go elsewhere (Either start with Griffin and Sabine, or maybe even The Forgetting Room). Alexandria is kind of an odd duck for me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and savoring each of the letters, but felt let down and even kind of patronized by the way the story line was delivered. The "flow" is just very different from the first half of the Griffin and Sabine saga. Not completely bad per se, just very different. So a four star kind of a let down rather than an outright rejection.

The artwork in "Alexandria" is just as strange and beautiful as in the first four books in the series - maybe more so. I'm reminded of Griffin's dark travelogue in "Sabine's Notebook." I love the original Griffin & Sabine trilogy but was initially disappointed with "The Gryphon," the fourth book in the series. Bantock's new time-and-space-crossed lovers, Matthew and Isabella, weren't as compelling to me as Griffin and Sabine. They seemed awkward and even a little trite. After reading "Alexandria" I appreciate "The Gryphon" a lot more: Matthew and Isabella deepen as characters as the plot moves forward.I'd recommend this book to diehard Griffin & Sabine fans or anyone interested in graphic novels. Fans of Egyptology might be pleased...hard to say, since there could be gross inaccuracies in the book. I know nothing about ancient Egypt. I sure liked the book, though.

I am a librarian, so as soon as the I found that this book had been ordered, I put it on hold. As always, the long wait for Mr. Bantock's latest book is worthwhile.This book picks up where The Gryphon left off, with Isabella at university and Matthew in Egypt. Alexandria is visually stunning (which won't surprise Mr. Bantock's devotees) and it's fun to see the artistic choices of our four characters. There are some surprises in this volume, both for the reader and the characters.One aspect that I found particularly interesting was learning the background behind how Isabella relates to love, and to loving Matthew. We find out more about their relationship by finding out about her past.Much remains the same... Frolatti menaces and meddles, Griffin and Sabine offer wisdom (do they know how everything will end?), and (of course) the book ends with a cliffhanger, making it essential that we get the third book as quickly as possible!