Fires & Murmur is a work of art

Fires & Murmur by Lorenzo Mattotti, Jerry Kramsky Dover Publications Comics & Graphic Novels Pub Date 15 Feb 2017

Review

Absolutely gorgeous. Fires and Murmur is expressionist art in the form of a surreal graphic novel. The paired stories are tantalizing, if disturbing, dreams that stir the imagination and linger in memory. Reading was like gazing at a piece of art. I found myself pausing, repeatedly looking back and thinking about what I’ve seen. Fire and Murmur is beautiful, horrifying and awe inspiring. It delves into the area that lays beyond normal perception where genius and madness walk half in hand. Both are tales of voyages, of transitions in form and thought.

Fires and Murmur is definitely not your average graphic novel. It is a fantasy, but far more surreal than many readers are accustomed to. The art is incredible, and when paired with the stories makes an even larger impact. Personally I see Fires and Murmur more as a stirring work of art, than as a graphic novel. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you like the unusual, the beautiful and the surreal, you should definitely pick up a copy of Fires and Murmur.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Fires and Murmur from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

-Crittermom

Description

"Displays the artistry of European comics at their very best." ― Publishers Weekly. Created by Eisner Award-winning artist Lorenzo Mattotti, Fires sweeps readers off into a hypnotic, haunting fantasy centered on a mysterious island where the hills are constantly ablaze. A series of vessels have inexplicably disappeared from the vicinity, so the battleship Anselm II is dispatched to investigate. When the expedition's leader, Lieutenant Absinthe, comes ashore, his encounter with the burning island's bizarre residents results in a form of psychic possession that leads to mayhem, madness, and murder. Mattotti's vivid illustrations, rendered with the depth and richness of paintings, propel the eye through a brooding, brilliantly colored atmosphere of mesmerizing imagery. A second tale by Mattotti, co-written with Jerry Kramsky, offers another fantastic voyage. Murmur traces an amnesiac's quest across phantasmagoric landscapes to recover his identity — an enigmatic journey in which fear and confusion are resolved by arcane magic rituals. This handsome hardcover edition marks the first publication of Fires and Murmur in a single volume. Both stories were originally published in French; this Dover edition features the 1988 English translation of Feux (Fires) and the 1993 English translation of Murmure (Murmur). Suggested for mature readers.

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