The Morning Star

Today's post is on The Morning Star by Nick Bantock. It is the last in his Morning Star trilogy. It is 60 pages long and is published by Chronicle Books. The cover is red with a lovely Egyptian scene on a postcard. The intended reader is someone who has read the first books, likes book art, and high fantasy with philosophy. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from the first person perspective of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Isabella--
The stronger you grow the more I seem to want you. You say you believe I'll respond to your love and I will. But now I understand the self-doubts Griffin must have endured when he knew he was to meet with Sabine. He was troubled by the idea that he wouldn't be a match for her soul. You and I are so like them.
Love, MatthewPlunged into an otherworldly maze, Matthew Sedon and Isabella de Reims are stretched to the limits of love, of certainty, and of their belief in the powerful guidance of Griffin and Sabine. Isabella is drawn into her predestined journey that forces her to explore a world beyond her imagination. In Alexandria, challenging his deepest fears, Matthew makes hi own compelling discoveries in the fertile fields of both archaeology and the human heart.
In this, the final chapter of the Griffin & Sabine stories, lies the fate of Matthew and Isabella--and their unexpected kinship with Griffin and Sabine. Author and artist Nick Bantock draws on myth, memory, and his limitless imagination to create a story that has resonated with readers the world over. In The Morning Star, the mystery that began with an enigmatic postcard from Sabine Strohem to Griffin Moss reaches its dramatic conclusion.

Review- This is a great conclusion to the story. There are still questions about the world but the story about Isabella and Matthew is finished and happily so. The story is very philosophical and that can make it hard to understand what Bantock is going for. I think that this story is about how important art is. Art helps makes an ordinary world something special. I think we all need art in our lives and we have to choose it and seek it out. The villains could be many things from things in our lives distracting us from creating art to people in our lives who think that art has no real value. Or I could be making this love story about something more than two people over-coming odds to be together. Either way I love this story and it moves me every time I read it.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.