Luigi Serafini

Though this isn't a book I can say I "read" in the traditional sense, the art is otherworldly and psychedelic and so full of life and color. I have to wonder if Serafini was heavily under the influence when he created some of these pieces, since they range from goofy to strange to almost grotesque despite the bright color schemes, but I'm so glad to have experienced it nonetheless - my favorite was the last chapter where he drew a bunch of different cityscapes that were as alien as they were beautiful, making me wish I could actually visit them. I also wish I had more of a background in cryptography so I could try cracking the code of the language he used; even though he claimed it's an imaginary language, it would still be fun to attempt and the script just looks so systematic and orderly.

In other words - I remember hearing somewhere that his goal with this work was to allow readers to feel the same sort of fascination they did as children when first coming across books. I'd say he definitely achieved that bit, because I found myself drawn into this strange fictional universe in a way I haven't encountered in a very long time. The atmosphere reminds me of the spell book owned by Coriakin in the Narnia chronicles, which goes over a number of incantations with beautiful illustrations and doesn't allow you to go back once you've turned the page. And the text itself makes me think of the unknown language of the Voynich Manuscript, which is next on my reading list. Definitely an unforgettable experience of a book and one I'll revisit whenever I'm looking for creative inspiration.… (more)