Kirkus 20 SFF Novels That Will Blow Your MindNUVO Gift Guide for the Book Lover [STARRED REVIEW] "Bantock tells us in his introduction that the box containing these 100 stories, each 100 words long, and a group of petroglyphic images was "reportedly found in an attic, in North London" and sent to him by the bemused homeowner. The stories have no known author or key to their enigmatic content and images, so Bantock decides to publish them, hoping a reader can solve the puzzle posed in a note found in the box with the manuscript. It seems the idea is to find one word from each tale that will then create a final, 100-word story that belongs to the reader themselves. The whimsical, often humorous, tales are a mixture of SF, fantasy, mild horror, historical, mythological, and/or paranormal fiction, as well as simple vignettes of relatable lives. A woman trying on lingerie receives a tattoo from a passing jellyfish. A man places stars in space using his cabinet of curiosities. Angels are captured and bottled to make quality perfume. A group of 1903 settlers find a crashed starship. God's Uncle Albert once thought about creating sentient life, but eventually decided it was a bad idea. There are beach-going ghosts, an orangutan pilot from WWII, surrealists playing chess, and a girl who starts chewing her nails and can't stop until she's eaten herself. A woman cleverly thwarts a misogynistic tailgater trying to intimidate her. An accountant escapes the Great War via embezzlement. A court jester sacrifices himself for his beloved queen. A small clown appears in a fish tank. The Sandman, Leda and the Swan, and the infamous cat Pangur Ban make appearances.
The mischievous illustrations, saturated with color, only hint at something recognizable, usually a bit of an animal or plant. Even if the puzzle remains unsolved, readers will find themselves delighted, intrigued, and often moved by the love, pain, and wonder of these finely written drabbles. Spec Fic at its best: accessible and inventive, while remaining thoroughly extraordinary."
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Kirkus "
The Corset & The Jellyfish recalls a Grimm's fairytale crossed with a Salvador Dali painting."
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Literary Review of Canada "A tapestry of exquisite miniatures, the kind of stories you might hear told in one of Calvino's invisible cities. Microfictions are seldom this inventive or persistently pleasurable."
--John Coulthart, World Fantasy Award-winning graphic artist, illustrator, author, and designer
"I have always been fascinated by artists who manage to invent imaginary creatures and worlds, and Nick Bantock does it with extreme elegance and a unique freshness of sign, managing to combine cave paintings with Flemish art in a contemporary key."
--Daniele Serra, three-time winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Artist
"Nick Bantock weaves tales that are wholly fantastical and yet absolutely believable. Talking lampposts, bottled angels, and dancing dice are just a few of the magical characters that you will meet along the way."
--Seth Apter, author of
The Mixed Media Artist "This book is an excellent example of just how powerful so few words can be."
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The Book Lovers Boudoir "Bantock's illustrated, epistolary novel
Griffin & Sabine was an international sensation. His latest book,
The Corset & the Jellyfish, recaptures all of its idiosyncratic charm."
--NUVO "I was thrilled to see [Bantock] had come up with a new, intriguing format. . . . How can you not be fascinated by a story that starts, 'During the night the cat and the clock traded identities.'"
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Musing Praise for the
Griffin & Sabine series
"Wondrous, ingenious, gorgeous . . ."
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USA Today "Classical myth, reality, and fantasy are blended artfully in this modern allegory."
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Los Angeles Times "
Griffin & Sabine, by the Canada-based British artist Nick Bantock, seemed to have no precedent. It was as marvellous and mysterious as the story it contained."
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The Telegraph "These are enjoyable, lovely books that appeal to incurable romantics and people who like to open mail."
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Washington Post
