Mirror Mask

Mirror Mask
By Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

When it comes to Neil Gaiman, I must admit I am biased. I love his work. When I think of excellent, mind numbingly beautiful fantasy, I think of him. The man knows the genre possibly better than any other author to have dabbled with it. He breathes it onto every page with an unparalleled amount of creativity.

Mirror Mask chronicles the adventure of Helena Campbell as she travels into a dream-like reality where bizarre creatures lurk and darkness threatens to consume her existence. In order to return home, she must embark on a quest that takes her across the world, bringing her face to face with the Queen of Darkness, forever altering her view of life.

It sounds pretty standard for fantasy, but it’s Gaiman’s mastery of the craft and his ability to mesh realism with the fantastical that truly sets his work apart.

Helena is written convincingly, with enough angst to make her believable as a character. She hates the life she has been forced into, never truly appreciating what she really has until tragedy strikes. After entering the nameless world of her dreams, she displays maturity while still allowing her curiosity to take hold when something amazing crosses her path. Even with the world crumbling around her, she keeps her composure, unwilling to accept her fate.

The presentation of the book reflects the mad genius of its author with words clustered together in make shift paragraphs and sprawled across the page while being framed by illustrations by Dave McKean, whose outlandish style perfectly compliments Gaiman.

While this is a children’s book, it carries the emotional weight of a more adult oriented title. Very few writers can cultivate the amount of stories that display the elegance that fantasy has to offer. With gothic scenery oozing off the page, Gaiman effortlessly creates worlds that are impossible to forget. For those who have never picked up a Gaiman title, prepare yourself for a journey unlike any other.

Mirror Mask - A