Lost Worlds by John Howe

Rating: 4.7/5.0

Recommend: I recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy and art. It would actually make a great Holiday gift. :) Middle Grade.

Release Date: November 10, 2009
Publisher: KingFisher
Pages: 96

Synopsis:

From the world of Aratta and Mohenjo-Daro to Atlantis and Camelot, this visually stunning book is a window with a view that takes readers on an historical, archaeological, and mythological journey through lost worlds, those abandoned in time, buried and forgotten, and the ones that live in the imagination. Attempting to put the most plausible pieces of history together, John Howe, concept artist for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, begins the journey that will move readers to explore these lost worlds even further.

My Thoughts:

Lost Worlds is not only beautifully illustrated, but also high quality. Right away I could tell it was going to be a enticing read. The pages bring alive civilizations that exist only in the imagination. I should never judge a book by its cover, but that is hard to do with John Howe's Lost Worlds.

The book opens up with a forward by Ian McKellen, which I thought was really neat. He played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. I also really loved John Howes' forward Hunting for Unicorns. It was a great opening to his first location-- The Garden of Eden. I am not exactly well versed with the bible, so I was surprised to find out that Unicorns were in the Garden of Eden.

Lost Worlds travels throughout so many mythical places and includes several illustrations for them. There are detailed descriptions for each place which are easy to read and very interesting! I often found myself immersed in the art-- it really is something special. I wish I could just jump into the page and visit Cahokia or Mount Olympus. Howe added the perfect balance of art and information. It was never too much and always contained something pretty to look at.

I highly recommend Lost Worlds to anyone who wishes they could take a trip through time and space into a world where anything can happen.