Rating: 
Summary: Illuminated?? I'm still in the dark...
Review: ...either that or Bantock just forgot to hit the light switch. I must admit, despite the enigmatic characters, intriguing plot twists and refreshingly exotic artwork I've come to love from this series, what I was really holding my breath for with this final installment was clarification. Alas, it didn't deliver. I have no gripes with the story, or the whole second series for that matter, up until the final two postcards. After six books and twelve years, did Bantock just write himself into a trap? Could it be that he lost direction in the end and saw no way out but to flash-cook up a conclusion in the guise of another puzzle for us to figure out? I doubt it, but I can't help feeling shortchanged. What exactly was Frolatti, and why was he so intent on keeping Griffin and Sabine subdued (wherever the heck they were)? After so much time, why was Matthew and Isabella's reunion so vague? I love cliffhangers as much as the next person, but not when there's nothing more to look forward to. Disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: As always, the artistic value is great, but what happened to the story? Although I did not find The Gryphon & Alexandria as compelling as the original trilogy, it still had a decent story line to follow.
I have to say that I was deeply disappointed with how the story concluded. There was no real closure, and it seemed that the ending was rushed and not really well planned out. I basically felt like this book was strictly to showcase the art rather than the text content. Such a sad thing.
It had the making of being something so classical and great, but fell flat on its face. I would recommend that readers stick with the original Griffin & Sabine trilogy and stop there.
Rating:
Summary: Huh?
Review: Beautiful artwork, but after six volumes, readers of this series will find themselves sorely disappointed. What is the mysterious connection between Griffin and Sabine, Matthew and Isabella? What is the significance of the artifact in the desert? What did Matthew mean in the last book when he said, "They are coming--both of them"? Where, precisely are Griffin and Sabine trapped? What, exactly, is Minnaloushe? What is Frolatti's stake in all this? What is this store of knowledge he is trying to keep hidden? Did Matthew and Isabella's union open it? Well then, what was it? Sorry, Mt. Bantock, but a one-liner about science and art merging, or something to that effect (I'm badly misquoting), simply will not do. There was room in this story for some questions to be left unanswered, to allow the reader to ponder, but not every question. I have a genius IQ, but I didn't get it, and, judging by these reviews, neither did anyone else.
Rating: 
Summary: The un-story
Review: Frankly, I'm disappointed. The original Griffin and Sabine series had a wonderful spark of originality. This series is just too derivative. I wanted to like this new trilogy. I like Bantock's art. There is so much in each picture that I can barely pull myself away for the text. I like the new plot elements that Bantock introduced. The cat with a name, Isabella's roar - these could have been rich new elements in the G&S mythology. They never went anywhere though, and left us re-reading the G&S story in somewhat different words. If you're new to Bantock, the first G&S trilogy is your best bet. It's fresh, mysterious, and exciting. I just wish that this series could have deepened the mystery or sustained the excitement.
Rating: 
Summary: will somebody please explain this to me?
Review: I dislike being a conformist but I have to go with the crowd here when I say "Huh?" I loved the Griffin & Sabine series but the Matthew/Isabella reprisal just left me confused and mostly dissatisfied. To give Nick Bantock credit though, the Griffin & Sabine series was more creative than anything I will ever achieve in my life, so I'll give him snaps for that and move on.
Rating:
Summary: Uh, the artwork is still beautiful. I guess.
Review: I dislike being a conformist but I have to go with the crowd here when I say "Huh?" I loved the Griffin & Sabine series but the Matthew/Isabella reprisal just left me confused and mostly dissatisfied. To give Nick Bantock credit though, the Griffin & Sabine series was more creative than anything I will ever achieve in my life, so I'll give him snaps for that and move on.
Rating:
Summary: Is anyone else disappointed?
Review: I saw Star Wars Episode I, and felt greatly disappointed. One, Mr. Lucas should never write his own scripts - he's horrible at dialogue. Two, I hated Jar Jar Binks...hated him... I walked out of the theater feeling disenchanted. Like most of you thirtysomethings, I invested a great deal of my childhood imagination in the original Star Wars trilogy, and feel like Mr. Lucas let me down with trite dialogue and obscure storytelling... The only reasons I still feel the need to see Lucas' space westerns is that a) I'm connected to the force, and b) Lucas produces some of the best eye-candy visual effects in Hollywood. I have the similar mixed feelings about Nick Bantock's "The Morning Star." I am a huge fan of Nick Bantock's creative storytelling. His visual artistry is haunting. The first five installments of Griffin & Sabine were intriguingly woven tales that resonated what it is to be human - I think at one time or another, we all related to the trials of Griffin and Sabine. By the time my copy of "The Morning Star" arrived, I was set to have a few questions answered, to understand what power Bantock's four strangers possessed, and to know what on earth Frolatti's stake in their demise would earn mean to the rest of the world... My questions remained unanswered, and I am - at best, confused. All this to say, if you invested as much imagination in the Griffin & Sabine series as I did, you simply must see the series to the end... However, after such wonderful works as the original trilogy, I feel as if Mr. Bantock simply threw an ending away.... Matthew and Isabella hooked up, the world shook, and Frolatti and his angels were lost forever. So what? Why should I care? What was Frolatti looking to accomplish? I'm not sure. It seemed the series built a case that Matthew and Isabella's involvement in Griffin & Sabine's intrigue would have some world changing repercussions... But Bantock never clearly alluded to what they might be. In fact, it seemed that Matthew and Isabella's union did little more than free Griffin & Sabine - from what? I don't know. I was hoping that maybe the union uncovered some artifacts of the Alexandria Library, or taught us something more of alchemical harmony... or at least let the reader walk through the mysterious passage of Egypt with Matthew and Isabella... For the record, I'm still a fan of Bantock... partly because I know how wonderful his mind is (and the artwork IS stunning - some of my favorite in the series)... But I'll admit, my expectations exceeded the conclusion of this series. Jar Jar, I sincerely believe that even you might be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: will somebody please explain this to me?
Review: Okay- I was prepared to have to reflect, inspect, deduce, even hypothesize, but I thought Morning Star would answer at least a few of the major questions. Are the characters all the same person? What about the handwriting? Griffin and Sabine's are suddenly the same- and doesn't Isabelle's flowery scroll strangely resemble Frulotti's? I feel like I want to cheat and buy the answer booklet. Can somebody explain the ending to me? Six books later- simply frustrated.
Rating: 
Summary: The Morning Star
Review: People may quivvel about the turn of events in Bantock's series and yet, ambiguity was always what made it work - in addition to some stunning artwork. I would have been satisfied (and was for years) with the initial trilogy...I did not want to know anymore - or so I thought - Bantock's power lies in the fact that he is an excellent author - has a unique premise and we want to know more. So it may have not turned the way one wished but, we are all still thinking. This was certainly not my favorite book, however, I was still compelled and still am. I told myself I would read nothing past the trilogy...stuck to it and it may have been wise...yet, nothing can be taken from Bantock - he is a master of a craft no one knows or, better yet could even concieve.
Rating:
Summary: The Morning Star
Review: People may quivvel about the turn of events in Bantock's series and yet, ambiguity was always what made it work - in addition to some stunning artwork. I would have been satisfied (and was for years) with the initial trilogy...I did not want to know anymore - or so I thought - Bantock's power lies in the fact that he is an excellent author - has a unique premise and we want to know more. So it may have not turned the way one wished but, we are all still thinking. This was certainly not my favorite book, however, I was still compelled and still am. I told myself I would read nothing past the trilogy...stuck to it and it may have been wise...yet, nothing can be taken from Bantock - he is a master of a craft no one knows or, better yet could even concieve.
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