What do you think?
Rate this book
The Art of Magic: The Gathering
Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad
Magnificent hardcover art books featuring the incredible images and lore of The Gathering®!
Danger and adventure await in these pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of The Gathering® !
“Grab an axe and defend the gate! Your despair is an extravagance we can ill afford.” —Thalia, Knight-Cathar
Terror falls from the skies on blood-spattered wings, and nameless horrors lurk in the shadows. These pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of The Gathering ™, are your entry into a world beset by terrible evils on all sides and betrayed by the hope it held most dear. Tread lightly as you follow the heroic Planeswalkers of the Gatewatch as they investigate these dark mysteries, for the nightmare they will uncover is a threat to the whole Multiverse.
The mysteries of Innistrad—its peoples, provinces, and monsters—await your arrival. But be careful as you peer into the darkness, for you might find something staring back.
Danger and adventure await in these pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of The Gathering® !
“Grab an axe and defend the gate! Your despair is an extravagance we can ill afford.” —Thalia, Knight-Cathar
Terror falls from the skies on blood-spattered wings, and nameless horrors lurk in the shadows. These pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of The Gathering ™, are your entry into a world beset by terrible evils on all sides and betrayed by the hope it held most dear. Tread lightly as you follow the heroic Planeswalkers of the Gatewatch as they investigate these dark mysteries, for the nightmare they will uncover is a threat to the whole Multiverse.
The mysteries of Innistrad—its peoples, provinces, and monsters—await your arrival. But be careful as you peer into the darkness, for you might find something staring back.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2016
14 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
James Wyatt
101 books146 followersJames Wyatt is an award-winning game designer at Wizards of the Coast, and now holds the position of Design Manager for Dungeons & Dragons. He was one of the lead designers for D&D 4th Edition and one of the original designers of the Eberron Campaign Setting, and has written and co-authored dozens of game supplements. He grew up in Ithaca, New York, and now lives in Washington State with his wife and son.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 9, 2017
Brushworm Speaks!
The Art of Magic: The Gathering
Innistrad
****
Acquired: Amazon.com
Series: Magic the Gathering (Book 2)
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Perfect Square; 1st edition (July 5, 2016)
Language: English
Subject: Fantasy
****
The Story: Terror falls from the skies on blood-spattered wings, and nameless horrors lurk in the shadows. These pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of Magic: The Gathering™, are your entry into a world beset by terrible evils on all sides and betrayed by the hope it held most dear. Tread lightly as you follow the heroic Planeswalkers of the Gatewatch as they investigate these dark mysteries, for the nightmare they will uncover is a threat to the whole Multiverse. The mysteries of Innistrad—its peoples, provinces, and monsters—await your arrival. But be careful as you peer into the darkness, for you might find something staring back..
The Review: Dark and Gloomy. Gothic Horror. Stoker, Poe, Lovecraft. These are just some of the ingredients that were all mixed together to form this book and the end result could be any goth enthusiasts wet dream.
Innistrad is a call harkening the reader back to the classics of timeless horror. Looming castles, dark nights under the full moon, ghosts, werewolves, vampires. Truly, there is something here for any fan of horror.
The artwork captures this perfectly. One of the first things the reader will notice is that there is very little in the way of color on this plane. It exists, make no mistake but in a very limited capacity.
When viewed in context among more fantastical worlds such as Zendikar or Kaladesh, Innistrad feels among the most grounded of them all, in spite of all the monsters and demons. The buildings are large and imposing. As much stone fortresses as much as domiciles or places of worship. The people who live and work inside of them exist in an almost constant state of fear both from threats outside the walls as well as within them. Humanity is its own worst enemy is a constant theme throughout which only adds to an already dark and dreary setting. Edgar Allen Poe can be seen a few places here.
There is a lot more here than just monsters though. Woven throughout the images and text is an overpowering sense of dread and existential horror. The sense that all these beings: vampires, inquisitors, angels, necromancers, are nothing more than just pieces on a vast game board and those standing around the board are only tangentially aware of their foibles or strengths or even their existence.
Such things are a hallmark of Master horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and his influence can be seen throughout the lore of Innistrad. Even though it originated in the previous expansion, Zendikar, the arrival of the Eldrazi Titan Emrakul further purports the Lovecraftian symbolism.
For many of the plane’s denizens, the only ray of light in their dark world (sometimes literally) is their faith in the Church of the Archangel Avacyn, who along with her angelic host and faithful clergy, battle against the vampires and demons that plague humanity. The truth, however, is much more sinister. Some would call it a vast, cosmic joke on hapless man, furthering the existential horror that is a common theme in this plane’s Lovecraft themes. Religion plays a large role in this expansion. Brushworm is a newcomer to the Magic: The Gathering Universe and religion is not something that takes precedence within. At least compared to the other expansions that Bookworm is familiar with. This immediately sets Innistrad apart and makes it distinct. There are actually a few biblical references within the worlds mythology, although, aside from the aesthetic of the Angels, there are not particularly overt.
Perhaps, it could be argued that the whole thing gets a little too dark sometimes. It can get rather depressing in a few places. Also the story as described in the lore sections does not feel like it was resolved in a satisfactory way. The truth is, like all the other Art of Magic The Gathering books, the story of the particular plane is told in a very succinct way, like an encyclopedia entry. The official stories remain on the official story pages of the Magic The Gathering Websites.
Magic: The Gathering has such a rich storyline and it is quite the shame that it remains mostly confined online. It would a be a great boon by Wizards of the Coast to release the story of Innistrad and Amonkhet in print format alongside these art books. It would really help to put the excellent artwork in a bit more context.
Final Verdict: This book would make a perfect addition to the collection of any lover of gothic fantasy and/or vampire lore. Holding true to classic traditions while also maintaining its own unique take on the mythos.
Four Innistrad Icons out of Five
thecultureworm.blogspot.com
The Art of Magic: The Gathering
Innistrad
****
Acquired: Amazon.com
Series: Magic the Gathering (Book 2)
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Perfect Square; 1st edition (July 5, 2016)
Language: English
Subject: Fantasy
****
The Story: Terror falls from the skies on blood-spattered wings, and nameless horrors lurk in the shadows. These pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of Magic: The Gathering™, are your entry into a world beset by terrible evils on all sides and betrayed by the hope it held most dear. Tread lightly as you follow the heroic Planeswalkers of the Gatewatch as they investigate these dark mysteries, for the nightmare they will uncover is a threat to the whole Multiverse. The mysteries of Innistrad—its peoples, provinces, and monsters—await your arrival. But be careful as you peer into the darkness, for you might find something staring back..
The Review: Dark and Gloomy. Gothic Horror. Stoker, Poe, Lovecraft. These are just some of the ingredients that were all mixed together to form this book and the end result could be any goth enthusiasts wet dream.
Innistrad is a call harkening the reader back to the classics of timeless horror. Looming castles, dark nights under the full moon, ghosts, werewolves, vampires. Truly, there is something here for any fan of horror.
The artwork captures this perfectly. One of the first things the reader will notice is that there is very little in the way of color on this plane. It exists, make no mistake but in a very limited capacity.
When viewed in context among more fantastical worlds such as Zendikar or Kaladesh, Innistrad feels among the most grounded of them all, in spite of all the monsters and demons. The buildings are large and imposing. As much stone fortresses as much as domiciles or places of worship. The people who live and work inside of them exist in an almost constant state of fear both from threats outside the walls as well as within them. Humanity is its own worst enemy is a constant theme throughout which only adds to an already dark and dreary setting. Edgar Allen Poe can be seen a few places here.
There is a lot more here than just monsters though. Woven throughout the images and text is an overpowering sense of dread and existential horror. The sense that all these beings: vampires, inquisitors, angels, necromancers, are nothing more than just pieces on a vast game board and those standing around the board are only tangentially aware of their foibles or strengths or even their existence.
Such things are a hallmark of Master horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and his influence can be seen throughout the lore of Innistrad. Even though it originated in the previous expansion, Zendikar, the arrival of the Eldrazi Titan Emrakul further purports the Lovecraftian symbolism.
For many of the plane’s denizens, the only ray of light in their dark world (sometimes literally) is their faith in the Church of the Archangel Avacyn, who along with her angelic host and faithful clergy, battle against the vampires and demons that plague humanity. The truth, however, is much more sinister. Some would call it a vast, cosmic joke on hapless man, furthering the existential horror that is a common theme in this plane’s Lovecraft themes. Religion plays a large role in this expansion. Brushworm is a newcomer to the Magic: The Gathering Universe and religion is not something that takes precedence within. At least compared to the other expansions that Bookworm is familiar with. This immediately sets Innistrad apart and makes it distinct. There are actually a few biblical references within the worlds mythology, although, aside from the aesthetic of the Angels, there are not particularly overt.
Perhaps, it could be argued that the whole thing gets a little too dark sometimes. It can get rather depressing in a few places. Also the story as described in the lore sections does not feel like it was resolved in a satisfactory way. The truth is, like all the other Art of Magic The Gathering books, the story of the particular plane is told in a very succinct way, like an encyclopedia entry. The official stories remain on the official story pages of the Magic The Gathering Websites.
Magic: The Gathering has such a rich storyline and it is quite the shame that it remains mostly confined online. It would a be a great boon by Wizards of the Coast to release the story of Innistrad and Amonkhet in print format alongside these art books. It would really help to put the excellent artwork in a bit more context.
Final Verdict: This book would make a perfect addition to the collection of any lover of gothic fantasy and/or vampire lore. Holding true to classic traditions while also maintaining its own unique take on the mythos.
Four Innistrad Icons out of Five
thecultureworm.blogspot.com
September 9, 2024
El arte conceptual, la historia y especialmente el proceso de creación de un mundo, con su propia identidad e influencias es un trabajo bien desarrollado que valoro mucho. Este libro nos presenta un universo inspirado en el horror europeo de los siglos XVIII y XIX. La mitología, religión y novelas se encuentran perfectamente imbricadas y transportadas al mundo del juego de cartas de Magic.
May 12, 2018
I'm in love with the art style. Just the detail and everything is really good.
October 17, 2022
This book is a big step up from the Zendikar one. The art and world are just so much more interesting and striking, and reading through felt like it was moving much more quickly.
February 4, 2024
It's an artbook + story for the Innistrad block. Did not hold my attention much so only read a few pages then looked at the art.
August 1, 2016
Magic: the Gathering's first foray into Innistrad ended with the shattering of the Helvault and the emergence of Avacyn and the other angels trapped in there, salvation for the humans in a plane overrun by vampires, werewolves, and zombies. A happy ending... except years later, Wizards of the Coast has returned to their plane to reveal that the angels have gone mad, turning on those that they formally protected. Innistrad's denizens are also starting to... change, with strange growths appearing on their bodies. Something is coming...
The sequel to Innistrad is built like a Lovecraftian story, with the protagonist planeswalker Jace desperately trying to solve the mystery of Innistrad's descent into madness. The art in the book delivers some striking images - vampires frozen in white stone, angels lighting the countryside in flame, a ring of warped stone chained with lightning - that are individually evocative, even if one is unaware of the story behind it all. And the second half of the story explodes into complete insanity: a horse and rider entangled and fused; a town whose paranoid inhabitants have merged into a single mass; an angel called Brisella, Voice of Nightmares.
The story detailed alongside the art can be heavy-handed and lacking in subtlety. But the enthusiasm and passion is clearly there, and helps one understand just how Magic has survived as a card game for over twenty years.
The sequel to Innistrad is built like a Lovecraftian story, with the protagonist planeswalker Jace desperately trying to solve the mystery of Innistrad's descent into madness. The art in the book delivers some striking images - vampires frozen in white stone, angels lighting the countryside in flame, a ring of warped stone chained with lightning - that are individually evocative, even if one is unaware of the story behind it all. And the second half of the story explodes into complete insanity: a horse and rider entangled and fused; a town whose paranoid inhabitants have merged into a single mass; an angel called Brisella, Voice of Nightmares.
The story detailed alongside the art can be heavy-handed and lacking in subtlety. But the enthusiasm and passion is clearly there, and helps one understand just how Magic has survived as a card game for over twenty years.
November 1, 2016
Much like the earlier volume in this series, The Art of Magic: The Gathering -- Zendikar, this is a beautiful volume filled with the images and lore of recent Magic: the Gathering card sets.
It's lovely to get a chance to see the art in sizes larger than the 2x3 inch frames we get on cards, and it's clear the story team who works on Magic places lots of love into their creations.
The text of the book is half D&D-esque campaign setting (a gazetteer of the places of the world and the types of people and creatures that inhabit those places), and half story outline for the narrative being told in the cards.
It's a pretty thing I'm proud to own.
It's not for people who aren't really all that into Magic, though, unless you're a collector of art books in general.
4 of 5 stars.
It's lovely to get a chance to see the art in sizes larger than the 2x3 inch frames we get on cards, and it's clear the story team who works on Magic places lots of love into their creations.
The text of the book is half D&D-esque campaign setting (a gazetteer of the places of the world and the types of people and creatures that inhabit those places), and half story outline for the narrative being told in the cards.
It's a pretty thing I'm proud to own.
It's not for people who aren't really all that into Magic, though, unless you're a collector of art books in general.
4 of 5 stars.
August 4, 2016
Another gorgeous addition to Magic: The Gathering's ongoing art book series. Full of fantastic images from some of today's leading imaginative realism artists (who happen to be contributors to MTG), Innistrad provides an in-depth look at the gothic horror setting that has now spanned five expansion sets. Like the previous entry, Zendikar, there's some textual content that runs long and would have been better left on the cutting room floor. But overall this book deserves a place on your shelf or coffee table.
November 12, 2016
Fantastic.
James and the team have really dialed in the world-building and art. Top notch... highly recommended if MtG is of interest or you're looking for fantasy/D&D campaign/village inspiration.
James and the team have really dialed in the world-building and art. Top notch... highly recommended if MtG is of interest or you're looking for fantasy/D&D campaign/village inspiration.
July 26, 2016
Gorgeous art, and enough detail to tie it all together.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews