Lorien Lost

by Michael King

This magical "New Victorian" novel is the tale of a man with a curious gift: the ability to "step inside" paintings. Escaping from repressive 1870s London into a lush summer landscape, he meets a beautiful woman named Lorien. But when a gallery fire destroys the painting--and Milton learns a sculpture of Lorien exists in Devonshire--he sets out on a luminous journey to find it.

Genres: Fantasy

195 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Stephanie Ricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up blindly, just because it looked interesting. Some books look interesting without having to do anything at all. This one was very lovely in its way. It was written by an artist, and you can tell: the story feels like the author had a series of beautiful but disconnected images in his mind and he just strung them all together. Very pretty to look at, but not always coherent. It reminded me a little of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, except not as organized (or nearly as lengthy). Worth checking out, though, if only for the imaginative turns of phrase and poetic descriptions.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This tries too hard to be whimsical and delightful, and as a result, ends up being overwrought and aimless. There is too little detail about many things and far too much about a few things. As a story, it fails; there is no journey and I cared little for any character. As an explorative art piece, it's passable, though there are many of much higher quality out there. What it would function best as, I suspect, is a video game, along the lines of 2014's Child of Light. The few illustrations contained within are welcome but ultimately do little to relieve the tedium of having to listen to the author attempt to "show" his vision, when all he can do is tell. It's something akin to being forced to listen to a second-rate art critic describe a painting in minute detail, when all I want is to look at the damn thing myself.

[Matt Dillard · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I picked this up at a used book store on a whim - the cover and quick flip-through looked interesting. It's an eccentric, poetic tale of fantasy & magical realism. The writing reminded me of Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" - very, very lyrical. I found myself reading aloud to slow myself down, lest I march forward without grasping what I just read.

The story was at times gripping and at times rather dull. The same goes for the writing, which would veer into something so flowery as to mean almost nothing. Uneven, but worth noting that uneven also means it was sometimes excellent. I'm happy this spur of the moment pick landed as well as it did.

[Jody Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for readers and a book for collectors. As a book, a physical object, it is beautiful. The chapters are seeded with lovely Victoriana black and white graphics that convey images and moods. I am going to keep it rather than consign it to my local used book store just for its craft. The story is magical, not brilliantly so. A man can look at paintings by a specific artist and enter into the world of the painting. After a disastrous fire, he searches for a new way to enter his lost world. At that point, this becomes a quest novel. It is not heroic, nor, in the conventional sense, romantic. The ending fits the story, but is not in itself unexpected. As the title says, it is a Novel of Artistic Obsession. Your protagonist is obsessed, and not much else. If you love books for their own beauty, this is one to add to your collection. If you are looking simply for words, this is a good book but perhaps not a great one. For myself, I am happy that I read it and happy to have it grace my bookshelf. Note that is is NOT by the same Michael King listed on the page. This Michael King Lves in Santa Cruz, CA, and this is his first novel.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was, as silly as this is going to sound, a little intimidated by this book. Would it be too much book for little me? I'm not sure I can explain it very well. But my fears turned out to be completely unfounded. This was a very accessible little book. It made me think of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Little, Big, and Lud-in-the-Mist. This book is maybe not quite of that quality, but it's close, and if you like those sorts of books, you should give it a try.

While I have one "Hey, is that really authentic?" doubt and I was slightly disappointed that all of the illustrations were reproductions, I enjoyed this book very much.

[Madly Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, I don't understand any of the negative reviews on this book. It's a fairy tale like fable of what it means to be an artist in pursuit of the IMPOSSIBLE art.

I bought it years ago and have read it many times. It's not really a novel in the sense of what a novel should do, but it's a little gem of a story about the imagination and its possiblities.

I loved it. I'm moving my study soon and only the great books will go in there. This is one of them.

[Wrenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars. What not what I was expecting based on the description. I found the main character insufferable, and the whole thing was weirdly surreal and I never could decide whether what was happening was actually happening - nor what the appeal of Lorien herself was except as a crutch, since she was given absolutely zero personality in the short time we "meet" her. As much as I wanted to like it, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminded me of...

"Phantom of the Opera"
(creepy underground maze and weirdo)
+
"The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus"
(couldn't figure out the meaning)
+
"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell"
(world)
+
"Grey Gardens"
(the mansion)
+
"Somewhere in Time"
(looking for a girl in a painting part)

not bad, but I thought it would be more fun to read this.

[Tktecu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting idea for the story line, though the author doesn't quite carry it through. A fantastical read--sort of a cross between The Hobbit and Griffin and Sabine. I especially liked the incorporation of pictures, which few adult books have. Worth reading.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this book a 2.5 if I could. The story line was original and the author did an excellent job of keeping the tone Victorian, but I never became invested in the characters. It took me 3 weeks to read such a short book!

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sci-fi garbage.