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Faeries of the Faultlines
Iris Compiet is the rarest of artist: That who invokes a complete and cohesive reality with every image she creates. Beautiful, powerful and contemplative all at once. — Guillermo Del Toro
Let me tell you about Faeries, let me take you away on a journey, an adventure.
The Faultlines is an ancient name given to those places where the veil between this world and the Other is thinnest. It is the place where faeries dwell, creatures creep, and magic oozes through the cracks. Recently the Faultlines have been stirring, opening up to all who wish to see, and to all who dare to venture...
Faeries of the Faultlines was an instant Kickstarter success in 2017, and this edited, expanded edition includes the complete original documentation from the greenmen to mermaids, with expanded sections and many more faeries to meet!
Let me tell you about Faeries, let me take you away on a journey, an adventure.
The Faultlines is an ancient name given to those places where the veil between this world and the Other is thinnest. It is the place where faeries dwell, creatures creep, and magic oozes through the cracks. Recently the Faultlines have been stirring, opening up to all who wish to see, and to all who dare to venture...
Faeries of the Faultlines was an instant Kickstarter success in 2017, and this edited, expanded edition includes the complete original documentation from the greenmen to mermaids, with expanded sections and many more faeries to meet!
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
31 people are currently reading
1094 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
May 21, 2021
Two staple books of most 70s 'right on' households were Rien Poortvliet's Leven en Werken van de Kabouter, known as Gnomes in English, and Brian Froud and Alan Lee's Faeries.
I can't tell you how many times I read Faeries, as a kid. You'd find me hunched in some little nook of the house, listening to Enya on my Walkman.
My guess is that artist Iris Compiet has a similar heartfelt connection to Froud and Lee's work (I mean, messrs Froud and Lee have written forewords for the book, so..), as she more or less has in this book made a sequel of sorts. Her art hewes close to Froud and Allen's style, but also builds on it. And the art is truly magnificent. (And it turns out she's Dutch, which is a fun coincidence.)
The book is a collection of notes and illustrations on the many fae and faeries that Compiet has encountered on her travels on the Faultline, the space where the world of the Other and our world intersect.
The writing takes a while to get going, and I found it to be a bit on the repetitive side in the first half of the book. Here's a faerie, and it releases a smell, has a look, says a thing that will make a human drowsy/itchy/dead, and so on. She'll mention they have a complex social structure, but then never talk abiut that. Perhaps because the creatures described in that half are closer to the worlds of Faeries - it is when Compiet creates her completely own collections that her writing starts to spark. There are chapters on trolls, dragons and faerie-like witches. The chapter on witches gets quite dark, which I enjoyed. There is,for example the nykr, who lies in wait in ponds, hoping to snag a wandering child:
"They can stay underwater for a very long time, rarely rising to the surface to breathe. When they do, only their glowing white eyes are visible, as their otherwise dark features hide them from sight. Their thin, dark, and long hair allows them to cover the water's surface, creating the illusion of solid ground. Once a child steps on this treacherous surface, they will find themselves ensnared in the dark tangle of the nykr's hair, choke, and drown."
Ah, you see, that's the good stuff!
(Picked up an ARC through Edelweiss)
I can't tell you how many times I read Faeries, as a kid. You'd find me hunched in some little nook of the house, listening to Enya on my Walkman.
My guess is that artist Iris Compiet has a similar heartfelt connection to Froud and Lee's work (I mean, messrs Froud and Lee have written forewords for the book, so..), as she more or less has in this book made a sequel of sorts. Her art hewes close to Froud and Allen's style, but also builds on it. And the art is truly magnificent. (And it turns out she's Dutch, which is a fun coincidence.)
The book is a collection of notes and illustrations on the many fae and faeries that Compiet has encountered on her travels on the Faultline, the space where the world of the Other and our world intersect.
The writing takes a while to get going, and I found it to be a bit on the repetitive side in the first half of the book. Here's a faerie, and it releases a smell, has a look, says a thing that will make a human drowsy/itchy/dead, and so on. She'll mention they have a complex social structure, but then never talk abiut that. Perhaps because the creatures described in that half are closer to the worlds of Faeries - it is when Compiet creates her completely own collections that her writing starts to spark. There are chapters on trolls, dragons and faerie-like witches. The chapter on witches gets quite dark, which I enjoyed. There is,for example the nykr, who lies in wait in ponds, hoping to snag a wandering child:
"They can stay underwater for a very long time, rarely rising to the surface to breathe. When they do, only their glowing white eyes are visible, as their otherwise dark features hide them from sight. Their thin, dark, and long hair allows them to cover the water's surface, creating the illusion of solid ground. Once a child steps on this treacherous surface, they will find themselves ensnared in the dark tangle of the nykr's hair, choke, and drown."
Ah, you see, that's the good stuff!
(Picked up an ARC through Edelweiss)
January 5, 2023
This is fashioned to look like a sketchbook from a naturalist wandering in search of faeries. Oh, the lengths I had to go to to get my hands on this. Sadly, it didn‘t hold up to the hype/promise.
I enjoyed that there were pencil sketches and full-colour illustrations for each type of faerie as well as their variations (presented as local incarnations). It gives the book that kind of field guide feel. The text is in italics, which sometimes makes it hard to decipher, but no doubt is also intended to reinforce that field guide feel.
Here are some examples of the artwork:
Some of the images reminded me A LOT of Guillermo del Toro‘s stories.
Pretty, no doubt, but sadly, it lacked substance to me as well as a sort of red thread. For example, the author mentions complex social structures of this faerie or that, but then never explains said structures. That wasn‘t enough for me, sorry. Or, at least, it wasn‘t what I had been looking for.
Then again, I hear that the author has taken from previous books of the same nature and then expanded on those. Which might explain why the second half got better and had more details. Those, as far as I can tell, were faeries for which the author had invented the text herself.
So I‘m of two minds about this. The beauty is there and so is the creativity/imagination, but the book also ends rather abruptly and lacks structure. Too bad.
I enjoyed that there were pencil sketches and full-colour illustrations for each type of faerie as well as their variations (presented as local incarnations). It gives the book that kind of field guide feel. The text is in italics, which sometimes makes it hard to decipher, but no doubt is also intended to reinforce that field guide feel.
Here are some examples of the artwork:
Some of the images reminded me A LOT of Guillermo del Toro‘s stories.
Pretty, no doubt, but sadly, it lacked substance to me as well as a sort of red thread. For example, the author mentions complex social structures of this faerie or that, but then never explains said structures. That wasn‘t enough for me, sorry. Or, at least, it wasn‘t what I had been looking for.
Then again, I hear that the author has taken from previous books of the same nature and then expanded on those. Which might explain why the second half got better and had more details. Those, as far as I can tell, were faeries for which the author had invented the text herself.
So I‘m of two minds about this. The beauty is there and so is the creativity/imagination, but the book also ends rather abruptly and lacks structure. Too bad.
April 11, 2025
Ich habe „Feen der Zwischenwelt“ als selbst gewählte Ergänzung parallel zu „Emily Wilde‘s Compendium of Lost Tales“ gelesen, um die Geschichte noch ein wenig lebendiger als ohnehin schon zu machen, und kann euch das genau so nur von ganzem Herzen empfehlen! Aber auch unabhängig davon ist das ein tolles Buch für alle Fans von Feenwesen, besonders von ihrer Dualität von Gut und Böse, und für diejenigen, die auch an der schauriger gezeichneten Variante der Feenwelt interessiert sind. Die Illustratorin und Autorin Iris Compiet liefert zu den wunderschönen Bildern auch Texte, die Tagebucheinträgen ähneln und von Abenteuern in der Zwischenwelt der Feen berichten - ganz so, als hätte sie die Kreaturen tatsächlich gesehen und hautnah erlebt. Auch hier sind die Kreaturen angelehnt an tatsächlich existente Volksmärchen und Legenden, was es in meinen Augen umso toller macht! Da es sich hier um keine Geschichte im klassischen Sinne handelt, kann ich sie auch nicht als solche mit Sternen bewerten. Aber allen Interessierten kann ich das Werk nur empfehlen!
April 26, 2025
So zauberhafte Illustrationen aus der Zwischenwelt 💚 ✨ Einfach wunder-wunderschön! Definitiv 5 ⭐️ dafür. Die Texte sind allerdings recht allgemein gehalten und wie schon einige hier in den Kommentaren geschrieben haben, etwas repetitiv.
Das Buch lohnt sich aber unbedingt schon allein für die Bilder einer wirklich großartigen Künstlerin!
Das Buch lohnt sich aber unbedingt schon allein für die Bilder einer wirklich großartigen Künstlerin!
May 27, 2022
Una guida completamente illustrata, ricchissima di bozzetti e stupendi disegni dai colori quasi acquerellati, alle magiche, misteriose e spesso pericolose creature che dimorano nella Faglia, un Altrove nascosto che, a volte, si svela agli umani.
Davvero imperdibile per gli appassionati di magia, del piccolo popolo e delle creature fantastiche in generale.
Bellissimo volume, di pregio, bellissime e interessantissime le creature riportate con cura dall'autrice.
Davvero imperdibile per gli appassionati di magia, del piccolo popolo e delle creature fantastiche in generale.
Bellissimo volume, di pregio, bellissime e interessantissime le creature riportate con cura dall'autrice.
December 29, 2021
2021 Best Books of the Year [#11 of 11]
August 2, 2024
Libro molto interessante, sicuramente una gioia per gli occhi.
Non é un caso eclatante e non entra particolarmente nei dettagli, ma ho apprezzato il suo "far finta" di essere un diario con tutte le annotazioni e gli schizzi che l'autrice ha riportato dai "suoi viaggi" nella faglia.
Come ho detto i disegni sono molto belli, a tratti acquarellosi, a tratti schizzi a matita, danno veramente l'idea di un album per gli schizzi.
In ogni caso anche se non così particolarmente tratteggiate, le descrizioni delle creature fatate sono comunque molto interessanti nel loro insieme e si capisce che l'autrice sia affezionata a questo mondo e per questo si sia molto informata su miti e leggende legate alle creature fatate. Allo stesso modo ho anche apprezzato il suo cercar di dare una parvenza più "realistica", "scientifica" e "biologica" al tutto, con delle annotazioni che ricalcano quelle che potrebbero essere dei naturalisti.
Non é un caso eclatante e non entra particolarmente nei dettagli, ma ho apprezzato il suo "far finta" di essere un diario con tutte le annotazioni e gli schizzi che l'autrice ha riportato dai "suoi viaggi" nella faglia.
Come ho detto i disegni sono molto belli, a tratti acquarellosi, a tratti schizzi a matita, danno veramente l'idea di un album per gli schizzi.
In ogni caso anche se non così particolarmente tratteggiate, le descrizioni delle creature fatate sono comunque molto interessanti nel loro insieme e si capisce che l'autrice sia affezionata a questo mondo e per questo si sia molto informata su miti e leggende legate alle creature fatate. Allo stesso modo ho anche apprezzato il suo cercar di dare una parvenza più "realistica", "scientifica" e "biologica" al tutto, con delle annotazioni che ricalcano quelle che potrebbero essere dei naturalisti.
December 15, 2024
3.5 ☆
Tolle Aufmachung & wunderschöne Zeichnungen, aber inhaltlich leider eher oberflächlich
Tolle Aufmachung & wunderschöne Zeichnungen, aber inhaltlich leider eher oberflächlich
September 22, 2018
One of my absolute favorite books of faerie art. Truly an an enchanting look into the creatures that inhabit the Faultlines. There is no doubt about it, Iris Compiet has ‘the sight’ and documents her observations with a talent comparable to that of Brian Froud and Alan Lee but with a touch all her own. This book is treasure!
July 4, 2022
It is quite easy to get enthralled by this book with the illustrations and the formatting and some of the tone therein. All of which would have given it a 5 star rating, however, a few key things for me that stood out and somewhat marred the book for me. An important piece of information to note is that bats are not blind. I have no idea why something that was debunked years ago would have made it into this book. Another thing is that it's rather jarring to know that faeries would steal "pink babies", not all babies are pink and why this would be added in the twenty-first century is a mystery. Furthermore, the author states that gender is not a part of fairy existence, but she mentions it on occasion as if it is. Which is it? There doesn't seem to be infant faeries, so it's unknown how any of these faeries propagate their species, especially the hobgoblin and brownie (pronounced brawnie) have no females, even though gender is not a thing. There wasn't even a conclusion which seemed jarring too, the book simply ends.
August 21, 2021
Um fantástico guia de campo da falha que separa o mundo real do mundo das fadas.
Belíssimas gravuras e desenhos. Fabulosas descrições e pequenas histórias sobre os habitantes desse mundo que nos é apresentado.
O resto é imaginação ... ou se tem, ou não.
Belíssimas gravuras e desenhos. Fabulosas descrições e pequenas histórias sobre os habitantes desse mundo que nos é apresentado.
O resto é imaginação ... ou se tem, ou não.
June 12, 2024
I'm in total awe of this book! It's honestly such a treassure to just flick through and admire the beautiful artwork.
I already owned the Labyrinth Beastiary by the same artist and am so glad I purchased this book as well.
The book does take quite some inspiration form the infamous 'Faeries' book by Brian Froud and Alan Lee (who even each wrote a foreword for this book!), but I don't think this is a bad thing. However, this does make up for the fact that I can't help but compare the two works side to side. Each of the books contain beautiful artwork, but it's the writing that is so different. Whereas the 'Faeries' book contains mostly scary stories about the Fae, 'Faeries of the Faultlines' seems to try and pull each of these stories into the lighter spectrum of things. Sometimes I did not really like this. It felt like the author was kind of trying to put a Disney spin on these horrific faery stories and traditions that have been with us for centuries. Luckily, there are still some parts in this book that do remain dark and spooky.
I really did enjoy reading this book and will keepsake it forever.
I already owned the Labyrinth Beastiary by the same artist and am so glad I purchased this book as well.
The book does take quite some inspiration form the infamous 'Faeries' book by Brian Froud and Alan Lee (who even each wrote a foreword for this book!), but I don't think this is a bad thing. However, this does make up for the fact that I can't help but compare the two works side to side. Each of the books contain beautiful artwork, but it's the writing that is so different. Whereas the 'Faeries' book contains mostly scary stories about the Fae, 'Faeries of the Faultlines' seems to try and pull each of these stories into the lighter spectrum of things. Sometimes I did not really like this. It felt like the author was kind of trying to put a Disney spin on these horrific faery stories and traditions that have been with us for centuries. Luckily, there are still some parts in this book that do remain dark and spooky.
I really did enjoy reading this book and will keepsake it forever.
June 28, 2024
I received this book for Christmas, and I've been perusing it here and there since. Decided to dive in and read the second half in full today as it was rainy and gloomy out, and I wanted a distraction from job application stress! This is a delightful art book! And I do think that the art is what stands out about this book in particular. The writing that accompanies the book is fun, but often felt a bit unstructured or repetitive. But the art is absolutely stunning! I'm pretty sure I could spend hours and hours exploring each page of this book and still have new details to find! I'm quite pleased to have added this book to my collection alongside the works of artists like Brian Froud and Alan Lee <3
May 31, 2022
Davvero incredibile, non mi esaltavo così tanto per un libro illustrato da tempo!
Iris ha un talento mozzafiato, i suoi schizzi sono pazzeschi, e gli acquerelli ti catturano fino a portarti all'interno della narrazione stessa: è davvero coinvolgente, ricco di dettagli e storie che ti traportano in un'altro mondo.
Davvero meraviglioso, lo consiglio a tutti se vi piacciono le creature misteriose e magiche come quelle descritte all'interno della Faglia di Iris Compiet ✨
Iris ha un talento mozzafiato, i suoi schizzi sono pazzeschi, e gli acquerelli ti catturano fino a portarti all'interno della narrazione stessa: è davvero coinvolgente, ricco di dettagli e storie che ti traportano in un'altro mondo.
Davvero meraviglioso, lo consiglio a tutti se vi piacciono le creature misteriose e magiche come quelle descritte all'interno della Faglia di Iris Compiet ✨
June 11, 2024
In questo periodo, con l’arrivo del caldo, avverto sempre un pizzico di nostalgia per le vacanze estive. Quei tre mesi lunghi che avevo la fortuna di passare in giardino dai nonni, cullata dalle letture sull’amaca, mentre tra un capitolo e l’altro cercavo animaletti in giardino o esploravo in giro.
Questo illustrato di Moscabianca mi ha ricordato proprio quella sensazione, una stagione sognante in cui perdersi tra cespugli in fiore e boschetti ombrosi in cui risuona il gorgogliare di ruscelli e cascate.
Le illustrazioni di Iris Compiet che passano dai chiari scuri delle matite a degli acquerelli delicati non hanno bisogno di presentazione: questo è uno di quei libri d'arte in cui rimanere stregati. I vari abitanti della faglia vengono infatti presentati anche da note scritte in un corsivo che per gli amanti di lettere come me riportano a qualcosa di prezioso e affascinante.
Grazie a qualche misterioso incanto, l’autrice è riuscita a imprigionare fra queste pagine il fruscio delle foglie, i colori dei fiori, lo scalpiccio di piccole fate, il trapestio dei troll, il raspare di skypta inquietanti. E vi garantisco che arrivati alla fine vi ritroverete a sognare a occhi aperti di cavalcare un drago .
Se cercate una lettura basata su mitologia e folklore che ricorda la magia delle fiabe non fatevelo scappare.
Questo illustrato di Moscabianca mi ha ricordato proprio quella sensazione, una stagione sognante in cui perdersi tra cespugli in fiore e boschetti ombrosi in cui risuona il gorgogliare di ruscelli e cascate.
Le illustrazioni di Iris Compiet che passano dai chiari scuri delle matite a degli acquerelli delicati non hanno bisogno di presentazione: questo è uno di quei libri d'arte in cui rimanere stregati. I vari abitanti della faglia vengono infatti presentati anche da note scritte in un corsivo che per gli amanti di lettere come me riportano a qualcosa di prezioso e affascinante.
Grazie a qualche misterioso incanto, l’autrice è riuscita a imprigionare fra queste pagine il fruscio delle foglie, i colori dei fiori, lo scalpiccio di piccole fate, il trapestio dei troll, il raspare di skypta inquietanti. E vi garantisco che arrivati alla fine vi ritroverete a sognare a occhi aperti di cavalcare un drago .
Se cercate una lettura basata su mitologia e folklore che ricorda la magia delle fiabe non fatevelo scappare.
August 11, 2024
I really loved the art overall and the variety in character design.
I do have a few qualms: the fact that there were some call outs/chapter starts? about certain fairies or types of fairies, but then the book would go on about a completely different type without any kind of separation between the two was very confusing.
I also wish the artist had been a bit more imaginative than "female fairies have two breasts and look naked" (which is especially jarring when a side note states that fairies don't do gender, even though that is contradicted several times). If you want to do sexual dymorphism in species that look more animal- or insect-like, be more creative!
I do have a few qualms: the fact that there were some call outs/chapter starts? about certain fairies or types of fairies, but then the book would go on about a completely different type without any kind of separation between the two was very confusing.
I also wish the artist had been a bit more imaginative than "female fairies have two breasts and look naked" (which is especially jarring when a side note states that fairies don't do gender, even though that is contradicted several times). If you want to do sexual dymorphism in species that look more animal- or insect-like, be more creative!
December 14, 2019
The artwork is absolutelly stunning, and for it alone the book deserves to ve explored and even owned. The text and stories are quite elaborate for an artist book, but not enough developped for a regular one.
November 10, 2020
Gorgeous in every way possible
August 8, 2025
*4,5⭐️
Disegni e racconti davvero immersivi! La prefazione di Alan Lee poi è stata davvero la ciliegina sulla torta che ha confermato il talento della Compiet. Sicuramente un capolavoro per chi colleziona libri del tema ☺️
Disegni e racconti davvero immersivi! La prefazione di Alan Lee poi è stata davvero la ciliegina sulla torta che ha confermato il talento della Compiet. Sicuramente un capolavoro per chi colleziona libri del tema ☺️
February 14, 2022
wonderful creatures, amazing art, just like reading a diary about the amazing creatures 🧚
March 16, 2024
The illustrations are out of this world! The creatures come alive once you read about them and marvel at the various drawings that Iris made. These kinds of books heal my inner child <3
August 31, 2021
The art of Iris Compiet is absolutely breathtaking! 🖤 In this wonderful collection, she brings brings to life fascinating Fae creatures, mythology, and the world they live in. Every entry is written with care, and each illustration and painting are beautiful to behold! As an artist and lover of nature and fantasy, this book is so inspiring and I absolutely love it! 🌿 I highly recommend this book if you love Fairies / the Fae, mythology, fantasy art, illustration, and watercolor! 🎨
August 7, 2021
4.75?
I absolutely fell in love with every stunning illustration. I felt totally consumed by this worths and couldn't put the book down. I just wish it didn't just end.. there was hints there there will be more observations and studies so maybe a volume 2 as well? All in all I love this book and devoured it's pages in just a couple of days.
I absolutely fell in love with every stunning illustration. I felt totally consumed by this worths and couldn't put the book down. I just wish it didn't just end.. there was hints there there will be more observations and studies so maybe a volume 2 as well? All in all I love this book and devoured it's pages in just a couple of days.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2022
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this book as a gift for Christmas last year.
Thoughts: This is more of an art-book than an actual story or book. It does remind a lot of Brian Froud's "Fairies" book which I was a huge fan of growing up. It is also similar to "Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book". This is done like a mocked up journal that someone who has visited the Faultlines was filling out.
In general this was a quick read and some of the artwork was really awesome. I also thought that some of the descriptions of the fairies were very fun and creative.
I did have some issues with this book. If you are looking for a story about faerie, this isn't that at all. It's chapters that go through different types of faeries, but even that isn't very well organized. I struggled at points to see how certain drawing of faeries really belonged in the chapter they were put in. In the end, I just had to kind of go with it and stop paying attention to what chapter I was in.
The other issue I had is with the font used for the "written" portions of the journal. The font used was a super slanted and cramped cursive font that I struggled to read, especially on some of the faerie names. It would have been nice to have these parts in a more legible font. The last complaint I have is that a lot of the drawings in here were very unfinished feeling, they were just rough sketches. I enjoy more finished drawings, but that is a personal preference.
Aside from the above this is a nice "coffee table" book for anyone who loves faerie mythology or cryptozoology in general.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this is a nice coffee table book. There is some spectacular artwork in here along with some fun/cute explanations about the faeries. This is a creative book and it is fun to look through. I did think the font used in the "written" portions was hard to read and I was a bit disappointed that so many of the art pieces were sketches rather than full color finished pieces. If you are looking for a cute art-book for your coffee table I would recommend it. If you are looking for a cohesive faerie reference or a story to read, I would look elsewhere. There isn't a story here and the book is fairly disorganized if you are really into learning about faerie lore.
Thoughts: This is more of an art-book than an actual story or book. It does remind a lot of Brian Froud's "Fairies" book which I was a huge fan of growing up. It is also similar to "Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book". This is done like a mocked up journal that someone who has visited the Faultlines was filling out.
In general this was a quick read and some of the artwork was really awesome. I also thought that some of the descriptions of the fairies were very fun and creative.
I did have some issues with this book. If you are looking for a story about faerie, this isn't that at all. It's chapters that go through different types of faeries, but even that isn't very well organized. I struggled at points to see how certain drawing of faeries really belonged in the chapter they were put in. In the end, I just had to kind of go with it and stop paying attention to what chapter I was in.
The other issue I had is with the font used for the "written" portions of the journal. The font used was a super slanted and cramped cursive font that I struggled to read, especially on some of the faerie names. It would have been nice to have these parts in a more legible font. The last complaint I have is that a lot of the drawings in here were very unfinished feeling, they were just rough sketches. I enjoy more finished drawings, but that is a personal preference.
Aside from the above this is a nice "coffee table" book for anyone who loves faerie mythology or cryptozoology in general.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this is a nice coffee table book. There is some spectacular artwork in here along with some fun/cute explanations about the faeries. This is a creative book and it is fun to look through. I did think the font used in the "written" portions was hard to read and I was a bit disappointed that so many of the art pieces were sketches rather than full color finished pieces. If you are looking for a cute art-book for your coffee table I would recommend it. If you are looking for a cohesive faerie reference or a story to read, I would look elsewhere. There isn't a story here and the book is fairly disorganized if you are really into learning about faerie lore.
May 9, 2022
Welcome to the Faultlines, but beware. Not all who dwell within the pages of this book are as friendly as the green faerie whose face graces its cover! Led by our intrepid guide, artist Iris Compiet, we are taken on a tour of this fascinating fey realm, a hidden part of the world just out of the human eye but kept alive by those who continue to believe. Following in the vein of the faerie illustrators who came before her, we can spot notes of Alan Lee, Brian Froud, Arthur Rackham and more in Compiet’s compilation of fey drawings, but we’re entranced enough by the fey to always want more. Like Faeries, Compiet composes her drawings into a compendium that is part sketchbook, part painter’s exposé, and part explorative guidebook to the fey captured in pencil, ink, and paint. Even for this recognizable narrative style, her book stands well on its own, as Compiet’s use of her mediums is masterful and both her softly spoken words and vibrant illustrations bring the fey to life. From dragons and fairies, to bog witches and trolls she has delved deep into the denizens of the Faultlines, and played a careful line that reveals and revels in the complicated world of the fey creatures we know while also introducing new creatures to our imaginations. Compiet is well known in some artistic circles, but she is clearly just getting started in making a name for herself with this first stand-alone publication – and I, for one, can’t wait to see where her undoubtedly wonderful artistic career will go next.
July 31, 2024
Beautiful, stunningly beautiful book. The artwork is one of a kind and comparisons to Poortvliet and Froud are fully justified. The book promises stories, but doesn’t deliver. A story needs a “once upon a time” and then a “one day…”. This book contains descriptions of a highly original kind of speculative biology. Compiet has done a wonderful job of conjuring up this many species, some from myth and legend, but most from her own creative mind. There could have been more of a system to the speculative biology, however. As it is, the pictures sometimes show the opposite of what the text says. Besides, faeries of the same “species” look so vastly different as depicted on the same page that it’s hard to believe they actually are of the same species. And sometimes one text says something completely different from another, for instance mermaids are first explained to be genderfree or genderfluid, but on the next page there is a clear distinction between male and female mermaids. Well, that’s nitpicking, of course, but it would have earned the book its fifth star.
Stories would have done the same. Next time, please make a book that is as beautiful as this one, but with actual stories.
Stories would have done the same. Next time, please make a book that is as beautiful as this one, but with actual stories.
January 23, 2023
This is one of those art books where you read all the explanations and tid-bits about the characters drawn/documented because it adds so much; it creates the whole experience. It reminded me when I was a kid, and I loved to draw dragons and make up their backstories and what they used their claws and teeth for, for example. This book is a treasure! The way the author writes-- it's so real and believable and creative! Just pure creative amazingness. The illustrations are fantastic. Pairs great with my Spiderwick's Field Guide beastiary.
October 15, 2018
Potentially the best book of faerie artwork I've seen. The text, a journal of Iris' journeys through the Faultlines, is intricately woven between gorgeous images sketched and painted by the author herself.
Pulling from mythology and imagination, Iris has built a fully-realized world that borders just beyond the veil of our own. I'm so looking forward to continuing to follow her work.
Pulling from mythology and imagination, Iris has built a fully-realized world that borders just beyond the veil of our own. I'm so looking forward to continuing to follow her work.
June 1, 2022
Affascinante viaggio nel folclore di stampo anglosassone secondo la visione dell'artista Iris Compiet. Un bestiario di grande suggestione, estremamente bello visivamente. Anche l'edizione molto curata. Unico neo, il font scelto per le didascalie (cioè la maggior parte del testo) è piuttosto difficoltoso da decodificare per chi soffre di dislessia o per un ipovedente.
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