ElfQuest: Сага о Лесных Всадниках. Книга 8. Время снов

Elfquest #8.2

by Wendy Pini, Richard Pini

Одержимый идеей предотвратить крушение Высших, Рейек исчез вместе с семьёй Рубаки. И вот, спустя десять тысяч лет Дворец снова появляется в ночном небе мира Двух Лун, который сильно изменился за минувшие века. Человечество перебралось из хижин в каменные города и расселилось по всему свету. Эльфы же из «духов» и «демонов», в чьей реальности не приходилось сомневаться, превратились для людей в легенду, в «скрытых». Лита, Звездочёт и дети, для которых прошла всего одна ночь, с ужасом осознают, что Обычай Лесных Всадников едва ли способен вместить идею столь долгого ожидания. Однако для бессмертных время – ничто, и страстная мечта Рейека изменить историю всё также пылает в сердце Виноуилл, ожидавшей своего часа в холодных глубинах океана. У семьи Рубаки нет времени горевать по близким и выяснять, какая судьба постигла Лесных Всадников. Чтобы справиться с могущественными противниками, Звездочёт принимает решение, которое изменит его жизнь…

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Elves, Fiction, Comics Manga

312 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2022

About the author

Wendy Pini is one-half of a husband and wife team with Richard Pini that created, most notably, the Elfquest series.

Wendy was born in California and adopted into the Fletcher Family in Santa Clara County. Early on, she developed as an artist and was the illustrator of her high school year book. She submitted samples of her artwork to Marvel Comics at 17 that were rejected.

Pini attended Pitzer College and received her B.A. in the Arts and joined the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society.

In 1972, she married Richard Pini and began illustrating science fiction magazines, including Galaxy, Galileo, and Worlds of If. In 1977, Richard and Wendy established a publishing company called Warp Graphics to publish their first Elfquest comic. Elfquest was self-published for 25 years and in 2003, licensed to DC Comics. The comic series has won several awards, including the Ed Aprill Award for Best Independent Comic, two Alley Awards, the Fantasy Festival Comic Book Awards for Best Alternative Comic, and the Golden Pen Award.

Wendy has illustrated other works, including Jonny Quest in 1986, Law and Chaos in 1987, and in 1989, two graphic novels of Beauty and the Beast. Recently in 2007, she completed a graphic novel entitled The Masque of Red Death.

Wendy has received several awards over the last four decades, including the San Diego Comic Convention Inkpot Award, the New York State Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, the Balrog Award for Best Artist, and was inducted into the Friends of Lulu Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame in 2002.

Wendy and her husband currently reside in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Reviews

[Ken-ichi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the Hidden Years collection, this is a beautiful little interlude between the original 8 books and the largely non-Wendy works that follow. Where the art of Hidden Years is lavish and colorful, Dreamtime is muted but warm, lots of charcoals, heavy pencils, and inks. I think my favorite part upon re-reading this was the way each dream is told before a background of nightly life in the Holt: hunting, tanning, playing, appreciating the forest. These are actually the scenes I remember most from the series.

Also, the little addendum featuring Wendy chatting with Cutter and Skywise is way too tantalizing, esp. now, many years after it was written. When will Wendy return to Elfquest?! When?!?!

[Anniken Haga · Rating 3 out of 5]

This will never be my favorite Elfquest-ARC, but it isn't in itself a bad one. I just feel like it's not really going anywhere.

The art is beautiful, even if I was disappointed to find my copy was only black and white, characters are those I love. Other than that, I don't know much else to say about this book.

EDIT: It's the last book before the series is handed over to other artists, which is a disappointment as well. The stories are interesting, but some of the art is... not to my liking, so reading this was a nice little refresher before heading into that foray of books.

[Diana Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't even know this existed until the day before Christmas. Thanks, Mom!

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently some issues of Elfquest: The Hidden Years contained multiple smaller stories. This collect Dreamtime, a 12 part arc where the individual stories are about 10 - 15 pages long.

After the Wolfriders wake up from their long sleep, they begin sharing their dreams. Pike is convinced they're all tied together somehow. In the end, he utterly fails to convince me.

The art in this collection is a lot of gray tones. I wonder if it was painted in color originally. Wendy Pini does vary her art style a bit to fit the different dreamers. Analyzing dreams is not my favorite story trope, so I found this uninteresting.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of The Complete Elfquest volume 3. So it's not exactly the same, but it's close. This is a 12 part story which may correspond to 12 issues or may not. In this we get to see Pike as the Storyteller and he's collecting dreams and putting them together as a single story. I'm not sure that the summary really works. But the stories do and it is a reminder of who everyone was and who they became. And as always the art was great - even though I really do prefer color to black and white.

[stormhawk · Rating 5 out of 5]

For in that sleep of not-death, what dreams may come? The Wolfriders, sleeping in Preserver wrapstuff, have been dreaming. Pike, who is usually the funny and mischievious one, becomes the Dreamweaver who searches for meaning in his tribe's dreams.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know that feeling when you're reading a book and suddenly realize there are almost no pages left, and you realize that the ending is going to fall flat on its face with a very facile and unsatisfying conclusion? Yep. That's Elfquest: Dreamtime. Ah well. Not bad but it genuinely felt like the Pinis just got sick of it and decided to move on.

[Katy Lohman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What did Cutter and his people dream about when they were in the centuries-long sleep? And how do the dreams tie into real life? Because some are still haunted by the dreams - or nightmares - they had. When Pike decides to ask about the dreams, the whole tribe learns a lot more than they expected - about their fears, dreams and more.

[Carmen Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great, even Wendy was in this book it was so good. Dreams, a subconscious thought or the future waiting to happen. Or maybe they teach us a lesson. Find out in this book.

[Waterfall · Rating 4 out of 5]

(So I really read the individual comics and not the collection, but this is so much easier to add...)

[Shira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as strong as some of the earlier stories, but still highly enjoyable. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A repeat reading. Prospecting for nuggets...