All the Colors of Magic by James A. Owen – 5 stars
ALL THE COLORS OF MAGIC is a coloring book for All Ages, filled with illustrations selected from the series The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by author/illustrator James A. Owen, including all seven covers, a selection of chapter illustrations from the novels, and featuring: Dragons, Badgers, a slightly-depressed six-armed Minotaur, Battle Goats, a Goblin Market, A Mechanical Owl, a Sphinx, more Dragons, and other Magical Creatures, all presented in beautiful removable pages that can be framed as they are, or colored and mounted in a place of honor on your refrigerator. The book is perfectbound, 8 3/4″ x 11″, with a full-color glossy cover. The 22 illustrations featured on the interior pages have been printed on a heavy, uncoated stock that will be ideal to color with crayons, pencils, markers, or watercolors. The pages are printed on one side only, and are perforated along the spine for easy removal.
I have a confession to make: I didn’t read the book. That’s because it’s a coloring book. There’s very little to read. On the surface, that should make this a children’s thing and not worthy of a review. Except it’s neat enough that I feel compelled to share it. As regular readers may have noticed, I kind of like dragons. A little. A smidge.
Okay, a lot. I adore dragons. There, I said it. This book is a bunch of dragons and other fantasy critters illustrated in black and white. They’re actually quite good as-is, and would make any wall more pleasant to look at fresh out of the binding. Every illustration is on high quality, thick paper, and I have similar drawings already hanging on my walls. But they’ve been drawn such that coloring is almost demanded.
If you like dragons and fantasy critters, and you have a hankering to use colored pencils, crayons, or whatever strikes your fancy, I recommend this. It’s good stuff and completely suitable for anyone who can color in the lines.
In addition to this book, there’s also a new Kickstarter by Mr. Owen that will put THREE awesome new coloring books into your hands before Christmas.