The Fairy Universe is a wonderfully diverse encyclopedia of the Fae tied together by short vignette text, but it's the fantasy art that is the main attraction. Due out 8th June 2022 and distributed in North America by Diamond Comics, it's 136 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook/comiXology formats.
This is a wide ranging collection from the works of Olivier Ledroit and represents different media types from pen and ink to watercolor. The pieces are diverse and many are compelling. The formatting reminds me quite a lot of "The art of...(Frazetta, Oliver Frey, Whelan, etc)" collections from the past.
This is a nice collection for fantasy art enthusiasts and a good resource for inspiration. The text was presumably originally published in French and is capably translated in this English language edition by Fabrice Sapolsky. Much of the art is haunting and atmospheric and not just a little bit creepy. It reminds me in some ways of the deliciously scary Grimm's Fairy Tales illustrated by Arthur Rackham which terrified me as a small child. There is some small amount of nudity included in the works in this edition.
Four stars. Quite beautifully done.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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