Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Andrews McMeel Publishing (2023), 72 pages
Description
"In a fable for grown-ups by cartoonist Bill Watterson, a long-ago kingdom is afflicted with unexplainable calamities. Hoping to end the torment, the king dispatches his knights to discover the source of the mysterious events. Years later, a single battered knight returns" -- From Bill Watterson, bestselling creator of the beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, and John Kascht, one of America's most renowned caricaturists, comes a mysterious and beautifully illustrated fable about what lies beyond human understanding --
User reviews
LibraryThing member markm2315
An attractive and very short book that would make a nice gift for someone whom you find too upbeat.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This is a book I bought mostly because of the Author. Unfortunately, it just wasn't something I enjoyed. I understand the story, but it needs a bit more focus, less hints and speculations. I found the style of art to be well done, but not to my taste.
LibraryThing member jeroenvandorp
It carries the name of the creator of Calvin & Hobbes, which triggered many people (including me), but it’s a masterpiece in its own right.
Some dark forests are more dangerous than other forests. Never underestimate any dark forest.
This is a thoughtful tale about unreasonable fear morphing into
It does give out a clear warning in advance, true, but without ever feeling the need to repeat that warning one single time again.
In the end, everything goes on, without those people, who never change, and were never able to learn what the real danger is. Or who.
Some dark forests are more dangerous than other forests. Never underestimate any dark forest.
This is a thoughtful tale about unreasonable fear morphing into
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unreasonable hubris, and about the big scheme ultimately not impressed by human presence. Far from that. It does give out a clear warning in advance, true, but without ever feeling the need to repeat that warning one single time again.
In the end, everything goes on, without those people, who never change, and were never able to learn what the real danger is. Or who.
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LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
I had no prior familiarity with the work of illustrator John Kascht, but according to the jacket copy of The Mysteries, it's not so relevant to what he has now produced in collaboration with Bill Watterson. Certainly, the images bear no resemblance to Watterson's best-known work Calvin and Hobbes.
The Mysteries of the title are evidently the Secrets of Nature, rather than those of craft, crime, or cult. When the king commands the adytum to be unveiled, it is merely profaned. "Populace underwhelmed by latest capture." No tribunal is needed to see that sacrilege is met with justice.
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The book is chiefly a progression of full-page images in fine reproduction. The palette is extremely restrained, giving at least the effect of black and white. Watterson's text on facing pages uses fairytale diction and offers only a sentence or two per page. The Mysteries of the title are evidently the Secrets of Nature, rather than those of craft, crime, or cult. When the king commands the adytum to be unveiled, it is merely profaned. "Populace underwhelmed by latest capture." No tribunal is needed to see that sacrilege is met with justice.
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LibraryThing member villemezbrown
Just ordered pizza! How many pictures books can my wife and I read before it arrives? Here's #1:
A disappointing and depressing parable about how xenophobia and paranoia are bad but nothing matters because we're all just insignificant motes who are all going to die anyway. The art is ugly and creepy
Yuck.
A disappointing and depressing parable about how xenophobia and paranoia are bad but nothing matters because we're all just insignificant motes who are all going to die anyway. The art is ugly and creepy
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to boot.Yuck.
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LibraryThing member dono421846
Well, it's not Calvin and Hobbes, or even the philosophical musings of Calvin and Hobbes. But the art is fantastic!
LibraryThing member bragan
Yes, that's that Bill Watterson, of Calvin & Hobbes fame. This is not Calvin & Hobbes, but it is, perhaps, similar, in that it's something very simple-looking that feels like it has a lot more depth behind it.
I suppose one can only describe it as a picture book for adults. (And I do think it's
The story is just a few short lines per page and has the feel of a slightly abstract fairy tale. Which may not seem like much, but the ending kind of made the hairs on my neck stand up. It ultimately feels very much like an allegory, but the personal exercise of considering what exactly it's an allegory for is, I think, the most interesting part of reading it. So I won't share any of my thoughts on the matter, but only say that I could see at least of couple of different ways of reading it, including a message I like and approve of and one I don't. I'm going with the former, naturally.
In any case, it is definitely a much bigger experience than it looks like you're likely to get out of this small, slim square of a book.
I suppose one can only describe it as a picture book for adults. (And I do think it's
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aimed at adults. It's a bit dark for kids, although maybe how appropriate that is depends on the kid.) The black-and-white illustrations are weirdly compelling, dark and atmospheric in a way that may leave you feeling interestingly off-balance.The story is just a few short lines per page and has the feel of a slightly abstract fairy tale. Which may not seem like much, but the ending kind of made the hairs on my neck stand up. It ultimately feels very much like an allegory, but the personal exercise of considering what exactly it's an allegory for is, I think, the most interesting part of reading it. So I won't share any of my thoughts on the matter, but only say that I could see at least of couple of different ways of reading it, including a message I like and approve of and one I don't. I'm going with the former, naturally.
In any case, it is definitely a much bigger experience than it looks like you're likely to get out of this small, slim square of a book.
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LibraryThing member hcnewton
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S THE MYSTERIES ABOUT?
Here's the Publisher's Description, if I try, I'm going to end up telling the whole, brief story:
In a fable for grown-ups by cartoonist Bill Watterson, a long-ago kingdom is afflicted with unexplainable calamities.
I'm not going to say more, even though I think we could use a teensy-weensy expansion to really sell the story. But the story isn't the important part because...
WOW. THE ART!
This is why you pick up this book. Period. You're curious about what Watterson's been up to for the last umpteen years, how his art has changed and developed. What's got his attention? And we won't really know much given how short this book is and how atypical it is, but still, that curiosity is there.
Maybe you know John Kascht's work and want to see what he's been dabbling in.
Either way, this is why you come to this book—and you will be well rewarded for it.
I'm not going to try to explain how these black-and-white images capture so much—and yet, leave so much to the imagination. But I've already gone through this book a few times just to see the art without caring about the words (which, yeah, I've read twice—but not as often). There are a couple of samples here.
Here's a video put out by the publisher where the two artists describe how they worked together (and no, you don't get to see any faces. Just hands and the works in progress).
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE MYSTERIES?
Honestly, the story doesn't do much for me. It's fine—good enough to justify your time, but that's it. It feels like the first 50-70% of a Neil Gaiman story (but told in far fewer words). Honestly, anyone who described something like that to me would be enough to get me to pick it up—but I wanted a little more from Watterson.
But the more I think about it, I'm always going to want more from Watterson than he seems willing to give. So I should shut up and be happy about it.
I cannot say enough good things about these images, though—the visual look of the book as a whole, either. I'm so glad I got this just for that experience. And it's an experience I can repeat frequently.
I'm not going to give this a rating, because...I don't know. I can't assign a number to this. I'm just happy to see that Watterson is still out there doing creative things and hope he decides to share some more in the years to come.
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WHAT'S THE MYSTERIES ABOUT?
Here's the Publisher's Description, if I try, I'm going to end up telling the whole, brief story:
In a fable for grown-ups by cartoonist Bill Watterson, a long-ago kingdom is afflicted with unexplainable calamities.
Show More
Hoping to end the torment, the king dispatches his knights to discover the source of the mysterious events. Years later, a single battered knight returns.I'm not going to say more, even though I think we could use a teensy-weensy expansion to really sell the story. But the story isn't the important part because...
WOW. THE ART!
This is why you pick up this book. Period. You're curious about what Watterson's been up to for the last umpteen years, how his art has changed and developed. What's got his attention? And we won't really know much given how short this book is and how atypical it is, but still, that curiosity is there.
Maybe you know John Kascht's work and want to see what he's been dabbling in.
Either way, this is why you come to this book—and you will be well rewarded for it.
I'm not going to try to explain how these black-and-white images capture so much—and yet, leave so much to the imagination. But I've already gone through this book a few times just to see the art without caring about the words (which, yeah, I've read twice—but not as often). There are a couple of samples here.
Here's a video put out by the publisher where the two artists describe how they worked together (and no, you don't get to see any faces. Just hands and the works in progress).
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE MYSTERIES?
Honestly, the story doesn't do much for me. It's fine—good enough to justify your time, but that's it. It feels like the first 50-70% of a Neil Gaiman story (but told in far fewer words). Honestly, anyone who described something like that to me would be enough to get me to pick it up—but I wanted a little more from Watterson.
But the more I think about it, I'm always going to want more from Watterson than he seems willing to give. So I should shut up and be happy about it.
I cannot say enough good things about these images, though—the visual look of the book as a whole, either. I'm so glad I got this just for that experience. And it's an experience I can repeat frequently.
I'm not going to give this a rating, because...I don't know. I can't assign a number to this. I'm just happy to see that Watterson is still out there doing creative things and hope he decides to share some more in the years to come.
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LibraryThing member KallieGrace
This is a short, creepy little book about othering, maintaining a system of oppression, and losing sight of the wonder around us in favor of safety and conformity.
LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe
What are the mysteries? No one knows but the everyone fears them. So when the king sends out his knights in search of them, everyone is a bit let down when a captured mystery turns out to be so ordinary. And each further mystery revealed lessens the air of mystery further. And yet in the grand
What does it all mean? I can’t say that I know. It’s as much a mystery as the curious technique that Watterson and Kascht employed to create their haunting images. Part etching, part photo-realism, part grotesquerie. The images hold one’s attention. And perhaps that’s enough.
Gently recommended.
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scheme of things, in the universe as a whole, over eons of time, the mysteries persisted and lived happily.What does it all mean? I can’t say that I know. It’s as much a mystery as the curious technique that Watterson and Kascht employed to create their haunting images. Part etching, part photo-realism, part grotesquerie. The images hold one’s attention. And perhaps that’s enough.
Gently recommended.
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LibraryThing member SESchend
Unsure of this. It wants to be a fable ala Coelho’s Alchemist but falls short imo and comes off as a rather bleak story due to the moody black & white art.
An admirable and interesting work but not one I’ll likely reread soon
An admirable and interesting work but not one I’ll likely reread soon
LibraryThing member foggidawn
People fear the forest at first, but when its mysteries become known, they grow over-confident. Their civilization may fall, but the Mysteries will remain.
It's pretty much impossible to separate Watterson from his earlier creation, the beloved comic strip Calvin & Hobbes. If you can, do so before
It's pretty much impossible to separate Watterson from his earlier creation, the beloved comic strip Calvin & Hobbes. If you can, do so before
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reading this book. Watterson and Kascht's collaboration bears little artistic similarity to C&H, though the messaging is more recognizably Watterson (respect for nature, people are destroying the planet and need to be more thoughtful in general, etc.). Each two-page spread is a full page of artwork and a few lines of text -- a picture book for adults, if you will. There's plenty to discover in the black and white illustrations, and I found myself wondering about the media used to create them. There's more story there than I was able to uncover at a quick perusal, but I also don't feel compelled to return to them, or to own this volume. It's a little bleak for my taste. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2023-10-10
Physical description
72 p.; 8.2 inches
ISBN
1524884944 / 9781524884949
UPC
050837461116