Just So Stories

Midnight Sun

November 2023

ISBN 9781922858177

RRP $34.99 (hbk),

When a talented friend sends you a wonderful gift, especially at a time when your spirits are so low, you can’t just accept it and nod your thanks. This technically is not a review but an expression of my real gratitude – as well as my absolute awe at this man’s talent. Of course, I already knew that and, after meeting him in person when The Kid and I went to Adelaide a couple of years ago, also know that he is an all-round really interesting person as well. Regular readers and friends will know that I am a big fan of the Abbey Medieval Festival and have now got The Kid hooked as well, and Tim’s alter-ego as Sir Tim of Newtown, member of the Society of Creative Anachronism, just thrills me to the core. As one who loves dressing up especially!

But this fantastically gorgeous bestiary is just the ants’ pants – or the knight’s greaves – something like that. And it certainly deserves me giving it a plug at the same time I’m also expressing my grateful thanks.

While it details plenty of creatures I know of and have read in stories e.g. the Fey or Faerie, merpeople, griffins, manticores, Oni, elves and my beloved dragons, there are also so many of which I was completely oblivious such as the catoblepas, Irusan the King of Cats, and the Lamiae (an inspiration for Nagini perhaps?] so my last night’s reading was both informative and wow! fancy that, with much perusing of Tim’s absolutely stunning and heavily detailed illustrations – works of art in and of themselves.

Despite spending about an hour with it last night, I’ll still be poring over the pictures for some time as there is just so much to see in them. And you can be sure this one is going to have an honoured place alongside my HP Fantastic Beasts books as well as my Tolkien Bestiary.

Truly, if you have a child who leans towards the mythical, magical and medieval give them (and yourself) a real treat – make haste! get thee to thy finest purveyor of manuscripts and acquire thine own volume – forsooth!