A fairy tale for the comics ... er, graphic novel crowd from the creator of Babylon 5 and many other things. Nothing particularly surprising or deep, but nicely illustrated and smoothly told ( )

This is the story of Trifle, one of the faerie inhabiting the walls of a castle, wherein lives a father, mother and daughter, and the father and mother must be king and queen because he refers to his daughter as Princess... according to the logic of Trifle. Invasion happens and the parents are killed. The daughter is tortured and then saved by faerie but her revenge hurts those living inside the walls.

It's a beautifully illustrated lovely book and I really enjoyed it. ( )

#35, 2007

I've had this book on my shelf for a long while, and now I'm wondering what took me so long. It's a beautiful book, and easy to read in one sitting. It describes itself as an "uncommon fairy tale," and this is an apt description. It's the tale of Trifle" (who is like a faerie, only everyone knows there's no such thing as faeries) and the other marvelous creatures who live in the castle with her (unbeknownst to the humans). When war comes to their previously peaceful life, Trifle decides to break one of the rules and reveal herself to the "Princess" of the castle. The illustrations are gorgeous, and it's a sweet story with a lovely pacifist message (rage is the one emotion that can kill the fanciful creatures living in the castle). Many thanks to Midwinter for the loan. I'll be sending it back soon, although I might read it with my son before I do. 4.5 stars. ( )