by Adam Cesare; illustrations by Iris Compiet

Titan, out now

All you could want to know about the creatures of The Dark Crystal universe

With the unfortunately-timed announcement that Netflix are not proceeding any further with the Dark Crystal prequel, Age of Resistance – despite spending a small fortune on recreating the worlds for the 10-part series – this book’s subtitle has taken on extra meaning, as I would be rather surprised if it’s not another decades-long gap before we get further adventures on Thra.

This is the book that fans of the franchise have been looking for – an in-universe look at the creatures, beautifully illustrated by Iris Compiet, who deservedly gets joint credit on the cover and spine. There’s nothing about how the worlds were brought to life, either for movie or TV; it’s purely about the characters and the creatures in their worlds. Considerable thought has been put into the way the ecosystems work – for instance, we learn that the Hollerbat is vital because although it can’t ingest glow-moss to see, its droppings are what fertilize the glow-moss that allow other creatures to do so.

Fans will overlook the following, I’m sure, but for others interested in it, there are a couple of downsides to the book. The index at the start has a few errors in it – all the items in the 110s are listed as being in the 80s – and designer Amy DeGrote has chosen a flowing “handwritten” font which isn’t the easiest to read. It looks great (as our gallery of images here shows), but you may well find yourself having to peer closely to work out the words.

Verdict: An essential for fans of the Dark Crystal. 8/10

Paul Simpson

 

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk

And check out our gallery of images from the book here