Mirrorscape

Mar 02, 2013 Barbra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mike Wilks is an award-winning artist. His paintings are extremely detailed and mind-bending.

Life in Nem is not easy for Mel and his family. They are simple weavers who only have enough money for basic survival. When Mel, who is a good artist, gets a chance to work as an apprentice for master painter Ambrosius Blenk, he is very excited.

Mel is amazed at the master’s richly colored and vividly detailed paintings. He is particularly entrnced by the colors, because there are no colors back home. To...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Shelley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: art-of-the-book, fantasy, jf

What if you could step into paintings and travel through artists’ imaginations, jumping from artwork to artwork? This is the secret world inside of paintings called the Mirrorscape that Mel Womper and his two new friends, Ludo and Wren, stumble upon. Their discovery gets the trio caught up in a war to control the Mirrorscape and ultimately all of humanity. At the beginning of this spellbinding story, readers finds that Mel, a young, talented, but untrained artist has been given the opportunity t...more

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Oct 31, 2009 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Melkin Womper has always loved to draw, so it’s a dream come true when he learns he’s eligible to be apprenticed to one of the greatest painters of the day, Ambrosius Blenk. And as soon as Mel leaves his home behind, he knows he’s in for the adventure of his life. The danger starts almost immediately, and Mel has to be extra careful in the unfamiliar city of Vlam not to run into the red robed men from the Fifth Mystery who are convinced Mil is responsible for theft and must be punished. Luckily,...more Melkin Womper has always loved to draw, so it’s a dream come true when he learns he’s eligible to be apprenticed to one of the greatest painters of the day, Ambrosius Blenk. And as soon as Mel leaves his home behind, he knows he’s in for the adventure of his life. The danger starts almost immediately, and Mel has to be extra careful in the unfamiliar city of Vlam not to run into the red robed men from the Fifth Mystery who are convinced Mil is responsible for theft and must be punished. Luckily, Mel has some new friends to look out for him, and the Master also has seemed to take a shine to him. As much as Mel would just like to improve his craft, he can’t avoid the power struggle between the Mystery and the Master he’s been caught in, because Mel has stumbled upon Mirrorscape, the world within paintings in which imagination is the only thing that truly matters. Stumbling in between Mirrorscape and the real world, Mel and his friends will have to use their wits and creativity if they are to survive and ultimately defeat the Mystery.

Mirrorscape is one of the most unique and enthralling fantasy stories I’ve ever read. Like in most fantasies, the unusual setting and specified language take a little getting used to, but thankfully, the new places and words weren’t so different that I couldn’t imagine them at all. I love the idea of hidden worlds within our own, so of course, I was drawn to Wilks’ Mirrorscape, the world within paintings. The very nature of this place lends itself to endless possibilities as far as one’s imagination can go, and that leads to some highly unusual, sometimes strange, but always interesting situations in this story. I heartily commend Wilks for his creative and exciting plot; there wasn’t a moment in this story that failed to capture my interest. In addition, I loved the political undercurrent to this enjoyable story; the corrupt bureaucracy that calls itself the Mystery reflects governmental corruption around the world and its repression of the arts and artistic expression, that of many civil liberties. Although I may be reading too much into the story, this adds a little something extra that makes an already fantastic story even better.

Mirrorscape is the type of story that will appeal to readers of all ages, especially those who enjoyed Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and Poison by Chris Wooding. I particularly cannot wait for the continuance of this story in Mirrorstorm, the second installment in this trilogy.

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Oct 06, 2011 Narahari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mike Wilks
Mirrorscape
New York: Egmont USA, 2009
340 pp. $16.99
978-1-60684-008-5

In Mirrorscape, Mike Wilks takes the reader on an artistic voyage to the Mirrorscape, a realm of fantastical creatures and extraordinary occurrences. One can only marvel at the innovative mind of Mike Wilks as his protagonists, three young artists, discover the Mirrorscape, a land within paintings, and journey into paintings on a quest to locate their missing master, the acclaimed painter Ambrosius Blenk. Wilks does ev...more Mike Wilks
Mirrorscape
New York: Egmont USA, 2009
340 pp. $16.99
978-1-60684-008-5

In Mirrorscape, Mike Wilks takes the reader on an artistic voyage to the Mirrorscape, a realm of fantastical creatures and extraordinary occurrences. One can only marvel at the innovative mind of Mike Wilks as his protagonists, three young artists, discover the Mirrorscape, a land within paintings, and journey into paintings on a quest to locate their missing master, the acclaimed painter Ambrosius Blenk. Wilks does everything he can to keep the reader entertained and the meandrous plotline is evidence of this.

Wilks also uses several artistic terms and a plethora of terms that he coined himself, including the title of the book itself. Wilks, however, ensures that the reader understands these terms; he does so by including a glossary of artistic terms that the average reader cannot comprehend. The three protagonists, who are named Mel, Wren, and Ludo, are apprentices to Ambrosius Blenk, a world-class painter who lives in a city called Vlam. At their master’s lavish house, the apprentices are belittled by the seniormost apprentice, a bellicose boy named Groot. Groot’s uncle is Adolfus Spute, a high-ranking official of the fifth mystery, an organization that impoverishes society by demanding high prices on color. Wilks creates interesting characters, another positive aspect of his writing.

The main setting of this novel is the Mirrorscape, a land one can enter by drawing a symbol called the mirrormark. One could even correctly declare that the Mirrorscape is an archetypal tunnel because the characters disappear into it and one can travel from painting to painting within the Mirrorscape. “As they watched, the master raised his hand in front of the canvas and moved it in an elaborate gesture as if he were tracing a complicated design in the air. He moved closer to the canvas and ... vanished” The theme is a trite one; many books contain the recurring theme that good vanquishes evil. Mirrorscape, however, is a brilliant novel because of its outstanding concepts and wonderful plotline.

Mirrorscape, by Mike Wilks, is a book with astounding concepts and ideas. Wilks keeps readers on the edge of their seats with a twisting plot and pure imagination.(less)

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Jul 28, 2010 Adam rated it 2 of 5 stars

Mirrorscape by Mike Wilks
Final Verdict: 2.0 out of 4.0

Plot/Story:
2 - Plot/Story could work with better development.

Mike Wilks’ Mirrorscape is a young-adult fantasy novel with a promising premise: what would the world be like if artists could actually travel into their paintings? The imagination roars with the idea and, I for one, was drawn in just by the possibilities; sadly, the execution leaves much to be desired. While much leeway can and should be given, as fantasy worlds are imaginary and,...more Mirrorscape by Mike Wilks
Final Verdict: 2.0 out of 4.0

Plot/Story:
2 - Plot/Story could work with better development.

Mike Wilks’ Mirrorscape is a young-adult fantasy novel with a promising premise: what would the world be like if artists could actually travel into their paintings? The imagination roars with the idea and, I for one, was drawn in just by the possibilities; sadly, the execution leaves much to be desired. While much leeway can and should be given, as fantasy worlds are imaginary and, to a degree, largely impossible, the world of Mirrorscape is so passively developed that one has to really try to believe in it. There is no ease or enrapture. The problem also exists on two levels: 1) the “real” world which Wilks develops is meant to resemble Earth; however, the villages, towns, political systems, etc. are so weakly and off-handedly described, that the reader is left having to guess about what these places might really be like, how people might really interact – because the author does not show us. 2) the “fantasy” world inside the paintings is so fantastical – the energy is ramped up and progresses at a nearly whiplash pace. This is a world in which absolutely anything can happen - and it does. It is almost as if Wilks sat down for days on end, imagining everything he possibly could, and then cramming it into sentence after sentence of this book. But, where is the plot development? Where is the natural story progression? The wild, “anything goes” attitude of the mirrorscape is so at odds with the underdeveloped, under-described natural world, it was impossible to reconcile the two into one co-existing world. With a softer hand, I think, the story could have worked. If Wilks had slowed down a bit, eased up on the creative throttle and allowed the places and the characters to grow and enchant us, rather than bombard us, a truly magical story could have ensued – but it did not. Perhaps the raging energy and non-stop action would be better suited to the movie format.

Characterization:
2 – Characters slightly developed.

While the plot was a slight disappointment, the characters were heartbreakingly underdeveloped. Wilks provides very little history or motivation for his characters; they interact in the most superficial ways with one another, yet the reader is meant to believe that, somehow (in a matter of days, really) these deep friendships and deeper animosities manage to develop – so that good and evil comes to fight a battle to end all battles at the climax of the novel, and yet, the reader couldn’t really care less who prevails or who falls along the way. It is also disappointing that every character remains flat and static. The characters we meet in the beginning who are “bad” remain bad through to the end. The characters who are “good” are, of course, the “heroes” of the novel. Wilks attempts to throw a curveball in the character of Dirk Tot, the eminent artist’s right-hand man, but it fails disastrously (where there could have been potential) because the sub-story goes absolutely nowhere. When Mel, our main character, reveals his misgivings about Tot to the master artists, they can only laugh and the reader is unable to do anything but laugh at the absurdity of the whole scene.

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Feb 12, 2010 Brian Regan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this more than I actually did. This is a fantasy, set mostly in a walled city called Vlem, where all the "pleasures" of life are controlled by the five Mysteries (governing agencies). The story centers on Mel, a new, talented apprentice to the master artist Ambrosius Blenk. One of the pleasures under strict control is pigment (color), so the artist and the Fifth Mystery are at constant odds. Blenk also has access to the Mirrorscape, a fantastic land where his paintings become re...more

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Apr 18, 2011 Christine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-beehive-nominees

The good thing about this book is the imagination of the author, he has it in spades.
The bad thing about this book is the imagination of the author, he overwhelms us with it at every turn.
If you have ever had someone describe to you one of their outlandish dreams, then you have a taste of what it was like to read this book. I just never became vested in the story or the characters and I almost couldn’t finish it.
The author really missed the boat with this one. It is packaged as a young adult n...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-fantasy, read-in-2010

Mirrorscape is a novel that is purely developed with a lot of thought and creativity going into the plotline.

I really loved the idea of jumping into paintings and having a whole world beyond the real world where the artists creativity really rules.

But there was something off about this novel. There were huge sections were tons of information was thrown at me and I felt almost overwhelmed.

Another issue I had is that while I understand it's an imaginary world, everything just seemed so easy. Th...more

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Nov 21, 2009 Julie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Mel is living his dream. He’s been plucked from his meager existence in his sleepy town and has been brought to the big city to study as an apprentice under a great Master painter. Once there however, Mel finds that life in the big city is not exactly what he pictured.

The head apprentice Groot has it out for him because he knows how much more talented Mel is, and Groot’s uncle who is a big-shot within the main mystery also has Mel on his short list and will go to any lengths to fatten his own...more Mel is living his dream. He’s been plucked from his meager existence in his sleepy town and has been brought to the big city to study as an apprentice under a great Master painter. Once there however, Mel finds that life in the big city is not exactly what he pictured.

The head apprentice Groot has it out for him because he knows how much more talented Mel is, and Groot’s uncle who is a big-shot within the main mystery also has Mel on his short list and will go to any lengths to fatten his own pockets and squash Mel like a bug.

But not everything is dim for Mel. He’s made friends for the first time in his life: Wren, a kitchen girl, and Ludo, a fellow apprentice. When running from Groot one day, the friends see the Master doing something in his office they were not supposed to see, and are suddenly thrown into a mystery and a great adventure that could be the difference between life, death, and saving the beauty of art itself.

I’ve got to say right from the start that Mirrorscape was, for the most part, a disappointment. I was interested in the very beginning when poor Mel was torn away from his parents and dragged to the city to hone his skills as an artist. I was intrigued when Mel and Ludo discovered the secret of the paintings they could jump into and experience the sheer world of imagination, and I did think it was awful clever of Mike Wilks to include backward writing (or mirror writing) in his book which required the reader to hold a small mirror up to the book in order to read what was written. I found that to be a stroke of genius, and know that kids will go crazy for it (some people probably thought I was crazy as I came across this part of the book while sitting in the doctor’s waiting room and was holding my compact up to the book)!

On the flipside, after the first half of Mirrorscape however, the story just got silly. I mean, it’s one thing to have an imaginary world that one can experience, for me it was quite another to have the main characters running through several paintings and once and meeting creatures such as walking houses, mountains that attack you, and pyramids that slow down/speed up time. After several chapters of this instead of being endearing and interesting it just got tiresome.

Ok, I know what you’re going to say: “But Julie! It’s FANTASY! What do you expect?” Well, dear Reader, I understand that Mirrorscape was meant to be a high fantasy for kids and was meant to release imagination as well as show that art is something to be admired and appreciated…but I honestly feel that great fantasy has at least some basis in reality. This thought process is hard to explain in a review, but I suppose the problem with Mirrorscape for me, was that I didn’t find the characters to be very deep or believable. I wasn’t scared of the antagonist, I wasn’t excited to enter the mirror world with the main characters, and after several silly scenes which I felt did not further the main plot in any way, I just lost interest.

Basically, I felt that Mike Wilks spend too much of his time basing the story in the mirror world and not enough time in the “real” world of the main characters, and therefore the characters themselves just fell flat. For me, that’s a classic sin in any kind of writing. Flat characters = Flat story, be it YA literature or anything else.
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May 04, 2011 Janeen-san rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was AMAZING! I loved it! This is one of the books that I judged by its cover only; I've never even read the back cover and I'm glad I didn't: I just let the story draw me in.
The prologue instantly hooked me, drawing me into the story with its first wonderful paragraph:
It should have been darker than the darkest night, as black as Indian ink. But it was not. He held his hand in front of his face and could clearly distinguish its outline in the feeble light. It was both a blessing and a...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Heidi rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-beehive-nominee, ya-12-19, series, fiction, fantasy

Please Note: This is a work by an artist, and thus the world and story are very imaginative. But my mind was not able to grasp it. There may be others who are able to. I'd like to hear opinions of those who enjoyed the book so it can help me recommend to others. So don't stay away from the book just because I didn't like it.

This book took me For. Ev. Er. I trudged my way through, only contuining because I was determined to read all Beehive nominees all the way through (and thus bending--not bre...more

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Mar 21, 2010 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is an enjoyable combination of Dickens, The Phantom Toll Booth and Harold & The Purple Crayon.

In this land, there are Mysteries - they are the "unions" in control of those things associated with the five senses. You can see how well that might work out. Art is under the control of the Fifth Mystery and they hold tightly to the Pleasure of color (if you want to draw with charcoal, its less of a problem but no crayola).

Time, interestingly, is not controlled by anyone. Appropriate.

The ar...more

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May 14, 2011 Danyelle Leafty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookshelf-2011

A solid 3.87. :)

Mel and his friends live in a world where anything a person can experience through the five senses is governed by a mystery for each sense. The mysteries are kind of like guilds, and are very stingy when it comes to pleasures. Want to use color to paint something? It will cost you. Want to make a candied roll instead of bread? Most of the bakers can't afford to pay for the pleasure. The pleasures have set themselves up like kingdoms complete with their own sheriffs and bailiffs t...more

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Jun 28, 2010 Cecelia rated it 2 of 5 stars

There’s a pattern I’ve noticed in middle grade novels marketed for boys. It goes something like this: extremely bright but under-appreciated boy is suddenly accepted to special school, where he discovers he has unique powers/abilities. He then goes on to make a couple of key friends, confound the bullies, and save the world in truly adventurous fashion. Of course, the most popular series that follow the formula are the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson’s Olympians. One of the newest entries into th...more There’s a pattern I’ve noticed in middle grade novels marketed for boys. It goes something like this: extremely bright but under-appreciated boy is suddenly accepted to special school, where he discovers he has unique powers/abilities. He then goes on to make a couple of key friends, confound the bullies, and save the world in truly adventurous fashion. Of course, the most popular series that follow the formula are the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson’s Olympians. One of the newest entries into this oeuvre (if you want to call it that) is Mike Wilks’ Mirrorscape.
Mirrorscape is set in one of the most interesting and truly awesome fantasy worlds I’ve read about recently. Wilks writes in patently gorgeous language to describe color and other visual stimuli. The creature descriptions beg you to enlarge your imagination. And the plot is pretty interesting too – it moves at a fast clip towards adventure and everyone getting their just rewards.
And yet…the story lags at times. Why, you ask? That hero/protagonist/wunderkind – Mel – is a prig. No, really. And where the heroes of the biggest bestsellers in middle grade boy books overcome that challenge and learn humility, compassion and other ‘real person’ qualities, Mel seems static. He’s just GOOD. It’s like he pops onto the page as a perfect person and doesn’t need to grow from his adventures. You know?
Despite an inability to connect with the main character, I kept reading this one almost compulsively. It’s just vivid with description and fantasy and actually interesting side characters. The angels mentioned in the summary are rather hilarious, if I do say so myself. And I’ll be looking out for the second book, too. Weird how that works, isn’t it? Just goes to show that it’s possible to detest a character and yet love the world he’s in enough to keep going. Superb world building, Mr. Wilks!
Recommended for: fans of the middle grad boy-adventure genre and those really interested in world building, visual description and unique fantasy worlds.
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Jan 11, 2010 Flare Mezurashii rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mike-wilks

I am glad that I have found this book on the shelf in this particular bookstore.

The story started to get interesting as I read further and I especially like the part where Mel made his journey to Vlam. I like Mike Wilks's creation of Vlam and I had the feeling that I wish I could live there as the moment I saw the picture he drew of Vlam itself. It was amazing.

Mel's adventures with his two best friends, Ludo and Wren, were fun and intriguing when they were in the Mirrorscape together.

Right now,...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Courtney Burns rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, young-adult, young-adult-fantasy

On recently being accepted as an apprentice into a powerful artistic house, Melkin Womper and his friends quickly become embroiled in a new world of imagination (talking houses, magical pigments, and mythical monsters), possibility (the ability to enter the worlds depicted by paintings—such a great concept), and danger (bullies—and all the above) as the fight between Rainbow Revolution and the Fifth Mystery escalates. As you would imagine, it is up to this teenage boy to save the world. This is...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Mailis Viiand rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, childrens-books, fantasy

I have had all my life, and i believe i might not be the only one, the recurring dream where i run through rooms,and building, close and lock doors, jump things, crawl under things and generally try to escape whatever monster of the day that is chasing me. This book kind of brings that deja vu to the front, only the rooms are mostly paintings here. I cannot praise this to be the best of best, because it just was not for my taste. It had that nightmarish quality to it, where i mostly after a whil...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Kenzie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3 to 3.5 stars at best.

FINALLY found this book after x number of years (I think almost 3-5 yrs give or take), that was ridiculous...

Wow, I just REALLY wanted to give this 5 stars just for its originality and world, but alas I could not. I'm not sure what it is exactly about the story that makes me love/hate it in such a way. Perhaps it was the prose, but it had it good moments. Perhaps it was the somewhat predictability of the plot for me from what I remembered (I accidentally stopped a few year...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Kaugummiqueen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Inhalt
Mel kommt aus einem kleinen Dorf in einer kleinen Provinz Feg. Dort lebt er zufrieden als Sohn eines Webers und verbringt seine Freizeit mit Malen und Zeichnen, denn der Pater der Gemeinde hat genau erkannt, dass Mel großes künstlerisches Talent besitzt.
Als er ihm was Gutes tun will und einige Beispielbilder Mels an die große Künstlerakademie in der Hauptstadt schickt, bekundet diese schon gleich Interesse an dem Jungen. Doch als einige Häscher der großen Gilde in den Heimatort von Mel kom...more Inhalt
Mel kommt aus einem kleinen Dorf in einer kleinen Provinz Feg. Dort lebt er zufrieden als Sohn eines Webers und verbringt seine Freizeit mit Malen und Zeichnen, denn der Pater der Gemeinde hat genau erkannt, dass Mel großes künstlerisches Talent besitzt.
Als er ihm was Gutes tun will und einige Beispielbilder Mels an die große Künstlerakademie in der Hauptstadt schickt, bekundet diese schon gleich Interesse an dem Jungen. Doch als einige Häscher der großen Gilde in den Heimatort von Mel kommt, gerät er in Gefahr - denn die Farben, die er für seine Bilder benutzt hat, hat er nicht von der Gilde gekauft. Im letzten Moment kann er fliehen und kommt so in die große Hauptstadt Vlam und endlich zur Künstlerakademie von Ambrosius Blenk.
Doch auch dort muss sich Mel mit viel Ärger herum schlagen und als er zusammen mit seinen Freunden Wren und Ludo einige höchst interessante und beunruhigende Entdeckungen macht, ist ihm auch schon die Gilde wieder auf den Fersen...

Meine Meinung
Bei diesem Buch handelt es sich um den ersten Teil einer geplanten Trilogie, wobei bisher nur die ersten beiden Bände erschienen sind.

Melkin Womper, kurz Mel genannt, ist ein ein sympathischer, schüchterner Junge, der in seiner Freizeit liebend gerne malt und ein Einzelgänger ist, da er nicht gerne im Mittelpunkt steht und sich mit den Kindern in seinem Alter nicht so gut versteht. Er soll später ebenfalls das Weberhandwerk lernen, um seinem Vater zur Hand zu gehen. Nur Fra Thenum, der Dorfgeistliche, erkennt das Talent in dem Jungen und fördert ihn, indem er die Bilder Mels in der Kirche aufhängt und an die Künstlerakademie von Ambrosius Blenk schreibt. Mel scheint ein wenig tollpatschig zu sein und das Pech nur so anzuziehen. So steckt er schon zu Beginn der Geschichte in gewaltigem Ärger, als Beauftragte der Gilde von seinen Bildern erfahren.
Mel ist mit seinen jungen Jahren und seinem Verhalten auf jeden Fall eher etwas für jüngere Leser - mehrmals habe ich mich dabei ertappt, wie ich über seine Naivität nur den Kopf schütteln konnte. Zudem stürzt er oft von einem Missgeschick ins nächste, was in meinen Augen auch oft an seiner kindlichen Art lag. Daher würde ich das Buch eher als Kinderbuch einordnen, wobei es dennoch sehr spannend und fesselnd war und sicherlich auch älteren Lesern gefallen kann.

Neben Mel lernt man auch bald Ludo und Wren kennen, die beide ebenfalls in der Künstlerwerkstatt leben, die Freundschaft zwischen den Dreien entwickelt sich erst etwas langsam, da Mel von ältesten Lehrling schikaniert wird und deswegen die anderen Jungen Abstand zu Mel halten und Wren ebenfalls sehr dickköpfig ist. Leider bleiben aber besonders diese beiden Freunde ein wenig blass und farblos, wobei man nur hoffen kann, dass ihre Charaktere in den nächsten Bänden ausgebaut werden.

Wie es oft typisch in einem Kinderbuch ist, so sind die Guten gut und die Bösen böse, was man ihnen allein schon an den optischen Beschreibungen "ansehen" kann. Dennoch hat auch hier der Autor für ein wenig Rätselraten gesorgt, denn tatsächlich gibt es auch hier einen Charakter wie Severus Snape aus Harry Potter, den man sehr lange Zeit nicht einschätzen kann. Dennoch haben mir die Darstellung und die Idee der Gilden gut gefallen, denn jede Gilde ist mit einem Sinnesorgan verbunden und für alles gibt es eine Art "Patent", das der Handwerker kaufen muss, um es zu verwenden. Ein Bäcker, welcher der Gilde des Schmeckens unterstellt ist, muss Rezepte kaufen, um sie backen zu dürfen, beispielsweise. Ärgerlicherweise ist genau die Gilde des Gesichtssinns, also des Sehsinns, die mächtigste und macht somit die meisten Probleme und Mel ist ihr wegen seines Talents ein Dorn im Auge. Durch eben diese Gilden wird dem (jungen) Leser das Patentrecht und Korruption erklärt.

Die Beschreibungen in dem Buch, von den Umgebungen, der Welt und den Geschehnissen sind sehr detailliert und bunt geschrieben, sodass man sich alles gut vorstellen kann, ohne von Eindrücken erschlagen zu werden. Besonders ab dem zweiten Drittel des Buches wird auch die Handlung ebenfalls viel aufregender und man kommt langsam hinter die sonderbaren Geheimnisse hinter MirrorScape, was Mel, Ludo und Wren heimlich entdecken, als sie Ambrosius Blenk beobachten. Diese zeugen von besonders starken Einfallsreichtum, Nervenkitzel und farbenfrohen Beschreibungen. Diese Szenen erinnern stärker an ein Jugend- als an ein Kinderbuch und machen die Geschichte zu einem echten "Page-Turner". Die Seiten fliegen nur so dahin und ab da werden auch die Ereignisse in Vlam in der Künstlerakademie immer aufregender und die Geschehnisse überschlagen sich.

Zum Ende gibt es wieder einen sehr spannenden Showdown, der den Leser nochmals besonders an das Buch fesselt. Das Ende ist an sich durchaus als Abgeschlossen zu sehen, dennoch möchte ich gerne wissen, wie es weiter geht. Zumal ich ja den zweiten Band schon besitze.
Da der Autor auch selber Künstler ist, gibt es am Buchanfang eine Karte von Vlam und zu jedem Kapitelanfang ebenfalls eine kleine Zeichnung.

Fazit
Bis auf die Schwierigkeiten, die ich mit Mels kindlicher Naivität hatte, hat mir der erste Band der MirrorScape Trilogie sehr gut gefallen und lässt auf mehr hoffen. Der Schreibstil des Autors ist gefällig, die Handlung spannend und innovativ und auch die Charaktere sind, mit einigen Abstrichen, sehr authentisch und überzeugend. Daher kann ich das Buch durchaus weiter empfehlen und vergebe 4 Sterne!

Weitere Buchrezensionen gibt es auf meinem Blog Kaugummiqueens Bücherstube (kaugummiqueen.blogspot.de)(less)

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Feb 17, 2011 Sarah Sammis rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, read-in-2010

Mirrorscape by Mike Wilks has a gorgeous cover and an intriguing premise. There's an artistic and magical battle going on between the Fifth Mystery (the artist's guild) and the Rainbow Rebellion, a strange but colorful underground society that wants to expose the corruption that runs rampant through the Mysteries and the very core of Vlam.

The book starts off strongly with Melkin Womper being apprenticed by Ambrosius Blenk, a master of the Fifth Mystery. He's sent to the capitol city to begin his...more

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Feb 01, 2010 TheSaint rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, fantasy

What a well-paced book. I don't often think in terms of pace, but as I was reading, I was conscious of the action and stress the characters were going through and just when I was ready for a break, the author provided it.
Just a little icing on the cake of a well-built fantasy world. The conceit of making art super-valuable was well worth the price of admission.
Plus, for those readers who want to continue, there will be additional stories with these characters, but this story, Mirrorscape was co...more

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May 18, 2010 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Theresa L. Stowell for TeensReadToo.com

Imagine being able to enter the world inside a painting. Curious creatures, strange landscapes, and interesting characters could lead you into realms beyond imagination.

Melkin Womper has found a way to experience worlds that only special artists can create. As this thirteen-year-old struggles to adapt to life as an apprentice to master artist Ambrosius Blenk, he sets off on an adventure that could change his life.

Along with his friends, Wren and...more

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Oct 23, 2009 Tina (Fantastic Book Review) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, magic

First off, the premise of Mirrorscape is quite fascinating when you think about being able to travel to a new world through paintings. It's original concept is what grabbed my attention to read this book. The book introduces readers to Mel, a talented painter who lives in a small town where color is only available through the purchase of Pleasures (sight, taste, smell, touch and sound) which cost a hefty penny. Mel soon finds himself with a chance to fulfill his dreams of being an apprentice for...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Ab rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-ness, crazyness-mind-blowing-whoa, fantastically-fantastical, pleasantly-strange, re-reading

This book was amazing! The creativity! The imagination! Soooooo good! Mel comes from a village where there are no colors available except for "tabby" which is a dull, beige-ish sort of hue. The use of colors, tastes, smells, etc. all cost a pretty penny due to a corrupt House of Mysteries. Mel can draw very well, and a great artist sends his assistant to get Mel as an apprentice. Soon, he's traveling through paintings that take on a world of their own, beyond the imagination of the artists, and...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Carlie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: beehive-awards, discarded-read

I didn't finish this book. It was due at the library, I renewed it and still didn't finish it. The ideas were very interesting, but the author wrote with too much detail in every sentence. it really detracted from my interest. It also seemed to take me so much longer to read than other books. It just didn't flow. I didn't read it the entire 6 weeks I had it; but i spent at least 3 weeks on it. I normally read fairly quickly. I don't think I'll pick it up again, but saved the page number just in...more

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Oct 17, 2010 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

I like the idea of art as magic. I wish there had been more time spent on character development and less on superficial descriptions of composite monsters... what compels people to do the things they do, as artists, what compels us to create or to imagine the things we do, etc... Would love a plot that had more color and depth, but I did enjoy the story overall.

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May 16, 2013 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, juvenile-fiction

Wilks does a good job with the imagery in this book. However, sometimes I felt that it was too wordy and he over did the description. The book was well thought out and written. But I had a really hard time loving the book and it's characters. I guess I personally never made a connection, but this book wasn't horrible.

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Jan 30, 2010 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: never-finished

This book had wonderful potential. Wonderful ideas for a world, potentially great plot. However, if you plan on giving all vital information in huge info-dump sessions, you are likely to lose your reader because information doesn't and shouldn't come that way in a story. Writing style was non existent and drove my crazy, so I left off around page 50.

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Nov 06, 2011 Kiirsi Hellewell rated it 1 of 5 stars

I tried to read this book. Gave it a valiant effort. Finally gave up after 80 or so pages. Besides the tons of very annoying typos, there was such an over-the-top evil villain/creepy feeling on pretty much every page that I literally couldn't stomach it. The book almost made me ill.

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Aug 24, 2011 Patrick rated it 2 of 5 stars

Very less than average. It is a British middle school fantasy. Most of the action in the book takes place in paintings. There is a lot of imagination with out much development of the characters. I there are more books in this series. I will find something better to read.

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title link	preview: Mirrorscape
avg rating	preview: Mirrorscape Goodreads rating: 3.10 (242 ratings)
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