In Nick Bantock’s best-selling trilogy (Griffin & Sabine, Sabine’s Notebook and The Golden Mean) we met an unusual couple, Griffin and Sabine. The duo was introduced to readers through intimate postcards and envelopes filled with letters that could be pulled out and read. Griffin Moss was a talented London postcard artist, lonely and cut off from the world. Sabine Strohem was an extraordinary woman from the Sicmon Islands with the ability to "see" Griffin’s artwork as he created it. The reader became a voyeur through the thrillingly forbidden act of reading someone else’s mail. Yet, however revealing their letters, Griffin and Sabine remained a mystery. Were they a real couple attempting to meet for the first time or the polar aspects of one person trying to reconcile?
Now, in the same delicious format, The Gryphon arrives as the first installment of a new trilogy in which Bantock broadens the tapestry. Correspondence flies between four people as Griffin and Sabine reach out to a new couple for help.
In Egypt, as Matthew Sedon works through an archeological dig, he receives a cryptic correspondence from Sabine tantalizing him with a familiarity of which he has no recollection. After a few correspondences, she asks a favor of him. The fulfillment of that favor introduces Matthew to the affair between Griffin and Sabine. But, is it real or an elaborate hoax?
In Paris, Matthew’s girlfriend, Isabella de Reims, is having what she calls "waking dreams" in which she watches unbelievable landscapes and creatures worthy of mythological fame. As Matthew attempts to unravel the mystery, a frightening connection between Isabella’s visions and this strange couple begins to manifest itself. The journey to discovery leads Matthew and Isabella into a realm that will test their belief in themselves and in Griffin and Sabine. This beautifully illustrated volume would make an enchanting gift choice for any mystery lover or voyeur on your holiday shopping list.
